Putting twelve hands on a man does not mean more work will get done
Old Scroll
News came faster than Tez' Mu expected, in the form of the grim face of Kal' Yu standing before him in Raq' Mu's study.
"What are you doing here?" Tez' Mu asked, leaning out of his recline on his father's chair.
Kal' Yu raised his eyebrows. "Giving you reports?" he said, with a lift at the end. Tez' Mu was surprised.
"Me? I thought you answered to the steward."
"Not since Mi' Huan died," Kal' Yu replied, gritting his teeth, "He was like a brother to me; and I will avenge his death."
Tez' Mu did not respond, only waiting for his deputy to compose himself.
"Well," Kal' Yu stepped forward, retrieving a sheaf of papers from his spatial ring, "I received a few unsolicited letters concerning the situation in Najan that might interest you."
Tez' Mu pointed at the desk. Kal' Yu smirked.
"Oh, I suppose it doesn't." he set a few papers down. "We also have a follow-up on the congressmen in Darin. Shortly after we returned, I sent a few covert guards there to see if they could rescue them."
"Is that even allowed?" Tez' Mu was impressed, "I thought the Onan Desar was only about the monarch's welfare."
Kal' Yu smirked again.
"The Onan Desar is all about whatever its leader," he gave a begrudging nod at Tez' Mu, "and its deputy," he pointed at himself, "want it to be about."
"Interesting," Tez' Mu grinned, "I give that to you, Kal'," Tez' Mu never imagined this man could ever become anything but opposing to him.
Kal' Yu took the compliment in stride. "And I have good news. The congressmen are free, and are held under orders nearby."
Tez' Mu nodded commendingly, but he was unsure what he wanted to do with them now.
"That's good. How's the general situation in Darin?"
"The Kests and Rus are still in a tussle with the 'rogue' army," Kal' Yu rolled his eyes, having been briefed about the imperial propaganda, "I can swear they're imperials," he frowned, "I'm certain I've seen a few of them before."
"Let it rest," Tez' Mu shrugged.
"The rogue army got reinforcements, coming from somewhere in Guho," Kal' Yu continued after an exasperated sigh, "but carrying a different flag."
"Oh?" Tez' Mu's interest was piqued, "What was it?"
"The gray falcon," Kal' Yu answered. "Lord Ren," he and Tez' Mu said together.
"Aha!" Tez' Mu sat up, "I knew it! Lord Ren is a member of the Imperial Council, so the steward definitely ordered this!"
Kal' Yu did not react, only moving to the next report. "And lastly, you have a letter."
"Addressed to me?" Tez' Mu frowned, "Or the Head of the Onan Desar?"
Kal' Yu shrugged, "What difference does it make?" he asked, handing over the purple envelope. The curly writing on the front addressed it to the office of the Onan Desar, and the seal was a small eagle.
"It's from Darin," Tez' Mu's breath hitched as he tore it open, "So the steward doesn't check our mail?"
Kal' Yu sniggered, "Not on my watch," he bowed and took his leave, deciding he didn't want to hear the contents. Tez' Mu unfolded the paper, and was met with an unfamiliar writing.
I was hasty when I rebuffed you back when you were here, and for that I apologize.
I am willing to help you overcome your bottleneck, but at a price.
Whatever happens within the palace stays within the palace.
The West will lay down arms once we see him.
Find him.
Apparently the writer deemed that there was no need of appending their name, but Tez' Mu knew who it was. The mention of his bottleneck had set his breath quickening. So it was true. It was real. The Breakthrough Matrix Formation could help him, and Huiran' had agreed.
However…
Who was it that Huiran' Kest wanted to find?
He glanced back at the letter, reading it over again. And then everything fell into place before his eyes suddenly.
It had all started with the Keolyor.
Keolyor. The King's Army.
His breath quickened. The raiders named themselves after Keol' Han, demanding that he take the throne of his fathers and that the regency be ended. Mirin had made him realise that the Keolyor were under Offal' Kest's orders.
All his grandfather wanted was to see the rightful king on the throne.
And if the Dowager and the Imperial Council were going to such lengths to prevent that, then the king was in danger.
