tejoka

Chapter 106 (Draft)

When I opened my eyes again, the world was crisp and clear. I could sense the qi around me far better than I could ever remember, and my range had expanded considerably once again. My body seemed to brim with energy, and as I slowly got to my feet, it felt a little like I was floating through water.

I cracked my neck and examined my surroundings. I was still in Rijoko’s shrine, and since I didn’t see a clock or the sky, I didn’t know how much time had passed. Although it felt like a very fast breakthrough. But the people who’d been sheltering in the side rooms were gone. Instead, there were half a dozen guards kneeling beside the entrance and the closed double doors. The air smelled faintly of smoke, and while the guards all wore clean clothing, the smell of sweat, blood and ash still clung to them.

I stepped forward, careful of my new strength. While my body was ready to go, I didn’t feel as calm or refreshed as I might have expected. The events of the last few hours, to me, were just too much, too raw. I couldn’t help but look over at where Mother had almost died again. The fact that she was gone took some getting used to, and its implications were staggering.

I cleared my throat. “Please rise. How long has it been?”

The guards stood up, and their leader, a cultivator in the seventh stage, answered. “You have been cultivating for your breakthrough for half a day, Your Highness. Congratulations on reaching the fifth stage.”

Half a day. That wasquick, certainly not as bad as it could have been. “I take it from your presence that we won this battle?”

“Yes, my lady.” He looked up at me, then dropped his gaze to the floor again. It wasn’t hard to read the awe with which he looked at me. Like the others.

“Well, then take me to whoever is in command here,” I ordered.

They led me out of the shrine quickly. I glanced at the corridor while I thought. It didn’t look like a fight had broken out here. With the other people in the shrine, what had happened should be known already.

We moved quickly through the remnants of this corner of the palace. A few times, I saw signs of cleanup, where broken furniture had been removed and crumbling walls propped up. But it was still in bad shape. There were too many holes, and few of the windows remained, letting in the cool outside air. At least the smell of dust and blood had gone. A few times, I saw other people, moving through the halls and outside grounds with purpose. Most of them seemed to be soldiers, and all were at least in the fourth stage. I hoped that the weaker ones were still waiting in a shelter.

Someone had erected a tent before the main building, though one of its sides was completely open. Conference tables, chairs and cabinets were scattered throughout it, as were several strong cultivators. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Kariva and Kiyanu.

I almost wished that Aston was here, or my friends. But it was good that they’d been safe from the attack.

Everyone bowed deeply or knelt when I entered the improvised command center. A brief flash of relief passed through Kiyanu’s face.

“Rise,” I said again. “Good to see you’re all alright. How’s the situation?”

“My lady,” Kariva greeted me with a strained smile. “We won. After they started fighting among themselves and becoming easy targets, we managed to kill most of the attackers. A few fled, though, and we’ve gotten some concerning reports from outside. I assume that division was your work?”

I nodded. “Li’s disciples, I assume.”

Kariva shook her head. “I knew you were destined for greatness, my lady, but I never would’ve thought you could defeat someone four stages higher and a thousand years older than yourself. This is going to make you a legend, whatever happens.”

I shrugged, scratching my cheek. “It’s not like I killed him in a fight, more like manipulated him into killing himself.”

“It’s still impressive,” Kiyanu put in. “We heard … what happened to Acura?”

“Before I get into that, are my siblings alright?”

Kariva nodded. “They’re both alive, unharmed and safe. Xiaodan is still in the city’s palace, while we’ve put Alaster under guard close by here, with other civilians.”

I sighed in relief and took a moment to gather myself, before I briefly told them everything that had happened, including Mother’s ascension. I also related my impression that she was more or less gone now, at least for the immediate future.

There was a moment of silence after I finished. I could see they were trying to figure out what it meant, as did I. Am I going to be Empress now?I shivered. I hope not. I’m nowhere near ready, and many people won’t accept a fifth stager on the throne, no matter who her parents are. Well, Mother isn’t dead, anyway.

“Her Majesty did have a plan for an eventuality like this, in case she died before you reached the eighth stage, Your Highness,” Kiyanu finally said. “I’ll need a moment to find something.”

“Before we discuss that,” Kariva cut in. “We need to deal with another matter.”

“Carston.” I grimaced, feeling a stab of anger. I was almost positive he was involved in this, somehow. It would be too much of a coincidence, otherwise. My intuition told me he’d betrayed us. That could be a hint Rijoko had left me.

Kariva nodded. “I’ve apprehended him and been keeping him under heavy guard. He’s been belligerent so far, but perhaps he’ll respond better if you interrogate him.”

I smiled. If Mother was around, she might not approve of Kariva’s actions. But she wasn’t, and I did.

I glanced around at the other people, who hadn’t participated in the conversation so far. The man I recognized as commander of the Imperial Guard hadn’t stopped talking into a communication device once, presumably coordinating the palace’s defenses. A large squad of guards had also shown up here, who I assumed would be escorting me. The other military people seemed similarly busy.

“Let’s go talk to him,” I decided. If we got information from Carston, that would help me in figuring out how to deal with the rest of what was happening. And my anger hadn’t abated.

Besides, I should do this before I met Al. Already, I didn’t know whether I was looking forward to or dreading seeing my siblings. I needed to see they were okay, but I’d have to tell them about Mother.

Kariva led me out of the tent and through the courtyard, before we entered another of the palace buildings. This one was in slightly better shape, and kept at least a few windows. The hallways were empty, but I could sense strong presences gathered below. Kariva guided me down a staircase into the basement, then stopped before a heavy steel door.

The room beyond was bare, with featureless gray walls, an interrogation table and two chairs the only furniture. Three elites in the seventh stage guarded Carston, who sat in one of the chairs. His hands were caught in heavy black handcuffs that radiated strong qi and seemed to clamp onto his aura. He looked a bit disheveled, with his jacket half undone, but his face was set into grim lines, and his expression didn’t flicker when we entered.

I got out a qi talisman from my storage ring and took a deep breath before I entered, with Kariva on my heels. I sat down in the other chair while Kariva remained standing further back, giving me some space.

“So, Dalcarston,” I said. “I assume that’s your name where you’re from?”

He regarded me in silence for a moment, then sighed. “The Dal- prefix marks me as a noble, but since my house doesn’t exist in this world, I cannot really use it. My name is Carston.”

I had to resist the urge to ask more questions about that. I’d suspected that he was from another planet, and while confirmation was nice, it didn’t matter much right now.

“I stumbled from an unstable portal about a hundred years ago,” he added, in a bored tone. “Just sheer, stupid, random chance to end up here.”

Mother had mention that rarely, random portals appeared, but we couldn’t predict or create them. At least that made sense.

“And you moved to this country after that. But because it’s not your home, you feel free to just betray it and the woman who loved you. Or your son.”

I watched his expression closely, and saw his gaze flicker at the last two words. “Baseless accusations,” he stated, still in a calm tone of voice.

I snorted and leaned forward slightly. “Nonsense. I can tell you’re not innocent, Carston. I don’t even need improved intuition for that.”

He shrugged and didn’t say anything further.

“You know, I met a descendant of the Sun,” I said. My spirit enemies probably knew that much already, so I didn’t see a point to keeping it from him. “She’s quite good at reading people and knows if they’re telling the truth. I’m going to call my friends back, after everything that’s happened here, and ask them to bring her along. Of course, if we need to wait for her to arrive, it’s not going to make your interrogation any more pleasant.”

Carston frowned. “You wouldn’t dare harm me. Your Mother —”

“Isn’t here anymore,” I cut him off, staring straight into his eyes while keeping my face set in a cold expression. “Because of you and your associates. Believe me, I don’t have many scruples here. I’d happily have Kariva torture you if that’s what we need to get the answers. Hell, I’ll watch and I might even enjoy it.”

He looked down, breaking eye contact. My icy stare must have unnerved him, and he must have seen I wasn’t bluffing.

“Besides,” I add in a slightly softer tone. “They clearly left you behind, cut their losses and wrote you off. Don’t you owe it to us to explain, or at least to Al?”

“I did not betray Al,” he said stiffly. After a moment, he sighed, then raised his eyes to me again. “Although I will admit that I did betray you, Inaris, as a side effect. There’s nothing personal about it.”

I sat back, feeling a sharp burn in my chest at the confirmation. “You helped them through the wards?”

“I told them what I knew about it, then signaled them when it was a good time to attack,” he said matter-of-factly. “It was distasteful, but I had to do it. And, of course, I kept Acura distracted.”

I grit my teeth. “You wormed your way back into her confidences, playing on her emotions. And you don’t feel guilty about that?”

A bit of fire entered his eyes now. “She deserved it,” he spat. “Wasn’t she stringing me along, before? Always keeping me at arm’s length, never really letting me into her confidences, sleeping with whoever caught her fancy while I saved myself for her.”

“You entitled bastard,” I hissed. “If you have a problem with an open relationship, you talk to your partner about it, not try to get her killed!” I took a deep breath. “Did the Zarian let you go?”

He shrugged. “I suspect a faction of them was involved, not their whole government. They let Isuro visit to talk to me, at least.”

I grimaced at hearing his name. “And what did he say?”

“Oh, not much. It was the others that really got into it.” Carston frowned a little. “They were rather determined to get me on their side.”

I took a deep breath. This just raised the question of whether his mind had been tampered with. I didn’t see any signs of it, and Kariva and her people couldn’t have, either, but there might be minor things. We might have to wait for Elia, after all.

“And?”

Carston crossed his arms. I noted his body language getting more defensive. “They made me swear an oath on Jideia’s name. I wouldn’t betray the Empire to the Zarian, but they did put me in contact with some who were unhappy with its leadership. I assume they’re connected via the Storm’s people, but you must suspect that already.” He pulled a face. “An oath like that isn’t easily broken, you must understand.”

I cocked my head, considering him for a moment. I didn’t think he had as little choice as he was implying. His words earlier certainly didn’t sound like it. And it wouldn’t be easy to force him to make an oath like this. Though manipulation was certainly involved.

“You said you didn’t betray Alaster,” Kariva prompted after a moment. She hadn’t moved from her spot, and her face was still expressionless.

Carston nodded, his face settling into a more serene expression again. “Yes. I made sure I received promises from every major player involved that he would not be harmed.”

I snorted, shaking my head. As if having his mother killed with the help of his father wouldn’t do psychological harm. “I presume me and Xiaodan were supposed to get killed,” I noted. “And the rest of the clan?”

Carston shrugged. “You, most likely. Xiaodan and the others, depending on the situation.”

“Then what was the plan?” Kariva asked.

Carston sighed. “The common people love the Leri, they knew that. They might not stand for having them deposed and exterminated outright. That was why they wanted to make this more palatable for the public, perhaps pin Acura’s death on an accident or Zarian saboteurs officially.”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t think the people would be so easy to pacify. But clearly the conspirators, mostly nobles, didn’t think highly of the common people.

“Then they would put Al on the throne,” he added. “With our eighth stagers holding the real power.”

There was a moment of silence as we considered this. I suppressed a shiver at the thought that they could have succeeded.

“Presumably, you’d play into this, as Alaster’s father,” Kariva said. “Probably hoping to leverage your position to gain power, and groom him. Did you realize they would eliminate him as well, if he became too much of a threat? Did you intend to have him actually take power once he reached the eighth stage, and you’d wormed your way into his trust?”

Carston glowered at her. “I would have protected him, and of course I would have helped him become Emperor in truth.”

I pushed my chair back and stood up, trying to keep my expression neutral. This might just be lines they’d fed Carston to ensure his cooperation, but it seemed possible.

“Well, Al will just love to hear that,” I sighed.

Carston looked up. “You’ll let me talk to him?”

“Oh, I don’t think he’d want to talk to you right now,” I said. I held out the small crystal I’d tucked under my robe, letting him sense the qi in it. “But I did record this conversation, and I’ll show it to him. It won’t be easy, but he deserves to know.”

For the first time, Carston’s composure visibly cracked, as he paled. Maybe he was recalling how he’d talked about our Mother. “Don’t,” he pleaded. “I need to explain to him myself.”

I shook my head and pocketed the device. “I think I’ve heard enough for now.”

Kariva snapped her fingers, and two of the elites descended on Carston, while she followed me out the door. Once I stepped outside, I took a moment to collect myself and exhale deeply.

“What are you going to do with him?” Kariva asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He committed treason, but, shit, he’s still Al’s father. We can’t really keep him imprisoned, he’s too strong for that. Death would be easiest, but …”

“Yet you were willing to torture him,” she pointed out.

“That’s different. Execution is permanent.” I sighed. “Al might come to hate me for it, even if it’s in twenty or a hundred years.” I frowned. “There’s no other good option. It will probably have to be banishment, if we can find a way to keep him from going to the Zarian. Well, we have some time to consider it.”

Kariva frowned, but she didn’t argue.

I glanced at the door, then made my way back up the stairs and through the building, entering the courtyard. While I walked slowly back to the command center, I tried to think of how best to deal with this. Kariva followed me a few meters behind, talking into a qi communication device.

“This fight is far from over, my lady,” she said after a moment. “General Wei has fled to the east with some survivors of this fight, towards where nobles loyal to their conspiracy have started seizing cities and locations of strategic or logistic importance. The same seems to be happening in a few clusters throughout the continent. And to a lesser extent, at the front, though thankfully, disruption there seems to be limited.”

I sighed and pinched my nose. All we needed was for the Zarian to take advantage of this civil unrest and overrun our frontline before conquering their way north.

I increased my pace. We needed to react to this quickly.

Chapter 105 (Draft)

I paced up and down Rijoko’s shrine, my footsteps echoing in the silence. I had trouble keeping my gaze from the spot where Mother had just been.

There were a lot of emotions waging war inside me, and I took deep breaths, trying to keep them in check. Grief was making steady headway and would probably win my internal war soon, but I didn’t allow it to. I shoved everything aside, to deal with later, and looked around the shrine.

The other people here had fled to the side chambers and were now peeking out, their faces pale and their eyes wide. I didn’t talk to them. I just didn’t have the energy to deal with them right now.

I didn’t know if the fight for the palace had concluded or was still outgoing. There weren’t that many people waiting outside, which gave me some hope that we hadn’t lost yet. Although they were all strong. Li, and several people who had to be in the seventh stage. There was no way we’d fight our way out. But they seemed agitated, from what I could tell by their auras. A few were pacing, and they might be arguing.

Well, they’d probably felt something of Mother’s ascension, at least. Li probably figured out what was happening.

I grimaced to myself. I just hoped my sibling were okay. Well, it’s a good thing that I don’t see them. They aren’t parading them in front of the shrine to get me to surrender. Hopefully, that means Al and An are safe.

I really wanted to go out and check, not just on them, but on the state of the fight, on Kariva and the others. But I was still stuck here. They clearly didn’t dare break in for fear of the Moon’s wrath, but I couldn’t just sit here. I had to do something.

But what could I do?

I sighed and glanced again at the other people who’d taken shelter in the shrine. No one above the sixth stage. They’d find out easily if we tried to tunnel out or something. I kept pacing, trying to keep my breathing even and calm.

Then I had an idea. I stopped, frowned thoughtfully, then shook my head at myself. It was a bit crazy, but it might just be what I needed.

This time, I could be pretty sure it was my own idea, not Rijoko’s. As I hurried about the room to prepare things, focusing intently on what I was going to do, I could swear I caught the echo of a chuckle across our connection.

“Be careful and keep back,” I said to the others. “Don’t interfere with what I’m going to do. Best if they don’t notice you at all.”

They bowed and acknowledged my command, so I turned back and headed for the door. I hesitated in front of it, then steeled my nerves.

“Li!” I called through the door. “I want to talk to you, privately. This is the only chance I’m going to give you.”

There was silence and the murmur of voices, too low for me to make out, then he answered. “I agree, Princess. Open the door so we can talk.”

“Send the others away and block sound.”

Then I stepped back and nodded to the priest from before, who swallowed heavily but opened the doors just a little. I raised a qi barrier behind me to block the sound of our conversation, and checked that Li was doing the same. The rest of them had retreated to the end of the corridor.

Li still had a hand on his cane and was looking calm and composed. He smiled. “Princess Inaris. I hope this means you realize how untenable your position is and are prepared to work with us.”

I shrugged. “I’ve got an offer for you, Li. One that can benefit us both. But first, do you realize what happened with Mother?”

He didn’t let any emotion show on his face. “She is gone, obviously.”

“Not just gone, ascended. I’m sure you could feel it, your qi senses are certainly good enough.”

He regarded me in silence for a moment, before he nodded slowly. “Yes. However, you do realize that the spirits and those like them play by certain rules. You will not be able to count on her fighting for you. In fact, she has left you far more vulnerable than before.”

I waved that off, glad that he didn’t know Mother was in no condition to fight, anyway. “How old are you, Li?” I asked. “I would guess a thousand years, perhaps, or a little less. And you have just entered the early part of the eighth stage. That might give you a few years, but you have to see death looming around the corner. You will die soon, no matter which medicines you try.”

He frowned. “Do you have a point, girl?”

“My point is that you have as good as no hope of reaching the white stage. At least, under usual circumstances. But I could do for you what I did for Mother. I could help you ascend.”

I had him, I could see it in his eyes. The desperation, the flicker of hope. His knuckles whitened on his cane. “How could I trust you, and what would be the price?”

I smiled. “You don’t have much of a choice. But Mother just ascended, which should be proof enough. I am, after all, the daughter of the Moon. And the price will not concern you much, given your situation. I want you to ensure that my side wins this fight.”

“How?” He didn’t sound very bothered by that.

“Betray your allies. Tell your disciples to stab them in the back, lead them where they can be easily struck down by the Imperial Guard. I don’t really care about the details, you’re more than capable of handling it.” I paused, then straightened up. “I do want assurances, of course. An oath on the Moon, before you come in. And in turn, I promise in Rijoko’s name that I will help your efforts to ascend to the white stage. Although, of course, whether you succeed will depend on you.”

He hesitated, considering it for almost a minute. Finally, he nodded. “I agree. I swear on the Moon’s name.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

Li didn’t waste any time, but turned around and started talking into a communication device. I retreated a little more and closed the doors, for now.

The next few minutes, I paced up and down the shrine again. There was some movement outside, even more than before. Finally, all of the other people left, and Li approached the door again. I opened them just wide enough for him to enter.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside. I took that as assurance that he’d fulfilled his side of the bargain. One didn’t just break an oath made on the Moon’s name and then stroll inside his temple.

He’d essentially just cut all ties with his allies, which meant I’d taken an important player out of the equation. I was confident that Kariva and Kiyanu could handle things from here. But now, I had an eighth-stager in the shrine to deal with.

“Good,” I said. “Take up a cultivating position, Li. We’re all out of cushions, unfortunately.”

He hesitated for a moment, then got into a lotus position on the floor, laying his cane by his side.

“If you don’t trust me, this is not going to work out,” I reminded him.

At the same time, I reminded myself that while he might be able to kill me, it would be suicidal for him to try. I had to keep my composure.

“I do trust your word.” After seeing me raised eyebrow, he added in a begrudging tone, “Your Highness.”

I nodded and clasped my hands behind my back, standing straighter. “Great. Now, release your veil, start breathing deeply and focusing on your qi. I’ll explain a few things.”

While he started to enter a meditative state, I repeated what I’d told Mother about qi and the wider multiverse, although I didn’t mention soul journeys or special abilities. That didn’t give me much to actually say, of course. I took a good look at his aura in the meanwhile, and couldn’t find any sign of anything similar to a soul journey, or a special ability.

Of course, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have some hidden surprises. I wasn’t that good at reading people’s auras. He seemed like what I imagined a typical wind cultivator in the eighth stage would be like, but he probably did have some ‘trump cards’ up his sleeves. Not that they were likely to help him here.

I paused and just watched him for a while, before I kept talking. “Keep listening to me. Take deep breaths. Let qi flow through your body on its natural paths, and watch what it does.”

I kept watching as Li sank deeper into his meditation, although not as deep as Mother. This time, Rijoko didn’t help me, not that I’d expected him to. It didn’t matter much, anyway.

“Now, what you need to do is leave your body behind, and let your mind and spirit move on,” I said. I started walking, putting a bit more distance between us. “That includes your core and vessels. Focus on what’s beyond this world. Push your qi out and keep it under control around you.”

He started the process, and I couldn’t help but smile. He clearly had trouble with it, more than Mother. Of course, he was only in the early part of the eighth stage and didn’t have her experiences.

“Now,” I said as I began to take up a stone cutting tool from the bench I’d laid it on. “You eventually need to sever yourself, but that’s something you’ll need to get to, yourself. And I have to tell you, your chances aren’t very good. I’d wish you good luck, but that would be a lie.”

He flinched and I could feel his focus falter. “What? You swore an oath to help me!”

I started walking around him, cutting a circle into the stone around him. “I promised to help your efforts to ascend, I didn’t say I would do everything I could to make sure you succeeded. I did help you quite a lot. Now, my last piece of advice is to keep going. You’re too far to back out, and honestly, this is still your best chance if you ever want to attain immortality.”

I focused on the floor and kept carving runes, constructing formation arrays. I was glad of my perfect memory and improved body, which kept my hand perfectly steady. The containment circle was taking shape quickly.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean much. I think I’ve raised your chances from extremely low to very low. Still, the prospect of immortality is worth it to you, isn’t it?”

I finished a complicated rune and took a deep breath. The qi in this place was gathered densely, perhaps from Mother’s ascension. It certainly hadn’t been quite that strong before. I cultivated a little while I worked, to shore up my reserves and use it to finish quickly. It felt almost effortless, I barely had to pull before a large tide of qi would flow into my body.

I paused and concentrated on my dantian and channels. It felt like I was nearing a breakthrough. It should be far too soon, but my cultivation had never been precisely normal.

A groan from Li brought my attention back to him. He still had his eyes closed, and didn’t appear to be aware of it. Veins stood out on his skin, and he was sweating heavily. I could tell his control over his qi was tenuous. He didn’t quite succeed in pushing it away, but it was clearly slipping beyond his control.

I grinned, then glanced at my finished formation. In truth, I had no idea if it would work, or make any difference at all. But things were going well so far.

“Moon, hear my call, and turn your gaze to this temple,” I said. I knew his attention was already here, but a bit of ritual seemed called for.

Li groaned again. His eyes opened, and he glared at me, storms raging behind his eyelids.

“This is your own stupid fault, but thanks for that,” I said, then cleared my throat and started walking in the circle around him. “Father, hear your daughter’s call, and behold my offering.”

I paused where I’d started, waiting for the right moment. Li’s qi was fluctuating wildly now, and streams of it were starting to escape from around him, with quickly increasing strength. He started to bleed from his nose, eyes and ears.

I tossed some of the temple’s incense on my enemy. “Rijoko, take what has been prepared for you, and accept my sacrifice.”

As if on cue, Li started burning up. His body burst into flames, and qi erupted outward. Most of it was held by my containment circle.

I backed away, shielding my eyes and curling my qi senses inward, but tried to get a sense of what was happening. Most of the qi in the detonation was contained, being funneled upwards and away. Rijoko taking what was now his.

That was a relief. All of that qi getting loose uncontrolled might do catastrophic damage to its surroundings. Well, Li should have thought twice before attempting ascension inside a temple to a Greater Spirit.

But not all of the qi was being taken. More flew out of Li’s burning remains and the containment circle, escaping into the air around it. It felt like it was slamming into me. I staggered back a step, then scrambled my focus and started breathing it in, cultivating.

It was a lot. Even with me actively sucking in as much as I could and circling it through my body, it felt like I’d been dumped into hot water. I didn’t know if Rijoko was sending some to me as a reward, but at the moment I didn’t have the attention to spare for the question.

My legs folded underneath me, and I assumed a cultivating position, deepening my focus. I could feel the raging torrent of qi blasting against the walls of my core as I steered it through my channels, tried to keep it under control.

Then I gathered it, weathering the stab of pain as my core burst and expanded, and I wrestled the qi through my body again, letting parts of it bleed off into my meridians and the rest of my body before I gathered it in my core again.

The world faded around me as my awareness shrank to the qi inside me, guiding it through the process, even the stabs of pain fading into the background.

Chapter 104 (Draft)

A/N: I finished this earlier than I thought, so I decided I might as well keep to my regular update schedule here, even if it's a little rough. There's still something of a cliffhanger at the end of this one, too.

As I continued hurrying through the palace with my badly-injured mother in my arms, I got the sudden thought that this had to be a bad dream. It was just surreal, completely out of touch with the expectations I’d had for the day. But the thought didn’t last longer than a moment, because I had a perfect memory and because there were enough details grounding the present moment to make it clear this was reality.

I breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the odor of battle, blood and excrement and sweat, and dust in the air. My grip on Mother tightened just a little. Not too much, of course, I didn’t want to jostle or hurt her any more than she already was.

It only took a few moments for us to reach the right corridor, where I took a sharp turn to the right. I hadn’t been here before, but I didn’t spare much attention for the walls of smooth stone or the short spiral staircase I hurried down. The guards moved closer to me, and I could faintly hear a woosh of air, and the sound of more footsteps behind them.

I put on a burst of speed, racing ahead through another short corridor. This area was connected to the palace buildings but something of a separate structure, added on to it with copious use of earth qi. I could feel the change in my qi senses. They’d been almost unnaturally sharp for a while, my connection to Rijoko clearly present.

There was a large double door ahead of us, but it swung open before I reached it, in a quick, smooth motion. Apparently my qi presence had been enough to open it, or Rijoko tweaked things a little. I still had to slow down before I could enter, considering my speed. That gave me a moment to listen to the rising noise behind me. There was a definitely blast, a bit of a rumble, and a chocked scream. The second of the guards, who’d guarded our backs, blurred out of my senses as he died.

I barged forward. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. There was a hot feeling on my back, and I caught the tail end of a spray of liquid as the second guard threw herself forward to cover me. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t take the time. I just jumped forward, into the room beyond.

I made it just in time. A bit of qi flickered from the ceiling, extinguishing a spray of fire that had attempted to follow us through the door. Before I even took in the appearance of the place, I felt myself relax slightly, comforted by the feel of the room. It was a large, stone hall, with an ornate altar at the other end and several smaller structures set up at the sides, along with benches and open doors leading into side rooms. Several people looked up at our entrance.

I didn’t spare them my attention, just finally turned around as I took a few steps backwards, further into the shrine.

A small group of people, all clearly powerful cultivators, watched me. In the middle of the corridor, an old man had suddenly appeared. He stooped a little over a cane with a wicked-looking metal cap, his gnarly hand gripping it tightly. His hair was white and wispy, his beard only a little fuller. But his eyes still sparkled, even with more life than when I’d seen him before.

“Patriarch Li?” I stared in surprise.

The old man frowned. “Not ‘patriarch’ anymore, thanks to you, Princess.”

I exhaled and smoothed out my expression, feeling a stab of annoyance that the word had slipped out. But it barely registered under all the other emotions I was feeling. Not least of which was bewilderment. I hadn’t expected the former patriarch of the Carmine Cloud Sect, where I’d spend some time shortly after coming back from my soul journey before I dissolved it for breaking Imperial law and disciples attacking me.

“You advanced quite quickly,” I noted, more controlled.

The man’s aura left little doubt that he’d reached the eighth stage. If I hadn’t stood in the Moon’s shrine, it would have oppressed me. Last I knew, he was still in the seventh. I would have guessed the middle part of it, although to be fair, it could have been the late. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had some help.

“It’s surprising what some adversity can do,” he replied, smirking a little. “Of course, I had many friends and acquaintances who were ready to help me after that farce of a trial.”

I frowned. I knew he’d gotten off lightly in the trial about the sect’s illegal experimentation, convincing the court that while he knew about it, he was only distantly responsible. He should still have been punished severely.

Well, no wonder this particular eighth stager was involved. I had given him more than enough reason to hate our dynasty, justified or not.

“Whatever my personal grievances, Your Highness,” there was a slight mocking emphasis on the title, “you may yet get out of this alive. You are not our primary target.”

I glanced down at my Mother, who was still breathing heavily and clearly had trouble keeping her eyes open. “You must be delusional to think I would give her up.”

“Consider your situation, Princess.”

“You’ll get to her over my dead body,” I repeated, glancing back up to meet his eyes and make sure he saw the certainty in my gaze. “Which isn’t going to happen here.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You think you could somehow take us on, take me on, and win?”

I scoffed. “It’s one thing to kill your monarch during an attempted coup d’état. But it is another matter entirely to strike down a Greater Spirit’s child in their own temple.”

“Are you quite sure of that?”

“Do it and you will either die, or my father will afflict you with a curse to make you wish you had.” I didn’t doubt that was the truth, the walls of the temple almost called it to me.

He raised his eyebrows, pacing to the side. “So you intend to hide out here forever?”

I shook my head and turned around, stepping further away from the entrance. He must not feel confident in testing my threat, as none of them moved in our direction.

“Someone close the doors, please,” I said to the other people in the room, finally giving them my full attention.

They stared at me and their Empress in my arms with wide eyes. Many of them had dropped to their knees or even prostrated themselves, which probably made sense if these were worshipers of Rijoko. Now they seemed to stir from their shock. One man who was probably a priest, judging by the his robe, fiddled with a qi mechanism, and the double doors slammed shut.

“Help me get her comfortable,” I said, shifting Mother and pulling a pillow from my storage ring.

They sprang into action, and soon we had her bedded down on a pile of blankets and pillows in the aisle, shortly before the main altar. I brushed some strands of hair from her forehead and checked her temperature, even knowing how stupid that was. Far too high.

“You were great, Nari,” Mother said, her voice quiet and a little raspy.

I smiled at her, but I knew it was strained. We were safe for the moment, but we really couldn’t hide out here forever. Mother needed the best medical attention. If that was even enough. I could at least try to care for her now, but I didn’t know what I could do, and she seemed to be getting worse.

“Any doctors or healers here?” I asked the crowd.

They shuffled awkwardly, looking for each other. Finally, a young woman stepped forward, keeping her gaze fixed to the crowd. “I’m a physician’s assistant, Your Highness. But …” she swallowed audibly. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Her Majesty is in the eighth stage, she shouldn’t …” she trailed off, then shook her head, her voice a whisper. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Take a look, at least,” I encouraged her, trying not to let the way my stomach dropped like a lead ball enter my voice.

She shuffled forward, and I moved to the side to let her get closer to Mother. In the silence that followed, I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to center myself.

I was just starting to realize what all this meant. Even if Mother survived and we beat the attackers, that wouldn’t be the end of it. At least everyone seems to be careful not to bring the palace down around us, I noted mentally. There aren’t many eighth stagers involved, really. Many are probably sitting this out, waiting to see who wins. I frowned at the thought. Actually, this can’t be an isolated attack. It’s not like we could hear about what’s happening elsewhere, right now. For all I know, whole parts of the Empire could be in open rebellion.

After a minute, the woman looked up again and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. It seems to be some sort of poison technique. I don’t have any medicines on me that would help. To be frank, I don’t know if we have anything that could save her.”

How helpful. I smoothed out my frown and nodded. “Thank you.” Then I looked down at Mother, who at least still had her eyes open. “Can you tell us anything helpful?”

She grimaced and shook her head slightly. “No. My qi is too drained to successfully fight it. I can feel myself getting weaker.”

I exhaled slowly, then glanced up. “Mother, please release your aura. Everyone, back off.”

They all scrambled away, and Mother released the tight control she had on her qi presence. I felt it wash over me with a distinct sense of pressure. Even injured, she was still in the eighth stage. But I found it easily bearable, with the qi of the place, my father’s qi, reinforcing me.

I sat back and took a closer look at her aura. There was something itching at the back of my mind, the seed of an idea. I tried to trace the foreign qi that was infesting her, then turned my attention to her presence in my qi senses, itself, to the deeper layers of my aura. Even given the situation, it was fascinating.

I could almost see patterns in Mother’s qi signature. Nothing specific, I couldn’t really ‘read’ it, but with my special ability, I felt like I made some sense of it.

It was a good thing that I’d met Elia and had the opportunity to take a look at her qi presence. That gave me more of an idea of how being a spirit-child would manifest itself,    compared to my own aura. I also remembered Al’s, both before and after his soul journey, and other members of our clan. Taken together, this allowed me to have some idea what I was looking at, what I was looking for.

“Mother, what’s your special ability?” I asked. I’d known she had one for a while, but she never actually told me.

She smiled a little, and answered in my mind. ‘I have an ability to read and influence the emotions of others.’

I flinched. What?

‘Don’t worry,’ she continued before I could start to really freak out. ‘It doesn’t work on you. In general, it only works on people I don’t care about. The more I’m emotionally invested in or connected to someone, the weaker it is. I couldn’t do anything with anyone I genuinely like, or even hate. Though it’s easier with enemies than friends. I won’t be able to influence these traitors enough to make a difference, even if I can tell they’re feeling angry, resentful, contemptuous, or determined. Besides, they’d have to be in the room.’

I scooted closer to her. ‘That’s a really interesting limitation. But you’re right, this doesn’t help us now.’

Mother groaned. ‘It might not help anyone, anymore. I can tell it’s not looking good for me, Nari.’

I took another long look at her qi signature, then smiled at her. “Have some confidence, Mother. Defeatism isn’t going to help you succeed.”

“With what?”

“Ascension.”

She just stared at me for a moment, then let out a raspy chuckle. “You think I can do it?”

“I’ll help you. I’m not the daughter of the guiding spirit for nothing.” I grinned at her, trying to project confidence, and laid a hand on her good shoulder. “Honestly, you ascending to the white stage is our best chance, and the situation is definitely giving you the push you need for a breakthrough, right?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Now, she looked calm and focused. “Alright. What do I do?”

I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts, recalling what she’d told me about the ninth stage and what I’d gathered from Isuro. “There’s more to it than a typical breakthrough. You could probably cultivate for ages and not get what you really need to ascend. I think that’s because it’s not really about qi, or not just qi.”

She raised an eyebrow.

I scratched my cheek. “I told you what I learned about our soul journeys, right? Inera’s curse? I think this ascension touches on that stuff, that has to do with the different worlds. Maybe the deeper fabric of the multiverse or whatever. We already had some contact on that with the soul journeys. I think I can even see it in your aura. Just focus on that.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Start meditating, but keep listening to me. I’ll talk you through things as best as I can, okay? Deep breaths. Release your aura. Let the qi flow through your body on its natural paths. Settle down and let it do what it does.”

I tried to make my voice soft and soothing, but still strong. Mother closed her eyes and started to fall into what I recognized as a meditative state. I kept talking, guiding her into an almost trance-like state, although she was still focused on my presence. I could feel my father’s presence, almost looking over my shoulder, guiding me with subtle influence. I didn’t fight that or try to figure it out, just focused on Mother.

I tried not to let the foreign qi creeping through her bother me. It wasn’t going to kill her in the next few minutes, and it didn’t really impact what we needed to do.

“Your body is dying, but we need your mind and spirit to move on,” I said calmly. “For that, you need to touch the fabric of existence beyond qi, beyond this world. It’s reflected in the qi. You already touched it when you lived through your soul journey, and your special ability is connected to that. You need to leave your body behind. That includes your core and vessels. Push all of your qi out, but keep it under control around you.”

This was the tricky part, and I focused on it to the extent that everything else seemed to fall away. Slowly, I guided her through the process of prepping for ascension to a different plane of existence.

“Now, you need to sever yourself.”

Mother opened her eyes, giving me one last look, light and darkness fading from her eyes. ‘I should have said this earlier, but … I am sorry, Nari.’

Then the world went white for an instant.

I felt my father’s presence more keenly than before, laid over the space of the temple, and layering over me. I’d closed my eyes and withdrawn most of my qi senses on instinct, but I still had a vague idea of what was happening.

Mother’s body started burning up with qi. Some tore free, swirling through the room. But most of her qi kept a vague form. I felt her presence, no longer bound to her physical body, which was being destroyed in seconds. It seemed to spread out, losing some cohesion, and yet there was still order and structure to it. It shot upwards, through the ground and towards the sky. In a second, it was gone.

I opened my eyes and sighed wearily. My mother was gone.