He rose, his mind working swiftly as he grabbed two pieces of paper from the table. The first bore the report of the war in Najan, which he had pretended not to care about. The Arbans were pushing the Mu Army back.
The second was an invitation to a joust in the palace. The Dowager was hosting envoys from Miyuan, who were in Ochelon for yet another shot at a marriage treaty.
Tez' Mu smirked. If the Dowager didn't want him in the Scith, then he would hang around the rest of the palace. After all, it was up to him if he wanted to rest or not. If everyone else was at the joust, it would afford him ample time to snoop around the imperial residence and see where exactly Keol' Han was hidden.
"Who's out there?" he called. There was a shuffling sound, and the door opened, Sari peeking in with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, ke?"
"Tell mother I'm heading out to the palace," he said, crossing to Raq' Mu's armor pedestal and grabbing the red cloak draped over the ceremonial steel armor. He flung it over his shoulders, and glanced at his reflection in the window glass on the other side of the room. A younger Riel' Mu stared back at him. Tez' Mu frowned, and then smiled. No wonder people kept mistaking him for his brothers.
"Why? But you weren't summoned," Sari asked, surprised.
"I don't have to be summoned to enter the palace, Sari," Tez' Mu replied, chuckling lightly, "It's time I made use of the benefits of my position."
Sari smirked back, understanding. Getting reports was good, but so much more could be found out in person. Keiran's disappearance had set Tez' Mu on edge, making him realize those closest to him were now being affected by the general political situation. His muscles tensed as he strode out of the study, his expression determined.
Annir ran up to him when he entered the main courtyard, his expression eager.
"Are you heading out, my lord?" the stable boy asked. Tez' Mu nodded, but said.
"I'm not taking a carriage." He said, brushing the stable boy aside. "I'll go alone."
His new horse was soon brought to him and Tez' Mu swung into the saddle, giving orders that no one be allowed into the manor. He wasn't too sure that Mali' Il wouldn't act true to her word and just drop in unannounced. Just like in the kingdom, the balance within the House of Mu rested precariously on a line.
He rode out of the manor and Muii passed by in a blur. Instead of going through the official gate to the palace at the end of Ahava Road, Tez' Mu turned sharply to the right at the crossroads in the central district, the bustling sounds of the city quickly fading behind him. His horse's hooves echoed down a narrow street lined with weathered shacks, the likes of which could be seen in Joavir; their wooden planks covered in various stains and sagging with age. The air was heavy with the smell of damp stone and faint smoke from nearby cooking fires. Faces half hidden by smoky shadows peered up at him curiously for less than a second, and then resumed whatever task they were doing. Nuariu. The name echoed in Tez' Mu's mind. This street housed the palace domestic staff, those whose jobs didn't afford them the better, cleaner accommodation provided within the palace.
Eyes followed him till he reached the end of the street, where a small iron gate stood, tucked into the overgrowth that crept down the palace wall like a veil. Its bars were rusted, streaked with orange that bled into the gray stone frame, and one hinge hung precariously loose, creaking softly in the wind. The gate was ajar, a gap wide enough to admit a single person. Tez' Mu dismounted and approached cautiously, glancing back once to find all the staring faces quickly averted. He pushed the gate open, and stepped inside, pulling his horse over the threshold by the reins.
Beyond the gate, the landscape changed. The sky was dotted with small jagged hills that loomed ahead, their sharp ridges shaped like the spines of a great beast. The ground was uneven, strewn with loose stones that crunched underfoot. The road that led from the servant's entrance stretched on for a few paces, rounded a corner, and passed out of sight
Tez' Mu had never been to this part of the palace before, but being the Head of the Onan Desar afforded him a detailed map of the imperial residence. He halted in his tracks and pulled said map out of his pocket, unrolling it and peering at it with scrutiny as he held it up to his face.
The imperial residence, where he was headed, was just ahead, surrounded and protected by the ring of hills he had sighted. There was a little red dot on the map that signified the front gate to the residence built into the hills, and another blue dot at the opposite side. A hidden gate. Tez' Mu frowned.