I knew that she had survived, but it hadn’t been easy, still wasn’t easy. Somehow, Rijoko let me know that she would need time to gather herself, to rebuild her self as something closer to a spirit. It would be years, probably decades, until she could come back and I would see her again.

I let my hand fall onto the ground, suddenly feeling tired. I knew what she’d apologized for at the end. It wasn’t leaving me alone, at least not just that. It was what she’d explained, but never asked forgiveness for. What I’d said I understood, but never forgiven.

She told me she loved me, but I’ve never actually said ‘I love you’ back, I realized, coldness spreading through my guts.

I shook my head and pushed myself upward. Empress Acura the First of House Leri, ruler of the Empire of the Sky, was more or less gone. I still had a lot to deal with.

Interlude: Tenira (Draft)

Note: This interlude should actually be placed before the latest chapters. It takes place during the time chapter 100 covers. I'll post it to RR and SH on Monday, and probably the next regular chapter there on Tuesday, at which point I'll also post the next chapter (104) here.

Leri Tenira looked out over the war camp, glancing at the tents’ worth of martial strength gathered beside the little town, ready to be ground up in the war of the millennium. It should have been an awesome display of power. But she turned away after a moment of checking that everything was as it was supposed to do, then kept walking through the improvised fortification they had raised beside it. She found it hard to care about the camp, or the soldiers in it, or even the guards discreetly following her.

She’d been preoccupied lately. And it’s not like there isn’t enough to distract me,she mused. Hajake’s betrayal comes to mind.

But that wasn’t why she’d been unfocused lately, or why anxiety and frustration were dogging her steps even now. That was all due to Inaris. Her lady, and her friend. Or, rather, it would perhaps be fairer to say that her state was her own fault.

Tenira exhaled deeply and received the salutes of a group of soldiers with an absent nod. She knew blaming Inaris was unfair, at least largely. She was fully aware that she’d reacted badly to what shouldn’t have been such a big deal, as she would say.

Tenira knew she’d hurt her friend with her reaction, and with avoiding her afterward. A bit of guilt had joined the shame and frustration boiling away inside her and mixed into it. But she’d found herself falling back on her old behavior, on anxiety and avoidance. For all that she was usually a confident, outgoing woman who could hold her own in court or in her friendships, there was just something about Inaris that struck deep, at the heart of the issues she had with herself. She knew she should have just talked about things, but that didn’t help much.

And what would I even say?she thought with a sudden flash of anger. ‘I think you’re wonderful and beautiful and my heart beats faster every time you smile at me, but still I don’t want tobe with you?’ How could I expect her to understand, when I don’t even understand myself?

She made an effort to smooth her expression as she turned onto the corridor to the meeting room. Last night, she’d finally gathered up her courage and gone to sleep hoping that Inaris would contact her. But there had been no contact.

If only Inaris didn’t have to leave and hide. It would be easier to do this in person. The Imperial Princess was the daughter of the Moon, and her power over dreams meant that she would be in control of the ‘meeting’ in a dream. That gave her a frightening amount of power over people’s minds, really, even if she didn’t use it. But that didn’t make things easier for Tenira.

If only I could just give her what she is looking for,she thought, not for the first time. But … I can’t.Tenira grimaced as long distant memories roused themselves, and quickly focused on the door to the room that she was about to open. She’d made peace with the idea that she’d never marry and be alone years ago. She just needed to remember that.

At least she knew her friend wouldn’t force her. That was the one thing Tenira was absolutely sure of in this situation, if nothing else. She trusted her. Inaris wasn’t like her previous suitors, and not just because she was a woman or a princess.

A beautiful princess with a brilliant mind, hidden passion, a great sense of humor, and enough strength of will to change the world.

Tenira shook her head and forced herself to focus on the situation. Lei was just entering through the other door, and the others were already gathered, sitting in armchairs and on sofas. Yarani, Kajare, and their newest addition, Elia. She let her gaze pause for a moment on the local girl, who had her hands clenched tightly in her lap, looking between the other young people gathered. She couldn’t even begin to fill the space where Inaris should be sitting.

“We’re all here, good,” Tenira said, sitting down on another chair. “Kajare, do you want to start?”

“Alright,” Inaris’ husband answered. He frowned a little. “There’s not much to be said, though. Things haven’t changed much since the last time we talked.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Yarani said, stretching as she lounged on the sofa. “Nothing new going wrong, and the two of you are doing well at establishing yourselves. Excellent.”

“You’re cheerful today,” Lei remarked, raising an eyebrow at her. “And is that a flush I see on your cheeks? My, my.”

The girl shrugged. “Yes, Inaris visited me in my dreams.”

Lei smirked, then smoothed his expression. Both of them looked at Tenira.

She forced a smile. “Tell her hello from us next time.”

Of course the others knew something had happened between them, and they seemed to be trying to gauge her reaction. Tenira found it easy to maintain her smile. She didn’t mind that Inaris visited her concubine. If anything, knowing that she had someone to support her during a difficult time was a small relief.

“I’ll have to sleep more often,” Kajare joked with a smile.

Tenira shook her head. It didn’t make her situation easier that Inaris was what her old aunt Bet would call a ‘hussy’, or ‘disgustingly promiscuous’. Although this world wouldn’t agree with that, since she could be a lot more debauched as an Imperial royal. Like her mother. How did the woman even find time for all her lovers, with being the Empress?

She forced her attention back to the present and cleared her throat. “If there are no concerns, do you think we should go ahead and poke Hajake again, see what more we can find out?”

There was a moment of thoughtful silence as the others considered this. Lei shrugged, and Yarani nodded slowly. Kajare took a moment longer, then nodded as well. “Yes, I think that’s for the best.”

“Alright, then.” Tenira turned her attention to Elia, who’d been quiet so far. “Are you fine with that?”

“Of course, my lady,” the girl replied, no hint of nervousness in her tone. “I promised to do my best to help you, and so I will.”

Tenira nodded. At least Elia’s facility in Common had improved rapidly. A good thing that she was a low-level genius, as well. “Come along, then. Unless there are any objections?”

Kajare shook his head. “No. Hajake wouldn’t like to talk to me, and you’re the best choice when it comes to status and charisma. No offense, Lei.”

“None taken,” her friend replied, grinning. “I’ll gladly leave that sort of thing to you.”

Tenira stood, smiled at the others in goodbye, then quickly strode out of the room, Elia on her heels. They didn’t talk as they walked through the walls of the fortified command center, accompanied by a group of Imperial guards. Elia had a book in her hands and was leafing through it. Tenira recognized the Zarian-Common dictionary. She must have finished and memorized the two books on Common grammar already.

Tenira couldn’t help but smile. She herself knew five languages, but she’d never learned one this quickly. Whatever Elia’s background might be, her dedication couldn’t be faulted.

It didn’t take her long to find Hajake. As expected, the Terbekteri prince was in the part of the building that had been set aside for his people’s use, in a large sitting room with conference tables brought in. He seemed to be deep in discussion with his officers, although Tenira noticed that he didn’t seem particularly invested in their reports.

She bowed in greeting. “Prince Hajake. I trust this day finds you well?”

Hajake smiled with his customary suavity. “Lady Tenira! Always a pleasure. Yes, I am quite well. I hope the same goes for you?”

“It does,” she smiled back. “I was wondering if we could talk, if you have a moment to spare. I’d like to discuss the upcoming offensive some more.”

His smile thinned a little, but his tone remained cordial as he answered. “Of course. Would you accompany me for a walk?”

“It would be my honor.”

He offered her his arm. She accepted it and let him lead her from the room, with Elia following behind them. The gesture was a little familiar, but not overly so. She didn’t like how he emphasized treating her as a lady, with the associations that carried in Terbekteri culture, but perhaps she was being overly sensitive. Or perhaps he was actually considering courting her. That would be quite audacious given his plotting. She didn’t really think so, but the thought made dealing with him even more unpleasant.

“I hope you don’t mind my companion coming along,” she said.

Hajake shook his head slightly. “Of course not. Being alone together would be improper, in any case.”

Tenira nodded, not pointing out the guards from both nations watching over them. “I do hope our improved integration of our forces will show its worth in the coming week. Even if it is only a probing offensive, the front lines have barely moved for weeks, and I think some change might be well-received.”

“Oh, I quite agree. I have high hopes for our new protocols and integration efforts.”

They turned a corner now, which allowed Tenira to get a quick look at Elia, who was nodding her head subtly.

They continued talking about military matters as they kept walking. Tenira had to admit, despite herself, that Hajake wasn’t a bad commander. He didn’t concern himself with details, preferring to leave that to his officers, but he seemed at least well aware of what was going on and not a bad strategist. Their conversation rarely touched on anything that would be considered controversial. She knew they were both taking the opportunity tosound out the other.

One they reached an enclosed courtyard, Tenira slowed down. “Perhaps we could sit? It is a nice day.”

Hajake agreed readily, and they settled onto a bench. Elia chose a place not far from them, on Tenira’s side, where they could look at each other discreetly.

“I appreciate your willingness to humor me, Prince Hajake,” she said.

“Not at all, my lady,” he answered with another smile. “It is always a pleasure to talk with you. And may I say, you have done quite well in the unfortunate situation you suddenly found yourself in.”

Tenira suppressed a smile, pleased that the conversation was heading in the right direction. “Yes, Inaris’ disappearance has been quite an unpleasant shock,” she agreed. “It must have affected you, too. You are family as well, after all.”

Hajake’s smile looked a little stiffer this time. “Yes, of course. It is quite troubling. I do hope we can recover my sister-in-law quickly.”

She noticed that Elia was shaking her head slightly. Not that she needed her to know that Hajake was lying through his teeth.

“Don’t we all?” she said. “I do appreciate your offer of help in our search.”

“I wish you would take me up on that,” Hajake said. “I appreciate your concerns about alerting the Zarian and sending soldiers into danger, or provoking an unfavorable fight, but all the same.”

Tenira cocked her head slightly. “So you believe she is still alive? I know many think that she must have been killed.”

He grimaced slightly. “It is a rather troubling possibility. I wish I knew, of course.”

Tenira almost stiffened as she saw Elia shake her head just a little. His last sentence was a lie, or close enough. That must mean he already knows, or believes he does.

“But what is your personal opinion?” she asked, deciding to push a little.

“Well, of course I still hold onto hope. If you ask me, your lady is alive.”

A slight nod. He knows she’s alive.Tenira leaned forward a little. “I pray that is true. If she does live, where do you think she might be?”

Hajake shrugged. “I really couldn’t say.”

Another slight nod. He didn’t know Inaris’ location. That was something, at least. Tenira leaned back again and fought the urge to smile.

“Well, her father is the Moon,” she said with forced lightness. “He’ll guide her home, won’t he?”

Hajake’s hands clenched just a little on the wood of the bench. “Of course. The Moon’s will will prevail.”

The frown on Elia’s face was quite stark, even if she only let it last for a second. Luckily, Hajake didn’t look in her direction. But Tenira took note of it. Hajake disliked the Moon, or was set against him in some way. Perhaps he did have the Storm’s support. But Tenira couldn’t think of a good way to work getting confirmation into the conversation without making him suspicious.

“Well, there’s little more we can do but wait,” Tenira said with a little sigh. “We’ll just have to focus on the war. Speaking of, what do you think of the Velisha’s notion to move their headquarters again?”

“It’s their business,” he replied. “The Velisha might be the strongest of the Empire’s vassals, but they are quite weak. If not for their strategic location, they would be of almost no consequence. They won’t move an important base to the combined war effort without our permission, in any case.”

Tenira shifted a little to look at him more directly. She didn’t need confirmation on that. “You have a point there,” she agreed with a self-deprecating smile.

“They do have their uses, but I wouldn’t treat any of them as equals, would you?”

“Quite right,” she nodded. “Although their royals can be quite useful, here in the region.”

“Of course,” he agreed.

In the periphery of her vision, she noticed Elia nodding, her eyebrows drawn together. Tenira smiled at Hajake. “Of course, you need to pay attention to such things, as a senior Prince of the Terbekteri. I expect you’re slated for great things with your Kingdom. Perhaps even the throne? I’m not quite sure how such things work there.”

“Oh, I assure you my ambitions are modest,” he responded with a chuckle. “My father will choose the best of my older brothers, I’m sure.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to offend, Your Highness.”

“My lady, you could never offend me.” He smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

After a moment, his smile faded and he stood up. “I should get back to work. It was a pleasure to talk to you, lady Tenira. Please feel free to call on me again.” He bowed slightly, then turned away.

Tenira waited until he was gone before she stood as well, sighing a little, and went to Elia. “I suppose that went well.”

Elia nodded. “It was interesting, Lady Tenira.”

Tenira took a moment to erect a qi barrier to ensure that their conversation remained private. “Would you give me the key points?” She hesitated for a moment. “And when we’re in private, you can just call me Tenira.”

“Of course, Tenira.” Elia frowned thoughtfully. “I got a good read on him. He’s arrogant, he meant what he said about the Velisha. I assume he’s only using that prince. He knows the Imperial Princess is alive, but not much more. Not where. And he’s very ambitious, really. He probably wants to be King. I think he would do a lot for that.”

Tenira nodded. “So that’s probably his goal, in the end?”

“I think so?”

“Alright.” Tenira glanced around. “Let’s get back to the others and talk about this in more detail.”

Elia nodded and followed her as she started walking again, heading back to the room where they’d left the others.

Tenira barely noticed the soldiers they passed on the way. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts, pondering what they had learned. At least it allowed her to push her anxiety over the situation with Inaris to the back of her mind.

Chapter 103 (Draft)

Cliffhanger alert. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

“… forty-eight… forty-nine… fifty!”

I took my hands from my eyes and glanced around, trying not to grin too broadly. I’d called loudly enough that I was sure Xiaodan knew I was finished. Other cultivators could probably hear that from farther away, but I didn’t really care. We were in a rather lonely part of the palace grounds, a secluded park on the upper terrace close to the mountains. There weren’t as many hiding places as in the wilderness, but more than enough for a good game of hide-and-seek.

I started walking slowly, glancing around. According to the rules of the game, I wasn’t supposed to cheat, so I’d shut down my qi senses as much as I could and was keeping all of my qi in my dantian instead of using it to search for my little sister.

Not that I really needed to. I still had good eyes, and Xiaodan wasn’t that good at the game. She got too excited and had problems keeping still.

I padded across the grass, carefully choosing a curved path and making sure to keep my steps totally silent, at least to someone in the lower stages. I heard her shifting as I closed in on her position, even before I caught a glimpse of her hiding in a little nook between a stone wall and a copse of trees. My arm snaked out and caught her, hauling her into the air a few centimeters as I dragged her out.

“Look what I caught here,” I grinned.

Xiaodan pouted. “You cheated! No way you found me this quickly.”

I shook my head, still smiling. “I don’t need to cheat to beat you, young lady. You rustle too much, and I could see a peak of your red cuffs from over there.”

My little sister glanced down at the robe she wore and pouted even harder. She tugged at it to smooth it out. I reached out and gently removed a few leaves that had found their way into her hair, brushing a few strands back.

“Sorry, Big Sister,” she said with visible reluctance.

“It’s okay. It’s alright to be frustrated, as long as you recognize when you’re wrong.” I smiled down at her. “Now, do you want to catch me this time?”

She frowned, probably considering the offer and her chances of finding me. But before she could answer, something pricked my senses. I whirled around, registering a deep rumble in the air even as I did. There was a light shockwave, barely more than a sudden gust of wind. But I felt a feeling of dread creep over me that stood in stark contrast to the sunny day and playful mood I’d been immersed in a second ago.

“Xiaodan,” I said, my voice tight. “Take my hand and hold on.”

She looked confused, but didn’t struggle as I scooped her up into my arms. I glanced around, taking a defensive talisman from my storage ring absently and noting the guards drawing closer around us.

There was a dark blur in the sky to our northeast, coming from the northern plains, perhaps. It was little more than a smudge in the air, hard to see even for me, but my qi senses were telling me there was a lot more to it. The sensation was steadily intensifying, and I could almost hear the palace’s wards groaning around us. I didn’t wait for the guards to act, just started running, my little sister clutched tightly to me.

I’d never let loose like this on the palace grounds, but the paths were empty enough that I could really put on speed. It only took a few seconds for me to reach the main palace area. I slowed down slightly, taking in what was happening. Guards were assembling, some of them setting up objects laden with enchantments, probably defensive weapons and such. Courtiers and servants were running around in the beginnings of a panic. But I dismissed all of them from my attention as soon as I caught sight of Mother. She was accompanied by the largest contingent of guards and officers, and every one of the really strong cultivators was gathering there, as well.

I put on another burst of speed, barely waiting for guards to get out of the way before I reached the group. Carefully, I set down Xiaodan, who was looking around with wide eyes.

Mother nodded at me and spared a look at one of the guards. “Li, take my youngest to safety and make sure her guard detachment is prepared.” She gave Xiaodan a brief smile and switched to English. “It’s alright, little one, just hold tight and wait. I love you.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, even as the guard scooped my sister up and went running. She must be heading to the city.

“We’re under attack, it looks like.”

“Who would have guessed,” Kariva growled. “How could you have completely missed this, Acura?”

This was the first time I’d ever heard her use my Mother’s first name in public. If nothing else, that showed me how serious the situation was.

“You can yell at me for being distracted later,” Mother answered, staring north.

I followed her gaze, like most people here, and cycled more qi to my eyes. The wards were visible as a shimmer in the air, like a heat haze, which I knew was not a good sign. If the confused mess I got from my qi senses was right, they were already falling like leaves in the wind. I could also make out the shapes of people moving around behind them, maybe a few dozen in total. Not much of an army, but I could sense their power from here, even with the interference. At least one eighth-stager, maybe more.

I was about to ask how the Zarian could have possibly gotten here, then paused as I understood. “This is a coup, isn’t it?”

“It’s certainly an attempt.” Mother reached out and grasped a spear that was just appearing from the air. It looked a bit like Fides, if you inverted the color scheme, with a white shaft and black runes. The veil on her aura lifted, making it hard for me to breathe under the pressure.

“You should get to safety,” Kariva said to me.

I shook my head. “They’re not going to let me through, and the inside of the palace is hardly safe anymore. I’ll stick with you.”

Mother started to rise into the air. “Everyone in the late part of the seventh stage, with me. The rest, support us as best you can, and protect my people.”

In that moment, I felt another shockwave, and realized with a shiver that the last ward just broke. The attackers were advancing now.

Mother and a group of guards and courtiers flew to meet them. As they did, I focused, trying to make out more details. It didn’t take long for me to recognize a few of the people.

Zun, the noble I’d met in the south. The eighth-stager beside him had to be his older brother. And was that general Wei? Damn it all.

I started to cross my arms around my body before I realized I was doing it and stopped, taking a deep breath. Kariva was pacing up and down, her aura roiling, clearly frustrated that she couldn’t follow Mother into the fight. None of the guards looked remotely happy, and I could see fear in a few of their eyes, but most of them showed grim determination. For a few endless moments, we just waited.

I could feel my connection to my father in my mind. He didn’t intervene, but I knew his attention was on me. My senses felt sharper, and there was the faintest thrill of energy running through me. I hope you’ll give me guidance, I thought at him, not sure if he’d even hear it.

The two groups met and seemed to exchange a few words in the air. Then one of the attackers made a fist and pointed, and the fight began.

It was like some giant reached down to shake the world. I just couldn’t keep up, it was happening too fast. There was only a vast amount of qi, light and fire and a stab of pain and the rumble of the earth. I found myself flying backward for a moment before a hand reached out and caught me, grounding me on the earth. A guard in the seventh stage, with her aura flared out so far she pushed some of the ominous density off me.

When I could focus again, several of the palace buildings were on fire, and even more walls had fallen down. The air was beginning to fill with the scent of stone, dust and smoke. But I only had eyes for the fight, which was steadily moving closer. I couldn’t make out any individual people, so much as a bundle of qi all intertwined together, fighting each other.

Then one vaguely human shape struck out in our direction, and a massive lance of qi tore through the air, then through the group. I ducked on instinct, feeling the attack pass by close enough to sing my hair. It left our formation shattered. Like a child had reached out and scattered toy soldiers with a brush of their hand. Some of the cultivators had already lost their lives, and others had most of their qi drained.

There was a lull in the fight above, and I took the opportunity to edge away, closer to the nearest building and the flimsy shelter it promised. Mother had lost most of the guards she’d brought, I noticed, and was hovering in what had to be a defensive formation. It took me a moment to realize another group was approaching, just a few people this time. I couldn’t be sure at this distance, but one of them felt like Kiyanu. Before they could arrive, the fight resumed.

Then my attention was captured by some of the attacking force that split off to descend over the palace. The largest group headed right for our location, the central knot of resistance.

I found myself surrounded by a few of the strongest guards in an instant. The qi shield they put up made it hard to see what was happening outside, but I felt another shockwave. The guards continued to edge me away from the center of the conflict, towards the building. I stumbled along, gathering some darkness qi. But I knew I couldn’t really contribute to this fight. This was way above my weight class. I was having trouble just trying to keep up with what was happening.

The scent of blood had joined the other smells of fighting around us, and every second or so a low boom would shake my hearing. It felt like the world had shrunk around me.

We’d just reached the building when the protective formation around me fell apart. A huge wave of fire crashed around us, and a few of the guards stopped and advanced on it to hold it off. A moment later, a rain of icy spears jumped out of the dust, piercing through several more. I stumbled backward, shoved by one guard just enough to dodge one of them, and felt the timber of a doorframe poke me in the back.

‘Inaris!’Mother’s mental voice reached me.

I winced at the sudden intensity. ‘Mother?’

‘Inaris, get to safety! Now!’ Her mental voice was strained, more than I’d ever heard in her physical voice. She hesitated for a moment, then continued in a lower, softer tone. ‘I love you.’

For an instant, I just stood there, shocked and shaken. Then I rallied myself. ‘Mother? Are you —‘

But she couldn’t hear me anymore, I realized with a sinking feeling of dread. The fight had captured her full attention again.

Swallowing hard, but still moving as fast as I ever had, I fumbled behind me for the doorknob. As soon as the door opened, I stumbled backwards through it, using some darkness qi to give me what cover it could. A few of the guards followed me through. I’d lost the rest somewhere along the way.

I turned around and started running. The palace looked different, bore little resemblance to the safe home I’d left behind this morning. Furniture and decorations lay scattered and broken, the windows were almost all gone. In random places, the walls had crumbled or been blown out enough to allow me a glimpse outside.

I paused for a moment, trying to get my bearings. From what I could tell, Kiyanu was fighting one of the hostile eighth stagers, drifting farther away towards the mountains. The terrain around them was scoured by tornadoes, icy gales and the concentrated power of storms, enough to strip the vegetation off the slopes. From here, I couldn’t see Mother or the rest. I hope they’re okay. She has to be fine.

I didn’t believe it even as I was thinking it. If not for the adrenaline rushing through my veins, the need to focus and fight, pushing everything else to the background, I might have been sick. The unease I’d felt before was back and magnified. It took me a minute to realize that I didn’t even know where I was going. Not that I let that stop me. My feet seemed to know their way, and I found myself hurrying through the sprawling palace complex with purpose.

Several times, the guards pushed and pulled me into alcoves and niches, where I suppressed my aura and pulled a bit of darkness qi around us, waiting until the attacking fighters had moved off and we could continue. Instead of getting better, the palace seemed to be in worse shape as we moved further, and in some places I could see the sky through holes in the ceiling.

One time, we weren’t quick enough. One of the trees in an interior courtyard moved suddenly, its roots shredding through the earth and grabbing one of the soldiers. I stumbled back yet again, throwing a glob of darkness at it. Then I realized that it was too late, and the life had fled his eyes.

I turned and ran, stumbling through a narrow corridor, away from yet another fight that had broken out behind me. Only a few footsteps followed me this time.

I came out on yet another new building, one that I only vaguely recognized. But the location at least tickled a memory, and suddenly I knew were I was going, where I had to go. I was almost there.

I took a step, then paused. The wall in front of me was almost completely crumpled, a large hole punched into it by the boulder that now lay half buried in the other wall behind. The hole offered me a good view out onto the battlefield, and this time, I could see the main fight between the titans. I was closer than I’d realized.

As I watched, one of the figures was punched out of the air. Light and darkness screamed around them, and with my heart hopping into my throat, I realized it was Mother. She seemed to fall in slow motion, in an arc that brought her close to my current location. The man who’d punched her, the older Zun, was attacked by one of our guards, and turned away, so her flight continued uninterrupted.

I took a step forward before I realized what I was doing. I watched as Mother slammed into the ground not a hundred meters away from me, on an upper courtyard only separated by us from a low, almost destroyed stone wall and a steep jump. The impact stirred up more dust and qi. But I could sense that she was still alive, if probably badly hurt.

I took a deep breath. She’d contacted me earlier, and it felt like the remnants of that link were still there. Perhaps she’d only shut it down, not severed it. So I threw all of my focus and mental strength into it, trying to get through to her. ‘Mother! Mother! Come here!’

Seconds passed, and I began to fear that I’d been wrong. Then, I could make out a figure slowly standing up among the rubble. She seemed to glance at the fight, then at me. With agonizing slowness, she turned and staggered to me.

I breathed in sharply and felt my nails dig into my fists as I got a better look at Mother. She was limping towards me with all the grace of a drunk, at a pace barely fast enough for someone in the second or third stage, and her posture was hunched. She’d lost her entire right arm to the fight, and it didn’t seem to be healing. There was foreign qi in the wound, infesting her. It was probably nature qi, but I couldn’t be sure, not with the almost physical reek of decay and pus. Some poison technique, perhaps, a part of my mind noted.

I shook off my shock as she reached me and stepped forward, catching more of her weight than I intended as she almost toppled over. “Nari,” she mumbled.

“It’s alright, Mother,” I grunted.

I heaved her other arm over my shoulder and grabbed her legs, lifting her into an awkward carry. The two remaining guards finally got to work, one of them filling up the hole in the wall while the other wove qi shields around us.

I started walking. Mother felt terribly fragile and light, even for my cultivator strength. I would’ve given her one of my healing pills, but I didn’t know enough if it would make things worse with the attack eating away at her. And besides, she had to have much stronger pills herself.

Get a grip, I told myself. I just need to get her to a safe place, first.

‘I need to fight,’ Mother mumbled into my mind.

‘Not like this,’ I answered, shifting her weight as I turned into another corridor. ‘Just hang on. There’s one place we’ll be safe here.’

Despite the risk, I sped up again. They wouldn’t let either of us get away that easily. If Mother died, they won and everything else didn’t matter, anyway.

Chapter 102 (Draft)

I smoothed down my robe and glanced at the mirror. I felt like I’d stepped back into an old, familiar role. One that I’d barely realized I’d gotten used to, before I stopped it, and which was now here waiting for me, just the way I’d left it. Except that I wasn’t quite the same. The recent experiences had changed me, perhaps only in small ways, but enough to make the lavish, blue and silver cultivator’s robes seem like they didn’t fit quite perfectly.

Although, of course, they did. I noticed that I was standing just a little straighter, and turned away from the mirror, smiling in amusement at myself. Princess Inaris was back now, completely.

And not a day too soon. I stifled a sigh as I recognized the presence coming up the corridor to my rooms. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one, as the servants in the room shifted their positions. There were only a few around, helping with my clothing or just standing ready to cater to my whims. I’d been considering letting them pamper me for a bit, but now brushed those thoughts aside.

Mother knocked, then opened the door after a few moments. She gave me a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Inaris. Can I come in?”

“Of course.” I turned and walked to an armchair, gesturing at the furniture scattered around the room. “Take a seat if you want.”

Mother glided into the room and sat down on a couch close to my chair. “I see you’ve settled in again.”

I nodded, then glanced at the servants. “Bring us some tea, please, and leave us alone.”

They bowed and scurried off. At least they didn’t even look at the Empress before following my order. I looked back to Mother, who didn’t seem to care at all. Her posture betrayed some tension, although she tried to appear relaxed. But by now, I knew her well enough to see past it.

I wondered what she got from me. Probably a lot, she knew me even before my soul journey. I wasn’t sure what the significance was of her coming to visit me, instead of summoning me to her, although it seemed like a courteous gesture.

“You know, this is probably the most like Earth it’s ever been for us,” I said. “The mother coming to talk to her daughter about her new boyfriend. Only there are a lot of other details.”

Mother smiled a little. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t go that far.” Her smile faded. “But about Carston …”

“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked. “No, correction, what the hell areyou thinking?”

Mother made a fist and opened her fingers again, then continued speaking calmly. “I realize that you don’t like the situation, and from your perspective your feelings are completely justified. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it.”

“I thought you broke up,” I answered. “Even disregarding all that happened while he was the Zarian’s hostage, it seems like you’re back together in some form? You’re letting him just run around here, with free run of the palace, casually address you by your first name — or me for that matter — and no one seems to dare say anything. You’re showing him an awful lot of trust.”

Mother sighed. “I suppose so. To address your first point, yes, we did break up. It’s one of the things I’ve regretted in the years since. Especially with some time and distance to consider what went wrong.”

I frowned. “I guess I can understand that.”

“I loved him, Inaris.” She met my eyes squarely. “Things between us didn’t work out for various reasons. My expectations and goals differed from his, my work put a strain on the relationship, and there were perhaps some commitment or trust issues. I won’t deny that your presence and parentage were a factor, as well. Things slowly came to a head after Al came along.”

I tilted my head a little. “Because he wanted you to be more of a traditional family than you were?” I guessed. “Perhaps he wanted you to officially acknowledge him as Al’s father?”

Mother grimaced. “Astute. Yes, that was probably part of it. I’d told him upfront that I wouldn’t do that, but perhaps he still hung onto hope. But it doesn’t matter much, now.”

“So, what? You feel guilty for how things went last time, so now you want to make up for it by jumping into a new relationship with him, despite everything?”

Mother narrowed her eyes. “You really seem intent on pushing me today.”

I didn’t answer, just looked at her.

Finally, she sighed again and shook her head. “I know your concerns are justified. I’m certainly not giving him my complete trust, rest assured. And perhaps I’m being a little irrational, but … I can’t help how I feel. Which means that I still care deeply for Carston. Meeting him again, my anger just seemed so hollow by comparison.” She cleared her throat. “I can’t explain it well, but I am doing what I want to do. And I expect you to behave yourself. Is that clear?”

“Of course, Mother.” I leaned back in my seat, content that I had some insight on her reasoning, if you could call it that, and emotional state.

Not that I was happy with it, but I knew pushing her further now would be a bad idea.

We were quiet for a bit, just stewing in awkward silence. I didn’t feel the need to break it, since I felt like Mother was more tense than me, or at least more emotional.

“Any other issues?” she finally asked.

I shifted my weight and leaned forward a little, keeping my back straight, my posture attentive but relaxed. “What about Kei Yating and your other lovers? Are you going to make things exclusive now?”

She frowned a little. “No, probably not.”

I shrugged. “Then I don’t think there’s anything more to say. Except - “ I hesitated as I was struck by a sudden thought. “You would tell me if you were planning on having another child, wouldn’t you?”

Mother’s eyebrows lifted a bit. “Ah. No, I’m not planning on it, at the moment.”

“I see.” I really didn’t like that ‘at the moment.’

After another pause, Mother finally stood up. “Well, I do have work to do. Things are quite busy with the war and trying to manage the nobles. Take some time to settle in and familiarize yourself with the situation, then I’ll have work for you.”

I didn’t stand up to see her off. Mother crossed the room and left without another word. For a moment, I just kept sitting there, my chin on my hand as I considered. Then I gave myself a little shake and started moving.

I’d never been to the part of the palace that was housed in a little construction just beneath and to the side of the clan’s quarters, before the main administrative offices started. But it wasn’t hard to find, and I reached it quickly. I gave absent nods to anyone I encountered on the way, but didn’t stop to speak to anyone, and they cleared out of my way.

I knocked, then waited for a muffled invitation to enter before I stepped into the room. At first glance, it looked just like any other office. But there were a lot of file drawers, many of them with some serious amount of qi sunk into several enchantments and locks, and two of our new computers. It was a large room, and several doors led off into adjacent ones, most of them open. I stepped inside slowly, looking around with curiosity.

The three people who’d been at work here, sitting at various desks, went to their knees upon seeing me. A moment later, Kariva appeared from another room, and bowed deeply. “Your Highness.”

I waited a bit, continuing my look around the room before I acknowledged them. “Please rise. Cousin Kariva, may I have a word?”

“Of course, my lady. If you’ll step into my office?”

I followed her through another room and a barren corridor before we reached her office. It looked very much like the other room, with a large desk, several chairs, a lot of cabinets, and no personal decorations as far as I could tell.

I didn’t ask why she had an office when she didn’t hold any official position. Anyone at court was supposedto be aware of her organization’s existence. I got that. The lack of official acknowledgment, even the lack of a proper name, was in part intended for intimidation value. It wasn’t quite a secret police, but in a few more decades, it might turn into one.

“Would you like to take a seat?” she asked.

“Thank you. You may sit as well,” I added, since Kariva seemed to be bent on formality, in general.

I took a seat in a comfortable chair and watched as Kariva chose another chair in front of, instead of the one behind, the desk.

“I was wondering how you felt about this development with Carston,” I said after we’d both sat down. “If you’ll forgive me for prying, and of course I’m not asking you to violate    any confidences.”

Kariva smiled slightly. “That’s perfectly fine, Princess Inaris. I knew about Lord Carston’s return ahead of time. Your mother went to me to arrange things, to get in contact with the Black Knife. Of course, she didn’t share her reasoning, and I saw this as more of a political move.”

“Remove a possible source of information for the Zarian.” I nodded. “I can agree with that. So you didn’t conceive of it as a rescue operation, primarily.”

“That’s correct.” Kariva leaned back in her chair. “As you can no doubt guess, I would have preferred to keep him safely stowed somewhere, and perhaps do a more thorough interrogation. But Her Majesty’s mind is made up.”

I smiled. It was good to hear her speak so openly and casually about that. “Of course.”

We didn’t speak for a while, but unlike with Mother before, this silence didn’t seem awkward. I was aware of Kariva looking me over, assessing me, but I didn’t mind. We understood each other, at least in that moment.

Finally, she spoke up again. “If you find the time, Princess Inaris, perhaps you should assess how things are progressing when it comes to the new technology and industry.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’d been planning on it. I know my research lab here is boarded up for the moment, though we could reopen it. I’m a little less in touch with the progress of the various teams and projects than I would like. Is there anything in particular you want to point out?”

Kariva shrugged a little. “Things have slowed down a little when it comes to the development front, but there’s more than enough to keep the Empire busy. I’m not an economics expert, but the war seems to have changed the situation considerably, and perhaps not for the better.”

“Industrialization of the war-relevant part seems to be progressing well?”

“Oh yes, it does. There’s been a large increase in productivity. We have the beginnings of some real mass production here. That includes factories making various mundane parts that would have previously been handled by others but make up components of objects we need for the war. Soldiers’ equipment like water flasks, medical paraphernalia, even arrow bolts.” She paused. “Not much of it will be needed once we win the war, certainly not in these quantities.”

“And meanwhile, other projects are suffering,” I concluded.

“Indeed. Even ones that would have a larger impact on the war, long-term.”

I sighed. “Well, I’m not sure how much we can do about that. There’s no point thinking about twenty years from now if we’ve been conquered by then.”

“Of course,” Kariva said, smiling thinly. “I know the war isn’t in a state where we can afford to reduce our efforts. I simply wanted to point it out.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “And the new communications technology?”

“Working quite well. All cities and many towns on the continent are now linked by telegraph lines, and our field tests for telephone lines are promising. The military has been adopting radios quite well, too, although there have been some hiccups.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Right. But you wanted to talk about industry.”

Kariva hesitated for a moment, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Frankly, I’m concerned about the social impact, Princess Inaris. Like I said, I’m no economist, but it’s plain to see that our economy is going to undergo — is perhaps already undergoing — a major change. Of course you know that, and I suppose it’s inevitable for our progress. But it’s still an issue, and the middle of a war might not be the best time for such a sweeping change.”