Mounting his horse, he rode along the bumpy road and, instead of rounding the corner, proceeded straight down an unmarked trail that led up the hills. As he sat in the saddle, unmoving though the horse broke into a trot ever so often, his mind buzzed with the question of why the imperial residence was so far removed from the rest of the palace. A few of the trees and hills, he saw, were artificial, as if in recent times someone had worked hard to make that part of the palace even more inaccessible. Faint hues and wisps of essence shimmering in the periphery of his sight convinced him some of them were illusions, the work of expert mages no doubt.
Someone definitely had something to hide, Tez' Mu decided, and his jaw clenched as his horse burst into a canter as the trail leveled, the path opening up to the other entrance to the residence. His breath hitched as he pulled his horse to a stop, his mouth dropping open slightly at the sight of it.
If the front gate of the palace was the grand entrance of a fortress, the hidden gate was its shadow—a secret known only to the most privileged few. Nestled in a cleft between two massive boulders, the gate was almost invisible, blending seamlessly into the dark stone. Two intertwining columns stood on either side, their capitals meeting at the center to form an ancient crest. Moss and ivy clung to the columns, obscuring the faint etchings circling it all the way to the top, and the faintest glimmer of warding runes shimmered in the empty space between them, when Tez' Mu stepped closer.
This is a very old gate, Tez' Mu wondered, noting the weathered stone. The heavy pulsing of aura emanating from it told him it was only powerful ancient runes that held the gate up this long, keeping it from crumbling to dust.
As he climbed up the weathered steps to the arch, a bolder etching at the top of the gate made him halt, confirming his suspicions as to how old the structure was. Glowing with pale blue light in the afternoon sun, four old sigils burned up above the gate, pulsing with the same essence Tez' Mu had been feeling for a while. His eyes narrowed as they traced the shape of the first one, the light curling lightly as if it was just being drawn again by an adept hand, and not centuries ago. The brush tail blended into the thick body, the fur ranging from light gray to darker tones, spiking above and below. The face of the animal sigil was facing rightward, and the long dark snout rose prominently above the deep etched eyes.
Tez' Mu's breath hitched.
A coyote…?
A coyote!
He stumbled forward, feeling his face heat up from the throbbing aura. What was a coyote sigil doing here, etched over an ancient gate to the imperial residence, next to…a lynx? The symbol of the House of Yan? Tez' Mu's confusion heightened. But the sight of the soaring white eagle next to the lynx didn't shock him as much as the last sigil did.
A roaring black tiger.
Han, Yan, Kest and Mu?
Tez' Mu reached out and touched the invisible warding barrier, and his fingers tingled as a spark of old essence passed through them in a flash. He could almost taste the ancientness of it on his tongue.
The barrier dissolved and Tez' Mu gasped as his arm suddenly jolted from a spasm, then stopped. The imperial residence lay before him, seven tile-roofed buildings built in a semicircle with a grand house in the center, where the king presumably lived.
Tez' Mu strode forward, abandoning his horse to graze outside the gate. He watched two patrolling sentinels meet at the center of the main yard. The first stomped his feet and turned around sharply, holding his spear aloft. The second waited a beat before repeating the same action.
Tez' Mu took another step. They both stopped and turned in their tracks, sighting him at the same time. The spears were immediately leveled in his direction.
"This area is out of bounds!" the first sentinel shouted. Tez' Mu confirmed the badge of the Onan Desar on his uniform before responding.
"I'm Tez' Mu, your captain."
The sentinel, who was now tramping forward spear out, halted, his face changing.
"Apologies, my lord," he said automatically, retracting his spear. Tez' Mu turned to the second guard, who had not reacted. The insignia on his own uniform was different; a black sword crossed over a crown, reminiscent of the imperial flag.
"May I know what brings you to the imperial residence, my lord?" the second guard asked, his eyes noting Moonfire slung across Tez' Mu's back.
Tez' Mu put on an impassive face. "I'm here to check the security deficiencies of the king's chamber."
"Security deficiencies?" the second guard repeated, bemused, sharing a significant look with his colleague, "I'm afraid there is none to speak of, my lord."
"That's for me to determine," Tez' Mu shot back, but the guard wasn't done talking.
"—besides, the king doesn't live here," he said, frowning.