I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes for a moment. I knew this was coming. You can’t have industrialization without some growing pains. If you look at Earth, the Industrial Revolution is rarely a good time to live in.

“Okay,” I said. “You’re quite right. What is happening now, and which parts of it concern you? And what could be a threat to, well, us?”

“Broadly, there’s concern about jobs that are being lost as craftspeople are pushed out of work in favor of factories,” Kariva started. “It’s not happening a lot yet, and in time, the increase in productivity and employment opportunities due to the factories will more than offset this. Or the service and entertainment industries, in due time, once we move to a technological age. People generally understand this, with a bit of help.”

I nodded, suddenly reminded that Kariva did come from what I would consider a science fiction world, for all that she’d died as a child.

“The bigger hurdle is what this will do to the economic system and the balance of power, as new types of resources become valuable, and production and technology more important than raw materials.”

“Go on.”

“You know that most of the Empire’s population is concentrated in cities and towns, right?”

I nodded. I’d found that surprising, considering the more feudal society. But it made sense in light of the agricultural yield and the Empire’s recent population boom. For the local meaning of ‘recent’.

“While the nobility is an important factor almost anywhere, they hold the most power in the more rural places,” Kariva explained. “How much land a clan owns is not a good indicator of power anymore, and it’s getting to be even less so. Families that base their fortune on land ownership are in decline, and becoming … anxious.”

I sighed. And the war isn’t helping, I’m guessing.

Kariva tapped a finger on her armrest. “It bears mentioning that this is not just a domestic Imperial problem. If you look at who supports Hajake, I suspect it’s essentially the same group, over in Terbekteri.”

That caught my attention. I sat up straighter. “Really?”

“They tend to be more socially conservative as well, and are a strong powerbase for an aspiring heir or ruler,” Kariva stated, her eyes narrowed. “Terbekteri has only gotten a taste of what’s happening, but they were less prepared for it than the Empire.”

I resisted the urge to sigh again. “I can’t help but notice there are a lot of people who would like to see me dead and the innovation halted. Or our clan deposed, for that matter.”

Kariva leaned forward slightly. “There certainly are. Many people stand to lose from our activity, or stand to gain from a transfer of power. And some of them are certainly beyond idle wishes and hoping to get lucky.”

I felt a cold shiver creep down my spine. The way she said that … this was certainly a problem. Perhaps not now, but it would be a big one. “Tell me more.”

“Unfortunately, there’s not much to tell,” Kariva grimaced. “I’m investigating some things, but I’d prefer to wait until I have more of it worked out.” She sighed. “It doesn’t help that Acura is rather distracted recently.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Keep cultivating.”

I blinked. “That’s not what I was expecting to hear.”

Kariva leaned back in her chair and tapped her finger against its armrest a few times. “You should keep in mind that this is not the world you, or me, come from. Power very much correlates with someone’s cultivation strength.”

I nodded. “I know.”

She tilted her head a little. “A far disproportionate percentage of people in the eighth stage are from the nobility.”

I winced as I saw what she was getting at. “Ah. How bad is it?”

“Well,” she shrugged. “Your mother is rather young and weak, for them. That older cultivators like Kiyanu support her helps. Still, most of them aren’t particularly loyal. That’s always been the case, of course.”

I nodded and sat in silence for a moment, thinking about this. I didn’t think there would be a coup or anything, but a lack of support among the nation’s basically people-shaped WMDs wasn’t a good place to be in. Something else nagged at my thoughts, as well, though.

“I’ll do my best to rise quickly.” I stood up, but hesitated before I left. “Cousin, when will you reach the eighth stage?”

Kariva smiled. “Perhaps in a hundred years. We’ll see.”

A hundred years. Funny, that. I nodded and left the room, closing the door behind me quietly.

I knew Kariva was at least in the middle of the seventh stage and had risen quickly. It shouldn’t take her a hundred years. Not under normal circumstances. I should be relieved, but I couldn’t quite muster the emotion.

I hadn’t thought about Mother’s deadline in a while. At least I was pretty sure I would reach the black stage in a few decades at most.

Chapter 101 (Draft)

I found it a little scary that you could see the changes the war had brought to the Imperial capital from above. Thousand Lights City looked mostly the same, but not entirely. Factories had sprung out of the ground like mushrooms. Some of them belched dark smoke into the sky, even though we’d wanted to avoid using steam power or fossil fuels. There were more soldiers visible on the streets and on its fortifications, even this far from the front. And I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the city seem emotionally taxed by the war, less vibrant, less enthusiastic about life.

I shook my head, released my grip on the airship’s railing, and turned my gaze to the Imperial Palace that we were quickly approaching. It looked the same. Defenses had been heightened for a while, anyway. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to center myself before my return.

Several flying guards, using flying swords or their qi, escorted us in. We set down in a secluded courtyard close to the main building this time, not on the rooftop. I knew my continued survival was less of a secret by the minute, but they apparently didn’t want to advertise my return. Not that I minded.

Once I stepped off the airship onto the ground of the Sky Continent again, these thoughts were quickly pushed out of my head. I only had a moment to brace myself before a child-sized battering ram crashed into me. I laughed and crouched down so Xiaodan could hug me properly. “Hello, Little An. I missed you.”

“Big Sister Nari!” She went back to hugging me without saying anything else.

It took what felt like minutes until I could pry my little sister off and greet Al, who’d been waiting not-so-patiently behind her. He hugged me, as well, burying his face in my shoulder for a moment. I returned his embrace tightly, then clapped him on the back and let him go.

“Were you worried about me?” I asked teasingly.

He sniffed. “Of course. This time, you didn’t have me along to protect you.”

I chuckled. “Oh, I see how it is. You’re taking all the credit for our explorations while I’m away.”

“You had more than enough chance to explore the Zarian, didn’t you?”

Al looked older, I couldn’t help but think. It hadn’t been that long, but I supposed he was a real teenager now, and puberty could progress quickly. He’d grown a bit, and his face had lost some residual roundness.

Past my siblings, Mother waited, her arms folded. She was accompanied by Kariva and a group of guards. She raised an eyebrow slightly, and I started walking over to them, feeling my heart clench a little.

To my surprise, the first thing she did when I came to a stop in front of her was hug me. I stiffened in surprise, then tentatively hugged her back. It was a short and awkward embrace, she pulled away quickly. I was a little startled to realize this was still the first time.

“Come on, Inaris,” she said. “Welcome back and all that. Walk with me.”

Yeah, maybe thing haven’t changed that much.I glanced back at my siblings before falling into step with her. The guards moved away to give us more space. When my eyes met Kariva, she bowed her head and gave me a small smile that made me feel a bit more welcome.

“Now that you’re back and we can talk in person,” Mother said, her voice clipped, “let me ask you, Inaris: What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I grimaced. “I would have at least expected a ‘nice that you’re alive’ or something,” I grumbled. “You mean what am I doing back here?”

“Yes. You’re supposed to be back on the Earth Continent, helping your friends to deal with the messy situation there.”

“I know,” I sighed. Mother hadn’t been happy when I told her that I was coming back, but she hadn’t ordered me to go away, at least. I hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t have a good answer for you, to be honest. I just had a feeling that I shouldn’t, that I should get back here. A really intense feeling. With some spiritual icing on top.”

She raised an eyebrow, her expression losing some of the anger. “I see. You mean Rijoko was influencing you?”

“Guiding me,” I corrected. “Probably.”

She was silent for a moment, before she sighed. “Alright. I can’t blame you for that. Following his guidance is probably the right thing to do. Do you have any idea what prompted it?”

“Not really.”

I was about to say more, but stopped as a sensation in my qi senses captured my attention. I frowned and unconsciously turned by head to track it. We were walking through a tree-lined corridor towards a side entrance to the main palace. It was a pretty private place, so far. I could sense Al and Xiaodan, who were going the same way but a little behind us. If my impression was right, they were using a bit of qi, probably playing.

Then I saw the man approaching us at a fast pace. “Acura!” he called. “There you are. I’ve heard that …”

He trailed off, slowing down as he came closer, and I saw his eyes widen. We all stopped, but I barely noticed it. I was too surprised by his sudden appearance.

I hadn’t seen him before, I knew that because I didn’t remember his face. But he was still familiar. A tall, well-built frame. Blond hair, blue eyes like my little brother’s. I’d seen his form before, but with the vagueness of dreams, distorted and little details smoothed out. What struck me almost as much was that, the one time I’d seen my father, he’d worn a shape similar to this.

“What the hell?” The words slipped out almost by themselves, my voice sharp.

I’d finally returned to my real form, although I still wore plain, ordinary clothes. There was no doubt that he recognized me from his reaction. But I moved my gaze to Mother, who was suddenly looking a lot less cool and collected.

“Mother?” I asked.

She stiffened just a little. “Yes, dear?” Her tone was calm, matter-of-fact, conveying clearly that there was no problem here, not at all, thank you. Challenging me to contest that. Although she never called me dear, so maybe she was less confident than she appeared.

“This is what you hired Ming Li for, isn’t it?” I said as it suddenly hit me. “That Adzurian assassin or whatever. He said you were in negotiations with him. You hired him to get Carston from the Zarian.”

Carston looked a bit discomfited that I was talking to her instead of him. “That’s true,” he said. “He even said it was easier than he thought. I’d earned some measure of trust from the Dominion. Of course, I gladly went with him once he reached me.”

I wondered for a moment if it had been a rescue or retrieval mission. Carston probably hadn’t had a choice in the matter. Hopefully. Assuming Mother hasn’t completely lost her sense.

I titled my head a little, regarding the man through narrowed eyes. “Carston,” I acknowledge him in a cool voice, as if I’d just met him.

“Hello, Inaris.” He smiled. “It’s truly a pleasure to see you again. You’ve grown into a magnificent young woman.”

I barely held back a snort. That would have ruined the cold glare I turned on him. For a moment, I considered upbraiding him about using my first name and not showing the proper respect. But that wouldn’t be the right track to take.

“Spare me your compliments, please,” I said tersely, then sighed a little. “As you have no doubt been told, I lost all of my previous memories during my soul journey. I’m afraid I don’t remember you at all, at least not personally.”

“I know.” He nodded seriously. “It is a shame. We did have some nice childhood memories, as well.”

This time, I did snort, before I could stop myself. I should probably try to play nice, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Besides, he had to know I wouldn’t trust him.

I didn’t feel guilty about the invasion of my privacy that me seeing his dream had been. Which Mother hopefully hadn’t told him about. I hadn’t been able to control that, but it did give me some insight into him.

“What exactly did you tell the Zarian about me?” I asked.

He looked down, his face a picture of contrition. “I am sorry, Inaris. I told them almost everything. That your father was the Moon, which they suspected already, and the details of how and why your mother sought him out. Including the fact that she specifically bargained for a child that would be a great ruler of the Empire.” He bowed his head. “I truly do regret that, and I beg your forgiveness.”

I didn’t answer for a moment, letting the silence build, as he still looked at the ground. Behind us, I could sense Al and Xiaodan coming up to us, although they’d slowed down.

“Inaris,” Mother finally spoke up, a demand.

I shook my head. “I won’t pretend I’m okay with this. I appreciate the apology, Carston, but I certainly can’t forgive you just like that. People tried to kill me for the secrets you spilled. While you had a nice, comfortable life with the Zarian. And I would have expected better of you than to welcome him back like this, Mother.”

“Inaris!”

I bowed to her. “Excuse me.”

Then I turned around and walked back to my siblings. There was a side passage just at their position, and as I turned to it Al followed. I could hear the silence behind me. Kariva’s aura was withdrawn, and I wondered for a moment what she thought of the whole thing. I couldn’t imagine that she didn’t see Carston as a threat.

“Xiaodan, go back to what you’re supposed to be doing,” I said. “I’ll come visit you later.”

She looked up at me with wide eyes, then bowed her head. “Yes, Elder Sister.”

She walked towards where Mother and the rest were still standing. Al, however, followed me down the side path. It was lined with trees and neatly trimmed hedges, with beds of flowers and exotic plants interspersed at the sides. The nice surroundings and the smell of flowers in the air didn’t calm me, it just made my muted anger seem more stark.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, Nari.” Al hesitated, then admitted, “I didn’t know how you would take it. I thought it would be better to talk about it in person.” He pulled a face. “I thought Mother would tell you before you two could run into each other.”

I nodded, then took a deep breath and tried to force myself to relax. This wasn’t Al’s fault, and I didn’t want him to think I was angry at him. He was the one even more affected by this than me, if anything.

“How do you feel about this, Al?” I asked quietly. I remembered that there were high-stage cultivators around, then snapped up a shield of qi to keep sound in and people from overhearing us.

“I’m okay,” he said quickly.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know you can talk to me, right? Your father just came home. Not that that’s official, but we all know it. He was captured by the Zarian for years.”

“And he told them stuff about my big sister,” Al added.

“That, too,” I agreed, the muscles in my face tightening despite myself before I relaxed them.

“I don’t know, Nari.” He sighed and kicked at a stone that lay on the path. “I don’t even remember him, I was too young when he left. And, I mean, he did just leave back then, after he and Mother broke up.”

“And now?” I asked. “She took him back, didn’t she?”

Al grimaced. “I’m not sure if they’re really officially together-together, but yeah, I think so.”

I sighed. “Great. But, anyway, we were talking about how you felt.”

Al shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know him and he didn’t exactly act like a model father so far.”

“Well, you can talk to him now,” I pointed out. The words tasted slightly sour, but I forced them out. “He’s here, you can confront him about this, figure out if you want to get closer to him or not. You have the chance now.”

Al winced. “Sorry, Nari. I didn’t think. Of course, you don’t even get that much with your father.”

I reached out a hand to ruffle his hair, which he endured with only token resistance. “Don’t worry about it, I didn’t mean it like that. I get cool perks instead.” I snorted. “Hey, I’d be glad if you didn’t have anything to do with him. I just figured I should say it.”

“Sure.”

“Just be careful.” I frowned. “I don’t trust him.”

Al shook his head. “Sometimes you’re weird, Nari. Of course you don’t. I don’t have much reason to trust him, either.”

I shrugged. “How are things going for you, anyway?”

“They’re okay. I’ve been south, at the front, a few times. Not close to any fighting, of course.”

“Learning things?”

“Yeah. A lot.” He brightened up.

We headed into the palace proper, and he talked about his experiences with enthusiasm. I listened and couldn’t help but smile a little, although I made sure he didn’t see it.

Chapter 100 (Draft)

Tenira avoided me after that. I tried, but never managed to get her alone. She was always busy, either talking to someone or in a planning meeting with the others, not just myself. She didn’t make much of an effort to hide it, and I didn’t force the issue.

I could have just summoned her to me and ensured we had a private chat, but I didn’t. I was afraid that being too pushy now would just push her farther away. The most I did was apologize softly at the end of a meeting with Kajare and the head of the Imperial Guard detachment. She nodded and departed quickly, her eyes never rising to meet mine.

I regretted that as I stood on the plank leading to another ship now, about to leave the two of them again for an indefinite time. I glanced back at Tenira, Kajare and Elia, who were here to see me off. Just behind them, I could see the port of a city whose name I wouldn’t be able to pronounce. We’d arranged for a ship to come from there, but I’d actually transfer here, in the open sea, where there were less prying eyes. Kajare and Elia looked dejected, but Tenira’s face was hard to read, locked behind a cold mask.

“Take care of yourselves,” I said.

Kajare nodded. Tenira said, “Of course, my lady.”

I tried not to show any reaction to that. She’d always called me ‘my lady’ occasionally, and I didn’t mind. But lately, she’d used that address as often as my name, if not more so. Putting another bit of distance between us. Well, at least it wasn’t ‘Your Highness’ or ‘Princess Inaris’.

Walking across that plank to the other ship felt like one of the hardest things I’d done, at least in that moment. I didn’t want to leave them, especially not with the looming threat of Hajake and his little conspiracy. But being with them wouldn’t make them any safer, and I needed to trust them to handle themselves, and do their job.

The ship I boarded was definitely a step below theirs in quality. There was nothing obviously broken, but the wood looked weathered, the colors weren’t as bright, and the qi devices seemed simpler and less powerful. It was a small ship, probably almost as quick as the one I’d just left, but with a bit more cargo space. As I came aboard, the captain and first mate greeted me, but the crew went about their business with only the occasional glance at us.

“Show me to my cabin, please,” I said. “Then I’ll let you get back to work.”

The cabin was small and cramped, and the captain left me alone quickly. I knew he and probably the majority of the crew were Imperial soldiers, current or former. All of them were vetted extensively, and Imperial Guard members had been discreetly placed among the crew. Perhaps some agents from Kariva’s organization, too.

The ship started moving right away, and I could sense it leave my companions behind, as theirs pulled into the harbor. I suppressed a sigh. At least I would have some peace and quiet during the journey. A remote outpost to the south of the continent, where I would be out of sight and hopefully out of danger of the events playing out at the front. I didn’t like it, but I knew I needed to lay low, and at least I could still be involved in the decision-making.

And here I was looking forward to being in my own form again. I probably should have known better than to think I was done with disguises. I glanced down through my brown bangs at the new clothes covering my new body. It could be worse.

I closed my eyes and laid down on the bed. It took half an hour of tossing and turning until I finally managed to fall asleep, though. Probably the longest it had since I’d awakened my bloodline. As always, the transition from being awake to asleep was both sharper and softer than before. I knew right away when I’d fallen asleep, since I retained my full awareness, but at first it didn’t feel much different than falling into a daydream.

I almost reached out to search for other minds, but hesitated. There was a lot of work to do, but none of it was urgent. Instead, I focused on my own dream, and recreated the pleasant beach scenario I’d devised before. I let the sensations, imaginary and muted though they might be, wash over me, and drifted into the deepest dream state I could, which was still a lot more like a daydream.

My sense for time while in a dream was never very good, so I didn’t know how long I drifted through sleep. I walked through a collection of sceneries, replayed some memories, tried not to dwell on loneliness or apprehension, and occasionally ventured out to seek out other minds. The shift of who was awake to who was asleep gave me some context on the time, at least.

I only managed to pull myself together for a short visit with Mother. She was busy, of course, so she wouldn’t sleep much, but I appreciated that she still gave me that time, at least.

‘Has something changed with the war?’ I asked, after I related the latest events, minus my personal challenges.

Mother shook her head. This time, we were meeting in a formless gray void, so there was nothing to distract me from her dream-form. ‘Nothing significant. It still drags on. There’s been more rumble of discontent from the nobles, but I’ll deal with it.’

I nodded. ‘And Terbekteri? Have you talked to their King?’

She pulled a face. ‘Yes, briefly. I was careful. He won’t trust me over his own son, alliance or not, so there’s no point in making allegations at this point. But I think I’ve got a good sense of him, and I’ll know how to act when it comes down to it.’

I shook my head, thankful that she was the one who had to deal with the political fallout of Hajake’s betrayal on the international level, and not me. Though, I think she’s cold-blooded enough she’ll leverage this situation into additional concessions for us.

‘It’s good that you’ve made inroads with that princess,’ Mother remarked. ‘With her and the Queen, as your mother-in-law, we have a good in.’

I nodded thoughtfully. ‘There’s no way Hajake did this just because of a perceived humiliation.’ I’d been thinking about this, and that much I would bet on. ‘He wants me out of the way for something. If I had to guess, it has to do with internal Terbekteri politics. Perhaps also to weaken Kajare and his, our our, political allies.’

‘That’s likely,’ Mother agreed. ‘One more reason why having contacts within their power structure is important. We’ll never have the same insight into their inner workings. Speaking of, I have another meeting of the war council now. Take care of yourself, Inaris.’

‘Have fun.’

I drifted out of the dream, feeling it dissolve behind me, and returned to my meanderings.

Time passed, and at some point, the captain came to tell me that we’d reached our destination. Without the need to eat or drink regularly, and when sleeping too much, it was surprisingly difficult to keep track of time. Had it already been days, or was this ship just that fast?

I followed the captain out onto the deck, and looked at the place the ship was rapidly approaching. An island, big enough it could hold a large town, but with steep cliffs and stone walls that turned it into a fortress instead. In the distance, just on the horizon, I could see the southern coast of the Earth Continent. A hundred kilometers further west, I’d get to the bay where we’d first landed on the continent.

I sighed and glanced up at the towering structure. The weather was gloomy and overcast, the threat of a storm coming in over the ocean hanging in the air. I pulled my robe tighter around myself, though I didn’t really need to. I had nothing to pack, just my storage ring. As we came closer, I could sense a few strong presences on the walls above the dock. Imperial Guard, here to protect me, I knew.

I couldn’t help a shiver as I climbed down onto the pier, with the ship’s crew already going about their usual business. An island fortress. Your typical place for a royal exile, self-imposed or otherwise. I guess it makes sense. I don’t feel so good about it, though. Less Tiberius in Capri and more Napoleon in Elba. Not sure what that says about me.

---

On the island of Mei, time seemed to pass both fast and slowly at once. I spent more time than I cared to think about wandering the battlements and cliffs, looking north and wondering how Tenira and the others were doing. Hoping I’d be able to meet her in my dreams later on. I never did.

When I wasn’t pacing, I spent most of my time either reading, since I now had my storage ring and its books back, or asleep. There wasn’t much for me to do here. A contingent of Imperial Guard, without their uniforms but not doing much to hide their identity otherwise, made sure of my safety. A few of them were vaguely familiar, but without Aston or any of the people who’d been killed on Hajake’s orders, I didn’t have or form any kind of connection to them.

A few reports found their way to me, but most of my communication passed through dreams. I supposed that made sense; they were both untraceable by conventional means and had no time delay. Even with scheduling people for me to contact at certain times, the logistics were easier.

I still didn’t take much part in what was happening, though. I was too far from the action. Mother didn’t need my help, and Kajare and the others were doing a fine job handling things themselves. Since it was more about trying to find out Hajake’s plans and subtly preparing in case a confrontation occurred, there wasn’t much I could do. Well, short of revealing my survival to our vassals to get them more firmly behind us, but that usually wasn’t worth it.

I was feeling uneasy, and as time passed, the sensation got worse. Like I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. It made it hard to get anything done, and while I finally had some time to work on my research and designs, I found it hard to muster the motivation to work on that. At times, the feeling was so acute that I was starting to suspect there was more to it than just normal anxiety and isolation.

I missed the others, more than I would have thought. Especially Yarani, who I hadn’t seen in a while. I couldn’t help but wonder if we would be separated for months.

At least I had my dreamsending power. I met her in her dreams a few times. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, of course, but still something. I always needed a bit of time to cool down after these dreams.

Those went a lot better than most of my other dreams. I only met with Mother once, since she was so busy, with the war and all. She seemed stressed, and we didn’t talk for long. Kariva and the others at the palace I contacted occasionally didn’t tell me much, so I wasn’t sure if it was just normal stress or something more concerning.

The weeks passed, and I’d almost settled into a routine. A bland, gray routine, with no more light than the seemingly perpetually storm-ridden sea. But it was comforting, in a way.

I shook my head and stared out at the ocean for what should be the last time, then moved my eyes to the airship hovering above the fortress. It was just starting to set down on the upper courtyard. From my position at the highest vantage point on the island, I had a good view, and I’d be down there in a flash. The airship wasn’t big or luxurious, or even remarkable at all. It would serve well to get me away from here, though.

It was supposed to bring me back to the mainland. Where my friends had been preparing for things to come to a head, and where I could finally resume a more active role in the war effort.

The problem was that I didn’t want to. Just the thought filled me with unease. My connection to Rijoko sat in my head like a stone, heavy and hard, but it didn’t respond to my prompting.

If I didn’t take care, my eyes would wander, out over the open ocean, the way I’d come weeks ago. I felt an almost electric charge, like a magnet was pulling me in that direction.

I need to be there. The thought was my own, but not quite of my own volition. I knew that. Rijoko’s influence was the clearest I’d ever felt it, except that day at the Zarian fortress, after Hajake left me for dead.

I didn’t know if my father wanted me back on the Sky Continent for a reason, or if he simply didn’t want me on the Earth Continent. For whatever might be about to happen there. In the end, it might not make much of a difference.

The question was, what did I do? His influence wasn’t so big that I couldn’t defy it. He was the Moon, and it was guidance, not force. How to act remained my choice.

I shook my head, ripped my eyes from the ocean, and turned back to the interior of the fortress. A few steps and pushes, and I made my way down the cliff and stairs, walking to the airship. A group of guards was assembling here, another already boarded.

The captain turned and bowed as I approached. He was an old man that looked like he’d be more comfortable in a military uniform than the bland civilian clothes he was wearing, like almost everyone here. “Your Highness,” he greeted me. “Are we to set off for Earthhaven now?”

I slowly walked past him and onto the ramp. “No. I’ve changed the plan.”

“Your Highness?”

I took a deep breath. “Set a different course, captain. I’m going back to the Sky Continent.”

I hope this wasn’t the wrong choice, but when the basically-deity of wisdom and guidance gives you a hint, you’d be stupid to ignore it.

At least I’d see my family again.

Chapter 98 (V2) (Draft)

This is the updated version, the core of the previous chapter 97.

When I turned around, I noticed that the two Adzurians were watching me. The man, leaning on the railing, raised an eyebrow. His clothing looked like something out of a movie or video game. Skintight leather and a half-mask, all black. His arms were bare and I had to force my eyes not to linger on the sharply defined ridges of his torso visible through the outfit, assuming it wasn’t just modeled to look like it. This was not the kind of thing I’d have expected to see in this world.

“I’m thankful for your help,” I told him, deciding not to ask for his name. From what little I’d read of their culture, it was better to wait for it to be offered, if it was. “But I have to admit I’m wondering why you’d go to the trouble.”

The man smirked. “We were in the area, and since I was already in negotiations with your honorable Mother, I decided I might as well take on the job.”

I raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the woman, who seemed content to let him speak for them for now. “Negotiations? Do I want to know what this cost us?”

He shrugged. “Only a token amount, to be honest.” He leaned forward a little and smirked. “For the daughter of the Moon, I am, of course, happy to be of service.”

Now that he’d mentioned it, I remembered that Adzur generally venerated the Moon more than any other Greater Spirit. He’d been their sort-of chief deity for far longer than his recent importance in the Empire.

I met the man’s eyes calmly and raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not flirting with me. No offense, but I prefer men more of an age with me, and I do have my husband waiting for me.”

“Wait, you’re married?” Elia asked. She’d finally decided to stop hovering and was stepping up to the railing beside me.

The woman smirked. “Someone isn’t well versed in political events, it seems. By the way, Imperial Princess, it would be more polite to wear your real face, seeing as you’re a guest here. Your companion, as well.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

I’d been disguised for too long, anyway. As I prepared to change back, I had a moment of panic, a sudden fear that I wouldn’t be able to shift back to my original appearance. But a deep breath calmed me down and allowed me to focus on the change. I had a perfect memory and remembered everything clearly, and my body even seemed to know it, too. Shifting back was more effortless than any of the more involved disguises I’d done since the battle.

I stretched a little, enjoying the feeling of being back to normal, then glanced at Elia. She looked a bit different than when I’d first met her. Her skin seemed a bit healthier, and her hair wasn’t as dark, but a light brown that I hadn’t seen in the city often. Her face was subtly different, as well, like a sister’s. She also looked to shrink a centimeter or two.

“You are quite pretty, Your Highness,” the man said. He sounded more serious now and stood straighter. “But I apologize if I came across as improper. I always dress like this, and I did mean what I said honestly.”

“Of course, thank you.” I nodded at him. I still thought he might have been hitting on me, but at least he took rejection well. And considering his strength, it would be stupid to take offense and make an enemy.

“Sorry if I’m intruding, but what was that about political events?” Elia asked.

I noticed that the two Adzurians were watching me keenly, perhaps trying to see if that was a sensitive subject. So I did my best to act casual and matter-of-fact. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but it was my marriage to a Terbekteri prince that the Zarian used as an excuse to attack us.”

Elia stared at me for a moment, wide-eyed. She’d probably heard about these events differently and was trying to reconcile the two versions. “Right, I knew that,” she said. “I didn’t realize. So, the war is all …”

I was glad she didn’t finish that sentence, and just shrugged. “It was going to happen sooner or later, whether we gave them an excuse or not.”

“From what they’re saying, it might have been to your advantage if it was later,” the Adzurian man mentioned.

I looked at them, careful to keep my face controlled and give nothing away. “Who knows. That’s hypothetical now.”

He nodded after a moment, and silence descended. I looked back out over at the continent, which was already a good distance behind us. This ship moved fast.

After a while, we started talking again, but, this time, kept to small talk. The two Adzurians still didn’t introduce themselves, although I was starting to pick up a few things about them from what they said. They probably weren’t agents of Adzur’s government, but something closer to mercenaries. Or perhaps privateers, in a sense, if you didn’t restrict it to fighting at sea. That meant the City-State had plausible deniability if the Zarian found out they helped me, while still doing a favor for the Empire.

The conversation was awkward, considering no one seemed to want to volunteer too much or private information, and it dried up quickly.

We traveled for some time in silence. I suspected that the two Adzurians might be talking telepathically, judging by the little twitches in their facial expressions. If at least one was in the seventh stage, that would make sense. They seemed content to stay there on the deck, and I didn’t want to leave, either. Elia was reading through some tattered sheets of paper she’d taken from her storage ring, perhaps an inherited technique manual or something similar.

I was just considering the best way to ask if she was okay when I felt the brush of another mind against mine. I stiffened for a moment, then closed my eyes and focused on it. The sensation came from below.

‘Imperial Princess. So you return to the sea after all,’a mental voice said, an undercurrent of emotion and concepts accompanying the words.

I cocked my head. ‘Flame-In-Dark-Waters? Or …’The voice sounded familiar, but not quite right.

A rumbling chuckle echoed through my mind. ‘I am his son, Light-on-the-Surface.’I got faint impressions of the waters of the upper ocean, close to its surface.

‘Pleased to meet you,’I said, making sure he could sense my smile and sincerity in my mental voice. I was happy to meet another sea dragon.

‘And I, you,’there was a hint of amusement in his words. ‘If you consider this meeting, although I suppose I’ll have to give you that. I’m glad that you’ve kept your word to my father, and your people have stayed out of our territory.’

I relaxed a little, relieved that he was friendly and that the sea dragons didn’t seem to have any complaints. ‘Good. Was there a reason you wanted to talk to me, or were you just curious?’

He sent the feeling of a shrug, or whatever equivalent sea dragons used. ‘I did want to tell you that your enemies, the Zarian, have been sending ships across the ocean, and closer to your shores. They’re also crossed one of our nesting places, and we’ve made it clear that these areas are off limits. Their fleet is smaller now, and they seem to have learned their lesson.’

I grinned. ‘Mother told me about that, but thanks for telling me, all the same.’I shrugged. ‘And I don’t mind you being curious, you know.’

For a moment, he was silent, and I began to doubt if I’d been too familiar. Then he laughed, a deep, rumbling wave that rolled through the telepathic connection into my head.

‘Is that so. I think my curiosity has been rather satisfied, little princess.’He paused. ‘One point, though. Do you know of anything that is happening relating to the spirits?’

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a stab of concern at the question. ‘Not truly, except perhaps that Mior seems to have moved. Why do you ask?’

When he answered, his tone had lost some lightness. ‘Just an idle question. We have noticed that the spirits have been quiet lately.’

I frowned. ‘Too quiet? Like in the “quiet before the storm” way?’

He sent another quasi-shrug. ‘I do not know. Perhaps, likely not.’

There was a hint of concern, even trepidation, in his tone. I found that entirely reasonable, when talking about trouble that could involve the Greater Spirits.

‘I will leave you here, princess,’he said after a moment. ‘Fare well.’

‘You as well, Light-on-the-Surface. Safe travels.’

His mind withdrew, and I got an echo of his presence moving away before the mental connection snapped completely. I shook my head, looking out over the ocean, but too deep in thought to really take in the beautiful view. This was rather interesting.

Finally, I turned back around. “Where exactly are we going?” I asked. “I’m rather anxious to get back to my people.”

The woman smiled. “You’ll get back to them very soon, Imperial Princess. In another quarter of an hour, roughly, when we will meet up with their ship.”

I started and looked in the direction she was pointing, leaning over the railing to get a good look at it past the ship’s front. It was outside the range of my qi senses, but if I concentrated on my eyesight, I could see a dark spot on the horizon that seemed to be heading for us. The sight made me grin.

I spent the next fifteen minutes trying not to pace up and down the ship’s deck. If I was lucky, I’d see some of my friends soon. In any case, I would finally be back among Imperials, probably soldiers. Time rarely passed so slowly.

“We will meet them soon,” the Adzurian man said.

I straightened up, meeting his calm gaze. Perhaps it was the recent conversation with the sea dragon, but I felt something click into place in that moment. “You’re Ming Li, aren’t you? The ‘Black Knife’?”

To my eyes, he didn’t seem to fit the East Asian name, since like many people from the Earth Continent he looked more like someone from the Middle East. Perhaps that was why I hadn’t made the connection right away, though I’d all but given up on making sense of ethnicity in this world.

The Adzurian raised an eyebrow, then smirked. “Some call me that. I admit I was almost disappointed, thinking you hadn’t heard of me, but at least you did things together now.”

“I really didn’t hear much about you,” I countered. “Just a passing mention in a book.”

That was true, although I knew I might have heard of him before my soul journey, too. Ming Li was perhaps the most famous person with darkness affinity qi in the world, if you didn’t count Mother. From what I’d read, he was indeed a mercenary, or, I guessed, occasionally an assassin. Well, he looked like it. No one seemed to know if he was in the seventh or eighth stage, which was pretty impressive, really.

He sighed. “Ah, the vagaries of fame.”

I glanced at the other Adzurian, who hadn’t spoken up. I didn’t know who she was. Probably a friend, lover, apprentice, or other companion. Well, it doesn’t really matter who they are, so long as they get me back safely.

He didn’t seem inclined to say anything else, and by now the ship we were meeting was getting close, so I turned my attention back to it.

The Imperial ship was cloaked pretty well, with light and darkness qi distorting its form so one would see little more than a blur in the form of a ship, making it hard to identify. It took me a minute of playing with my light qi to see through it, and that was only because I recognized the patterns. Once I did, I saw the quickly approaching vessel. It was rather small and clearly built more for speed than cargo, with a large sail as well as a sort of qi-based steam engine and propeller, alongside mechanisms based directly on air and water qi. But I didn’t spare it much attention. I was too focused on the two figures standing at the front of the ship.

Tenira and Kajare. My heart did a little skip into my throat. They looked well enough, perhaps a little stressed, but both smiled widely as we approached each other.

I tried not to fidget as I watched the two ships slow down and come to rest relative to each other, before the crews began to connect them with ropes and wooden beams, forming a simple bridge.

Before we could start to cross, I glanced at the others. The two Adzurians were still around, presumably to bid me farewell. Elia was keeping close to me. I hadn’t seen Sil since we got on board, and assumed she had things to do here. I didn’t ask after her, I didn’t think she’d appreciate it.

I pasted on a smile and gave the Adzurians my full attention. “It was a pleasure to meet you, and I appreciate the hospitality.”

I didn’t say anything about how I was grateful and would remember their assistance. I might not be an experienced princess, but I knew better than to promise favor like that.

The Black Knife bowed. “It was our pleasure, Princess Inaris. I’m confident that our paths will cross again.”

“Perhaps.” Hopefully not because you take a hit on me.I smiled and nodded at them, before turning to leave.

Imperial soldiers had lined up at the other side of the bridge, though of course they left plenty of room for us to arrive. There were some Terbekteri soldiers visible on deck, too. I tried not to tense at the sight of their uniforms. Instead, I walked over, glancing over my shoulder to make sure that Elia was following.

Then I was on deck, crossing the last few meters in a flash, and stood before Kajare and Tenira. I didn’t even think, just reached out to pull my best friend into a hug. She reciprocated, and I could hear her inhale deeply. In this moment, I didn’t care that people were watching us, I just gave myself a moment to enjoy the reunion.

Then I let go of Tenira and turned to Kajare. I embraced him as well, and gave him a quick kiss. He looked like he wanted to do more than that, but didn’t move and let me take a step back again. Still, his smile and the bright look in his eyes told me clearly how happy he was to see me again.

I smiled at the two of them. “You have no idea how glad I am to get back to you, finally. I missed you very much.”

“Me, too,” Tenira answered. She shook her head. “Why do you always do things like this?”

“Believe me, I wish things like this didn’t keep happening to me,” I said. “I guess I have enemies in high places.”

Kajare chuckled. “Then it’s a good thing you can deal with them. Welcome back, Inaris.”

“I wish I could just lock you up in the palace and stay there,” Tenira grumbled, but she still smiled.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Right now, that sounds fantastic. I wish it was that simple.”

Chapter 97 (V2)

This is the updated version, expanding on the beginning of the previous chapter 97.

I crouched down low, giving my technique less surface area to cover. It probably didn’t make much of a difference, but every little bit might count. Besides me, I heard Elia shifting her weight, and suppressed the urge to tell her to quiet down. In truth, sound was less of a problem than visuals.

One of the Zarian soldiers in the observation post we were observing looked our way, and I instinctively held my breath, but his gaze moved on quickly. He looked bored, just like his colleagues. Good for us.

We were close now, and I couldn’t help but glance at the ocean. I found it a little ironic that out of every time I’d been to the coast in the last year or so, this was the one that looked like what you’d imagine if you heard the word ‘beach’. The trees weren’t palms, but they did have large, green leaves that swayed a little in the breeze. The cloud cover had lightened, and the sun sent down a few beams that made the water sparkle.

Sil tapped my arm, then gestured to the side, holding up one finger. I nodded in response to the prearranged signal and started moving, trying to keep directly behind her. The Zarian soldiers were looking away, and we’d chosen our path so that only one of them should see us for most of the way, anyway.

Quickly, we lost sight of them behind a rocky cliffside that was just low enough to shield us from view farther in. I didn’t know why they were watching the ocean, or the approaches to it, so intently. Perhaps allying with the sea dragons was showing its downside. I supposed it didn’t matter, in the end.

Sil sped up, still completely silent, and left us behind for a bit. Her form seemed to vanish from my sight, even though I’d reinforced her veil with some of my own qi. Before I had the time to be nervous, a Zarian soldier rounded the bend ahead of us.

Both of them were in a higher stage than me, and I barely managed to comprehend the struggle. It was too brief to call it a fight. The Zarian woman tried to lash out with her qi, but it splattered harmlessly against the rock. I quickly threw out a glob of darkness qi to mop it up. She didn’t have the time for more than that little bit before Sil got her. She tried to move back, but didn’t dodge quickly enough. Metal flashed for a fraction of a second, then the soldier crumpled. Sil put a hand over her mouth, presumably to muffle the sound of her death throes.

I stepped up to them, glancing at the fallen Zarian curiously, then back to Sil. “Should we deal with the body?” I whispered.

The agent shook her head. “Let’s go. They won’t discover it before it no longer matters.”

On the way back, we still tried to keep quiet, but moved considerably more quickly. It probably helped that we only had to worry about detection from one direction now, and knew our disguises worked well. This would have been harder if the agents didn’t know the Zarian patrol routes here.

Once we got close to the outpost again, Sil stopped us for a moment, and we observed it. I could see and sense the activity that had overtaken it. All the soldiers were now alert, throwing on or grabbing equipment and checking formations. Wei must have made his move. Perfect timing. I’m glad the agents are on my side.

All but one of them jumped onto flying swords, and they were off before I’d even finished the thought. The remaining soldier kept a hand on his sheathed sword and glanced around.

We didn’t creep up to the wooden barrier surrounding the outpost. That would be counterproductive with our stealth techniques. Instead, we walked, softly but in a straight line, right up to the gate. Once there, Sil used some air technique to reduce the noise, and I extended a shield of darkness qi. Then she reached between two posts of the palisade, her fingernails scratching against the wood, and pulled on her enchanted knife. I waited with bated breath until she’d carved a hole into the palisade and slowly lowered it out. Then she jumped through, and I took a deep breath and followed, Elia behind me.

This time, the soldier had more warning. He managed to get off a spray of rocky projectiles and grab for some qi-based device on a nearby table. Sil swatted most of the projectiles out of the air, and I weaved through the rest, weathering a few impacts to my arms and sides.

Sil dashed for the device, a current of air blasting it out of his hands just before the soldier managed to send his own qi into it to activate it. I took the opportunity to blast what might as well be a laser at him, which distracted him long enough to fumble whatever he was trying to pull from his belt with his other hand.

One of the rocks curved back around and threatened to smack into my head, so I ducked that and batted it out of the air with my forearm. By the time I looked up again, Sil had the Zarian in a chokehold on the ground.

“Don’t kill him,” I said, hurrying forward.

Sil nodded. “Of course not, Your Highness.” Her tone and expression added an unspoken ‘yet’.

I got to the prisoner, pulling his face out of the mud by his hair, and angling it so we could all see his expression. Sil accommodated the move. “Are you alone here?” I asked.

The Zarian glared back at me defiantly and answered in a string of swearwords. Well, half of them were cuss words, the rest I didn’t know, but the meaning was clear.

“You should cooperate,” I told him, keeping my voice calm. “It’ll go easier if you do. I might even let you go. If not, things could get very unpleasant. I won’t waste much time here.”

Just then, there was a chime from another talisman he was wearing. Judging by what I could see of the qi flows and formations, clearly a communication device of some sort.

“What was that?” I asked, but he stayed silent.

“It’s a victory signal, isn’t it?” Elia asked.

“No, whore, it’s a signal to say your life has ended!”

Elia frowned and looked at me. “It isa victory signal.” After a moment, she glanced at Sil.

I followed her gaze. “Does that mean they defeated Wei?”

Sil was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. He must have been either captured or killed.”

I grimaced, then looked back at our prisoner. “Are you supposed to respond?”

He didn’t answer. Before I could say anything else, Sil laid a hand on his torso, and he started convulsing, letting out a choked scream.

After she left off, he was breathing hard and shaking his head. “No.”

Elia spoke up again. “Yes, he is. Probably an all-clear signal, right?”

I sighed and held up a hand to stall the agent in case she got any other ideas. “Great. Sil, how can we figure out what’s up with Wei and rescue him if he’s still alive?”

The agent looked surprised. She answered in Common, as well. “With all due respect, Your Highness. My duty is to protect and guide you back to safety. This would be extremely ill-advised, and I respectfully suggest you abandon the notion.”

I frowned. I knew she was right, but still felt like I should say something. “But your partner …”

“Wei knew what he was doing,” she said. “The mission comes first. Your safety comes first.” Then her tone softened. “He would be proud to die for the Empire.”

I nodded slowly. Maybe further protests might dishonor his sacrifice in her eyes, or something.

“Your Highness, we should hurry,” she continued. “We need to either get this prisoner to cooperate and send the signal, fast, or leave right away.”

I glanced back at him. I knew she meant torture. That didn’t sit right with me, and I didn’t know if we’d manage to break him this quickly. I shook my head. “We need to leave swiftly.”

Sil bowed her head, then her knife flashed again. A moment later, there were was one less person in the encampment. I didn’t look too closely, since I’d learned my lesson about having a perfect memory. And I didn’t comment on it. Leaving him alive would have been too much of a risk, and I didn’t feel the need to rationalize it to myself.

“They’ll know something’s wrong,” Elia said. She seemed to have trouble looking at anyone, and her voice was a little tight. “Are we going to get to the coast and away before they catch us?”

“We’ll make sure of that,” a new voice said.

I spun around, the knife I’d stashed up my sleeve in my hand. There, just a few meters away, a veil of darkness qi was lifting. I only recognized that I’d sensed it now that it was starting to change. It was a strong working of darkness qi, hiding them from sight, sound and our qi senses.

“No need to worry, Imperial Princess,” a man’s voice said, as two figures slowly faded into view. “We’ll escort you until you can meet your own people.”

I blinked in surprise at the man and woman standing there. They were strong, although I couldn’t quite tell how strong. But they weren’t from the Empire. If the faint accent hadn’t tipped me off, their clothing would have. It wasn’t a style I’d seen much of before, more form-fitting and subdued than was common in the Empire or even where I’d traveled. And they both had a small version of another nation’s symbol with those clothes, embroidered in the fabric or embossed on a buckle.

“Oh, I see,” I said. “Alright. I assume you have a ship?”

I tried not to let them see how disconcerted I was. I guess Sil never actually said we would be picked up by Imperials.I glanced at her and saw that she seemed tense, though. Maybe she didn’t know.

“Of course,” the woman answered. She waved her hand, and a ship faded into view on the ocean behind her, in the shallows just before it would be beached on dry land.

Maybe it made sense that a ship from another nation would be better able to pick us up undetected than an Imperial one. Though, I wouldn’t have expected them to do it. The Empire’s relationship was Adzur was relatively good, but that wasn’t saying much.

I started walking, knowing that we didn’t have time to hesitate. Sil and Elia followed. The two strangers turned and led us on a direct path to their ship. With cultivators’ speed, the meters vanished quickly. I just sensed the Zarian’s presences at the edge of my range as we reached it.

The ship looked to be built of wood, and it had a sleek appearance, with clearly low draft, or whatever it was called. It didn’t fly the flag of the City-State of Adzur prominently, so this probably wasn’t an official delegation.

I knew the tide would be coming in soon. Right now, its pull in my senses was muted, distant, but it was already starting to rise. This wasn’t the best time to set sail, probably, but their ship would handle it. I could sense the strength of the qi in its materials and enchantments. One of them felt a bit like a steam engine, situated at the back of the ship.

We waded into the ocean and boarded the ship via a wooden ladder that unfurled itself from their deck, probably guided by the domain of one of the two Adzurians. I let Sil board first, then climbed ahead of Elia as she hesitated. Our hosts flew upward without any discernible device to help. I mentally revised my estimate of their strength upward.

Their ship only had a skeleton crew, at least judging by how few people I saw. The crew, mostly young men and women in the third or fourth stage, ignored us in favor of focusing on their task. I stepped up to the deck and looked back the beach, just in time to feel a jolt as the ship got itself loose and started moving. The Earth Continent spread out before us. It was a nice view, but I didn’t mind leaving it behind for now.

I didn’t see the Zarian, at least.

Chapter update

Hi folks,

I hope things are going well for you.

I've significantly revised and expanded Chapter 97, especially the beginning. There will now be a new Chapter 97, while most of the previous one - with a few additions - will form the new Chapter 98.

That means that the Chapter 98 I posted here before will now be Chapter 99 (and so on down the road). I'll change the title accordingly after I've posted the two new/updates ones.

I hope to post Chapter 100 here on Patreon tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, and your support!

Chapter 99 (Draft)

It took a while for things to settle down for us to start talking seriously. But after a few minutes, the ship was pulling away on a southern course, while Tenira, Kajare and me met in a small meeting room inside the ship. Glancing out the window, I could see Elia and some of the soldiers on deck. But Kajare was finishing a technique that would dampen the sound of our conversation, so we could discuss sensitive matters.

“Where are the others?” I asked first. “Are they alright?”

“Of course, they’re fine,” Tenira replied. She didn’t have to ask to know I meant Lei and Yarani. “They’re back in Imperial territory, at our current headquarters, holding down the fort.”

I nodded and finally sat down. The room was a little cramped, with a table and several chairs crammed into it, but I didn’t mind having walls around me again. I noticed there were a few maps scattered on the table.

“They know what we’re dealing with,” Kajare said. “They’ll keep an eye on Hajake and Jian, as well as the war effort.”

Good. I had the feeling it was Yarani who was really keeping an eye on things back there, not so much Lei. He might be a genius, but he didn’t usually didn’t care to devote his thinking to ‘social stuff’. Still, she would be up to it and they had backup, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Why are you here, anyway?” I asked. “Besides the obvious.”

A smile tugged on Tenira’s face. “We’re on a diplomatic trip. Furthering relations with the independent and neutral states along the coast of the continent.” She shrugged. “Less officially, they think we’re here to search or try to buy information on what became of you. The trip is pretty much over, we’re supposed to be heading back now.”

I nodded, thoughtfully. It seemed like my disappearance hadn’t messed things up too badly, which was good. “Let’s just hope Hajake believes that. How do things stand with him and Jian?”

Kajare leaned forward in his seat, and Tenira’s expression hardened as she answered. “We’re being very careful with Jian, making it seem like we have no idea of his involvement with anything. With Hajake, we’re trying the same, but of course it’s a riskier proposition. We’ve tried to hide what we’re doing with regards to you as much as possible, but I’m not sure how much he knows. This trip is hopefully secret.”

I glanced at Kajare. “The Terbekteri soldiers …”

He shook his head. “They’re all loyal to my mother’s faction. They wouldn’t tell him anything.”

I smiled. It was sometimes easy to forget that Kajare was a prince in his own right, and had those connections and resources to draw on. “Good. But he knows that I know he betrayed me, and we have to assume that he’s got plans and will guess what we’re up to.”

“Actually,” Tenira interjected. “I think you’re forgetting something.”

I frowned, but got what she meant after a moment. “Right. The question is, does he know I’m still alive. How have you handled things officially? Am I considered taken captive or just missing?”

“Officially, we’re uncertain of your fate and trying to ascertain what happened. There’s no body, and we’re assuming that the Zarian took you, though it’s not clear whether that’s dead or alive. Most people assume you’re still alive, since they haven’t announced your death.”

“But Hajake might still assume he killed me,” I concluded. “Maybe. You’re not sure, and you’re trying to hide that you know what happened. Right?”

“Exactly.” Tenira grimaced. “It’s a case of neither knowing know what the other knows, and trying to prepare for every eventuality.”

I rubbed my temple. “This sounds complicated. You both know he betrayed me, but he might not know you know, and you were in contact with me, which he might not know, either, but it could all be some double-bluff.”

“That’s about it,” Kajare agreed.

“We probably can’t keep my location a secret for long,” I said. “It would be stupid to assume that Jideia and his people are unaware I survived. He might be associated with them, and even if not, it would be in their interest to make things harder for me by telling Hajake what they know. Though I don’t think they can track me that easily.”

Tenira frowned. “Do you think they will help him?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. If the Storm was personally taking care of the matter, I’d assume the worst. If it’s the Pioneer …” I shrugged. Isuro seemed to be dragging his feet when it came to the whole ‘killing Inaris’ thing, so he might not be looking too hard, or taking the initiative to talk to Hajake. But maybe he would. “I just don’t know.”

“It’s probably best for you to stay hidden as long as we can manage it, then,” Tenira said. She didn’t sound happy about it.

I nodded. “At least you won’t really need me to make progress with the situation with Hajake.”

Kajare cocked his head. “You have an idea?”

I smiled. “I stumbled onto just the right blade to cut that knot.” Then I felt the smile leave my face and shrugged, speaking more quietly. “I’d say it almost seems like divine providence. But it actually might be my father’s guidance.”

My connection to Rijoko had been quiet lately, dormant. But it was still there, and I hadn’t forgotten hearing him. Funny, I mused, if you’d told me about this before, I wouldn’t have liked the idea at all, but the connection doesn’t bother me that much. I shook my head. Well, he is my father, and I have enough reasons to trust that he wants me to survive, and probably succeed. Plus, the side benefits are awesome.

Tenira glanced outside, where we could just see Elia walking across the deck. “Her? You mentioned she has a spirit bloodline, too?”

“Right.” I grinned. “Elia’s a granddaughter of the Sun. She has the ability to see the truth of people and tell if they’re lying, or something. I figure, have her listen in on a few probing conversations with Hajake, and we’ll have much more to go on.”

Tenira nodded. “That sounds good, indeed. You think she’d do it?”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” I waved my hand dismissively, tracking her presence with my qi senses. “If she doesn’t do it just for me, we can easily afford to hire her. Or I could offer to tutor her with her shapeshifting ability.”

“She won’t get that anywhere else,” Tenira agreed, nodding. “Alright. Then it seems we have the basics of a plan.”

We were all silent for a minute, while we thought about what had happened and what was coming. I had to stop myself from fidgeting. It was good to see them again, but I couldn’t help but feel like I’d screwed up, and I found it more difficult than I thought to adjust to being the Imperial Princess again. Perhaps I hadn’t realized how stifling it could be until I wasn’t followed around by guards anymore, had some time to myself, relying on just my own strength and skills to survive.

“What about Aston?” I finally asked. I didn’t expect good news, but I couldn’t put it off any further. “Have you seen him?”

Tenira shook her head. “No, Inaris. I’m sorry. No one’s seen Aston or Mior since the day after you disappeared.”

“I suppose it makes sense.” I sighed. “I can’t expect Mior to stick around while I’m not even there, and he, or they, clearly couldn’t go to me.”

I hadn’t found either of them in my dreams, too, and just tried not to think about it.

“He’ll be back, right?” Kajare said.

“Sure.” I sat up straighter. “Mior isn’t going to let Aston come to harm. I except they’ll break the possession soon and send him back. If they aren’t already working on that. It was kind of nice to have them with me, but I always knew it wasn’t going to last.”

Tenira picked up some of the maps lying strewn over the table, straightening them. “Nothing more we can do but wait, right now.”

I nodded, then glanced at them. “Would you mind giving me some time to look through these papers and get up to speed?”

“Of course.” They stood up, Kajare bowing slightly, and left the room without protest.

I exhaled, and turned my attention to one of the maps, where someone had noted down troop movements and strengths. I felt like I needed a moment to myself to adjust and think. The reports and maps gave me something to occupy myself with, and I did need to catch up on what had happened.

I ended up spending longer than I’d thought in that room, going over various papers alone. A soldier showed up after a minute with a stack of reports, but otherwise Tenira and the others left me alone. I felt the ocean beneath me, occasionally sensing a qi presence passing by underneath. The environment and the gentle swaying of the ship were surprisingly relaxing.

Finally, I put the last sheet of paper away, stood up and stretched with a satisfying pop. Shit, I love being back in my own body. I left the papers there, then exited the room, making a mental note to get my storage ring back. Without my watch, I didn’t have a good sense of time, either, but the sun had moved a bit when I stepped out on deck.

Glancing around, I saw that Elia was talking to some soldiers further back, on a platform half a deck below me. That was where the steam engine-like mechanism was situated. Kajare was nowhere to be seen, but Tenira leaned against the railing, looking out over the ocean. No one else came close to her.

I took a deep breath to steel my nerves, then approached her. I shouldn’t be this nervous, and earlier, I hadn’t been. But something about seeing her there, the wind in her hair as she was obviously deep in thought, and the prospect of talking to her alone, had tripped me up.

She smiled as she noticed my approach and turned to me. I came to a stop beside her, laying one hand on the railing and wondering if I looked as awkward as I felt.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” I finally said, glancing out over the ocean. “I’ve always liked the sea.”

Tenira nodded. After a moment, she pulled out a small box from her robe and handed it to me. “Your storage ring. Some of its contents were removed in the course of trying to investigate what happened to you, but most of it should be there now.”

“Thanks!” I quickly put it back on, smiling at the familiar weight on my finger. “You’re the best, Tenira.”

“I think I’ve heard that one before.” She smiled wryly. “I’m just doing my job.”

“You’re doing more than that,” I disagreed, leaning towards her slightly. “Seriously, I appreciate the way you keep things together for me. For us.”

Her expression softened. “Thank you, Inaris.”

We stood there in silence for a moment. I casually moved half a step closer, keeping my attention focused on her even as I half-pretended to look out over the ocean. She did the same, if a little more subtly. Despite the tension I felt, the silence was comfortable.

“I really missed you, Tenira,” I finally said, in a soft voice. “I was worried that Hajake or the Zarian might hurt you while I was gone. I’d have a hard time forgiving myself if I put you in danger.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Funny you should talk about someone else being in danger. I appreciate the sentiment, though, Nari. Even if you probably have more important things to worry about.”

“Maybe, but they’re not really more important to me.” I shrugged, smiling wryly. “There aren’t many people I love in this world. You’re more to me than just a clanmate or retainer, Tenira, or even a friend. I care about you deeply.”

She didn’t answer right away. I was tense, feeling anxiety bubbling just beneath the surface. I wasn’t used to baring my heart like that, but I knew it was the right thing for me to do. Perhaps I should have done it sooner. I managed to focus on the moment, just looking at Tenira.

She didn’t avoid my gaze. For a long moment, we just looked into each other’s eyes. I’d shifted so I was closer to her, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she inched closer to me, too.

“I care about you, too, Nari,” she finally said. Then her lips quirked and a playful light entered her eyes. “Danger and all.”

I chuckled, feeling a bit of relief as the tension, the intensity of the moment, broke. “Well, that’s a relief. I tend to attract danger.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again and shook her head. “This smells like a set-up. Do you just want me to call you attractive?”

“Would I do that?”

She smiled. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“Well, I will call you attractive. Because you’re beautiful. You have the most lovely eyes.” I managed to keep a straight face as I said it, looking at her intently.

She blushed. It looked adorable. “That’s what you like about me? My eyes?”

I grinned. “Well, your other features aren’t half bad, either.”

She shook her head. “You certainly have a smooth tongue, don’t you?”

I stuck out my tongue instead of replying. Luckily, the gesture was familar for Tenira, and she chuckled.

“What, are you trying to show me something here?”

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You want me to show you? Moving a bit quickly, aren’t you, Tenira? I’d be happy to show you in detail.”

I saw something flash across her face, but it was too quick to be sure what emotion it was. Her smile disappeared beneath a stiff expression, and she took a step back.

I straightened up, my smile leaving, as well, replaced by concern. “Tenira?”

“I just remembered I have a report to deal with. If you’ll excuse me, Inaris.” She didn’t look at me, but bowed her head, then spun around and left before I could answer.

It was as if someone had put out the light, and suddenly everything looked different, full of sharp angles. Tenira walked away, tension evident in the lines of her back, at a speed just short of a run. She didn’t look back, and I felt like all of the excitement I’d been basking in was turning to ice, piercing me.

Why did I have to go and ruin this? I clenched my fists and bit my lip. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and I swallowed it, trying to grasp onto some clarity it brought. I knew I’d screwed up. Probably badly. What was I thinking, saying that? I’d come on too hard, perhaps given the wrong impression, and spooked Tenira. She might never give me the chance to make up for it, I might never get an opportunity like that, a moment like the ones we’d shared, again.

For a while, I just stood there, staring at the sea and wrestling with my emotions. Finally, I had enough, and pushed off the railing, walking back. I knew it was a bad idea to go after Tenira right now, but I needed to move. At least I’d managed to get ahold of myself, and a tight grip on my emotions.

As I was approaching the cabin, Kajare stepped out. He smiled when he saw me, just a few steps away. “Inaris. I was hoping to find you.”

“Kajare.” I forced a smile. “It is good to see you again.”

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in far too long.” He chuckled, a bit of embarrassment in his voice. “I know we didn’t have much time together, but still.”

My smile became more genuine. “I was gone for a while.”

“Oh, yes.” He shifted a little. His robe was open far enough to allow me a tantalizing view of the hard lines of his chest, and I saw the heat in his eyes. “It certainly felt long enough that I’m eager to welcome you back.”

I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh, and you’ll try to give me a proper welcome?”

He lowered his gaze, biting his bottom lip. “Yes, my lady.”

Well, I have some frustration to work out. I took his arm, steering him back through the doorway he’d just come out of. “I’ll see about that.”

I wasn’t really in the mood for this, but I recognized that I should give Kajare the attention he wanted. Besides, I could use the distraction. And, if I’m being honest, the contact and intimacy, too.

It was better than wallowing in feelings of rejection, certainly.

Chapter 97 (Draft)

I found it a little ironic that out of every time I’d been to the coast in the last year or so, this was the one that looked like what you’d imagine if you heard the word ‘beach’. The trees weren’t palms, but they did have large, green leaves that swayed a little in the breeze. The cloud cover had lightened, and the sun shone a few beams down that made the water sparkle. The sea was a deep blue-green color that fit the wide sand beach well. I couldn’t see any locals anywhere close to us, and the only sound was that caused by the spray of the waves and our presence.

“You said we would be picked up, didn’t you?” I asked the female agent, Sil. I hadn’t seen the other one since he’d left, although the continued absence of any Zarian spoke well of his efforts.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she confirmed.

I frowned but didn’t question her any further as we walked farther onto the beach. If all else failed, I could always go with my original idea and simply swim to the nearest sea dragon, or someplace they’d find me.

I only realized a second too late that we weren’t alone on the beach after all. I stopped and pulled out the knife I’d stashed up my sleeve, but the person or people who’d cloaked their presence were already close. I could sense their disguise lifting slowly. It was a strong working of darkness qi, encompassing not just light, but also our qi senses and maybe even sound.

“No need to worry, Imperial Princess,” a man’s voice said, as two figures slowly faded into view. “We’ll escort you until you can meet your own people.”

I blinked in surprise at the man and woman standing just a few meters away from us now, just above the level of the surf. They were strong, although I couldn’t quite tell how strong. But they weren’t from the Empire. If the faint accent hadn’t tipped me off, their clothing would have. It wasn’t a style I’d seen much of before, more form-fitting and subdued than was common in the Empire or even where I’d traveled. And they both had a small version of another nation’s symbol with those clothes.

“Oh, I see,” I said. “Alright. I assume you have a ship?”

I tried not to let them see how flustered I was. I hadn’t expected I guess Sil never actually said we would be picked up by Imperials.I glanced at her and saw that she seemed tense, though. Maybe she didn’t know.

“Of course,” the woman answered. She waved her hand, and a ship faded into view, in the shallows just before it would be beached on dry land.

I nodded and took a step forward. Maybe it made sense that a ship from another nation would be better able to pick us up undetected than an Imperial one. Though, I wouldn’t have expected them to do it. The Empire’s relationship was Adzur was relatively good, but that wasn’t saying much.

The ship looked to be built of wood, and it had a sleek appearance, with clearly low draft, or whatever it was called. It didn’t fly the flag of the City-State of Adzur prominently, so this probably wasn’t an official delegation.

I knew the tide would be coming in soon, could sense it with a certainty I couldn’t justify, but was still convinced of. Right now, its pull in my senses was muted, distant, but it was already starting to rise. This wasn’t the best time to set sail, probably, but their ship would handle it. As we walked closer, I could sense the strength of the qi in its materials and enchantments. One of them felt a bit like a steam engine, situated at the back of the ship.

We waded into the ocean and boarded the ship via a wooden ladder that unfurled itself from their deck, probably guided by the domain of one of the two Adzurians. I let Sil board first, then climbed ahead of Elia as she hesitated. Our hosts flew upward without any discernible device to help. I mentally revised my estimate of their strength upward.

Their ship only had a skeleton crew, at least judging by how few people I saw. The crew, mostly young men and women in the third or fourth stage, ignored us in favor of focusing on their task. I stepped up to the deck and looked back the beach, just in time to feel a jolt as the ship got itself loose and started moving. The Earth Continent spread out before us. It was a nice view, but I didn’t mind leaving it behind for now.

When I turned around, I noticed that the two Adzurians were watching me. The man, leaning on the railing, raised an eyebrow. His clothing looked like something out of a movie or video game. Skintight leather and a half-mask, all black. His arms were bare and I had to force my eyes not to linger on the sharply defined ridges of his torso visible through the outfit, assuming it wasn’t just modeled to look like it. This was not the kind of thing I’d have expected to see in this world.

“I’m thankful for your help,” I told him, deciding not to ask for his name. From what little I’d read of their culture, it was better to wait for it to be offered, if it was. “But I have to admit I’m wondering why you’d go to the trouble.”

The man smirked. “We were in the area, and since I was already in negotiations with your honorable Mother, I decided I might as well take on the job.”

I raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the woman, who seemed content to let him speak for them for now. “Negotiations? Do I want to know what this cost us?”

He shrugged. “Only a token amount, to be honest.” He leaned forward a little and smirked. “For the daughter of the Moon, I am, of course, happy to be of service.”

Now that he’d mentioned it, I remembered that Adzur generally venerated the Moon more than any other Greater Spirit. He’d been their sort-of chief deity for far longer than his recent importance in the Empire.

I met the man’s eyes calmly and raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not flirting with me. No offense, but I prefer men more of an age with me, and I do have my husband waiting for me.”

“Wait, you’re married?” Elia asked. She’d finally decided to stop hovering and was stepping up to the railing beside me.

The woman smirked. “Someone isn’t well versed in political events, it seems. By the way, Imperial Princess, it would be more polite to wear your real face, seeing as you’re a guest here. Your companion, as well.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

I’d been disguised for too long, anyway. As I prepared to change back, I had a moment of panic, a sudden fear that I wouldn’t be able to shift back to my original appearance. But a deep breath calmed me down and allowed me to focus on the change. I had a perfect memory and remembered everything clearly, and my body even seemed to know it, too. Shifting back was more effortless than any of the more involved disguises I’d done since the battle.

I stretched a little, enjoying the feeling of being back to normal, then glanced at Elia. She looked a bit different than when I’d first met her. Her skin seemed a bit healthier, and her hair wasn’t as dark, but a light brown that I hadn’t seen in the city often. Her face was subtly different, as well, like a sister’s. She also looked to shrink a centimeter or two.

“You are quite pretty, Your Highness,” the man said. He sounded more serious now and stood straighter. “But I apologize if I came across as improper. I always dress like this, and I did mean what I said honestly.”

“Of course, thank you.” I nodded at him. I still thought he might have been hitting on me, but at least he took rejection well. And considering his strength, it would be stupid to take offense and make an enemy.

“Sorry if I’m intruding, but what was that about political events?” Elia asked.

I noticed that the two Adzurians were watching me keenly, perhaps trying to see if that was a sensitive subject. So I did my best to act casual and matter-of-fact. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but it was my marriage to a Terbekteri prince that the Zarian used as an excuse to attack us.”

Elia stared at me for a moment, wide-eyed. She’d probably heard about these events differently and was trying to reconcile the two versions. “Right, I knew that,” she said. “I didn’t realize. So, the war is all …”

I was glad she didn’t finish that sentence, and just shrugged. “It was going to happen sooner or later, whether we gave them an excuse or not.”

“From what they’re saying, it might have been to your advantage if it was later,” the Adzurian man mentioned.

I looked at them, careful to keep my face controlled and give nothing away. “Who knows. That’s hypothetical now.”

He nodded after a moment, and silence descended. I looked back out over at the continent, which was already a good distance behind us. This ship moved fast.

After a while, we started talking again, but, this time, kept to small talk. The two Adzurians still didn’t introduce themselves, although I was starting to pick up a few things about them from what they said. They probably weren’t agents of Adzur’s government, but something closer to mercenaries. Or perhaps privateers, in a sense, if you didn’t restrict it to fighting at sea. That meant the City-State had plausible deniability if the Zarian found out they helped me, while still doing a favor for the Empire.

“Where exactly are we going?” I finally asked. “I’m rather anxious to get back to my people.”

The woman smiled. “You’ll get back to them very soon, Imperial Princess. In another quarter of an hour, roughly, when we will meet up with their ship.”

I started and looked in the direction she was pointing, leaning over the railing to get a good look at it past the ship’s front. It was outside the range of my qi senses, but if I concentrated on my eyesight, I could see a dark spot on the horizon that seemed to be heading for us. The sight made me grin.

I spent the next fifteen minutes trying not to pace up and down the ship’s deck. If I was lucky, I’d see some of my friends soon. In any case, I would finally be back among Imperials, probably soldiers. Time rarely passed so slowly.

The Imperial ship was cloaked pretty well, with light and darkness qi distorting its form so one would see little more than a blur in the form of a ship, making it hard to identify. It took me a minute of playing with my light qi to see through it, and that was only because I recognized the patterns. Once I did, I saw the quickly approaching vessel. It was rather small and clearly built more for speed than cargo, with a large sail as well as a sort of qi-based steam engine and propeller, alongside mechanisms based directly on air and water qi. But I didn’t spare it much attention. I was too focused on the two figures standing at the front of the ship.

Tenira and Kajare. My heart did a little skip into my throat. They looked well enough, perhaps a little stressed, but both smiled widely as we approached each other.

I tried not to fidget as I watched the two ships slow down and come to rest relative to each other, before the crews began to connect them with ropes and wooden beams, forming a simple bridge.

Before we could start to cross, the two Adzurians came to bid me farewell, while Elia was keeping close to me. I hadn’t seen Sil since we got on board, and assumed she had things to do here. I didn’t ask after her, I didn’t think she’d appreciate it.

I pasted on a smile and gave the Adzurians my full attention. “It was a pleasure to meet you, and I appreciate the hospitality.”

I didn’t say anything about how I was grateful and would remember their assistance. I might not be an experienced princess, but I knew better than to promise favor like that.

The man bowed. “It was our pleasure, Princess Inaris. I’m confident that our paths will cross again.”

“Perhaps.” I smiled and nodded at them, before turning to leave.

Imperial soldiers had lined up at the other side of the bridge, though of course they left plenty of room for us to arrive. There were some Terbekteri soldiers visible on deck, too. I tried not to tense at the sight of their uniforms. Instead, I walked over, glancing over my shoulder to make sure that Elia was following.

Then I was on deck, crossing the last few meters in a flash, and stood before Kajare and Tenira. I didn’t even think, just reached out to pull my best friend into a hug. She reciprocated, and I could hear her inhale deeply. In this moment, I didn’t care that people were watching us, I just gave myself a moment to enjoy the reunion.

Then I let go of Tenira and turned to Kajare. I embraced him as well, and gave him a quick kiss. He looked like he wanted to do more than that, but didn’t move and let me take a step back again. Still, his smile and the bright look in his eyes told me clearly how happy he was to see me again.

I smiled at the two of them. “You have no idea how glad I am to get back to you, finally. I missed you very much.”

“Me, too,” Tenira answered. She shook her head. “Why do you always do things like this?”

“Believe me, I wish things like this didn’t keep happening to me,” I said. “I guess I have enemies in high places.”

Kajare chuckled. “Then it’s a good thing you can deal with them. Welcome back, Inaris.”

“I wish I could just lock you up in the palace and stay there,” Tenira grumbled, but she still smiled.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Right now, that sounds fantastic. I wish it was that simple.”

Chapter 96 (Draft)

“I suppose it was too much to hope for that we’d be able to complete our journey in peace and without being bothered by the Zarian,” I sighed.

Elia shrugged and gave me a wry smile. “We’ve been making good time ever since we left the city. I think we’re doing well.”

“Not as good time as we might have if we’d just focused on traveling,” I grumbled, but without any heat in my words.

We had made good time. With our cultivation, we could move pretty quickly. Not as fast as a car, of course, but better than a pedestrian or rider on Earth. But we’d been careful. We’d avoided population centers and often roads, made sure we had good disguises and gathered information on where we were going and what was going on. The war could be felt even here, and the general decline in trust and safety didn’t help. At least people didn’t seem to care too much about strangers passing through.

Which brought us to our current camp, off the road in a sheltered clearing with a good view over the nearby countryside and town. We were close enough to the ocean I could almost convince myself I could already see it, despite the heavy cloud cover and poor visibility. The air smelled like it might rain again later today, but I hoped it would hold off for a bit longer.

“We’ve managed to evade the Zarian so far,” Elia said. “Even if they’re hunting us more intensely now, I’m sure we’ll get to the ocean. Although I have to admit I’m still a little unsure why you have chosen that as the goal.”

“Just trust me.”

“I do.” She looked a lot more serious suddenly. “My bloodline’s abilities allow me to see to the core of people in some way. You’re probably one of the most righteous people I met in the city.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. I wouldn’t put too much stock in that, though. Your sense isn’t about some supreme morality, but society’s laws, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She seemed a bit surprised at my observation. “I know that. It’s more about norms and rules of the larger group someone belongs to. Still enough to let me know you haven’t exactly committed many crimes.”

“I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective.”

I frowned thoughtfully. I hadn’t really broken any laws on Earth, minor stuff excluded. Speeding or trying weed once didn’t exactly break societal norms. And on Aran, while I’d done more morally questionable things, the Empire wouldn’t consider those wrong for me to do. Hell, as the Imperial Princess, I could have done a lot worse without breaking their social norms or expectations, let alone whatever actual laws might apply.