"What?" Tez' Mu's eyes widened. The two sentinels shared another look, their suspicions deepening. The first guard slowly leveled his spear again.
"The king doesn't live here, my lord," the guard restated, taking a slow step forward with the pointy tip of his spear now directly leveled at Tez' Mu's chest. "Now, mind not my impoliteness, but you have to leave now. You're clearly not supposed to be here."
Tez' Mu laughed once.
"Who's in charge of the security here?" he asked the first guard.
"Lieutenant Na' Raa, my lord," the guard replied, raising his eyebrows. Tez' Mu nodded as he noted the name.
"So the king doesn't live here?" he asked again to be sure, his face not at all betraying the storm brewing inside him. The two sentinels nodded their heads.
"Where does he live then?" Tez' Mu asked. Had Keol' Han been moved after the first attack of the Keolyor or had he never lived in the palace to begin with?
"We don't know, my lord," the guards replied. Tez' Mu took a deep breath and nodded. He turned around. Clearly, his errand here was done.
"Report to Deputy Yu after your shift. He will give you further instructions," he ordered. The guards nodded. Tez' Mu smirked out of sight, as he made his way back to the edge of the hills. Kal' Yu had his ways with his men, and he would leave them to him. Having a pair of eyes in the imperial residence was invaluable.
For now though, Tez' Mu thought, as he passed through the hidden gate with the warding runes on his way out, there were more secrets to uncover. His eyes lingered on the four ancient sigils for a second longer, and then, he mounted his horse and galloped away.
***
The summons came abruptly, but Tez' Mu should have seen it coming. He might not have known the path he had started on, but those in power did, and even his smallest actions did not escape their eyes.
The imperial soldier delivering the summons insisted on escorting Tez' Mu to the palace, no doubt under orders to stop him from entering through unsanctioned areas and discover more unsavory secrets. The soldier rode next to Tez' Mu the whole way, keeping his eyes on him rather than the road.
Ahava was packed full of a motley crowd watching the Miyuan envoys shop. The air buzzed with a mixture of hushed chatter and the occasional laughter of children darting through the spaces between the adults. Tez' Mu maneuvered his horse expertly through the pressing bodies, wondering what the crowd, most of whom were men, were so intrigued by.
His question was answered as the horse made its second turn onto a narrower street. Carried on a high palanquin, its frame decorated with intricate carvings, borne by seven hefty men, a dark-skinned beauty sat on a big round cushion, her posture regal yet relaxed. Her long, light brown hair was covered with a mesh veil, which also partially covered her face. Bangles and beads adorned her arms from the wrist all the way up to her shoulder, and they all jangled together, creating a musical noise as she gestured to her servants, who scurried back and forth carting different goods from the shops and roadside stalls.
Tez' Mu noticed the shopkeepers' faces, however, and the contrast was striking. While the servants carted off goods with wide smiles, the shopkeepers stood with displeased looks, exchanging frustrated glances. There was no money exchanging hands, no payments being made for the wares being taken, yet the envoys' procession moved forward without interruption.
"Is that the Miyuan princess?" Tez' Mu asked his escort, who nodded curtly in reply.
"Princess Akeia," came a voice from behind, belonging to someone standing next to Tez' Mu's horse. The man stretched his neck to get a better view of the palanquin. "King Aigun's most beloved daughter. They say she's here for a peace marriage. Hah, anyone who manages to marry her will be extremely lucky!"
Tez' Mu raised an eyebrow, considering the remark. Was Akeia a contender for the Miyuan throne? He was about to ask further when his escort became visibly impatient. The soldier whipped his horse, spurring it forward through the crowd, breaking through the mass of bodies, and into the ring of Miyuan guards protecting the princess. The horse reared suddenly, as one of the princess' servants rushed forward, holding a vase in her arms.
Tez' Mu gasped as the servant fell. Before the horse's hooves could crush her, a wave of essence rushed out from the palanquin, encircling the horse and its rider and lifting them momentarily into the air. In an instant, the servant was pulled to safety by another guard, who had darted forward. The horse landed.
A collective gasp rose from the onlookers. "She's a Martial Lord!" someone murmured. Tez' Mu, ever attuned to the flow of essence around him, could sense the raw power of the cultivator. His heightened awareness allowed him to gauge the depth of Akeia's aura—she was indeed formidable.
The escort soldier had dismounted and dropped to his knees. A Miyuan guard pointed a halberd at his throat. Tez' Mu quickly rode forward.
"Pardon him," he said to the soldier in the Miyuan tongue. The soldier raised his head in surprise.
"Who are you?" he asked in a sharp voice. Tez' Mu smiled.
"Tez' Mu, Head of the Onan Desar." He replied, returning to Esek, "I'm on my way to an audience with her majesty, hence his haste. Please forgive us."
The guard bowed.
"Of course, Lord Mu." He waved to the guards behind him, and they quickly cleared a path for them to pass through. Tez' Mu inclined his head, said thanks in Miyuan, and rode past.
As he passed the palanquin, he caught Akeia's gaze. Her eyes, partially obscured by the veil, were locked onto him, and a soft smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth. Tez' Mu couldn't help but feel an unsettling stir as he passed her. Without thinking, he raised a hand to his chest in a gesture of polite acknowledgment, his gaze steady.
Akeia's smile widened.
Tez' Mu's stomach tightened. Oh no.
The encounter with Akeia was soon relegated to the back of his mind as the white walls of the palace loomed up. What does the Dowager want with me now? Tez' Mu thought furiously. Her unceremonious disposal of him after the peace envoy mission still gnawed at his insides. Sari had analyzed that after seeing him display political savvy despite being tried by the whole court, the Dowager didn't want him in the Scith anymore.
"She doesn't want another Raq' Mu," Sari had said, "The Scith considers my lord general too powerful; both on the battlefield and in the court. If she continues to let you listen in at every court proceeding, you're going to become a force too great to be reckoned with."
Tez' Mu had agreed, but why did she suddenly send for him now, he wondered, as his escort turned his horse towards a side road west of the main one leading to the Scith. He followed, his irritation rising. Did the Dowager think he was some dog who would come wagging his tail every time she called for him?
They stopped at a pavilion. Tez' Mu dismounted, amending his expression as he strode forward. He climbed up a few steps and then caught sight of the Dowager sitting serenely in a high-backed wicker chair, sipping tea. A large checkered game board was set on a wooden table before her, pieces arranged as if she had been playing against herself. When she glanced up and saw him, her face softened into a smile—a rare sight, one that made Tez' Mu blink in surprise. He bowed.
"Your Majesty."
"Rise, Tez'," the Dowager replied, setting down her cup, "I see you've recovered."
"Yes, thanks to Your Majesty's grace," Tez' Mu answered, raising his head from the bow and glancing at the board. The red kingdom pieces were hemmed in.
She noticed him staring at the game. Smiling slightly, she waved him to sit.
"Bodily rest is good, but there is nothing better than some entertainment," she said, reaching out to rearrange the pieces, humming slightly.
Tez' Mu frowned inwardly. The kingdom was still at war, both in Najan and Darin, but all the Dowager wanted was to play a game? Something wasn't right.
"Do you play?"
"I'm not sure I know the rules, Your Majesty," Tez' Mu responded. He was not a big fan of Realms Reclaim. The trouble with his bottleneck had taken away any time that might have been used for any leisurely activities.
"And you are Raq' Mu's son?" the Dowager chuckled at her own joke, placing the last piece, a Crested Arbiter, back on its original place on the right side of the monarch piece.
"Then I suppose I shall have to take on the unsavory task of teaching you," she spread her arms over the board, and Tez' Mu looked down at it. It had ninety squares, alternately painted red or green, echoing the pieces colors.
"There are two kingdoms in Realms Reclaim," the Dowager started, taking a sip of her tea and motioning a servant to pour a cup for Tez' Mu as well, "The Reds and the Greens."
Tez' Mu nodded. "I'm Red, then?"
"Yes," she replied, "Can you name the pieces, at the very least?"
Tez' Mu thought for a moment before pointing to the piece in the center of his lineup. "Monarch," he said, then to the left of it, "Supply, Champion," to the right were "Arbiter and Shadow." He continued, naming the other pieces: "Soldiers, Banners and Siege," he concluded, pointing at the castle-shaped piece.