I shook my head, dismissing these thoughts. “Anyway. Are you sure you can’t grow gills?”

She pulled a face. “I don’t know. Maybe, once we reach the ocean and I’m actually underwater, I’ll get the push I need.”

“Well, if not, I know a technique that can help, so don’t worry about it.”

As I’d discovered recently, her shapeshifting ability was a lot weaker than my own. Probably even weaker than before I’d gotten the push suddenly needing it to survive and hide in enemy territory had given me. That had helped me master it a lot. At least Elia could disguise herself pretty well, and that was all we really needed.

“Well, let’s go,” I said, and started picking my way down to the path.

As part of my current disguise, I’d changed my hairstyle and facial structure again. I’d also made myself a bit shorter, which I still had to adjust to. Having to take smaller steps didn’t help descending the muddy slope, and making my chest smaller had also thrown my balance off a little. So I moved carefully, only glancing at Elia once or twice. She’d changed her hair to a short style and darkened her skin, but her face still resembled the once I’d met her with. She could probably pass for her cousin, but it was different enough that I didn’t complain.

I was looking forward to wearing what I’d come to accept as my own face again, though. Almost as much as I missed the company of Tenira and Lei, who’d probably be excited about my new proficiency with it and helping me experiment. Or Yarani and Kajare. It had been too long already.

The town was clearly rural, probably the only major population center in the area, and spread out over the fields in a comfortable sprawl. It made it both easier and harder to approach unnoticed, since we had cover but could also be spotted by more people more easily. Like we’d done most of the time, we tried to act like everything was alright and we were just minding our business.

I returned the greetings of a few townspeople we met, but managed not to get sucked into a conversation. I led us in an arc around the center of town, keeping to the outskirts. I could tell Elia was tense, but she didn’t question my choice to go into town.

There were more Zarian soldiers in the town than I had expected. I couldn’t help but feel my heartbeat speed up every time we came too close to one, even though I knew my disguise was good. I’d long fixed my blunder and altered my voice. Of course, we still didn’t have reliable identification, that was the main problem.

We had to pass through two ID checks. The first one was pretty casual. Just a bored fourth-stage soldiers who gave a quick glance at our paperwork, comparing the picture to our faces, then waved us on. The second one was more concerning. I noticed it as we approached the barricade they’d put up. The leader was in the fifth or even sixth stage, and her small group seemed more alert, as if they were looking for someone.

I held my breath as they checked our ID, forcing my hands not to clench into fists. I’d perfected the illusion over the paper and tried to make it as unnoticeable as possible, but there was still a hint of qi to it.

The soldier muttered a curse and pulled out some strange-looking device. My heart sank as I watched her handle the device and the paper. She frowned at it, then looked more closely again.

Finally, after a minute of tense waiting, she handed me the papers. “These local scraps are such poor quality,” she complained, probably to her subordinates. “You girls go on, but if you get the chance exchange your papers for some Zarian registered ones. Makes it easier on us and lowers your chance of being detained.”

I bowed my head. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll be sure to do that.”

My neck prickled as we walked past the barricade, but I forced myself to relax. We were almost there, anyway.

I continued walking through the outskirts of the town. Out here, the houses stood a little closer together, but they were smaller, so the result wasn’t very impressive. Not many people were around, perhaps at work, instead. The fields around the town, like others we’d come across in our journey, were all being tended, now that spring was in full swing.

I was just starting to worry that I’d come here for nothing when two of the people leaning against a rundown wooden house caught my eye. They straightened up, adjusted their cloaks, then slowly started walking forward. I forced myself to keep my gaze moving instead of letting it linger on them and kept going.

Elia tensed slightly beside me, but she didn’t say anything. We walked out of the town in silence, leaving the houses behind as the street narrowed into a dirt track leading between two fields. This one entered a forest pretty quickly. I didn’t have to look back to notice that our pursuers were still behind us, catching up steadily. Their auras were well hidden, but gave the impression they were in the late second or early third stage. I would’ve been fooled if I didn’t know what to look for.

They caught up to us finally, just a few hundred meters before the path vanished into trees and we’d get out of sight of the people working in the fields. Elia tensed and moved her hand to her side, where I knew she carried a knife, but I grabbed her arm for a moment and subtly shook my head. The two people fell into step with us. The woman stepped off the path to get ahead of us, while the man kept behind us. They were both dressed in nondescript clothing of muted colors, with local cloak-coat hybrids that could easily conceal weapons.

“It’s a nice day on the road, isn’t it?” I said.

“As nice as if the spirits themselves were playing with us,” the woman said. “Like the Great Ship of myth being battered by their winds and waves.”

“But that ship reached its destination safely, and so shall we,” I replied, relaxing my tense muscles. I liked that myth, one originating from the east of the Earth Continent which I’d read a while ago, since it wasn’t a tragedy, just entertaining.

After a minute, we entered the forest. It looked untended, and the trees quickly closed around the dirt path, hiding us from view. As soon as I couldn’t catch a glimpse of the fields anymore, I stopped. Elia did the same, reaching for her weapons again. She seemed confused and apprehensive. Fair enough.

The two travelers took a step closer, making her tense up more, before they dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Elia froze.

“Rise,” I said to them in Imperial Common, then switched to Zarian out of consideration to my companion. “It’s good to meet you. How is the situation?”

They stood, and the man replied in perfect Zarian, “Mostly unchanged, my lady. The Zarian have intensified their search, but they do not seem close enough to catching you to pose a significant danger.”

I smiled. “Good. I hope you didn’t have to drop anything important to meet us.”

“Of course not,” the woman said.

I wasn’t sure I believed her. As agents of the Empire, they’d be accomplished liars. But I let the matter drop. I didn’t know what mission they had been on before they were diverted to babysit me; apparently, I didn’t need to know. Fair enough.

“Wait a moment,” Elia said, backing up a step and frowning at me. “You’re Imperials, aren’t you? Is that why you were hiding from the Zarian? But there has to be more to it.”

I hesitated for a moment, then decided being direct would be best. “Yes. Does that bother you?”

Her frown deepened. I could guess at what was going through her head. She’d grown up in a place close to and under some influence of the Dominion, so she’d have been exposed to anti-Imperial propaganda. But by now she distrusted and probably disliked the Zarian, so if most of what she knew about the Empire was that they were enemies, it would make her see it in a different light, maybe even favorably.

“No, I don’t have a problem with it,” she finally replied.

I didn’t have her ability to see if someone was telling the truth, but that was good enough for me. “Good. Let’s keep going.”

I did notice that the two agents shifted their position slightly. They were angling themselves so they could keep an eye on her, and intervene to protect me more easily if it came to that. I didn’t comment on it, but I appreciated the thought, at least.

“What’s your names, by the way?” I asked.

“I’m Sil, my lady,” the female agent answered. “He’s Wei.”

I nodded. Those might not be their real names, but it didn’t matter. “You’re here to help me get to safety, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

I glanced at Elia, who nodded slightly. The confirmation made me relax a little more.

Maybe it shouldn’t have such a big impact, since I didn’t know either of them. But it did. I was no longer alone in hostile territory now, a fugitive just trying to be gone, hiding my true identity from everyone. I was in the presence of countrymen (countrypeople?) now. Or my subjects, actually. Even better, isn’t it?

“So, who areyou?” Elia asked after a minute.

I shook my head, focused on the path ahead of us. We were passing by another town, one that was decidedly more coastal in its appearance. I could smell the ocean more clearly now, and even caught a glimpse of it behind the houses and trees. “Are we clear to get to the ocean?”

“The Zarian appear to be watching it, my lady,” Sil warned. “There’s an observation post a few leagues in that direction. We planned on a distraction to allow us to sneak closer, and we’ve been told we’ll be picked up once we reach the beach.”

I nodded. “Good.” Then I glanced at Elia. “Sorry about that. Now, as to who I am, are you sure you want to know?”

She pulled a face. “I’m not stupid, Nera, or whoever you are. I’ve known that’s not your real name from the beginning. You’re a spirit-child of some strength. Possibly even the child of a Greater Spirit. I can believe you’re some important asset to the Empire, I just don’t know why they’d leave you in such a position.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” I said. “The Zarian didn’t realize who they’d captured, given my shapeshifting ability. But, yeah, you’re right. I’m the daughter of the Moon.”

I was prepared for shocked realization, but Elia just nodded. “Yes, that fits.”

“My lady,” the agent cut in. “May we proceed with our plan? Wei will occupy the attention of the local Zarian contingent while we make our way to our goal.”

“Of course,” I answered. “Be careful.”

The man bowed, then disappeared into the landscape between one moment and the next. If we weren’t surrounded by trees at the moment, I’d have suspected he was literally gone into the ground.

Sil had us wait for a few minutes before we’d start moving again. We stood there in silence. I couldn’t help but wonder about how Elia would react, but I didn’t want to just come out and proclaim my title. The agent seemed tensed for some kind of confrontation, as well.

“What is it?” the girl finally asked. “Did I miss something, or am I just supposed to be more impressed by your bloodline? I think I’ve heard that the Moon is prominent in the Empire.”

Sil glanced at me, then shook her head at Elia. “Girl, there’s only one daughter of the Moon. Haven’t you heard the rumors?”

“Wait, you mean -?” her eyes widened. “Oh.”

“Yes,” I said.

After a moment of just staring, Elia dropped to one knee before me and bowed her head. “Princess. I didn’t know. I beg your forgiveness.”

I sighed. Really? It’s not like I couldn’t have killed her pretty much at any point since we met. Although, I suppose as Imperial Princess, I could have her family or friends hunted down and punished if she gave me some cause.

“Stand up,” I said. “Of course you didn’t know, that’s the point.” I turned to the agent. “Should we move now?”

“Yes, follow me, please.”

I continued our trip to the ocean, this time at a faster pace. Elia kept to the other side of Sil, and had trouble meeting my gaze. I knew some of that was probably just embarrassment, but I still felt ill at ease. I’d just been another person lately, and now, in the last few minutes, three people had knelt to me.

I almost wanted something to happen to take my mind off useless thoughts, but everything was quiet. We didn’t see any Zarian, and I couldn’t sense anything strange. It was almost anticlimactic after everything. Of course, with professionals on the job, I shouldn’t expect anything less.

I glanced at Elia again. “Do you still want to come with me? We could drop you off somewhere, but you’re welcome to come to the Empire as my guest, if you like.”

She chewed her lip for a moment, then nodded. “I’d love to see the Empire and stay there for a bit. Uh, Imperial Princess.”

I nodded, then turned my attention back to the path. Despite a strange sense of wistfulness, I couldn’t wait to return, and see my friends and partners again.

Chapter 95 (Draft)

I hesitated for a moment, then circulated a trickle of qi to my eyes to get a better look at the fire. By now, it was clearly visible from here. People were starting to move away, and when I swept my gaze farther out, I could see how the Zarian were organizing their response.

I couldn’t help but smile. None of them was even looking in my direction. Not really. But that was the point of using sunlight focused through qi lenses to do it. It meant I could set fire at a distance, and there was no easy way to tell that I had, or where it came from. Just that their court and administration buildings were on fire.

I waited until the smoke thickened, rising into the sky like a dark halo for the building beneath it, before I resumed moving. I lowered myself into the water, careful not to disturb it too much, then closed my eyes and focused on implementing the changes that I’d envisioned.

After a minute, I kicked off and swam deeper into the river, until I skimmed just over the ground. I moved slowly, sucking air in through my newly grown gills, and inched my way forward. I knew I didn’t have much time, the fire wouldn’t serve as a distraction forever, but I forced myself to move slowly and smoothly.

Finally, I reached Elia’s position, who nodded at me and moved to follow behind me. While I wore only my underwear and had changed my skin tone to a blurry gray and brown to match the river bottom, she’d chosen clothes in the same muted colors. At least she’d made her hair match it, as well.

I took a deep breath as we came upon the grate blocking the way out of the city, at the height where the gate would be. I’d previously analyzed but dismissed it as too big a risk. Now, though, it was the best option. With Elia in tow, sneaking through the gate would be a lot harder.

I released the shroud of darkness qi I’d kept over us before carefully moving on. It was dark here, the water flowing quickly, a bit of silt and mud swirling in it as well as what might be sewage from the city. But I focused on the gate ahead of me. It was crafted from solid, strengthened metal, made with two layers. What concerned me more was the qi around it. Several enchantments and wards controlled the space. I made sure to keep my aura as low as possible as I slowly inched closer. Like we’d discussed, Elia kept back behind me.

The wards didn’t go off even as I finally reached the grate itself. Of course, that would produce too many false alarms. But I could tell the lock itself was warded more strongly, and even a bit of foreign qi would probably set off several alerts.

I closed my eyes for a moment as I shapeshifted yet again, this time changing only my right arm. I made it thin enough to pass through the grate, then lengthened it. It felt odd, adjusting its shape on the fly, in ways that weren’t very intuitive. But I managed to reach the lock where it sat behind a sheet of solid metal.

This would be the tricky part. I closed my eyes again and pressed my hand into it, before I made it lose its strict form. Growths of a horn-like material, like an extreme version of fingernails, sprouted into the lock. I was careful not to scratch or deform it, but to keep the mass pliable, until I filled the mechanism and got a good idea of how it worked. Then I turned my hand, turning the keys in the lock in the same motion. I breathed out and pushed against it, feeling it give. I moved on to the second lock behind it and repeated the process with more confidence.

A good thing they used a physical lock. Of course, with cultivators, those were probably harder to bypass in reality than enchantments relying on qi.

Carefully, I pushed the gate open. It took a bit of strength, as the grate wasn’t really designed to be moved, and probably hadn’t opened in years. Luckily, no one would hear any suspicious creaking underwater. I opened it only wide enough to pass through, then carefully made my way through it and swam a meter ahead. Elia moved up to the gate behind me.

I glanced at her, then concentrated on the rest of the wards. There were a few that might be problematic. I doubted they were supposed to be easily visible or easy to figure out, but my sense for qi was a lot better than that of a typical cultivator in the fourth stage. I could probably sneak my way past them, but I wasn’t so sure about Elia. Her storage ring might be a problem. It was a lot smaller and cruder than mine, but held what supplies we had. Maybe we should have left it behind, but that wouldn’t help in the long run.

I circulated some darkness qi, just a trickle, and formed the basis for a technique. Slowly, a thread of darkness took shape in front of me. The wards didn’t react. That was the good thing about the Void’s Nibble, of course. It was designed to annihilate any foreign qi it came into contact with, so if someone or something sent their qi or spread it out to catch a disturbance, it would be consumed before any signal could travel back to it. Like a mini black hole you could only detect by its side effects. And since this effect was new or at least rare, wards weren’t set up to search indirectly for it.

I moved the tendrils of darkness carefully, isolating components and cutting the equivalent of wires in the arrangement of the wards placed around the gate and the area between it and the end of the small tunnel, before the water flowed out of the city wall. I worked slowly, double-checking to make sure I didn’t miss anything or let too much qi build up somewhere to cause another malfunction. It was interesting work, and I caught myself wishing I could have more time to analyze this setup.

Finally, it was as disarmed as I could make it, and I continued moving forward. Elia followed behind me. I held my breath, but she managed to pass the wards without issue. It was only a few meters before we left the gate and city wall behind us.

Of course, we didn’t surface immediately, but continued moving at the bottom of the river. But I felt a lot less nervous now. We’d successfully sneaked our way out of the city. It had even been fun. Let’s just hope the rest of the trip doesn’t make up for that. Though having her along might be a benefit here. She’s bound to know the region better than me.

After a few kilometers, I stopped and gestured upward. Elia let out a visible sigh, before kicking off for the surface. I smiled and followed her, swimming for the riverbank. The river was moving more slowly here than before, and it should be a good spot to climb on land.

We emerged in a shallow valley, with gradually rising banks that led up to a low forested range on one side and a patchwork of meadows and fields on the other. A little farther ahead, I could see a ford connected to back road, though it was less of a road and more of a well-trodden path. There was no other sign of civilization I could see from here.

I accepted my clothes from Elia. She averted her gaze, and I tried not to feel embarrassed about my current state of dress. We had bigger things to worry about than modesty. So I quickly put the clothes on and dried us off a little, then led the way out of the valley. The floor of the meadow we reached was soft and spongy, not ideal for running but a lot better than it could have been.

“Let’s get a move on,” I said. “Actually, wait a second.”

I quickly focused on the qi surrounding us and drew in some air qi to use for a technique. It was a simple one, just a general buff to Elia’s speed. I could have used my light technique, but that was better suited for short-term enhancement, not long travel. I didn’t use anything to affect myself, since the issue here was how well Elia could keep up with me.

She had a bit of trouble as we started running, but quickly got the hang of it. We accelerated, and the meadow flew past us. In short order, we’d moved past a short dirt track into another one. I looked back, where I could just see the city on the horizon, and watched it get smaller. We were moving in the opposite direction from what they’d expect of me, if I was trying to get back to the Empire directly. Hopefully, that would help. I watched the city become smaller as it vanished into the horizon.

A few hours later, Elia began breathing hard, and I slowed down to a walk to give her a break. There was no point in pushing us too hard, and we needed endurance more than speed.

“By the way, what was that technique you used to deal with their alarms?” she asked. “It was amazing. I didn’t think you could just erase wards like that.”

I grinned. “Thanks. It’s called the Void’s Nibble.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That’s an … odd name for a technique.”

“I made it myself,” I answered, then frowned. That was probably a bad thing to admit if anyone else heard it. But if Elia was captured and told the Zarian what she knew about me, it didn’t change much.

“Impressive.” She tilted her head to the side. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you really?”

I shrugged. My young age in combination with my stage was definitely an identifying detail. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

She shook her head. “Yes, I would, if it’s the truth.”

I regarded her for a moment, then shrugged again. “Almost certainly younger than you.”

“Really?” She blinked. “Not that I’m doubting you. You’re actually that young. Huh.”

I was silent for a moment as I picked my way past a boulder. We were avoiding roads, for the most part, since we didn’t want to run into other people. Our current trail took us past another meadow and into a rocky area, an extension of the foothills of another forest range. I didn’t know how long my shoes would stand up to our travels, but I’d go barefoot if I had to. It wasn’t like getting a strained ankle or blisters was a concern.

“Your spirit-child bloodline is the Sun’s, then. Isn’t it?”

She started, then stilled her movement. “How do you figure that?”

“I can sense something from you that makes me pretty sure you’ve got spirit blood. You looked through my veil easily and can apparently tell the truth of things, or something. With your affinities, that’s pretty telling.”

I couldn’t be sure of my guess, but it was the only thing that fit. The Greater Spirit of the Sun was, after all, associated with truth and justice.

“You’re right,” she finally admitted. “I suppose she’s my grandmother. My father was a son of the Sun.”

“Was?” I asked, before I could think better of it.

She was silent for a moment, before she nodded. She looked down on the ground, though that might just have been the difficulty of the trail. “I grew up a hundred leagues or so from here, in another small nation under the influence of the Zarian, with my mother and siblings. When I was little, my father left, recruited to join the Zarian forces. He visited a few times, but not often. Then, a few years ago, he stopped sending letters. Apparently, he was killed in some border skirmish with the Federation, or so they said.”

I nodded, trying to look sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that. That can’t have been easy for you.”

She shrugged. “He stopped sending money, and Mother wasn’t used to not having to watch her purse, so I suppose it wasn’t. But I got by.”

I grimaced. “And your siblings?”

Her expression darkened. “A few of my brothers were being stupid and trying to make trouble when the Zarian came. Cost them our small estate. That’s why we had to leave. Well, all that were left. My oldest brother left to find out what happened to Father, but he hasn’t had much success.”

I wasn’t sure which of those subjects was less thorny to ask about. But she seemed to like having someone listening to her. “You think there’s more to it?”

She was quiet for a moment. We had crested the ridge and were now walking down a grassy hillside, so the going was easier, but she didn’t seem to notice our surroundings. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “Maybe it was just bad luck that killed him.”

“You think he was targeted,” I guessed. “Infighting within the Zarian, someone seeing him as a threat?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I don’t not think so, either.”

I nodded and stopped talking for a minute. This would be a good time for me to open up, establish some more trust, although I was a bit hesitant about that.

“I’ve never really met my father, so I can’t really relate,” I admitted. “But I can see why you don’t like the Zarian. If you don’t mind my prying, though, why aren’t you with the rest of your family now?”

She shrugged. “I got tired of their sh… behavior. Far as I know, they’re still in some decrepit quarters in the city.”

“Fair enough.”

This was probably enough prying for the moment. I’d ask her more about what she could do later. But for now, I stepped up the pace again.

Elia sighed, but she didn’t complain. She almost seemed glad about it.

“I should find a place to get some sleep later,” I mentioned. “For now, let’s keep running.”

She raised an eyebrow, probably surprised since she knew I’d slept in the city, but didn’t ask. She might have been saving her breath for keeping up with my new pace.

I didn’t mind the lack of conversation as we continued traveling. I had enough to think about.

Chapter 94 (Draft)

I stretched and felt my neck pop. It felt good to work out the kinks, even if my qi-strengthened body didn’t really need it. Even after a few hours of remaining more or less in the same position, I knew I was ready to run or fight right away. Just one of the little benefits of cultivation, which most people didn’t think much about.

I retreated carefully, keeping an eye on the gate and the traffic from and to it, or just passing it. Not many people were allowed through. The Zarian had set a sizable force to guard it, though, and two of them had to be in a high stage.

I ducked into an alley, then breathed a sigh of relief. No one seemed to have noticed me, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t followed. I extended my domain to unlock the door in front of me, then entered, pulling it shut before me.

Then I froze for a moment, before I continued stepping into the room, shaking my head. “Elia, why are you here?”

The girl, who was sitting on a ramshackle table with her feet kicking in the air, shrugged. “Wanted to see what you were up to, and you’d been gone for a bit …”

Something in her expression was off. I frowned, thinking back to what might be the cause of that, before it hit me.

She was off the table and on her feet in a flash, backing away toward the other door. “Please don’t kill me.”

I crossed my arms — stupid, crap, I need to be more careful —then extended my domain again. It caught the door, securing it. Then I grabbed her with light-spotted darkness and towed her to a spot against the wall, where I could keep her better.

I stayed silent for a moment, considering if I should, in fact, kill her. A large part of me was in favor of it. She’d seen me using my domain, which meant she knew I was in the fourth stage and had been hiding my identity. That made her a risk, one that could set the Zarian on me and really ruin my day.

I eased my grip, shaking my head. “I’m not going to kill you.” I took a step closer, anyway. “You didn’t seem surprised. At least, not surprised at the fact I have a domain.”

She sighed, visibly relaxing as she leaned against the wall. “Yes, I knew you were a lot stronger than you pretended to be. Like me, so I can’t really judge, I suppose. You must have noticed that, I doubt my veil would fool you.”

I nodded. “You’re in the third stage and cultivate fire and light, though you’ve only used the former here.” I suspected there was more to her than that, as well, though I didn’t say that.

“Right. Could we talk about this later? Not the best place for this kind of discussion, boss.”

I cocked my head, then shrugged and let her go. If she hadn’t betrayed me yet, then it wasn’t like sparing her life after finding out that she knew would make her more likely to do it. I just needed to keep an eye on her. “Sure. Let’s head back.”

She dusted herself off and smiled, then got the door for me. But despite her cavalier attitude, I noticed that she was careful sure not to make any sudden movements, or any that could be construed as threatening, as we stepped into the street and started walking back.

The city hadn’t changed much. By now, I knew it had some overly complicated, long name that translated to something like ‘Two Riverbeds’. It had been a few days. Things might have gotten more tense, with people preferring to walk in groups, keep weapons on hand, and get their business done quickly, but there had been little change from the Zarian. I wondered how long they’d keep the city this locked down. Well, maybe they only needed it as a staging point for military operations, and didn’t care much about long-term effects on the local economy.

No one gave us more than a second glance as we made our way through the streets. The gate was some distance from our lodgings, but the streets were empty enough that we could move quickly. People even moved out of the way for me on occasion.

I glanced at Elia. With my current appearance, I looked closer to my mental age, rather than the teenager my body was really stuck at. That still made me relatively young for the third stage. Common enough even for wealthy families or minor sects, but clearly ‘better’ than most people. Especially in places this influenced by the Zarian Dominion. It meant both that Elia herself was talented and probably not from a poor background, and that she had to suspect I had some backing.

Of course, I imagine things are different for spirit-children, aren’t they?

After half an hour, we walked deeper into the poor quarter of the city our current home stood in, and were closing in on it. I kept an eye out for the various people on the street and watching. A fair number of them were younger and had some signs of their allegiance to a gang or local syndicate. Farther on the edge, there were women whose clothing and attitude didn’t leave much doubt to their profession, but they seemed to stick to the outskirts of the area. Only toughs and people with the look of refugees hung around the more dilapidated part.

I took a deep breath, then fought not to grimace as the stink washed over me. We were almost there, although we’d taken a circuitous route. I could see a boy from the group on the rooftop of a dilapidated building. His head nodded at me before he ducked down further, out of my view.

“You know,” Elia commented. “They’re all gushing about how sophisticated and genteel you are. You do a good job of hiding it, but I can see you’re not used to these conditions, and you probably couldn’t be a crass and vulgar low-tier if your life depended on it.”

I stifled a sigh. You’d be surprised. I hope. “There’s little hope of convincing them I’m some ‘gutter trash’ nobody, anyway,” I pointed out. “It’s not like many of the refugees around here didn’t have more, before the Zarian confiscated or the war destroyed what they relied on to maintain their livelihoods.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “But some people, especially from the other gangs, don’t like it.”

I snorted. What did I care if they liked it or not? Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to deal with this sort of problem for much longer, anyway.

Once we reached the building, I got nods and half-bows from a few boys loitering around it. One of them opened the door for us. I nodded at them, glancing around to check that everything was in order and trying to sense if anything was amiss. Besides a few people that must have been from local gangs watching us from a distance, I didn’t notice anything. Those had been keeping an eye on us for a while.

On the inside, people were a lot more relaxed around me now. They didn’t try to avoid catching my eye, just continued with what they were doing. A few days of seeing I wasn’t about to hit someone for looking at me the wrong way must have done it. I quickly refilled the water basin, which was nearing empty again, grumbling under my breath. But I was glad that they all looked cleaner. Not only did it help my nose, the last thing I wanted was an epidemic breaking out. And while it was annoying, having to create water didn’t bother me.

I was just about to head back to my room and work on my formations some more, when I noticed a change in my qi senses. One of the young men outside had flared his qi in a signal. Farther out, although beyond the range I was supposed to have, I sensed another boy who’d done the same, a bit earlier. They were raising the alarm, or at least putting us on alert. I sighed, made sure I had my bag, then headed for the door again.

Elia and the stronger members of the group were already gathering. The others bowed to me when I showed up. I noticed that most of them held knifes, wooden posts, or whatever could serve as weapons.

“The Red Dragons are coming, boss,” the lookout reported. “They brought a strong one.”

I suppressed a sigh and nodded. “Alright. Be ready and stay alert, but don’t provoke them or pick a fight if you can help it.”

We didn’t have much more time until the gang showed up. They all wore a splash of red, at least an armband, and carried better weapons than my side. Most of them were in the second stage, and the man in the middle was in the third. He had the look of someone aged by circumstances and lifestyle, probably no older than his thirties but with bad teeth and sunken skin.

“Hello, friends,” Elia called out in the local language. I didn’t catch most of what came next, except to tell that she was trying to be friendly.

“Shut up,” the third stager replied. He led the pack forward, facing me, with the others fanning out behind him. “You, third tier,” he said in Zarian. “We don’t want your kind here. Foreigners and those growing rich off others’ work. If you leave, we’ll leave the rest of them alone.”

“You just want me to go?” I asked.

“Don’t,” Elia cut in. Some of the others echoed her.

“They’ll treat us worse than before,” one of the boys mumbled. “Let’s kick their teeth in, boss.”

I looked at my group. They seemed, if anything, grimly determined to stand their ground. Maybe that was my fault. By giving them good treatment and a bit of hope when they were at rock bottom, I might have only made them clutch onto it harder. I didn’t know if I could keep them from turning this into a fight, even if I gave in.

And there was a Zarian patrol heading this way, quickly coming closer.

“These people don’t want me to leave.” I shrugged at the gang in a ‘what can you do’ kind of way. “Isn’t there some other way to settle this?”

Their leader growled and stepped forward. Earth flew towards him from the ground, forming gauntlets around his hands and dotting the ground between us with small molehills, dislodging paving stones. “No.”

I took a step forward as well, calling a fireball to my hand. Then, recognizing that I should show off just a bit, I formed a technique that shrouded the people behind me in flickering light. It was a modification of my Light’s Speed buff that made it more obviously belong to fire instead of light. They could set things on fire with it in addition to moving quicker.

The other gang members hesitated at that, glancing at each other nervously. Maybe proper techniques were rarer here than I realized, especially complex, well-executed combat techniques.

But their hesitation ended the fight before it could really begin. I could tell when the second stagers realized the Zarian patrol was approaching, by the way they flinched and turned in that direction. I grimaced, suppressed a curse, and took a step back again. Why did they have to move so quickly?

“What is going on here?” a loud voice boomed in Zarian, just as the group of six soldiers rounded the corner. They stopped in front of us, letting some of their aura be felt. The weight was enough to send the weaker people present to their knees.

I bowed towards the speaker. “Nothing of significance, sir. Just some ruffians doing a bit of posturing, but we just about turned them away. I’m sorry to inconvenience you.”

The gang leader gritted his teeth, then bowed as well. “As she says. Nothing of consequence, just some ruffian where she doesn’t belong.”

“You were coming to our accommodations,” I countered, still calm. “But it doesn’t matter, as we are both going back inside now, aren’t we?”

“Do that,” the soldier said. “I don’t care about whatever petty gang dispute you have going on, but we won’t tolerate fighting in the street. And whoever did this to the street better fix it before I decide to start caring.”

My opponent gritted his teeth harder, then used some earth qi to patch up the changes he’d caused in the street.

“Actually …” one of the other soldiers mumbled. “What’s that voice?”

I glanced at him, then had to force myself to continue the motion and turn around without tensing up.

I hadn’t recognized him before, because he was in the back and had been concealed by another soldier, but now that they’d shifted I could see his face. The talkative soldier, the one who’d escorted me from the room I’d woken up in on the airship. Dammit.

“Excuse me, sirs, ma’ams,” I said, already starting to walk away.

The other gang was leaving, and the people from my building were taking my cue, even if they glanced at the Zarian soldiers hesitantly. But I couldn’t worry about them now. I needed to leave. It took most of my willpower to keep walking in a brisk but relaxed manner instead of running.

I hadn’t really altered my voice. Sure, there was a small adjustment due to the changes I’d done to the rest of my body, but I couldn’t bank on that being enough of a difference. Any moment now, the soldier might realize where he’d heard my voice before, and I needed to be gone before they started to hunt me down.

I didn’t go back to my room, but instead continued moving through the building to the back door. I hadn’t left anything here that I needed, or that would be damning if it fell into enemy hands.

“I’m going out again,” I said. “Stay put, okay?” Then, without waiting for more of a response than a few nods, I walked. I couldn’t say goodbye to them, or warn them. That would just be time lost and maybe a clue for the Zarian.

I was starting to be sick of this whole thing, though.

The whole time, I was waiting for an outcry to go up from the Zarian, maybe for soldiers to try and chase me down. But I got out of the building and the side street without any trouble. I headed to the most populated area close by and joined a crowd without anyone running after me, too. By the time I was on track to leaving the quarter, I could sense Zarian presences, or at least ones of similar strength, moving. But I avoided them, keeping to the crowds, changing my appearance a little bit.

I ducked into an empty alley for a moment to exchange my robe for a green shirt and matching jacket, and put my hair into a ponytail. Then I moved on, into the more respectable part of the city. I wanted to take a more circuitous route, but it was more important to get to the gate quickly.

I’d begun starting to relax, thinking I may have ran on a false alarm, when I noticed the familiar presence following me.

I hesitated for a moment, then stepped into another alley and into the shadows. My pursuer followed me inside, looking around. When I stepped out of concealment, a knife raised, she was already backing away, hands held up.

“It’s me. I don’t mean you any harm, and no one else followed you.”

“Elia.” My tone was flat. “Why?”

“The Zarian are tearing up the building right now. They’re interrogating the rest, but I managed to slip away. I knew you’d head for the gate.”

“That’s good to know, but why are you following me?”

She licked her lips. “Take me with you.”

I started. “What?”

“Please, let me come with you.” Elia took a step closer, apparently uncaring that it brought her into easy reach of my weapon. “I know you’re strong. I know they’re looking for you, you’re on the run. But I’d rather come with you than stay in this craphole. You’re better than pretty much anyone I could get here. And I can be useful to you.” She lowered her gaze. “You know I can.”

I put the weapon away and sighed.

This is a complication. One I really don’t need. But she’s probably right.I frowned thoughtfully. There was definitely something about her. Whether I was right and she was just another spirit-child, or something else, I had a feeling I shouldn’t ignore it.

Or, if I was honest with myself, maybe it was just that I didn’t want to. She’d pricked my curiosity, and I wasn’t the kind of person who could ignore that.

“Fine,” I decided. “Don’t complain if you get yourself killed.”

Chapter 93 (Draft)

‘Is everything clear?’I asked.

‘Yes, Your Highness,’the guard answered, his visualized form in the dream nodding.

I would have preferred to talk directly to Tenira or one of the others, but none of them were asleep right now. Lei was supposed to be, I thought, but given the situation with my disappearance, it didn’t surprise me. I had to make do with one of the Imperial Guard.

‘Then I’ll help you wake up now,’ I said. ‘Focus on remembering the message and passing it to one of my cousins, or my husband, as quickly as possible.’

I withdrew my mind a little and flexed some of this strange power. It was more instinctive than even shapeshifting, going by feel and desire. I managed to shake the dreaming mind, push him towards the surface, towards waking. The connection fizzled out as the guard woke up.

I turned my attention outward again, searching. The cluster of possible sleeping minds I was looking for now were much farther away, but distance didn’t matter much in dreams, and I had a close connection to some of them.

I could tell pretty quickly that Mother wasn’t dreaming. Around her, few people were. A few I’d interacted with before were possibilities, including someone who worked closely with Kariva. But I hesitated and instead chose another mind, one I was more familiar with.

Maybe he subconsciously recognized and welcomed me, but it was very easy to make contact. I let my presence radiate outward so I wouldn’t surprise him too much, and slowly dove into the dream. It was a chaotic jumble of images and concepts, half-formed thoughts perhaps interrupted by my arrival. I exerted a bit of influence to help it stabilize.

‘Nari!’Al exclaimed. His representation of himself was clearer now, basically a projection of his real body standing in a half-formed landscape of mist and frozen waves.

I condensed into a similar dream-body and stepped forward to hug him. Of course, it wasn’t physical contact, but it sent subtle signals of acceptance and affection. ‘Hi, Al. I need your help.’

His expression turned serious. ‘It’s good to know you’re alive, you know. We were worried. Are you alright? What can I do to help?’

I smiled. ‘I’m fine. But I may not have much time, I don’t want to be asleep long. Can you go and find Mother, tell her I need to contact her?’

He nodded. ‘Of course. Let me try to wake up …’

I helped him with that, as well, though Al was much more focused. As a low-level genius, he’d remember all of my dream visit, as well. At least,I was pretty sure of that.

The wait seemed to take ages, even though I knew it wasn’t that long. I hung around, in a weird limbo state between dreams, reaching out with my mind but not really connecting with anything, just sensing what I could here. Finally, Mother’s mind appeared to my senses, more clearly as she sank deeper into sleep.

I didn’t waste time, but immediately contacted her. She had control over her mind even asleep, but invited me in right away, letting my consciousness slip into her dream. It was a scene of the rooftop terrace where we’d spoken several times. I let my dream-self look around for a moment before I turned to her.