"Fort," The Dowager corrected.
"Not if it's used against the enemy," Tez' Mu managed a smile. Her face softened, her smile widening at his wit.
"I thought you said you didn't know the rules," she accused, sipping more tea.
"I don't really play; I only watch others," he responded, inclining his head.
"Hmm," the Dowager murmured, setting her cup down with deliberate slowness. She moved a hand toward the board and placed a piece—one with a soldier's helmet—onto a green square. "Don't we all just watch as life unfolds, really? We hardly do any playing," she said cryptically.
The game had begun.
Tez' Mu smiled, and responded with one of his own soldier pieces, placing it on the red square adjacent the Dowager's piece, hemming it in. The Dowager smiled.
"Nice," she moved her hand backwards towards a crested arbiter, and moved it diagonally along until it rested on a green square between Tez' Mu's soldier piece and hers. "No more fighting," she chuckled.
Tez' Mu smirked but did not reply. He knocked the arbiter off the board with another of his soldier pieces, and claimed his first green square. The Dowager clapped, took a sip of tea, and then played her turn. Her champion piece knocked Tez' Mu's two soldiers off the board, allowing the green army to reclaim their land and earn a red square at the same time.
"Ten points," she awarded herself, and gestured Tez' Mu to play.
Tez' Mu paused. He glanced at his own arbiter piece, but it was no use as none of his soldier pieces was near the champion. He frowned.
"Come now," the Dowager chided seeing his expression, "we have just started."
"I know, Your Majesty," Tez' Mu reached out and moved his fort piece to the right, onto a red square. The Dowager nodded, and her banner piece swooped down on the fort immediately. Tez' Mu clenched his teeth.
But the Dowager stopped short, placing the banner one square away from the fort. A red square.
I have to claim it back, Tez' Mu thought quickly. He picked up his shadow piece and placed it behind the fort, effectively stopping the Blue realm's champion—the only piece that could kill a shadow—from coming at it.
"Now we are really playing," The Dowager chuckled as she moved her own shadow piece in retaliation, placing it on another red square. The shadow was tantalizingly close to one of Tez' Mu's soldiers, but the helmeted pieces could only kill any piece to the left or right of them. If he moved the soldier, the Dowager would kill it off first.
He frowned again.
"There is nothing to worry about," the Dowager chuckled, "The game is far from over."
Tez' Mu did not react. He made a quick gamble in his mind, and moved his champion piece, knocking out the blue shadow. The Dowager stilled. Tez' Mu had killed off one of her strongest pieces and successfully reclaimed one square of his realm.
"Ten points," he chuckled, raising his head to smirk as he used her own teasing words back at her.
Her eyes narrowed but for only a moment. She smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
"True," she murmured, "ten points."
Her next move was ruthless. Her champion piece swooped down on the fort, and swept it off the board. She only set the piece down when she reached a red square not far from Tez' Mu's arbiter. Tez' Mu gulped.
"Things aren't always what they seem, son of Mu," she said, leaning back as if she had won. Tez' Mu stared hard at the board, feeling the loss of his fort pricking his heart.
"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" he asked, pausing as he raised his head to glance at her. She watched him with half closed eyes, as if analyzing him.
"I heard you visited the imperial residence yesterday."
Tez' Mu's mouth went dry. He was suddenly unsure of how to react. To the hapless guards at the residence he was the proud captain of the Onan Desar, with scores of palace guards at his command. But to her he was but a disposable tool, the third son of the House of Mu, whose title had been bestowed on a whim and could be withdrawn just as casually.
He was nothing in her eyes.
A useful nothing.
"Yes, I did, Your Majesty," he finally responded, reaching out to grab his cup of tea to hide his shaking hands.
"You are curious about the internal workings of the palace," she said with a small patronizing smile, "perhaps trying to make sense of a few suspicions you might have, or which others," she paused as she breathed out the word, "might have planted in your heart."
Tez' Mu's breath hitched. Was Kal' Yu sure their letters weren't being censored?
He moved his second fort piece to the left, claiming a blue square.