‘Inaris, I’m glad you’re okay,’she said. ‘Did the Zarian capture you?’

‘So you got my message?’

‘Yes, your friends sent a wind cultivator in the seventh stage to deliver it, as soon as Tenira realized the note you’d written was in English. You’re lucky they found it at all. From what I gather, the storage ring fell into a crack and wasn’t easy to see.’She grimaced, and I could feel an echo of frustration and concern. ‘I was unsure what to do, to be honest. “Betrayal, Hajake and Jian traitors, I’m disguised, probably taken by Zarian” doesn’t give us much to work with. Of course, it’s still good you got the message out.’

I shrugged, trying not to feel embarrassed. ‘I didn’t have much time to think. Anyway …’ I told her what happened, trying to give pertinent details while being concise. Talking about it rekindled the anger, but I focused on Mother’s reaction, what I could sense of it.

After I’d finished, Mother was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. ‘I see. That complicates things there.’The dream around us shuddered, the environment contracting inward in reaction to her. ‘Do you think Tenira and Kajare can handle this?’

I shrugged. ‘I think so. I’m planning to lay low for a while, see how I can get back safely. Now that they’re forewarned, I hope we’ll manage. We still have the Zarian to deal with, the war …’

‘Should I send Kariva there?’

I hesitated. ‘Only if she isn’t needed here. I’m not sure how much she could do that Tenira or Kajare can’t.’

Mother nodded. ‘We’ll see.’

For the next few minutes, we talked about the state of the war. She caught me up on what had happened on the southern front. The Zarian were advancing, but our defensive line had performed reasonably well. It looked like things were going to stall out. I was a little concerned that things might devolve into a long slaughter, fronts grinding to a standstill, but it was better than having the south of the Empire overrun.

When the conversation stalled, I hesitated again. We looked at each other, and I felt a bit of awkwardness surface.

Mother made as if to raise her arm, then dropped it and gave me a small smile. ‘Come back safely, Inaris.’

‘I’ll do my best.’

I let the dream dissolve around me, rapidly withdrawing my consciousness back to its anchor in my own body while I started to wake myself up. I didn’t have time to waste, not when I was basically alone in hostile territory.

When I opened my eyes and sat up, I saw that not much had changed. I could hear the people in the building going about their business, and one of the small, dusty windows let the light of the day in. My qi senses showed that no one was too close, and my wards hadn’t been triggered.

My bed was just a blanket over a wooden board, but I didn’t feel stiff. I walked to the doorway, brushed back the fabric serving as a curtain, and entered the main area of the building. There were rooms in the upper levels, but I wanted to be close to the center of the action.

I could tell everyone noticed my arrival, though few made it obvious. Many just averted their gaze, continued with what they were doing, maybe stepped out of my way a little more than they would have before. But their regard still prickled at my skin like an electric charge. I had to force myself to relax as I walked to the basin they’d set up. A number of jugs and assorted containers had been gathered beside it, and it was already mostly empty.

I came to a stop before it, then closed my eyes and focused on the qi. The air was still a bit humid from a recent rainfall, and the river not too far away. I drew the water qi in and the moisture out of the air, making it gather in the basin and containers. Water qi was almost harder to handle than fire qi, but I dragged it through my channels without showing the effort it took. After a minute, everything was full and I stopped.

Once I finished, I stepped away to give the people a chance to get to the water if they wanted, and turned to the entrance. I could sense the girl approaching. She arrived just as I took a seat on the overturned crate, a bit of space around me.

“We sold your talismans. Here.” She held out her hand, coins glinting in it.

I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I say to buy food for it?”

“We did.” She nodded to another group who’d just come in from a side room, handling what I realized was food packed into bags. “This is what’s left.”

“I see. Thanks.” I took the money, putting it into the pocket of my pants.

Not much, but it seemed my enchanting sold well enough. I’d already been sure that I could support myself just with my hobby, but it seemed like I could provide for the people here just as easily. That’s good. Reliable support breeds loyalty.I glanced over at the people, noting the way none of them met my gaze. Well, they’d accept me being in charge based on strength, I guess, but it’s always better if they’re less likely to give some gang the time of day instead.

“Is there anything else you need from us?” the girl asked.

I considered for a moment. “Not right now. Feel free to go take your share of the food.”

If she detected the bit of irony in my words, she didn’t show it, just nodded. She turned away.

“Actually,” I said, on impulse. “What’s your name?”

She’d turned back to face me, and her eyes narrowed a fraction. She could only be my age, maybe a year older, but there was a hardness to her expression and bearing that showed she’d learned hard lessons. Maybe just recently, maybe not, but she wasn’t a kid. “Elia,” she finally said.

I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Elia. You can call me Nera.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

I rolled my eyes theatrically, and caught a hint of a smirk when she turned around again. Boss. Not sure if I like that more or less than ‘my lady’.

After a moment, I shook my head and stood up, stretching. Then I made for the food, as well. I might not need it, but I could use the energy, and it might be better for everyone to see me eating alongside them. There weren’t many at the table yet, though I noticed many people eying it, hesitant but clearly tempted. I took a plate from a stack and loaded up a sandwich made of some kind of flatbread with vegetables inside. It tasted a little smoky, the vegetables a bit overripe, but the food shouldn’t be a problem for the people’s health.

When I finished and stepped away, they approached. I noticed that while they didn’t come near me, they also gave a little bubble of space to Elia. Hierarchies, pecking orders. I suppose she’s my lieutenant, not that I intended to be a gang leader. Or am I missing something?

My musings were cut short when the door opened and one of the younger men stepped inside, obviously breathing heavily. Every eye turned his way, and he hesitated for a moment before going in my direction.

I stepped away, toward Elia, and he followed. He had a broad frame, the brawn not yet faded to the crisis, and was in the middle of the second stage. I’d seen him with her, together with the group of young people who’d gone with her to sell my enchantments.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

He nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. “Don’t know, boss. Maybe? The Zarian … uh … my Zarian not good.”

“Tell her, then,” I said.

The two of them exchanged a few sentences. I hadn’t been here long enough to pick up more than a few words, and they talked too quickly for me to make any sense of their conversation, anyway.

Elia turned to me. “He said the Zarian are stepping up patrols. They’re declaring a curfew, doubling guards at the city gates, and it looks like they’ve started to do a sweep of the city, including the poor districts.”

I frowned. That sounded like they may have gotten wind that their escapee was supposedly a member of the Imperial Guard. Of course, there could be unrelated reasons. “Anything in particular they’re looking for?”

“Not really.” She shrugged one shoulder. “He said they’re checking people, from what he heard.”

“I see. Alright.” Both of them had dark expressions, probably their attitude towards the Zarian, but they didn’t seem overly worried. I sighed. “If anyone here’s doing anything illegal, make sure they stop. Otherwise, we’ll just let them come. We have nothing to hide, and I doubt they’re evicting all of the people squatting somewhere.”

“Yeah, we would’ve heard about that,” she agreed. “Lots of people in situations like that.”

She didn’t look away from me, though, and I had an inkling of what she was thinking. I didn’t speak the local language, only Zarian, and I’d shacked down in a building like this. Not hard to figure out I might be trying to hide from something.

Of course, speaking Zarian as well as I did would hopefully assure them it wasn’t the Dominion authorities.

I retreated to the space I’d claimed for myself and prepared for the visit, which mostly meant tucking away some of the talismans I’d been working on and preparing others. I didn’t have the best materials to work with, and they were quick-and-dirty jobs, but I didn’t need them to last too long.

It helped take my mind off things. I told myself that it was better to test my disguise like this, against a partrol in a controlled space when I was expecting them, than risk discovery outside. That didn’t stop me from feeling uneasy when I noticed the Zarian approaching. I let the others open the door and listened as they began their search.

Maybe I should have just tried to go back right away, but that wouldn’t be easy. Even with a good disguise, I’d need to travel through Zarian-controlled lands alone, with a war going on, and find some way to cross a border that would certainly be watched by strong cultivators.

Unless I don’t need to cross a land border.I sat up straighter, feeling as if I’d been struck on the head with a sudden idea. I could go to the ocean. With my shapeshifting and cultivation, I should be able to hold out against the spirit beasts long enough. I could get the sea dragons’ help in getting back.

I groaned a little, then cut myself off as I noticed the Zarian soldiers getting closer. Stupid. Why didn’t I think of this before?

The knock on the doorframe made me jump a little, despite myself. The soldiers didn’t wait for an answer before coming in. It was a pair of men in the late part of the fourth stage, one of them carrying a clipboard.

I bowed. “How can I help you, honored soldiers?”

The frown on the first one’s face eased. “Routine check, miss. We’ll need to search the room first.”

“Of course.” I stepped aside.

The two soldiers methodically checked the room and every piece of furniture. They spent a bit of time examining my talismans, but only made a few notes before putting them back. Then the leader glanced at me. “You have permission to stay here?”

I hesitated, but the tired look on his face was prompted me to say, “Of course, I do.”

He nodded. Not like he believed me, just like he didn’t care. “Please demonstrate your qi.”

I help up a hand and focused on putting some of the qi I’d just been gathering into it. “My first affinity is to fire.” A small flame flickered to life above it. I made it grow for a second before extinguishing it. Then I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on drawing in water qi from the environment, instead, making sure that my aura reflected what I was doing and no more. “My second affinity is water.” I created a ball of water above my palm and spun it in the air before letting it dissipate.

The soldier made another note, then nodded. “Be aware, as a cultivator of the third stage or above, you’re entitled to go to the council hall and ask the civilian support office for assistance or apply for relocation, miss. That will be all.”

“Thank you, and thank you for your service and protection.” I gave them my best smile. “May I ask what it is you’re looking for? Something we could look for or report, or some kind of danger?”

The soldier sighed and shook his head. “Classified, miss.”

“Of course.” I opened the door for them, or at least held the curtain. “But I hope the gate and travel will be opened at some point? I’m waiting for the rest of my family, you see …”

He grimaced. “I can’t say, miss. It could be a while. Days, at least. But I’m sure your family will be fine.”

“Of course, thank you, sir.”

I watched the soldiers go, then stepped back into my room, taking a deep breath.

It seemed like my disguise was pretty reliable, and unless they stepped up the search, I was safe for the moment. But I might have to bide my time for a bit.

Chapter 92 (Draft)

A soft splash sounded, and I froze, hoping that it had gone unnoticed. None of the people I could see even glanced in my direction, so after waiting for a bit, I continued carefully pulling myself from the water. It was dark here, and I’d chosen a spot where the street lighting didn’t reach to the banks of the river. With the darkness qi around me, it seemed to be enough.

Once I stepped out of the river, I resisted the temptation to shake the water off, and instead started walking. I was in a spot between the city proper and a collection of buildings in the ring of settlements outside it, where the lighting was low and spaced far apart, and not many people walked the streets. I made my way deeper into the city.

Even with the resilience my cultivation brought, the river’s water was icy, and I felt the cold. But it barely registered to me. I’d just spent at least half an hour at the bottom of the river, breathing water and staying still under a shield of qi. There hadn’t been much to do but think, and stew in my thoughts. Anger warmed me, gave me the energy to stride down the road as if I belonged here.

I was angry at Hajake and Jian, at the Zarian. But at the moment, mostly at myself. I thought I’d learned my lesson.I had to unclench my fist. I thought I was past making stupid, reckless decisions in war. And now here I go, joining the attack, letting myself be manipulated by the likes of Jian.

Two of the people walking on the street from the opposite direction were wearing Zarian military uniforms. I averted my gaze, like others, but resisted the temptation to increase my pace or tense up. Instead, I concentrated on keeping my breathing even, and trust in my disguise. I didn’t feel better until they were a hundred meters behind me, though.

Once I get back, I promised myself,I won’t set foot within miles of any battlefield. I’ll get the most qualified generals to handle our strategy, and I’ll content myself with being present and looking pretty.

I shook my head and forced myself to focus on my surroundings. A few of the people on the street were giving me looks, and obviously tried to keep their distance. Probably because I was wearing only pants and a dirty shirt, and my hair was wet. I was using a bit of fire qi to dry myself as I walked, something similar to what I could sense others doing in the cool temperature, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to change things so I didn’t stand out.

I’d changed my appearance again, careful to keep it distinct from my real appearance and previous disguise. My hair was brown now, shorter than before, my skin a touch darker. I’d set my eyes a little wider apart, turned them brown, given my face thinner lips and a softer chin, changed the skin at my fingertips and the set of my ears again. I’d also lengthened my legs just a bit, to change both my height and gait. It was manageable, but I could tell that screwing with it any more was a bad idea, messing up the way I was used to moving.

Keeping my gaze down, I reached into my pocket and took out a polished river stone. It was the most symmetrical one I’d found. I hardened my fingernails, drew on a bit of qi, then started to etch lines into it. It was slow going, but I didn’t want to use a lot of qi. But that was alright. I may have lost my storage ring, but I still had all of my knowledge. I even took care to keep the formation I was etching into the stone imperfect, to add a few smudges. Not enough to hinder its functioning, but anyone who saw it shouldn’t recognize my work. Or infer that the maker had had access to the best resources and books to teach them.

Luckily, my somewhat bedraggled state didn’t seem that out of place. As I made my way deeper into this part of the city, I encountered more people with torn, dirty or just worn clothes. It helped that the lighting got worse, as the streetlights were either spaced further apart or intermittently missing. The city towered above us, towers of wood with many additions, bulges and bridges poking from them and obscuring more of it. Some of them looked old, sturdy, but many had a ramshackle feel, as if they’d quickly been nailed together. The air carried more traces of filth, unwashed bodies, maybe even disease.

This couldn’t have been a nice part of the city before, but I doubted the Zarian occupation had improved matters.

I stuck to the edges of this quarter, following the sounds of the city until I reached a small market square, or at least a place where several people had set up stalls not far from a collection of stores. I glanced around, noting possibilities, then decided on a small store at the edge, which looked clean and tidy enough. I couldn’t read the letters over the door, but the display showed enchanted items.

A small bell tolled when I came in, and the storekeeper looked up. His face was a little haggard, his beard scraggly, but he’d kept his clothes in order. He asked something in the local language.

“Sorry, I didn’t understand,” I responded in Zarian. “I’m looking to sell a talisman.”

He frowned, looking at me with barely hidden skepticism. “Let us see it.”

“It’s a defensive enchantment,” I explained as I put the stone on the counter. “Feel free to feed it some qi and test it.”

The storekeeper did it, putting some qi into the enchantment before taking a knife from beneath the countertop and stabbing at the area around it. The knife bounced off.

At least he hadn’t seemed to mind my speech. I’d been a little nervous, but I had to talk to people. At least I didn’t have a typical Imperial accent in Zarian, from what I could tell. Being multilingual, sort of, I didn’t have the problem with some sibilant sounds that Common native speakers tended to have. I’d try my best to control my pronunciation, but it shouldn’t immediately arouse suspicion even if I forgot that.

The shopkeeper put the knife away and the stone into a compartment. He haggled with me over the price for a minute, before he finally put a few silver looking coins across the table. I pocketed them and turned to leave, unsure if I’d been ripped off. If I had, at least it shouldn’t be too badly, and I had enough money for essentials now.

What I really wanted was a new storage ring, but there was now way I could get my hands on one without risk. They were tightly controlled at the best of times, and expensive.

There was a clothing store two doors over, with what looked like simple, budget or maybe secondhand clothes. I ducked inside and rifled through them, before parting with two of my new coins for a pair of shoes and an outer robe made of durable fabric with a simple cut. The shopkeeper didn’t talk much and I was happy to get out. I put my purchases on quickly, then made my way away from the market.

There wasn’t much else I needed. I could go without food for a while, and any water I needed I could conjure up myself. It would be better not to show myself being a light and darkness cultivator, anyway, and water and fire might be a good cover. Not common, but not too rare, and practical given the situation.

I saw a few more Zarian patrols and tried my best to stay out of their way. Seeing their uniforms reminded me of the airship journey, and I clenched my fists, tried to rein in another bout of anger. I’d left the other prisoners behind without even looking back, and while I didn’t regretthat, I disliked feeling like I’d been forced to do it. I knew there wasn’t much of a chance of recovering them, too.

Deeper into the poorer parts of the city, I saw more people openly angry at the patrols. They jeered, turned away or just glared at the soldiers, who were walking in bigger groups. That meant I’d hopefully chosen right in going here. These parts of the city were extensive, a warren of wooden, clay and hide buildings with little fundamental structure. People had decorated them with graffiti, set up a few flowers here and there and gathered under the open air in some spots, but the area still felt drab, dreary, maybe a little depressing.

Before, I’d sometimes seen signs I could read, in Zarian. Not surprising. This city had long been in their sphere of influence, even if the area had been nominally a neutral country. But here, there was only native writing, or sometimes just pictures. Few other people walked the streets alone, and I noticed little signs, accents of color or patterns on the clothing, that might be marking different gangs. The streets still seemed fuller than before, and in some spots people huddled together. Some looked confused, aimless, like they weren’t used to wearing torn clothing, to not having a proper home to go back to.

None of them would welcome me, not when I only spoke Zarian. It still seemed like a good place to get lost.

I wasn’t particularly surprised when I turned a corner into an alley only to find a few young guys blocking the way, wielding a butcher knife, a club and a rusty spear. Behind me, two more stepped out of a side door, cutting off my retreat to the broader street.

“Are you trying to rob me?” I asked, cocking my head. I started circulating qi, pulling on some of the heat sources close by.

“Foreigner like you don’t belong here,” one of them answered with a noticeable accent. “We give you notice to go home. Collect toll for the bother.”

I let a flame spark from my fingertips. “I’d think twice if I were you. You really want to take me on?”

A few of them shifted, clearly uncomfortable at the show. The leader only snorted and advanced a step.

I released some of the veil I had on my qi presence, enough to give them a peek of the fire I was currently forcing through my channels. “I’m in the third stage of cultivation.” I shrugged and lobbed a bit of fire at one of them, letting it fizzle out in front of his shoes. “You’re in the second at most. Bad odds, yes?”

More of them stepped back now. The leader, or spokesman, growled and advanced another step.

I sighed a little, then skipped forward. An elbow knocked his head back, a palm strike made him fold over like I cut his strings. I flicked my fingers again, setting fire to the shoes of two who hadn’t moved to retreat.

The leader yelled, then cut off abruptly. I grabbed him under an arm and dragged him upright.

“Sorry!” he yelled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to.”

“That’s alright.” I let go of him and stepped back, then smiled at the others who’d hung around, most a few meters behind and close to cover. “Nothing against a little spar. But I do hope you won’t annoy me by making me fight another time. Now scram.”

The leader and most of the others bowed, without much grace, then turned and ran.

I shook my head. This world. Really.But I started walking again, keeping my steps even and my back straight to project confidence. I had no doubt this fight had been watched, as I might be now.

But it had given me a much needed prod. I needed a place to lay low for a while, hide from the Zarian and think of a plan. The best way wasn’t the path of least resistance, though. Not when I wanted a chance to get some information or help, maybe even establish my ‘cover identity’ a little.

I made my way deeper into the city, just letting my feet take me where they would. I didn’t know if my special ability would help me here. Probably not. But since I didn’t have anything better, why not just rely on my intuition?

I tried to quiet my thoughts, just breathe and rely on my feelings, or instincts. I still took in everything, letting my mind process things behind the scenes. There might have even been a flicker of activity from my connection to Rijoko, if I wasn’t imagining things.

After a few minutes, I stopped. I had a feeling about the place in front of me. It looked like one of the towers had collapsed partly, leaving half of it behind. A dilapidated half, with some of the wooden boards rotting away, a few places patched over without much skill. But the patchwork was recent. There was a bit of free space around the structure, with what might have been burned out firepits in a few spots. A few too many people lingered here, visible on actual or improvised balconies, a few hanging around the entrance. Their clothes were just as haggard, and their expressions lacked that spark of happiness or satisfaction you often didn’t notice until it was gone. I’d best most of them were refugees.

When I approached the door, they made as if to bar my path, then stopped. I nodded at them, but walked on, still letting some of my aura through, still dragging fire qi through my channels. The door creaked when I opened it.

The inside was divided by a few improvised barriers, but lit well enough. People looked up when I came, many of them standing to their feet. A few dozen in all, more of the same.

“Hello,” I smiled. “Forgive me for speaking in Zarian, but I’m afraid my grasp of the local language is very poor. It looks like you have room for another cultivator here.” I paused and let my eyes sweep across the crowd. I didn’t want to come off as a petitioner, couldn’t show weakness, but I didn’t want to bully them, either. A balancing act. “If any of you need something, you can approach me.”

They exchanged glances, but no one seemed in a hurry to speak up. I smiled again, then sat on an overturned crate close to the entrance. I continued drawing in qi, not bothering to hide it. Most of them were in the first stage, but that might be because there were a number of children.

A young woman stepped forward and leaned against the wall, looking at me. I returned her gaze, taking her in. Darker skinned than most, short hair, but blue eyes. She was pretty, if not quite my type. Pretty in a hard way, or perhaps ‘striking’ would be a better word. Despite her dirty clothing and the lines on her face, she stood tall, as if she simply couldn’t do anything else. To my other senses, she felt significantin a way I hadn’t had much experience with. It wasn’t easy to pin down.

We didn’t have to wait long. I could hear and sense people arriving and stoop up, opening the door before they could bash it in.

The gang facing me looked much like the other one, if perhaps a bit more intimidating. Mostly men with a few women, all of them younger and in the first or second stage, some with actual weapons.

“You’re intruding in our territory,” the leader grunted, eying me warily. He felt like the late part of the second stage.

I raised an eyebrow. “Your territory, really? That’s a shame. You live here, do you?”

The leader raised his weapon, a wooden club studded with nails. “This area is ours, these people are ours. Leave.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. The people might be happier to have me, don’t they?”

One of the other thugs spoke up. “Why? What you do for them?”

“I could give them clean water, for one thing.” I glanced at the people, noting the reaction at those words. “And notprey on them while they’re down.”

A few of the thugs advanced, clearly not impressed by my answer, my challenge. I released some of my qi, letting flames dance on my fingertips.

It wasn’t a long fight. The hardest part for me was holding back, not using my full speed and strength. I dodged the leader’s strike effortlessly, pushing him back into two others, punched the man behind him, then stepped back and lashed out with a tongue of flame at the thugs advancing after them.

A tingle in my qi senses warned me, and I sidestepped, then caught the dart one of the second stagers had thrown at me. The tip was poisoned, it looked like. I returned it to sender with an express delivery.

At this point, most them seemed to scramble some brain cells and collectively decided to leave. I sent a few sparks after them to send them on their way, burned a few of the other attacks they’d sent my way with their meager qi, then stepped closer to the leader.

The girl preempted me. The leader was just standing up when she grabbed him, making his jacket smolder, headbutted him, then threw him out of the door, saying something in his language. I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like she had an accent.

When she turned and saw me looking at her, she narrowed her eyes, then shrugged. “How about that water?”

I nodded, letting go of the fire and reaching for water qi to draw in. It needed most of my focus, but I still noted the way she looked at me. It made me a bit uneasy. Had she seen through my veil?

Well, if she had, it didn’t seem like she’d tell. She had to know there was a good chance I’d seen through hers, as well. She was also pretending to be a stage lower than she was, but she was in the third while I was in the fourth, and her veil couldn’t hope to hold up to me.

I turned away and looked for a container to conjure water into. It didn’t matter, in the end, so long as none of them challenged me.

Chapter 91 (Draft)

When I woke up, it was with a feeling of trying to struggle through morasses clinging to your consciousness. One that spelled trouble, waking from a sleep that was too deep. Especially since I wasn’t supposed to dream anymore, but I also couldn’t remember what I’d been doing while I was out. That made me suspect that the Zarian must have sedated me.

I lay still and didn’t move while I recalled what happened. At least I did wake up and they hadn’t killed me, so my gamble had probably paid off. I was still in pain, but compared to before, it was a world of difference. My chest ached and my arms and legs felt like they had lead weights pinning them down, but I assessed that I was mostly healed.

Perhaps the lead weights weren’t just a metaphor. When I tried to move, I couldn’t. Something was holding me in place. Experimentally, I strained against the restraints, but they didn’t give at all. Probably qi imbued material. My fingers were pinned down individually so I couldn’t move my hands, but at least I could wiggle my toes and shift my head a fraction. My qi was almost drained, and I didn’t try to use it, for now.

Everything around me was quiet, except for a deep, steady thrum that reminded me of machinery, and the quiet breathing of three people. I laid silent for a few minutes, listening for any changes, but as far as I could tell, nothing happened.

Carefully, I tried to open my eyes. They didn’t take as long to adjust to the brightness as they would for a normal person, but I still blinked against the light. I was looking up at a ceiling made of wooden planks, with no distinguishing markers I could see. I lifted my head to try and get a better view, but my mobility was limited, and I only managed to get a glimpse of the edge where the wall met the ceiling.

“Looks like someone’s awake,” a man commented in Zarian.    Footsteps sounded, coming closer.

I tried to turn my head as much as I could and got a view of a Zarian soldier leaning forward. He looked like he was in his thirties, but must have been at least in the fifth stage. He was messing with something to the side of my head, and I felt the straps holding it down give, so I could move more easily.

I lifted and turned my head so I could see him more easily, and found the soldier looking back at me.

“I hope you’re not going to try to fight,” he said. “Wouldn’t do you much good in an airship full of our people, anyway. Aren’t you the one they found in the middle of soldier and elite corpses? Lucky bitch, but I wouldn’t trust my luck that far.”

I smiled a bit. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t try anything stupid.”

He raised an eyebrow, perhaps surprised that I spoke his language. “Then we can move you to join the others.” He turned and called to someone else. “Come on, wood-head, help me with this.”

Someone else sighed, and a second soldier walked over from the other side. He didn’t speak, but went to work releasing some buckles and screws holding me to the board I was lying on.

I cooperated as they released me from my restraints. Some of them, at least. My arms and hands were still chained, fixed in place, and my legs hobbled so I could only take small steps. I released a deep breath, and took a moment to be thankful that my disguise seemed to work. I’d need to be careful about veiling my qi presence, of course. But I hadn’t exactly met many Zarian before, so the chance that someone would recognize me by it was low enough I didn’t worry about it.

With my shapeshifting, I should be able to slip away at some point. Perhaps I could try to impersonate a Zarian soldier. But for now, I’d need to play along and assess what measures they used to deal with captives. If we were really on an airship, that complicated matters, too. At least escape gives me something else to focus on, rather than the betrayal.

The room I was in held several pallets like the one I’d been on. Most were empty, though a few held other people. Imperial soldiers, judging by what I could see of their clothing, and I recognized one of the faces.

“You seem pretty young for a soldier,” the talkative soldier commented as the two of them escorted me through the room. It was slow going because of the restraints. “Fast cultivator. Are you one of those Imperial nobles? No, don’t answer that. Shows potential, though.”

I grunted in reply. Note to self, make myself look older next time. I hope they’re not too interested in recruiting me.I frowned. Judging by what I’d read, the Zarian probably tried to recruit any captive soldiers, at least the ones they didn’t eliminate for being too much of a threat.

It wasn’t mentioned, but I got the impression that they were somewhat successful, too. Maybe it was because their methods included offers you couldn’t refuse, but in some ways, the Dominion was enticing for strong cultivators. They probably made sure to show them respect, maybe deference from weaker people, explain how their system put them at the top in a more direct manner than the Empire.

But I shook those thoughts off and concentrated on the situation. We were walking through a small hallway now, illuminated by a few glowstones. After a bit, the soldiers brought me to a stop in front of another door. By now, I was pretty sure we were in an airship that was currently in flight, making a mental map of it from my qi senses, but some areas were hard to get a sense of.

The door opened into a large hold. There were groups of Zarian soldiers posted at both ends, led by someone who let enough of their aura show to make it clear she was in the seventh stage. In the middle, there were a group of Imperial POWs, most in the fourth or fifth stage. They looked a little worse for wear, but no one had obvious injuries.

My arrival caused a bit of a stir, but not enough for this to be out of the ordinary, so I assumed I wasn’t the only wounded to be brought to join them later. I ducked my head and waited for the soldiers to release me. To my surprise, the talkative soldier unfastened the restraints on my hands, while the quiet one took off the one hobbling me. I still wouldn’t be able to move my arms or hands much, but it was nice to be able to wriggle my fingers. And, of course, I wasn’t too concerned about the restraints. Slipping out of handcuffs was one of the first tricks I’d learned with my shapeshifting.

Once I was free, I took a few careful steps to the other prisoners. They were watching me, quite a few of them with thoughtful frowns, probably trying to place me.

A man in the sixth stage took a step forward to bar my path. I recognized his face, though I hadn’t heard his name. “Hello, soldier. My name is captain Miyu, I’m the ranking prisoner here.”

I came to attention and saluted, as well as I could given the restraints. “Yes, sir. I’m corporal Aik. I was gravely wounded then taken by the enemy, fighting at target two.”

“Target two, huh?” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t recall seeing you in that group.” After a moment, he shrugged. “What do you have to report?”

“We almost managed to capture the fortress, sir,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. I didn’t want to let on that I knew too much, and didn’t know what other prisoners might have told him, but I did want to give accurate information. “There was a large explosion, I was caught at the fringes. From what I can tell, the Minions managed to beat us back, I passed out before they got to me.”

He frowned and gave me another once-over, and I had to force myself not to hold my breath. Should I not have used the slang, or was he suspicious about the information?

“I suppose that makes sense given the presence of you and the others from there,” he finally said. “No one else saw the Zarian reinforcements. Do you have any information on -” he hesitated, “the status of your primary commander?”

I stiffened a little. “Nothing recent, sir. I’m sorry.”

He waved that off. “Good work, soldier. You may join the others, rest up.”

I saluted again, then moved off. I eyed the other prisoners, then found a spot some distance away from the rest, leaning against the wall, and tried to ignore their looks.

My heart was beating more rapidly than the exercise would explain, even with my injuries. I didn’t like having to worry about the other prisoners, my own soldiers. Even if exposing myself was too much of a risk. It was starting to sink in that I was truly here, alone, on an airship into Dominion territory.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The memory of when I came back from my underwater exploration rose, and I focused on it. Coming back with Al safely with me, even Mior, seeing my friends unharmed. Hugging Tenira. The memory was reassuring, in a way. Something to strive to replicate.

When I get back, I’ll talk to Tenira about my feelings, I promised myself. The thought released a bit of my tension. I’d be careful, of course. I did want to preserve our friendship, most of all, and I knew how much damage outing unrequited feelings could do. But I wanted to know if some of the hints I thought I’d picked up were just in my imagination, figure out what it meant. If she liked me.

I shook my head. I needed to get back, but more than that, to get in contact with someone. I briefly considered trying to go to sleep now, but I didn’t want to let my guard down, and it might seem suspicious.

The sound of footsteps coming toward me ripped me from my thoughts. I straightened up and opened my eyes, then saluted as I recognized the officer from before. He was accompanied by another man, who looked a little older and felt like he was in the fifth stage. I’d seen that one with the Imperial troops at the fortress, though he hadn’t taken part in the planning meeting.

“At ease, corporal,” the captain said. “This is lieutenant Yi, the senior prisoner from the second strike force.”

I nodded. The group I was claiming to be a part of. No wonder the man was regarding me with a frown. He wouldn’t recognize me unless I’d really screwed up the disguise, which might be a problem now.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you there, soldier,” he said. “You say you were gravely wounded following an explosion. That would place you at the western side, checking buildings.”

“It was the eastern side, sir, close to the chasm,” I replied. Was that an attempt to see if I was a spy and would be tripped up by something like this? “We were indeed checking buildings, together with some Velisha troops.”

The lieutenant nodded slowly, but he still looked wary. “I don’t think any of our regular squads were part of that detail.”

I hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward slightly. “You might not recognize me because I wasn’t part of the normal army, sir, but rather an … adjunct unit. We were ordered to join the operation on short notice, after we came from the north.”

Our captors were almost certainly keeping us under surveillance, which limited how openly we could speak. In this case, it might work to my advantage. The officers seemed to get the implications I wanted, at least.

“I see, corporal Aik,” the captain said, after exchanging a glance with the lieutenant.

They both straightened up just a little, and I noted that he might be speaking with more respect now. That was to be expected, of course. I’d heard someone say that ‘a corporal in the Imperial Guard is higher than a lieutenant in the army’. Of course, most guards had at least that rank, so they could take command of regular troops in a pinch. Being in the late part of the fourth stage, I’d seem weak for a member of the Guard, especially in a protection detail for the Imperial Princess, but not enough to be implausible.

“That would explain why I didn’t recognize you,” the other officer agreed.

I nodded. I wouldn’t expect him to know every face of my guard detail, which was why I’d done this.

“Did you happen to see what happened to the package at the eastern side?”

I shrugged a little, trying to appear casual so I didn’t tip off any watcher. “Unharmed, last I saw. I hope it made it out alright.” I hesitated again. “I do have information concerning the battle that I wish I could share with Command. Probably as valuable as my meager unit. I suppose the package wasn’t that important, but still.”

Their expressions tightened. The captain snorted. “A unit of auxiliaries from the vassals? Can’t be that important. But keep that information to yourself, just to be safe, unless it can help our situation here.”

“No, sir, I’m afraid not.”

He nodded. “That was all. Carry on. If we come up with a way out of here, we may need you again, since you saw most of the Zarian. For now, rest up.”

“Yes, sir.”

I tried to appear relaxed as I leaned against the all again. I hope that was him telling me that they’d help me escape. I sucks not being able to talk freely. I could tell him I was confident in making my way back. Oh well.

I started to cultivate, doing my best to pull in some qi without getting stopped by the Zarian. The hold we were in was kept in a dim twilight that didn’t offer a lot to me, but I wouldn’t need much. Subtlety was going to be key, here.

I didn’t have a good way to tell how much time passed, so it could have been half an hour or several hours before anything changed. I noticed it from the qi around me, stirring in response to the Zarian shifting position. Then I noticed that the airship was starting to descend. I opened my eyes and walked forward, trying to see what was going on.

I had to give our captors credit, they knew what they were doing. One by one, two of them came forward to grab one of us, heedless of any protests, and put on more restraints. When my time came, I was silent and let them shackle me, pieces on my hands and a chain hobbling my legs again. Something in the new restraints felt weightier than before, making my qi harder to access. But the seventh stager watching over us ensured that none of the Imperials really fought back.

They put us into a line, and I tried to keep between the middle and back of it. “We’re going out, would be the best opportunity …” I muttered.

When I glanced up, my gaze met the captain’s, who had his head turned in my direction. He didn’t give any sign of acknowledgment, only turned around again, but I knew he understood.

In short order, we prisoners were all lined up and the Zarian escorted us from the hold. There were at least three elites at each end of the line, with regular soldiers keeping pace beside us. But the airship’s corridors were narrow enough that they didn’t have much room to maneuver. I pulled some qi, with excruciating slowness so no one would notice, as we walked through two corridors and up a cramped staircase.

Now, we reached the entrance of the airship. Its doors were relatively wide, set behind a short entrance hall. Sunlight flooded the outside, but I could glimpse tall buildings around us, a short distance from where we set down. More soldiers crowded around the airship, an organized mob.

“Distraction,” I sighed.

The captain made a small gesture, putting his thumb and index finger together to form a lopsided triangle.

He timed things just right. The moment the seventh stager and most of the sixth stagers stepped outside, needed just a moment to adjust to the brightness levels, still mostly in the doorway, he struck. The other prisoners followed him without hesitation, throwing themselves onto their guards, using what little qi reserves they had for attacks. Most of them concentrated on the elites.

I used the opportunity. My restraints fell, and before the handcuffs had even touched the ground, I was moving. The elites were distracted for an instant, one that I used to slip through the crowd. The chaos of the attack allowed me to get into the Zarian soldiers around us, who were only just turning to help.

I’d changed my features again, a quick, inelegant modification, but no one would look at me too closely. My clothing was covered by the thinnest layer of qi, a minor illusion that turned it into a regular Zarian uniform. I pushed through the crowd carefully, taking care to use their movements to my advantage instead of shoving myself through. At the same time, I was focused on the fresh air around me, drawing it in, gathering some in my core and letting it release through my meridians.

The sound of the fight behind me reached a crescendo, but I didn’t look back.

Things went still, and I felt a prickle at the back of my neck. Someone’s searching for something. Me, perhaps. For a moment, I thought this was it, that I’d blown my chance. Then the feeling moved on, no one around me reacted, and no one started in my direction. The disguise was working, and using air affinity qi like this must be changing my aura enough, with how tightly I was trying to veil it, that no one recognized me.

I broke through the crowd, walking with brisk but steady steps toward the path leading into the city proper. Its buildings loomed before me, so similar and yet different from those I was used to, built mostly of wood or spirit beast materials, walkways in the air connecting the tall buildings. No one gave me a second glance.

From what I could see of the surrounding terrain, the hint of the mountains in the distance, we were hundreds of kilometers to the east, at minimum. Still a few hundred from the sea, and probably from the closest border to Imperial territory.

I allowed myself a small, humorless smile. I was stuck in a foreign land alone, but at least I’d escaped captivity.

Bonus: Christmas story

I actually wrote this for my mom for Christmas to show what I was writing about, introduce the premise and characters. But I'll share it with you awesome patrons. I hope you like it. Obviously, this takes place in the past compared to current story events, during the time Inaris was mostly in Blue Valley City.

Snow laid on the peaks and slopes of the Central Mountains, and the landscape around them was covered with a thin dusting of white. The city sitting beside the mountain range had melted most of it off its roofs, but there were still hints of white on them, and smoke rose from many chimneys. Winter had arrived in this region of the continent, and in my opinion, it looked good.

As we drew closer to the large fortress nestling into the side of the mountains, I noticed that someone had decorated for Christmas. The sight was surreal, and I blinked to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. But the wreaths of evergreen twigs, candles, garlands, and overall red-and-gold color scheme didn’t leave me much doubt. I searched my magically improved memory, but I knew there were no local holidays with this sort of tradition. Was this why Mother had called me home? I shook my head and waited for the airship carrying me and my companions to finish its approach.

Quickly, the flying vessel sat down on the flat rooftop of one of the buildings, and I disembarked, followed by Tenira and Lei. Neither of them seemed as surprised as I might have thought, so perhaps this wasn’t the first time they saw something like this.

Well, I guess we all have our ways of dealing with our different lives, different worlds.I mentally shrugged and refocused on coming back.

Mother looked more cheerful than usual as she greeted me atop the palace rooftop. “Welcome back, Inaris! Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

I swept my gaze across the Imperial Palace for a moment. I had the feeling the defensive walls weren’t supposed to hold garlands and Christmas baubles. Not to mention the magical lights painting the courtyards. Even if they did give it a storybook feeling. Mother clearly decorated her home to suit the holiday spirit she was feeling, no matter that this was a magical world that didn’t even know the holiday. Well, you could do that when you were Empress.

“It looks really nice,” I answered honestly.

“I may have done a bit more than usual this year,” she said, still smiling. “But since it will be the first time you and Al are back from your soul journeys, and you’ll actually know what it means …”

My expression darkened at that thought, although I tried not to let my reaction show. Of course, I was glad that the ‘soul journeys’ our family went through had brought my mother and little brother to the same world as me.

But still. It had been more than half a year now that I was back. And while for whatever strange reason governed the passage of time between worlds, it may only have seemed like I was in a coma for a few days here, my soul journey encompassed most of my life for me. After all, I had the bad luck of not remembering anything that happened before. Only my life on Earth, up until the day I’d woken up here; in a different body, under a different name, somehow speaking another language, but with no recollection of my supposed original life here.

I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. “Are we actually going to have a celebration? I didn’t bring any gifts.”

Mother laughed. “No need. We’ll celebrate it privately, only our family and close friends, and no one needs to give gifts.”

I raised an eyebrow, but nodded. If she wanted to do this, I wasn’t going to ruin things for her. “Alright. Just let me get my things put away, and I’ll go see what’s up.”

I got that done quickly. Back in my room, I only spent a minute to make sure I looked presentable, before I headed out again. The enhanced hearing my cultivation brought let me pinpoint the room I wanted easily. It was just off the corridor reserved for immediate family. A few guards stood watch outside, and opened the door for me. I nodded at them. I’d become pretty used to their presence by now, but the thought of celebrating Christmas with soldiers standing guard outside was still strange. Of course, I was a princess now, and political assassinations enough of a danger that I didn’t mind it.

Alaster caught me when I was barely through the door. He was forming a colorful ribbon of light from his hand, but stopped it when I entered to put new, smaller ones all over me. I endured his prank for a moment, shaking my head at his laughter. It was good to see him acting more like a mischievous twelve-year-old again, rather than a grumpy teenager.

But I could see my reflection in the dark windows, and I looked ridiculous. So I undid Al’s efforts with a small application of my own magic, and dodged his follow-up attempt.

Somehow, my friends had beaten me here. Lei was doing something at one of the windows, probably more decorations, while Tenira was talking to a servant, concerning the small buffet laid out on a table at one side of the large room. It looked like we even had something approaching Christmas cookies. I listened in for a few seconds before getting bored and turning my attention to the real star of the decorations, the Christmas tree.

I didn’t know if it was actually a fir tree, but it looked similar enough, with green needles on its branches. Its top brushed the ceiling, and it was festooned with ornaments. To the side, there were a few crates with what looked like old decorations, and my little sister. Xiaodan was decorating the tree with all the enthusiasm and artistic sensibility of an eight-year-old.

I walked closer, noting that the decorations looked even more imbalanced as the angle changed, and tried not to grimace. We could still change that.Then I looked at Xiaodan’s glowing face and reconsidered. Who cared if it didn’t look perfect, so long as she had fun?

I stood there for half a minute before she noticed my presence. When she did, she dropped the wooden star she was holding and charged me. “Big Sister Nari!”

I dropped lower so she could hug me more easily. “Hey, Xiaodan. I’m back. How are you?”

“I’m great!” she declared, finally letting go of me. She grinned. “Christmas is great! All lights and color and fun. And we don’t have to share this holiday with anyone, like the others.”

I winced a bit. “Well, Christmas is a family holiday, traditionally. So it makes sense that it’s mostly just our family, right?” I ruffled her hair. “Go on, keep decorating the tree. It’s looking really good already.”

“Okay!”

The next few minutes, I just hung around, watching what happened. Mother showed up with a few people I recognized. Of course, Yating made a beeline for Xiaodan and was soon ‘helping’ her decorate the tree. I grinned to myself, but I knew he didn’t get much time with their daughter, so I stepped away to give the two of them some space.

Tenira walked up to me shortly after, decidedly more dressed up than me. “Is this what you were expecting? Or are we missing some traditions?”

I shrugged. “Usually, there’s some religious stuff, but I wouldn’t expect Mother to include that, given the situation. This isn’t much like I’m used to, but it doesn’t matter.”

She gave me a concerned glance. “I hope you’re alright with all of this.”

“Sure.” I shrugged again. Tenira was my friend, but I didn’t feel like talking about it. This reminded me too much of my other life, what I still sometimes thought of as my ‘real’ family. I might have accepted that there was no going back and my place was here, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten it.

She looked like she wanted to say something more, but at that moment Mother cleared her throat and everyone fell silent. I took the opportunity to take a few steps back as Mother opened the party and wished everyone a merry Christmas. I couldn’t help but snort. It still felt weird seeing her so uncharacteristically merry.

After that, the party really started. Al dragged me back into the center of the room. I dodged past a few of his friends, who seemed to be playing some sort of dice game. Then my gaze caught Yarani, who smiled at me. I felt a little surprised at her presence, then felt stupid for being surprised. She was basically my girlfriend, of course she was here. This wasn’t just immediate family, as everyone had brought close friends, as well.

Once I managed to extricate myself from Al, I spotted Kariva leaning against the wall. But by the time I’d made my way to her position, she was gone again, and I couldn’t find her anyway. Of course, if she didn’t want me to see her, there wasn’t much chance that I would. But I took a page from her book and leaned against the wall, watching everyone.

It didn’t look much like a Christmas celebration to me, maybe because few of the guests had any idea what that was like. Some of them were from the family and had gone through soul journeys of their own, but those were all to different worlds. Although it might just be the local culture, and the fact magic existed here. So, instead of Christmas carols, we had the popping noise of the younger ones throwing some sort of bubbles at each other for a game. I couldn’t figure out the rules through watching, but it looked a bit like dodge ball, where hitting other people, objects or decorations made you lose points. Well, Mother didn’t seem to mind.

I was just considering slinking away when Yarani joined me, cocking an eyebrow at me. “Are you not enjoying the party, Inaris?”

“Of course I am,” I replied, straightening up.

She regarded me for a moment later, before she took my hand. “Come on.”

I let her pull me a few meters away, to a side room that led into another part of the building. She left the door open so the noise filtered in, and I noticed with some amusement that someone had decorated here, as well, with green branches and colorful ribbons hanging from the ceiling and colorful lights on the walls.

“You should cheer up,” Yarani told me. She let go of my hand and started trailing it upward.

I couldn’t help myself, but smiled, caught her hand and backed her up against the wall. “Are you just trying to distract me and get me all to yourself?”

She smirked. “Your Mother told me about one other Christmas tradition, you know.”

I followed her gaze upwards and noticed that we were standing right under a bundle of twigs that seemed vaguely familiar.

“I’m not sure if those are actually mistletoe,” I pointed out.

Yarani raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“Nothing.” I leaned forward and finally kissed her.

When I broke the kiss, we were both breathing harder, and I felt a lot better about this party. This was one tradition I could definitely get behind, and I appreciated her effort to cheer me up.

Yarani turned, slipped an arm around my waist and leaned her head on my shoulder. We were quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence.

“You’re still a little tense,” she finally said. “What’s bothering you, Inaris? Is it that this is from your soul journey?”

I sighed. I could still hear the celebration, and even the conversations if I focused on it. But this was private enough and I knew we wouldn’t be bothered. So I quashed my hesitation and started talking. “I miss Earth, my old life. This was a major holiday there, and I always spent it with my family. I miss them. I guess I still haven’t really processed that I’ll never see them again.”

She tightened her grip just a little. After a moment, she replied, “I understand. Well, no, I don’t really have the context to understand it. But most people have to deal with some variation of this. You shouldn’t feel bad about missing your family.”

“I know.” I shook my head. “But you asked what’s bothering me.”

“Well,” she broke the hug and turned to look me in the eyes. “I just want to point out that it doesn’t mean you can’t move on. There’s nothing saying that you can’t enjoy the holiday this way just because it’s the first time you’re celebrating it here. Or that you can’t have two families. Because you definitely have a family here who loves you. And right now, I’m sure they’d be happy if you came back to the party.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Yarani. I think I needed to hear that.”

“Just doing my job,” she grinned.

I laughed and started walking back to the party. She was right. This might not be the Christmas I knew, but I could still enjoy spending time with people I liked. Plus, it would be a shame if I didn’t try some of those cookies.

Chapter 90 (Draft)

Happy holidays! I hope you have a nice Christmas, if you celebrate it, or just a good day. Personally, I scheduled this hours in advance since I'll be busy celebrating Christmas Eve with my family.

I blinked, then waited for a moment for everything to come back into focus. My body ached, and it felt like I might have broken a few ribs or an arm, but I could deal with that. I took a moment to just breathe deeply and catalog my status and my surroundings.

I must have only blacked out for a few seconds. At least, that was the impression I got from my surroundings. Everyone was where I’d last sensed them, and even the dust was still kicked up pretty much the same way. There was also a more insubstantial aspect, my sense of the qi around me, that showed that it hadn’t moved much.

Slowly, I levered myself upright, dislodging a rock from my side. It looked like I’d been pretty lucky, since I was farther from the center of this explosion. Or demolition. Around me, more of my guards were stirring, but they all looked at least as injured as me. Some obviously had trouble standing up, and one didn’t move at all, though I could tell her chest still rose and fell. Those who could drew closer around me, and most of them gripped their weapons tightly. We were on what amounted to a half-covered alcove on the side of the mountain fortress, with only a bit of rock between us and the chasm. There was a way out, though it might need a bit of climbing. Rocks, worked stone and timber were spread on the ground. But most importantly, I could hear people coming towards us through the rubble.

A normal explosion wouldn’t do this much damage, would it?

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to stay put for now, and took my new radio from my storage ring. I was pretty sure the Zarian didn’t know much about them, and, even if they’d somehow gotten their hands on some, they shouldn’t be able to crack the code we used to encrypt our transmissions. Carefully, I folded out the antenna, then turned the dial.

Suddenly, I felt an overpowering force ripping at my hands, pulling the radio from my grip before I could react. I flinched back on instinct, watching as what looked like a long, flexible spear made of some kind of quartz flew away from me. The radio was ripped free and dashed against one of the large boulders beside what remained of the building. It was shattered so badly I probably couldn’t even recover it with a proper workshop.

I took a step back, drawing a knife from my storage ring. My heart pounded in my ears, and I made an effort to keep my breath deep and even. I couldn’t afford to lose my cool right now. This is bad. A trap, most likely. I gritted my teeth. Another betrayal?

I could sense a few presences drawing closer. They were veiled well, so I couldn’t make out more than the vague sense of someone there. The half-fallen wall blocked my view, but I could hear their footsteps. Four people, maybe five? A quick glance around showed that my guards were patching themselves up, but I only had a few that were even close to full strength, with those Aston had taken with him and the more heavily injured.

“I have to admit, I was hoping they’d be dead,” someone said from my left.

I whirled around in time to see another group stepping down from a half-crumbled wall, the veil of darkness qi around them retreating a little. Two were soldiers in the uniform of Terbekteri, at least in the sixth stage. Between them strolled Hajake, looking like he was going for a walk in his estate’s gardens, not a hair out of place. Another figure followed him, with a cloak and deep hood over their head.

“I’m not sure if this is a good idea,” they said. I gritted my teeth as I recognized the voice. He might be covering his appearance, but that was definitely Jian.

“You bastards,” I hissed, more to myself than to them.

“Don’t be so timid,” Hajake answered. “I wanted her to see my face before she died, to recognize who destroyed her.”

I had to agree with Jian there, Hajake was being stupid. But can I use that?I took another look around, at the guards around me, none higher than the early sixth stage. There was no way we could beat whoever they likely brought along.

“I knew you were a schemer, Hajake,” I called to them. “I didn’t think you were a gutless traitor. How are you going to deal with the fallout from this betrayal? Is your pride really thin enough that you’ll risk everything just for a perceived slight?”

Hajake, Jian and their escorts jumped down and strode forward. He didn’t seem like my words bothered him.

“You’re petty, Inaris,” he said. “What’s going on is about more than you and me. You just had to go and insult me, so I needed to remove you from the equation.” He smirked. “It turns out the Zarian were much better prepared than we gave them credit for, and have scrambled a counter-offensive that is unfortunately beating us back from this fortress. Such a shame you fell to one of their measures.”

I clenched my fists, feeling hot anger rise inside me, trying to boil over. “You cowardly, traitorous piece of filth,” I spit.

But I resisted the urge to attack him, or identify Jian. He probably just didn’t want to be seen with Hajake by the remnants of our forces, but if I managed to get out of here, there was no use tipping him off that I recognized him.

Hajake just laughed. “Now,” he said.

The next moment, hell broke down on us once more. Suddenly, the space around me was filled with qi heavy enough it seemed to press in on me, moving around quicker than I could track. My guards dissolved into a mess of screams, cracks and squelching sounds, and gore. Something dropped on me with the weight of a house, and I barely recognized the sensation of my defensive talisman drawing qi to protect me.

When my vision cleared, I was lying on the ground, the cracked and smoking remnant of an amulet almost burned through my robe, but otherwise not worse off than before. But I could feel what happened in my qi senses. My guards were scattered around me, all of them destroyed by overwhelming force. He must have had a few seventh stagers hidden and waiting,I realized.

But before I could form any further thoughts, let alone move, my vision was captured by the man stepping on my arm and leaning over me. Hajake kicked the talisman off and smiled, a sparkle in his eyes. “Goodnight, Sister.”

Then he thrust down with his spear. Pain erupted from my chest, and I screamed until I’d used all of my air. Blackness closed in on me quickly.

---

The first thing I noticed was the smell. It invaded my brain through my nostrils, telling me that I was around death and destruction before I’d even really woken up. The second thing was the pain. It seemed to nest in every part of my body, but the biggest hotspot was my chest, with a throbbing, sharp pain that brought me back to the world insistently.

‘Wake up.’

I blinked, consciousness returning completely. The voice was inside my head. It seemed like it came from inside my head, even. The connection to my father. It had opened again, and I could feel Rijoko’s presence like a gathered storm overhead, his attention on me.

‘Be careful, daughter. You are in danger.’

I pushed myself upright slightly, ignoring the pain with a new sense of urgency. I was still lying where I’d fallen, with a spear that looked of Zarian make beside me, its head bloody. I couldn’t sense anyone else around me. Turning my head, I noticed the remains of my guards lying scattered and broken around me. A few other soldiers’ corpses were around, too, a little farther out.

I paused as my gaze fell on Lirta Ven. One of my most trusted guards, sometimes Aston’s second. Now, her dead eyes stared at me, her face twisted in pain and sitting atop a broken neck. The sight rekindled the anger burning in me, and gave me the energy to push myself upward.

I closed my eyes for a moment and concentrated on what my qi senses were telling me about my body. I wore an ankle bracelet that was enchanted to heal any injuries I sustained, even if I fell unconscious. It had already drained a lot of qi, and might be why I was even capable of sitting up right now. Hajake had stabbed me right in the heart.

I’d tried to reinforce my body with shapeshifting a little, but it didn’t seem to have worked too well. I’d definitely put in more effort in the future, after I got out of this. Still, at least my body had survived for some minutes without my heart pumping blood through my body, and it wasn’t just the natural increase in toughness from qi absorbed into the body by cultivation. Now, the damage wasn’t anything close to healed, but I didn’t think I would die if things didn’t get worse.

When I opened my eyes and glanced around, that started to get more likely. There was an airship coming in towards the fortress in the sky. And judging by the construction and colors, clearly a Zarian one.

I froze. Panic tried to rise in me, but I crushed it ruthlessly. Still, I knew there was no way I’d get away from here in time, especially in my condition. I’m so screwed.Or was I?

I took a deep breath and started moving on my hands and knees, ignoring the stabs of pain they sent into me. The soldiers were scattered only a few meters away, beneath and among fallen pieces of stone and rock. I looked over all of them quickly, then altered course to a woman of about my stature.

Once I reached her, I summoned a knife from my storage ring and started cutting off my robe. It was torn and covered in blood, and trying to remove it hurt like hell. I paused to try and adjust my pain sensitivity downward, then continued. Once I had my robe, pants and shoes off, I started stripping the soldier’s uniform jacket and pants.

From the looks of it, she’d been killed by something crushing part of her head in, but the uniform was in relatively good condition. I got a bit of water from a flask to wash the worst of the blood off myself, then had to psyche myself up before I started putting the clothing on. My body didn’t like the movements necessary for it, especially the pants, but I forced myself to finish. It helped that the urgency and danger of the situation sharpened my mind and helped me focus past the pain. My undershirt was a bloody mess and I left the jacket open, but it should be enough.

When I was done, I put the rags of my old clothes into my storage ring, then quickly looked through the soldier’s and put her body in as well. She’d hopefully get a proper burial eventually. Not like I could thank her for borrowing her clothes any other way.

I shook my head, trying to focus again. I couldn’t afford to dally, and there were still things that needed doing.

Rijoko’s presence had retreated at some point, though I suspected he might still be watching me. I couldn’t take the time to poke into the connection now, but there’d be no help from that side. I’d lost the radio, and the Zarian would probably track any communication I tried to send from my qi communication talisman, so that was out, as well. I took a few shallow breaths to focus, then started pulling on my qi. It took all of my focus to weave a bit of light and darkness qi into shape, then let it flutter off, barely perceptible even to my senses. It would take the message a while to reach Tenira, if it even would, but that couldn’t be helped.

Damn, I hope Tenira is okay. I hope that bastard doesn’t go after my friends.

I shook the thought off, knowing that I couldn’t afford to dwell on it. I needed to focus on my immediate situation. Besides, nothing indicated that the traitors would risk trying to go after my friends after they’d succeeded in eliminating me.

I looked at my storage ring, considering. Even if the Zarian didn’t manage to get into it, having such an expensive piece of equipment would make me stand out too much.

I frowned. It should be a reasonable assumption that the other parts of our attack succeeded, so I doubted the Zarian would be able or even try to hold this base. After a moment of hesitation, I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from my storage ring and crawled a quick note in English. Just a few words, writing was hard enough like this.

Then I gripped the talisman on my ankle. I grimaced, hesitated for a moment more, then removed it. Immediately, it felt like I’d dropped another few kilos on me. But it was too distinctive, so I gritted my teeth and put the device into my storage ring, then ripped that one off. I turned around, trying to keep my breath even, and moved my arm. I was still close to the chasm, and with a cultivator’s body, I managed to throw the ring into it even with my injuries.

With that, I laid back down in the spot the solider had vacated, and closed my eyes. I tried to ignore the pain and focus on what I needed to do.

It went surprisingly smoothly. Perhaps the situation let my force of will come to the forefront better, or the unconscious urge to take action and defend myself helped in getting it done. Unlike normal techniques, my shapeshifting ability was something innate that didn’t need perfect focus and concentration, just my mind and willpower. In a matter of seconds, I’d dyed my hair black and darkened my skin a bit. I left the eyes, since I didn’t have a mirror and didn’t want to mess things up. But I carefully straightened the skin around them a little to make the area look different, then broadened my nose and changed the shape of my chin. I touched my face to feel the changes, then continued, shifting the cheekbones to widen it a bit. Then I looked down at my clothes and changed my body, adding a bit more fat to my hips and shrinking my chest a little. I left my height the same, since I’d need to walk without difficulty, but I remembered to change the pattern of my fingertips and ears.

By now, I could clearly feel people approaching. I laid back down and resisted the temptation to look around. Instead, I finally let the pain I’d been ignoring have my attention.

The sight of Zarian soldiers walking over the fortress made me consider if I was really making the right choice. They didn’t usually kill captives, but that didn’t mean it never happened. Maybe I should just let them capture princess Inaris? They’d guard me far better, but surely, I’m worth more as a hostage than an Imperial martyr.

Then I reminded myself that Jideia wanted me dead. If the Dominion captured me publicly, it was all too likely that he would get his way.

Whatever reserves of strength I’d managed to tap on were rapidly fading as I stopped moving. I closed my eyes and let blackness take me just before the Zarian soldiers arrived.

Chapter 89 (Draft)

Compared to the mountains towering on the horizon to the northwest, the ones we were flying amongst now seemed downright small. But they were still mountains, and the mix of altitudes as valleys and peaks blended into each other must have done something to the air currents. Wind assaulted us constantly. Because of the terrain, our force couldn’t move at their top speed, but we were still making good progress.

The spirit beast beneath me pulled into a tight dive to the side, and I tightened my grip on the leather saddle. The guard seated in front of me glanced back quickly, before he again focused on steering the large bird through the mountainous terrain. I looked up, noting that the other birds surrounding me were slowly changing position, as if they were rotating through a formation, but still kept up. Their cocoon made it harder to get a sense of our surroundings. But I could tell that qi was pretty dense here, though calmer than in a real anomaly.

Under different circumstances, I would have been excited about the flight. But right now, even the coolness factor couldn’t distract me from pre-battle jitters. I tried to breathe deeply and center myself, to get the anxiety, adrenaline and anticipation under control.

Then we took yet another turn, and our target spread out before us. I sucked in a breath as I stared at it. To the right, the mountain climbing up before us ended abruptly in a chasm. It looked like some angry titan had swung a knife and cut straight through the mountain, through rock and stone and ice, until it finally leveled out into a valley far below. It had to be at least a kilometer deep, maybe closer to two, and three or four kilometers long, but narrow. A remnant from an old battle between really strong cultivators, perhaps.

But I only stared for a moment before I turned my attention to the structure rising from the left mountain. It was built like a traditional fortress, but the walls were camouflaged with ice and even a few stunted plants to make it blend into the landscape. They couldn’t quite hide the large enchanted weapons set up now, or the people crawling over it. The Zarian must know we were coming, now.

Well, it didn’t matter. We were almost upon them.

The guard sitting in front of me pulled our mount upward, and the others followed, spreading out somewhat to shield me from possible attacks. Some of them were on flying swords, but most rode other spirit beasts. I crouched down to get a better look at the battlefield.

Our elites were the first to start fighting. From both the group of Velisha surrounding their two airships, as well as the one from Terbekteri, elites on spirit beast mounts or flying on their own power barreled into the fortress. A large flash ensured, and one of the outer walls collapsed with a deep, thunderous rumble. The elites in the group from the Empire proper were a little slower, but they showed more discipline, adjusting their formation as they blanketed one sector of the castle with a haze of different attacks. Soon, it looked like two of the towers were on fire. Even though I’d have thought they were mostly stone.

Of course, the Zarian didn’t just sit by and let this happen. Their own elites rose into the air to meet ours, and tried to drive them away from the fortress. Some of them split off to head towards the airships and others fliers still coming in. At the same time, soldiers poured out of buildings and hidden nooks. Despite parts of their castle burning around them, they were calm and organized. Some groups moved off to try and deal with the damage our attacks were doing, while others formed up to meet the oncoming charge.

They don’t even have wide area shields. I guess those might have been easy to detect, and they preferred stealth.I frowned. Does that mean they don’t have variants that can go up quickly, or do they and just don’t want us to know?

My own group drew nearer slowly, and the guards started pelting the fortress below us with attacks. I summoned my spear from my storage ring, trying to find a good angle to point it at my targets. But most of my attention was captured by the rest of the battle. The bulk of our forces reached the fortress, and it started in earnest.

I winced as one of the airships lit on fire before it could settle into position. Hatches opened and lines fell out, soldiers rappelling down or fleeing on flying swords. The airship tumbled in the air for a bit, managing to stay up long enough to get the troops out, before it started tilting downwards, arcing to the ground. It disappeared behind a mountain ridge, but I could hear the crash a few moments later.

Gritting my teeth, I extended my domain, gripping onto the spirit beast to anchor me, a bit like I would with a flying sword, and grasping Fides in it. I gathered qi, pulling it through the spear and forming a technique, before I released it. One of the Zarian soldiers below me, who was setting up some kind of weapon emplacement, cursed and dodged to the side as the black sphere hit it and started to eat through the materials.

The airships pulled back as the soldiers started advancing, most on the ground, but some in the air. The walls weren’t much of an obstacle as the cultivators climbed and jumped their way farther into the fortress. But by now, Zarian resistance was getting stiffer. I saw many soldiers on both sides taken out of the fight. The variety of elemental techniques used stirred up dust and fog, decreasing my visibility.

“We need to go lower,” I called. “Join the attack, at least get me a better vantage point.”

Judging by Aston’s grimace, he didn’t like that, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he led our group on a careful course through the air, dodging the worst of the fighting. He aimed for a reasonably level courtyard at the outer edge of the fortress, up on a ridge so it had a good view, and not heavily defended at the moment.

I wished the others were here, but dismissed that thought. Lei, Kajare and Yarani had all joined other teams, with a lot of guards, while Tenira stayed behind at the command center for the operation. That was the smart strategic choice, since I could ask them about those other parts of the attack in detail later. Plus, no bunching up high-value targets all in one spot.

My guards fell on the few Zarian defenders like hungry wolves, just with more magic. I barely had time to get a single attack off, watching as it ate into the shield of a Zarian soldier, before they’d finished securing our new position. Most of the enemy were dead, though a few of the guards went around collecting those who weren’t, giving them a bit of first aid and gathering them in a sheltered spot farther in. Hopping off the bird, I grimaced, but didn’t complain that they could have spared more of them. This was war, and I needed to focus on the battle, anyway.

It seemed to be going well. Prince Jian led a group of Velisha warriors in clearing out the side of the castle close to us. He was pretty weak on his own, but I saw him throwing himself into fights against soldiers who were clearly stronger. His guards stepped in to save him, but he barely paused. To the other side, more soldiers had gathered and thrown up a large qi barrier. I noticed a group of Imperial soldiers methodically batter it with different attacks, trying to bring it down. After a moment, they were joined by a group of Terbekteri soldiers led by Hajake. More of his people pushed on into the fortress’ highest reaches, but the area around him seemed clear.

I put my spear away, pulled out my qi communication talisman and called him. “Hajake, how’s your status?”

He looked around until he found me, then nodded and answered into his own device. “We’re fine here, Sister. The fighting should be dying down here.”

I smiled. “That’s good, everything seems to be going well here, too.” I hadn’t taken control of the battle, since I wasn’t the best suited to that, but it was easy enough to see how things stood. “Do you think we should push on further into the upper area of the fortress, press the attack?”

He frowned. “Perhaps. I’ve heard the Zarian are organizing below, some distance from the fortress, and the other areas seem to have some trouble.”

Great.I sighed and started calling the rest of the commanders, trying to get a better idea of the situation as a whole. Most of them agreed we should press the attack. Two of them also supported Hajake’s information, talking about a buildup of Zarian soldiers that might be preparing to relief the fortress, or assault it if they were too late to stop us.

At that moment, Jian doubled back to join us. He gave a quick bow, then glanced at the side of the deep chasm. “My lady, we need to send someone to deal with that. We could lose our advantage here if we’re pinned between two forces.”

I nodded. “Yes, I was just considering that. Since your and Hajake’s forces are occupied, I’ll send one of the Imperial units down. Or two.”

He smiled. “I was about to suggest that. I hope you have a strong wind affinity cultivator. And a good commander. It looks like there are a few local spirit beasts and even spirits joining them. The Zarian must have been busy bargaining with them.”

Crap.None of the local Imperial commanders beyond those commanding regular squads were a wind cultivator. I’d need to send someone in the seventh stage, probably, but there was a reason those elites weren’t usually placed in command of lower stage troops.

I glanced at Aston. “Aston, you take a few of my guards and take charge of squads three and four. Get a few of the elites as well, I’ll leave that to you.”

He frowned. “Your Highness, I’m here to protect you.”

“Which you can do by ensuring no one attacks us from behind,” I replied. “You’re the best person to deal with this.” Especially since Mior’s presence would be good for dealing with those spirits, but I didn’t say that in front of Jian. I glanced at him. “I’ll stay close to Prince Jian.”

The Velisha raised an eyebrow and hesitated for a moment, before he bowed his head. “Of course. With both of our guards joining up, you’ll be quite safe.”

Aston sighed. “As you command, my princess.” He turned and chose a few of the other Imperial guard, before he rose into the air and flew towards the elites. Their battle seemed to be almost over, with most of the Zarian elites fled or lying on the ground.

I didn’t like sending him away, but as a captain of the Imperial Guard, he had the status to lead a sizable force and make strategic decisions if necessary. Besides, the Zarian were almost defeated here. The only real threat were reinforcements, or perhaps some people barricaded in the uppermost level of the fortress.

Sighing, I focused on my qi senses for a moment. I couldn’t sense the spirits accompanying the Zarian reinforcements, which meant they were probably some distance away still. Well, Mior would have warned me if they were close. But I made a mental note of that, anyway. I suspected that possessing a mortal host put a limit on some of the spirit’s abilities, and this supported the idea that it might hinder or limit their senses.

“Perhaps we should check the remainder of these buildings,” Jian suggested. “They seem to be empty, except perhaps for a few stragglers. But it’s best to be sure, and we’re the team most free to check them at the moment.”

“Good idea,” I agreed. I pointed at some of the buildings on a lower plateau. “Let’s start there and work our way closer to Hajake’s people.”

We made our way over carefully, and I took a moment to assess how the rest of the battle was going. It looked like Hajake was sending some of his people to join the elites fighting further up the mountaintop, while he and the rest of them were clearing out the buildings around the area they’d fought. A few Imperial units did the same on the other side, and from the reports I’d gotten, the rest of them were similarly occupied. Except for the group guarding the airships and some of the mounts, of course. They’d retreated to a more easily defensible position on the next peak.

Soon, we reached the first of the buildings. I hesitated for a moment, taking a look around. This section of the fortress was a bit of a closed-off area, built on a shelf of rock close to the canyon, and in the shadow of another few rocky protrusions farther up. I felt uneasy about something, although I couldn’t quite pin down what. Perhaps I was sensing the qi of something the Zarian had left in one of the structures here. Considering the location, a trap wouldn’t make sense, though, that would just rip a hole in the fortress.

Still, I hung back and let Jian enter first, then the majority of my guards, before I walked into the building. It was pretty bare, just roughly hewn stone, but my attention was drawn to the recesses set into the walls and floor. Perhaps they’d anchored enchanted compartments or items. Curious, I followed my guards deeper into the structure. From here, I could see there were corridors connecting it with the other buildings in this area.

Jian had just turned a corner at the end of another corridor when I sensed more than heard a faint vibration from above, as if something heavy was scraping against the ceiling. I looked up and instinctively took a step back, closer to the exit, but there was a hint of a sound from closer above that, too.

The next moment, everything came falling down.

I barely had the time to pull up a qi barrier, which caught the first of the rocks from above. I tried to move out of the way, but my flimsy barrier buckled, and I was pelted with a hail of rocks and wood. Then the ground gave out.

For a moment, I fell, before I landed hard on another stone surface, this one uneven rock. My head thudded onto the ground. I tried to get up, to make sure I’d prepared my defensive talismans correctly, to get out of here. But moving only brought a wave of pain and dizziness, and darkness claimed my vision.

Chapter 88 (Draft)

Surreptitiously, I glanced at my watch. Almost an hour. We’d talked for longer than I’d thought. I returned it to my storage ring, frowning a little to myself. How long would it take for Hajake to get a clue?

I wasn’t the only one who seemed to be getting restless. Looking through the spacious room, quite a few of the officers were more active than before, shifting position to talk to each other, scribbling on paper, or just doing what had to be nervous habits, like one man who kept straightening his uniform jacket. Of course, that could just be the news we’d given them, rather than the time. At least the two princesses sitting close to me appeared calm.

I smiled and turned to the older one. “Princess Derianka, I wanted to thank you again for this, and the smooth way you are handling it.”

She nodded, blushing a bit. “Of course, Imperial Princess.”

Truthfully, Derianka hadn’t done that much, compared to Salira. Although she was at least a decade older, she didn’t have the same presence as her younger sister, or the same poise. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was still in the early part of the fourth stage. But I didn’t care about any of that. Having two princess in my corner was better than one, especially since they and Hajake were the only Terbekteri royals present.

I turned back to the gathering, most of them high-ranking military commanders of the Kingdom. I noticed a few were spreading out a large map on a recliner. Maybe I should try to move this to a real meeting room. But that would make this even more blatant.

Finally, the door opened, with enough force that it would have crashed into the walls if it wasn’t heavy hardwood. Prince Hajake walked into the room, smoothing out the scowl on his face just a bit too late.

“Sisters, Princess Inaris, officers,” he greeted, voice tight. “Would you mind explaining this gathering?” He put on a strained smile. “Our schedule is being derailed, and I’m sure many of you have other duties waiting for you.”

I stood up, forcing a smile as well. “It’s so good of you to join us, Hajake. I must apologize, I am afraid things rather got away from me. You see, I was having a pleasant chat with your lovely sisters, when the topic turned to the war. Some of the ladies present were rather concerned by the developments I mentioned, and soon a few officers joined us.” I gestured at the room and shrugged.

“We would have sent word if you weren’t so dreadfully busy, Brother,” Kajare added, actually sounding sincere. Although his lips were curling just a bit.

“Exactly,” I agreed. “We and our guests agreed that this was potentially critical information, and since it seemed like you would be occupied by urgent state business for a while, I thought we might as well share it so your fine commanders had some time to consider it.”

Hajake’s face started turning a bit red, and he gritted his teeth. “I see,” he managed after a moment.

“I did attempt to let you know if you were available, dear brother,” Salira added. She raised the fan in her hand a little, looking like a graceful, demure lady. “I sent one of my servants.”