"But let me tell you, Tez'," the Dowager did not react to his move. Her eyes were on him. "This palace is built on a foundation so ancient you could never imagine. Our forefathers sought the prosperity of the kingdom, but in so doing made countless rules that impacted, negatively, their generations to come."
Tez' Mu tried hard not to frown. She was vague and ambiguous, but he could sense her underlying sentiment. She knew he had been to the imperial residence and was not happy about it.
"History leaves much unsaid, son of Mu," the Dowager said, "and the scribes and scholars also leave out embarrassing details."
Tez' Mu nodded slowly, wondering where all this was heading.
The Dowager leaned forward slightly, intending to return to the game as her fingers lingered on a piece. "For instance, the history of my royal bloodline is often spoken of with half-truths and whispers. Did you know I wasn't raised in the palace?"
Tez' blinked, surprised she would offer such personal details. "I wasn't aware."
"I was born a courtesan's daughter," she said, moving her champion two spaces forward diagonally, hemming in Tez' Mu's second fort. "My mother—beautiful, clever, and disposable—died before I turned five. After that, the palace doors were shut to me. I was sent to Yiwen, a school for noble daughters, where I was expected to fade quietly into irrelevance."
"You didn't fade," Tez' Mu observed, frantically moving his arbiter piece between the fort and the champion. But it could only land on a blue square. She would consider it an assault.
The Dowager allowed herself a soft laugh. "No, I didn't. Not that the palace made it easy. When my father, King Hul' Han, finally acknowledged me, his legitimate children despised me for it. Their resentment was... potent."
Her champion executed a sweeping move, capturing one of Tez' Mu's banners. He winced inwardly but maintained his composure.
"How did you survive it?" He asked, genuinely intrigued.
Her gaze flickered to his face, sharp and assessing. "Survive? No, Tez'. I thrived. I learned how to wield my wits as a weapon. When my brothers underestimated me, I charmed our father. When they insulted me, I turned their words into opportunities. By the time they realized, I had more power than they ever imagined."
She gestured to the board, where her champion now loomed dangerously close to the red monarch. "Much like this game, life in the palace was about knowing when to play defensively and when to strike."
Tez' Mu responded quickly, moving his fort backwards to protect his monarch. "And did that power bring you what you wanted?"
The Dowager paused, her expression inscrutable. "Not entirely. My father gave me titles and affection, but my siblings' hatred... it never waned. Ger' Han, in particular, saw me as a threat, though I never wanted his throne. He made me hate him for it."
The pavilion fell silent as both players focused on their moves. Tez' Mu advanced his shadow, hoping to exploit an opening, but the Dowager countered swiftly, her strategy impeccable.
"And now?" he asked carefully. "Do you still see your position as... survival?"
Her eyes narrowed, and her next move was decisive—her champion charged, leaping over Tez' Mu's shadow to capture his last banner. "Now, Tez', it is not survival. It is preservation. The kingdom's future depends on me outmaneuvering men like Offal' Kest."
Tez' Mu studied the board, realizing how precarious his position had become. "A heavy burden."
The Dowager's gaze softened, just slightly. "A necessary one."
In the next few moves, the game turned dramatically. Tez', despite his best efforts, was cornered. The Dowager's monarch, shielded by her banners, advanced methodically. When she finally declared victory, Tez' leaned back, exhaling.
"You play like a general," he said, half in admiration, half in frustration.
"I play like a survivor," she corrected, her tone quiet but firm. "And, son of Mu, I will never lose whatever I have gained."
The pavilion, despite its relaxing aura, felt suffocating to Tez' Mu when he left. He took in a deep gulp of air as he stepped outside, and mounted his horse.
He had to have an urgent meeting with Kal' Yu.
The horse spurred as he turned it into the main street, and down the road to the imposing Onan Desar barracks. The Dowager's admonition kept ringing in his mind. But that was not the most important thing he took away from the encounter.
It was a phrase she had said while they were rounding up their meeting. It must have slipped out accidentally, as after Tez' Mu paused upon hearing it, she immediately dismissed him.
Whatever happens within the palace stays within the palace.
Huiran' Kest had written the same phrase in his letter, and it seemed to be the key to finding Keol' Han.