That only made him grit his teeth harder. I wondered which servant she’d sent, probably someone a girl she knew he was likely to brush off. If they hadn’t mysteriously gotten lost on the way, though I didn’t think she would go that far.

Hajake stepped further into the room, sighing softly. “Of course. Don’t blame yourself, little sister, you couldn’t be expected to know the real importance of this. Now, I did have a fest prepared, perhaps we could simply get to it?”

Before I could try to politely refuse, one of the officers present spoke up. An older man who wore a lot of medals or insignia on his uniform, clearly a veteran, high-ranking commander. “Your Highness, if I may be so bold, perhaps you would consider speaking of this at once? It sounds like time may be short.”

For a moment, Hajake just stood there in silence. But he must have realized that he’d been outmaneuvered, because a moment later he took a seat in the center of the room facing most of the officers, not so subtly edging myself and his sisters out. “Of course. What is it?”

“The Dominion appears to be planning a surprise attack, one that may be aimed at some of our territory,” the old officer answered.

I stood up and ambled over to them, unfurling a map. “There’s a Zarian force setting up staging points here,” I explained. “As you can see, that’s on the path toward our location, among other possibilities, if they push roughly northwest. Doable with strong soldiers, and the qi anomaly would hide their approach.”

Hajake looked more closely at it and frowned. “It looks like there are several other things they might be targeting.”

“Of course,” I agreed, keeping my tone even. “They could be launching an attack at different strategically valuable locations. Ones that losing could hinder our logistics or cohesion in this alliance, prepare for another push, or simply cost us a lot of soldiers.”

He was quiet for a moment. I knew the officers hadn’t missed the subtle emphasis on the alliance. We were all on the same side here, and he couldn’t deny that. Perhaps in a different situation, he could get away with focusing on their defenses, putting their own territory first even if it hurts the alliance. But when that means allowing a possible threat to that territory, I doubt they would let him get away with it. Worst case, I don’t doubt the commanders could appeal to the king.

“Well,” he finally said. “You’ve already had some time to consider this. Let’s hear some thoughts.”

I suppressed a smile and took a step back as the gathered officers began to discuss strategy with Hajake. A few of them remained skeptical, even though I’d suggested they verify this information for themselves, carefully. But most seemed to prefer taking action. Perhaps some of them didn’t like the thought of sitting safely behind their defensive walls while a war that included their country was being waged beyond them.

I tensed a bit as Kajare stepped up to me, then relaxed. After a moment, I leaned back and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I appreciated the help he was giving me here.

“We should be moving out soon,” he murmured into my ear.

I glanced at him and smirked. “Eager to prove yourself?”

He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “No,” he replied, so quiet I was sure the rest wouldn’t hear. “But I don’t like waiting here while the war rages on in our lands.”

My smirk turned into a genuine smile, and I squeezed his hand again. I liked the sentiment, and the way he’d casually referred to Imperial lands as ‘ours’.

My attention was brought back to the discussion as Hajake raised his voice. But I could tell from his expression, and that of the others, that he was losing ground. Not that he would commit of officially opposing the offensive, of course. But Salira and the others were already turning the conversation to details and ways of coordination with the Imperial forces.

I straightened up, then started talking again, outlining some of the plans we’d already drafted for the combined operation.

I had to agree with Kajare here. I didn’t like waiting, and it was about time to give the Zarian Dominion a taste of their own medicine.

---

Yarani looked like a soldier, with silver-gray armor and what might have been a crossbow clutched in her hand. But when she walked towards me and smiled, she looked just like she would have in the palace, a cheer at odds with her attire.

“Inaris!” Her smile widened. “I missed you!”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I wasn’t gone thatlong, Yarani, was I?”

She shrugged. “Maybe it felt longer while I was stuck with the army leadership, waiting for you to get back or this operation to start.”

“Fair enough. I’m just giving you a hard time.” I grinned. “I missed you, too.”

“Maybe the two of you could move the touching reunion somewhere else, perhaps after this is over?” Tenira asked as she passed us.

I ducked my head and started to say sorry, but Tenira wasn’t waiting around, instead hurrying onward without looking back.

I shrugged, and, after a moment of hesitation, I hugged Yarani and gave her a quick kiss. “Good to see you again. Let’s go see what’s up.”

The camp around us was bustling with soldiers. Luckily, all of them made way for us as we walked through it. I took a good look at everything, trying to see how things were working out. Many of the soldiers were obviously from the Empire, but almost as many wore different clothing with Imperial rank-markings pinned on, probably warriors from our vassals. Then, of course, there was the contingent of Terbekteri I’d brought along.

“It’s a good thing we could coordinate everything remotely,” I remarked. “There’s probably still going to be issues, but at least we’re all on the same page, even if we need to strike soon.” I frowned. “How well are the other soldiers integrated with the Imperial army?”

Yarani hummed thoughtfully. “There’s regular joint training with these countries’ forces and the army, for all of them. I don’t know when the last ones happened, but they should be able to work with us, and each other, well enough.”

I nodded. I’d seen that mentioned in my briefings, basically joint military exercises they did on a set schedule, so everyone was familiar with Imperial protocol. We should be okay, then.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the open tent where the commanders had set up. The Terbekteri officers were already deep in conversation with their Imperial counterparts. Kajare was talking to one of the agents from Kariva’s outfit, and after searching for a second I spotted Tenira in the corner, bent over a map with someone whose face I recognized from the Velisha.

I joined the largest concentration of commanders, who fell silent at my approach and started bowing. I waved them back up and looked at the maps they’d spread out, little markers of solid qi spread among them. It looked like they’d started packing up.

“Are we ready?” I asked. “How much time do we have?”

A Imperial general answered. “We were just finishing up, Your Highness. We have more than enough time to execute the plan on schedule.”

I nodded and took out my watch again, glancing at the time.

We needed to launch our attacks in tight coordination, if we wanted to retain the element of surprise. That’s why the plan called for several surgical strikes timed so the Zarian wouldn’t be able to get much warning that they were under attack. Our trip back had been beset by bad weather and taken longer than we’d thought, but that shouldn’t matter too much. We had a few minutes before launch, still.

“It’s best if we don’t wait too long,” Salira said from where she leaned against a tent pole not far from me. She tilted her head in my direction. “I’ve heard you intend to participate, yourself, my lady?”

I nodded. “My guards will keep me safe, but I need to lead from the front.” Especially given the situation. “I assume you’re staying?”

She chuckled. “Not everyone has the martial bravery you do, Princess Inaris. I know where my strengths lie, and in battle against cultivators stages higher isn’t it.”

I grunted in response, turning back to watch the others while I considered that. Salira had acted surprisingly confident and not shown much religious awe or deference to me. Perhaps she isn’t such a fanatical devotee after all. Then why the greeting? To demonstrate that she’d follow me? Well, it’s not like I mind either way.

Too soon, everyone wrapped up their business. We filed out of the tent as a few soldiers set to work disassembling it. I lingered to watch. With cultivators that had supernatural strength and speed, and the convenience of storage rings, it went a lot quicker than I would have thought possible before. The same happened around us. Soldiers were already forming up in groups and ranks. Some filed onto airships, while others readied flying swords, and a few even had spirit beast mounts. I noticed that most of those were elites. That made sense, since strong spirit beasts could add a lot of firepower but would need a lot of care, not mention that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to give them riders they could overpower if something spooked them in the chaos of battle.

To my surprise, Hajake was one of those mounting a large bird of prey, one that resembled those we’d encountered before but with more muted colors and longer beaks. He moved with grace that spoke of practice, clearly at ease in this position. Maybe he wasn’t all hot air, after all.

When he met my gaze, his face tightened, but he inclined his head politely, before he turned his attention back to his spirit beast. I returned the gesture. Hopefully, he isn’t feeling humiliated and wants revenge.I snorted to myself. He’s participated well enough so far.

I was interrupted by another man coming up to me and clearing his throat softly. I turned and raised an eyebrow. From the briefing, that was Jian, a prince from the Velisha. I hadn’t really talked to him before, but he was the one who’d seemed combative, maybe angry, when I met the Velisha leadership.

“Yes, Prince Jian?” I put on what I hoped was a friendly smile.

“Imperial Princess, I wanted to ask if you would consider joining us?” He kept his head bowed but raised his gaze to meet mine. “The group attacking the second target, I mean. My father would feel better about your safety there, although of course we wouldn’t presume to dictate your actions.” He cleared his throat a little. “But I hoped you might like to see how we’ll crush the Zarian. And it seems to be an important outpost for them, where key communication lines will likely converge.”

I raised an eyebrow as I thought it over. This was probably a peace offering, so I wasn’t inclined to refuse.

Target two would be a little far off from the rest, but considering the forces we’d arrayed against all of them and the way our assault would proceed, it probably would make it hard for the Zarian to get at me. So he was right about it being safer.

I smiled and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be glad to join your group. Give me a moment to make the arrangements.”

It was a little last minute, but we could switch out my guard team for one of the groups we’d planned for without messing things up too much. I walked off to look for Aston, noting in passing that Hajake and another group of Terbekteri were moving towards the same area Jian and his Velisha would be launching from. Maybe we weren’t the only ones to think it would be the safest spot.

But I wouldn’t cast stones. I wasn’t eager to put myself at risk, here, either.

Chapter 87 (Draft)

The landscape passing below our airship was interesting enough that I wished we could’ve traveled on the ground. While it was nice to see from an airship, I would’ve liked to be a little closer, take a better look at things, maybe listen to some of the locals. Of course, even as cultivators or with spirit beast mounts that wouldn’t have been as fast as an airship, and we were in something of a hurry. No time to dawdle or play tourist.

I might have promised myself that we could go traveling on vacation later, but I wasn’t naive enough to think this war would be over soon.

The landscape had been rising steadily as we drew closer to our destination. There were several low mountain ranges leading up to the big one that took up a chunk of the continent. The Terbekteri territories covered some of them and parts of those mountains. It was a good position, with natural defenses to the northwest, and a little removed from the current hotbed of activity. You’d need to travel through a qi anomaly to get to their provinces quickly from the Dominion’s position. I could make out the shadow of it a little farther away, though our course didn’t intersect with it. Instead, we flew over hilly fields that had made way to forested hills and mountains, with a few rivers winding down into the flatter land. There were a lot of villages and towns, and as we crossed the border into Terbekteri territory, I found a few cities, as well.

“You’ve been quiet,” Tenira commented.

At first, I thought she was talking to me. But as I looked up, I realized she was looking at Kajare, who stood leaning on the railing with his back, looking into the clouds rather than down on the landscape.

He shrugged. “I suppose I don’t have much to say.”

“Does anyone, really?” Lei grinned. He was working on some project on the deck, close enough to be part of the conversation. I couldn’t make out what it was from here, but it had to be small, probably a few wires. He liked playing with electricity.

“I feel like we’ve been spending too much time on airships,” I mused, not quite on topic.

Lei looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that better than on battlefields, in your opinion?”

“Okay, you’ve got me there. Kajare, will we be there soon?”

“I haven’t been here before,” my husband answered, finally turning to look. “But that does look like the city of Aviadoru. There’s a combination fortress and estate on the mountain beside it, where we should find our hosts.”

I nodded. Then I leaned forward to get a better look. We were approaching the city quickly, but it didn’t look much different from any other I’d seen on this world. Terbekteri architecture tended to be a bit more straight-edged, less sloping roofs or the like, but it didn’t really stand out to me.

We approached it quickly, then our airship banked to the sides, flying over the outskirts of the city to the steep slope of the mountain rising beside it. The fortress was easy to spot with its massive stone walls, covering almost the entire slope with several layers of fortifications. The airship slowed down as it passed over them, and I noticed several pieces of artillery on the walls moving to track it. There was a rock garden in the center beside a sprawling estate, and several open courtyards. The airship flew a circle before setting down on one.

I had to suppress a frown. We’d basically invited ourselves. There was no polite way for them to say no to this visit. But there clearly didn’t seem to be much enthusiasm for it here, so far.

We met a greeting party when we stepped out of the airship, and a group of soldiers in polished, ceremonial-looking armor flanked the path, so at least they weren’t unprepared. I didn’t recognize any of the welcoming party, and they didn’t seem very strong, so I wasn’t surprised when they led us into the building quickly.

The inside was decorated with elaborate mosaics, and had several open fires, from lamps and torches to a fireplace in the hearth at the end of a hall. The chair at the head of the table was just a bit of ostentatiousness shy of a throne. The man in it waited until we were almost across the room until he rose, a petty gesture that made me suppress my annoyance.

I recognized him from briefing materials, of course, and kept back to let Kajare handle this. He could deal with his older brother better than me.

“Little brother!” the older prince exclaimed, opening his arms as if for a hug, though he didn’t actually move in to embrace Kajare.

“Hajake.” Kajare smiled and bowed his head slightly. “It is good to see you again. This is my wife, Imperial Princess Inaris, and her cousins, Leri Tenira and Leri Akilei.”

I smiled as well. “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Prince Hajake.”

“Please, no need for formality. Aren’t we among family?” He smiled, showing white teeth, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Hajake looked older than Kajare, like he was in his thirties, and he was a little shorter, his face a bit softer. His skin had a lighter tone that made me wonder if they were full or half-siblings. Clearly, he lacked not just his brother’s coloration, but also his charm. His forced lightness just set me on edge.

But I tried not to show that, and nodded. “Of course, brother-in-law.”

“There are a few more of the family around, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to meet you,” he continued, still smiling. “Why don’t you take some time to rest and refresh yourselves first, though? You must be tired. We’ve had rooms prepared. Make yourselves at home.” He snapped his fingers and a few servants came out of the woodwork, waiting to lead us there.

I hesitated. “Thank you for the offer, but we really aren’t that tired. Perhaps we could keep you some company instead?”

“Oh dear.” He sighed, and from the way he glanced at Kajare, I knew the slight look of regret on his face was a lie. “Unfortunately, I have urgent matters occupying my attention. State business, you understand.”

“Of course.” I narrowed my eyes a little, but I knew I couldn’t push.

“I do hope you will enjoy our hospitality, and that your visit will be pleasant.” This time, I could definitely detect a mocking undertone, aimed at Kajare.

I hid a sigh as we turned to follow the servants to the rooms they’d set up. The interior of the estate was sparsely decorated, but the artwork on the walls looked great, and it seemed almost empty. We quickly reached the suites they’d prepared for us, well-appointed rooms without much character.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to take a bath,” Lei said. “The rest of you can worry about the political stuff.”

I rolled my eyes and glanced at the other two. Well, I suppose there’s nothing to do but wait, really. “Kajare, we’re going to have to wait for a while, don’t we?”

He nodded, looking a bit down. “Yes. Hajake has never seemed to like me, I’m afraid. I’d hoped there was someone else in charge here.”

“Well, we can’t change that. I guess I’ll take a bath as well.”

I did, though not before sending away all the servants. I could barely tolerate them in our own palace, I certainly wouldn’t trust any from a foreign country in a position where I was vulnerable. At least they had a nice bath sunk into the floor in the bathroom of the suite they’d given me and Kajare, and I took a while to relax. Once I finished, it still didn’t look like anything had changed, so I occupied my time with reading and making some concept work of new techniques and enchantments.

Finally, after hours of waiting, I shut my book. “Kajare, I hate to ask, but do you think you could go look for Hajake or somewhere we could make some progress? We can’t afford to get stopped before we even start talking about our plan.”

Kajare pulled a face, but nodded. “Of course, my lady. I’ll see if I can’t get something done.”

With that, he left, and I turned back to my work. I couldn’t focus on it, so I pulled out one of my old self’s novels, instead. It felt like ages since I’d last had the chance to read. But still, it couldn’t capture my attention fully.

After almost an hour, I took out a communication talisman and fed some qi into it to call Kajare.

“Sorry, Inaris,” his voice came through the device. “Hajake isn’t being very accommodating. He claims to be busy still. I broached the topic of a combined offensive to take advantage of the current situation, but he shut me down. At least some of the higher-ranking officers seemed receptive.”

“Alright. Not your fault, thanks for trying.” I put the communication device away, sighing.

Idly, I wished that Yarani was here. But I’d left her with the Velisha since I thought it wouldn’t be very politic to bring her along. After a moment of consideration, I decided to leave Tenira and Lei doing what they were doing, as well. Best not to appear too guarded. So I stood up and walked to the door alone.

“Aston, can you accompany me on a little walk?” I asked. “Maybe one or two other guards, your choice.”

He nodded and exchanged a few gestures with the other guards waiting outside in the corridor. A moment later, Lirta stepped up beside him, then another guard came from a side corridor. I nodded to them and set off.

After we left the corridor, I slowed down again, since I didn’t have any idea of where to go. I didn’t know the layout of the place, or where I might find someone I should talk to, if there was anyone.

I focused on my qi senses, trying to get a feel for the estate. It was pretty big, and while I could feel some presences, none struck me as particularly remarkable, and I couldn’t get much beside a rough idea of their strength.

Luckily, there were some solutions. I looked at Aston. “I’m hoping we might meet people we can strike up a conversation with and touch on the advantages of our proposed strategy, not to mention the possible threat expressed by the Dominion’s staging points. There should be more persons from the Terbekteri higher-ups here, especially other royals. Do you have any inclination of where we might go?”

Aston tilted his head, a small smile playing around his lips. “My intuition tells me we might have a pleasant walk down to the winter garden, Your Highness. The next corridor left and then straight up ahead.”

I nodded, trying not to smirk at his ‘intuition’, and started following his directions. Nice of Mior to help.

We walked through a few more corridors, hung with paintings and lit by soft yellowish glowstones, before we descended a marble staircase that led down into what looked like a vestibule around an open-concept space filled with various plants and gravel walkways.

There was a woman just coming out of the winter garden, obviously the one I was here to meet. She wore an intricately embroidered dress glittering with pearls. I recognized her from a picture, as well, as one of Kajare’s sisters. I hurried down the staircase to meet her, with Aston and my other guards behind me.

She paused when she saw us coming. I met her eyes, a soft brown that were remarkably piercing just now. I knew she was in her thirties, though she looked not much older than me, and was also in the fourth stage.

When I came to a stop in front of her, thinking of the appropriate greeting, she looked at me for a moment longer, and I felt her qi senses sweep over me, before she lowered her gaze. Then she knelt and fell forward until she lay prostrate in front of me. I took half a step back as she did so.

She murmured something in their language that I didn’t quite get, though it felt like a prepared phrase, and I caught the name ‘Rijoko’. Then she switched to Imperial Common, “This one is blessed to encounter the Luminous Princess, daughter of the Moon.”

After a moment, I answered, “I greet you, Princess Salira.”

She remained in her position for a second longer, then pushed herself upward until she was kneeling.

I smiled slightly, stepped forward and laid my hand on her forehead. “I bless you in the name of the Moon, Salira of house Terki. May he shine on your path and guide you to truth.” Then I cleared my throat. “Please rise, and let us speak.”

As I took a step back again, she stood up and smoothed out her dress, smiling a little. I sighed mentally and tried to assess her. So, she must be a devoted follower of Rijoko. Interesting.

“I am glad I didn’t have to wait until my brother got tired of playing games to meet you, Imperial Princess,” she said. “Would you accompany me into the garden?”

“Of course,” I agreed and started following her. There didn’t seem to be any guards with her, but then, she was safe in one of her house’s estates. I motioned to my own guards to keep back and give us some privacy, or at least the appearance of it.

“I’ve noticed your brother Hajake doesn’t seem overly fond of us visiting, if I may be so blunt,” I said.

She rolled her eyes a little. “Hajake never like Kajare. Perhaps there’s some jealousy, who knows. He was not enthusiastic about your marriage or the alliance, and he’s been hesitant to consider becoming more involved in the war.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“For what it’s worth, my lady, my own opinion is that there’s no point sitting this out, if it’s even possible for Terbekteri,” Salira said. “Of course, I can’t do much with him here, even if many of the generals would agree with me. I had to persuade Father even to be allowed to come.”

I frowned thoughtfully, looking at her. I knew the Kingdom of Terbekteri was somewhat patriarchal. To be fair, many places or situations in the Empire were a bit sexist as well, even if two centuries of having a female ruler had ameliorated it. By now, among the nobles, only the conservative clans really treated their daughters differently. Of any of us, the Zarian Dominion was probably the most egalitarian, even if they had some minor issues in that regard as well.

But I shook my head and pulled myself from these musings. There was no use speculating about Salira’s attitude or experience.

Instead, I started talking about the state of the war and explained the Dominion’s hidden move, and    how we wanted to take advantage of it with their help.

Salira frowned, shaking her head. “That’s serious. If that’s true, it certainly seems like we’re a possible target of attack, and it would be good to strike first and remove that threat. Ah, not that I’m doubting your information, Your Highness.” She bowed her head.

“Of course, I wouldn’t take offense,” I assured her. Then I fell silent for a moment, looking at the exotic plants we were walking past and breathing in their distinctive smells. “Do you think it would convince the generals to openly support you and take action?”

The princess looked thoughtful, but slowly started to smile. “I’m sure we can make it work.”

Chapter 86 (Draft)

“They’re all waiting on you, Inaris,” Tenira said.

I didn’t turn away from the window, a large glass plane spanning a good chunk of the room, and the view it offered me of the landscape. “I know,” I answered. “I’m letting them wait. For a bit.”

Cloth rustling and the soft sound of footsteps indicated that Tenira was coming closer. She didn’t answer right away, so I turned around and looked at her. The light from the window highlighted the soft blue of her robe, and let the pearls set into it sparkle. She’d put on a bit of makeup that made her eyes look even deeper than usual. By now, I was used to her beauty and didn’t show any outward reaction, even if my heartbeat accelerated just a little.

“You’re a lot more confident with this sort of thing,” she commented. “It’s good to see.”

I smiled wryly. “Thanks. But a part of it is a front.” I shrugged. “Out here, I’m the Imperial authority. And these people aren’t our citizens, they’re vassals, and I’m in the position of their liege now. They’re all more experienced and stronger, so I can’t afford to screw up.”

“Plus some of them are angry at the Empire, or just angry in general and directing it at us.”

“Yeah, that too.” I shook my head. “Let’s go.”

We were still in the same town we’d arrived in two days ago. The Velisha leadership had decided to stay here and establish a new base rather than move closer to the fighting, although they’d managed to reclaim two other towns from the Dominion. Perhaps because of the foreign politicians who’d started arriving. I wasn’t sure if it was just because they’d gotten word of my presence, or if the Velisha had invited them, discreetly.

Right now, most of them had gathered in the mansion’s hall. Almost all of them were either the rulers or leaders of a small nation, or closely associated with someone who was. It made this a great opportunity to establish some far-reaching decisions, even if it also raised the difficulty for me.

They all stood and bowed when I entered, Tenira on my heels. I paused for a moment to take stock of the room. Over a dozen people, about two thirds of them men, all at least in the sixth stage and richly dressed according to various cultural norms or fashions.

“Thank you, lords and ladies,” I said. “Please sit. Let us begin.” I smiled as I walked to my own seat. “I look forward to working with you all.”

The few people here from Imperial provinces looked most at ease, I noted. They’d taken the seats close to me, while King Varis faced me at the other end of the large table, flanked by two younger men.

“The Dominion threatens everyone here,” an older woman replied, sharp gaze fixed on me. “Of course, that’s partly because of our association with the Empire, Princess Inaris.” She paused for a moment. “Not that I would imply disloyalty, of course.”

“But as your vassals, we’re promised protection in exchange for bending the knee,” a middle-aged man in golden robes cut in. “I do hope the Empire remembers that.”

I sighed internally. They’re not pulling their punches, are they? And right off the bat. I guess I can see it. Try to get me off balance, prevent me from getting my feet under me in the first place.I narrowed my eyes. Or I’m just being paranoid.

After I’d let the silence build for a few moments, fixing my gaze on them, I smiled slightly, just a curling of my lips that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course. The Empire honors its agreements. It’s why we helped you in your efforts to become modern nations, improving your economy, standard of living, and martial strength. After your countries — or the disparate tribes you used to be — decided to accept the Empire’s sheltering hand.”

A few of them shifted in their seats just a fraction. Quite a few of these countries would have chosen to submit for fear of being conquered. I doubted anyone here was old enough to remember it, but some were probably afraid that this war might lead the Empire to tighten its metaphorical hand around them.

“Of course the Empire will protect you,” I continued. “As it has always done. But we will not let anyone use this time to sow dissension or maneuver for individual advantage. All of you have sworn oaths of fealty to the Empire, as your countries are duty-bound to serve it faithfully. I do hope you remember that.”

There was a moment of silence, before many of them bowed their heads. Murmurs of “Of course, Your Highness” filled the room.

I saw Kajare relax slightly beside me. Tenira didn’t let anything show, but she’d been tense ever since we sat down. I wished one of them could help me out, but I knew I couldn’t let them speak for me, beside the occasional comment, maybe.

“Since we’re on that topic,” I continued. I wanted to wait, but I guess they’re less likely to object now, right? “The Empire will require more from all of you while we shoulder the burden of dealing with this conflict. After all, as has been pointed out, the Dominion and this war are a pivotal threat to all of us. As such, in the name of my Mother, I want to ensure that our efforts are bundled and integrated well.”

“You’re demanding morefrom us?” one of the men interjected, leaning forward. “What, more tithe? Or withdrawing defenses and exposing our lands to attack?”

I frowned, feeling a stab of annoyance at the interruption. “No. As I said, we will protect everyone, unless there are clear and compelling strategic reasons why we can’t. And we will not demand more money. In fact, taxes are put on hold for now.”

“Then what?” the woman from earlier asked, a touch of weariness in her voice.

“People,” I said. “We will be doing an accounting of every cultivator of notable strength in the dominion of an Imperial vassal. You all know that wars are decided by the strongest cultivators. As such, this is a matter of paramount importance to all of our security.” I cleared my throat. “Every cultivator in your lands in the sixth stage of cultivation or above will report to Imperial authorities, so we may best deploy them in the course of this war, whether that means fighting, establishing infrastructure, or other duties. Exceptions will be made for those occupied in critical roles. So I declare, in the name of my Mother, Empress Acura the First.”

For a moment, everyone was silent. They started to exchange glances. Some sank deeper into their seats, while others seemed to swell with bluster. I only truly realized that now, but they would, of course, also be included in that decree.

“You’re drafting our strongest warriors?” King Varis asked, as if he had trouble believing it. Everyone else turned to him.

“Those already fighting for their nation or people will of course remain where they are and continue doing that,” I said. “It is those who have so far not contributed to the war effort who will be primarily affected.”

“This is scandalous,” one of the men hissed. “Our countries will bear the brunt of the cost of this war, while the Empire is the one truly under attack by the Zarian?”

Tenira scoffed. “Similar arrangements will be made in the Empire’s provinces. Of course you’re not asked to bear the burden alone, but you are required to contribute, just as everyone will.”

Many of them looked to the representatives from the closer Imperial territories, who nodded in confirmation. They didn’t look happy about this, but didn’t speak up about it. That seemed to take some of the wind out of the sails of the complainers.

I heaved a quiet sigh. We’re going to need elites to ensure this draft is working properly. Just another strain. But with how much even a single seventh stager can accomplish, we can’t afford not to make use of them. It’ll more than make up for the trouble in the long term.That’s what Mother had concluded in our dream meeting, too.

“The Kingdom of Terbekteri is also escalating our recruitment efforts,” Kajare added. “It’s obviously necessary.”

They exchanged glances once again. I took note of who seemed to dislike the mention of Terbekteri, mostly those from two groups closer to the northwest and their territories.

“Speaking of,” the Velisha king said. “We haven’t noticed much activity from the Kingdom’s territories on the continent.”

Kajare shrugged slightly. “This war was something of a surprise. It takes time for Terbekteri to mobilize, and to integrate our forces with the Empire and establish networks of communication and common strategies.”

“But we will need their help,” I said. “And I’ve been assured they will give it. In fact, with the situation the way it is here, the Dominion’s movements, I am quite sure of it.”

“How’s that? The Dominion isn’t moving in their direction at all.”

I raised my eyebrows a little. “Oh, they are. That’s part of what I’ve been intending to discuss with you before we got sidetracked.” I spread a map on the table. “We have reason to believe that the Dominion has a significant troop presence in the area, here. Poised to attack in several possible directions. But perhaps also important if we decide to strike ourselves.”

That information seemed to energize the meeting participants. They leaned closer to get a better look at the map, passed it among themselves, and started talking about it. There seemed to be several conversations going on at once, discussing various aspects. I leaned back a little, content to let them work things out for now. While I need to present a front of confidence and superiority, I didn’t really have all the answers. That was the point of this discussion, for me.

It quickly became apparent that they were of two minds about this information. One group advocated for going on the offensive, hitting the Zarian with a surprise attack and routing their hidden army. They claimed that the advantage of surprise would be on our side, and this was our opportunity to dislodge the Dominion’s grip on the middle of the continent. The other group was more cautious. They wanted to shore up our defenses, concentrate on uniting our forces and wait for the next major attack of the Zarian to beat them back. Well, a subgroup advocated for advancing slowly, but they were quickly torn to pieces by everyone else.

“Let us stop bickering like children in school,” king Varis said loudly, silencing the discussions. He fixed his gaze on me. “What do our Imperial patrons say?”

I straightened up. To my surprise, Varis had been vocal in supporting the idea of taking action now. I’d expected him to play defensively, concerned about losing even more to the Dominion and trying to guard what he had. Perhaps he was just hoping that a successful attack would let him regain what the Dominion had conquered.

“I found your discussions enlightening,” I said. “Many of you have raised good points, and this is certainly no easy decision.”

I exchanged quick looks with Tenira and Kajare, who gave me a slight nod. I’d gone over much of the same discussion with Mother. In the end, she’d left the decision to me, since I was on the ground and had a better sense of what we had to work with in terms of the vassals. I looked at them. While they’d been a little combative, no one showed serious signs of trying to go against the Empire. And enough of them supported the offensive that it wouldn’t come across as me forcing them into it with no regard for their fate. At least, I hope so.

“We will take advantage of this before it is too late,” I decided. “We should strike before the Dominion actually deploys those soldiers, especially if we don’t know where. With the reinforcements from the Empire and some of our new innovations, we should be able to push them back before they’re too entrenched.”

I watched the reactions from the assembled people. Some nodded, some grimaced, some looked like they’d expected this.

“That means taking a big risk,” the woman said, although she didn’t look displeased. “The Dominion might be prepared for us.”

“But they should not be prepared for a two-pronged assault,” Kajare put in. He smiled grimly. “Terbekteri has been very quiet up until now, as some of you pointed out. A dedicated offensive in conjunction with them should give us good chances to pierce their defenses. We will come at them from the direction they’re weaker. Once their hidden card is destroyed, they’ll be that much more vulnerable and off-balance, and we can start regaining some of the lands they’ve occupied.”

“And does Terbekteri agree with that?” Varis asked, raising an eyebrow.

I exchanged another look with Kajare as his smile faded. That was the crux of the problem. We needed their support for this.

“I’m confident they will,” I finally answered. “My husband and I will personally travel to the Kingdom’s holdings to align our strategies.” And convince them to go along with this.

I noted that some of them looked skeptical, and concealed a sigh. If we can’t get their agreement, we don’t need to proceed with this plan. But it would be a loss of face. One I can’t really afford.

“Well, Princess Inaris,” Varis shrugged. “I wish you luck.”

I forced a smile as the others expressed similar sentiments. Not the sort of circumstances I would have chosen to meet Kajare’s family, if some of them are there. But what can you do?

Chapter 85 (Draft)

I couldn’t tell when we crossed the border. While I had the map perfectly stored in my memory, it didn’t show every detail, and the surroundings were too irregular to give me any real clue. I’d looked at a few more detailed maps, but not of this area. There hadn’t been time for everything, and maps weren’t a priority. Not that it mattered.

Aston leaned over and raised his voice to be heard over the wind. “Your Highness, we’ve now crossed the border into Velisha territory!”

I nodded and glanced at the airships accompanying us. Just when I’d thought I knew everything the Empire’s airships had to offer, they’d surprised me. The four of them, including the one I was on, flew at what any native would consider breakneck speed even for air travel. Not as fast as some planes from Earth, but it still ate the kilometers beneath us. The shielding couldn’t quite keep up, and while it kept the worst of the wind off, enough made it through.

Of course, for military deployments, you’d assume that any soldier wouldn’t even be inconvenienced by a little wind or cold.

I watched the soldiers waiting on the decks of the other airships, standing still and silent in a more professional manner than I’d expected. This was a good chunk of troops we were taking from the defensive line the local generals had set up. Some had tried to argue against it. But I agreed with those who said that we needed to support the Velisha primarily, stop the Dominion’s advance as well we could.

I shook my head as I remembered yesterday’s meetings at the outpost and base we’d traveled to after Earthhaven. There’d been even more reports to take in and hours of meetings, but at least now I was confident that I knew my way around the local situation.

“I’m not making the wrong decision, am I?” I asked Tenira, who stood beside me, quietly, though I knew she could hear me.

She shook her head. “You said that we needed to move quickly, and you were right. Still are. The Dominion’s trying to overwhelm us, keep us off balance, by attacking this rapidly. We can’t let them take so much territory from us and settle in.”

I nodded. I think they call it shock and awe tactics, or something. There’s no way they’re able to sustain this kind of pace, they must already be spread somewhat thin. Not with the way they’re pressing the attack at the Yellow Graves, too.

“I’d still bet Aston has orders from your Mother to keep you out of trouble,” she added. “In case you were thinking of coming with the troops on the real attack.”

I snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to the Velisha, like we said. But there’s no good reason not to take the soldiers with us for the first part of the way. Safety in numbers and all that.”

We were interrupted by an officer coming up to us with a sheet of paper in hand, tucking a communication talisman away. He bowed. “Your Highness, we’ve established contact with the local soldiers and the Velisha HQ, as expected.”

I turned around. “Give me the high points, please.”

“Yes, Your Highness. The positioning of both Dominion and Velisha combatants is largely as we expected. The Dominion has a stronger presence in the next town, at target location two, than we thought. There’s also been movements to the north and northwest. The way to target location one is clear. They report they’ve just wrapped up their fighting there, and the local commanders have relocated there.”

I glanced around, noting Aston’s expression, before I straightened. “Alright, commander. It looks like our plan is a go. Proceed as discussed. Move quickly and strike hard.”

The commander bowed again. “As you command, Your Highness. By your leave.” He turned and jumped off the airship in a fluid motion. A second later, I caught him seemingly running across the air to enter the next one, where he started scrambling the soldiers.

A minute later, two of the other airships peeled off, accelerating even more and turning to head to the spot we’d chosen to launch their attack. If all went well, they’d be able to disrupt the Dominion’s efforts, shake their grip on the region and soften them up for follow-up strikes. The contingent was mostly soldiers in higher stages, including a good number of elites, so I had no doubt they’d be able to accomplish their objective. If they took some heat off the Velisha to help us talk to them, that would be a good bonus.

“Anything around that we need to be careful of?” I asked Aston.

He stared into space for a moment, perhaps conferring with Mior, before he shook his head. “No, Your Highness. Our route is clear. We should reach the Velisha’s current base soon enough.

I nodded. It felt reassuring to know that Mior was there. While they weren’t supposed to interfere too much, I knew they would step in if my life was in danger. Or empower Aston to do it.

We traveled the rest of the way in silence. I could tell that the others were a little nervous. Lei never stood at any spot on deck too long before moving, and Tenira looked down at the landscape as if it held the secrets of the universe. Kajare would pace a few steps before he stopped, only to start again after a bit. Only Yarani seemed unfazed, but I could see the faint tension in her posture.

I glanced down at the landscape. Everything looked quiet here, so far, but there were too few people out and about in the small towns I saw, and the fields were almost deserted. From further north, faint plumes of smoke curled into the sky, though their sources were blocked from my sight.

Finally, after what seemed like too long a wait, Aston reported that we were nearing the area of the fighting, and would soon get to the current headquarters of the Velisha leadership.

“At least they’re near the front and contributing to the defense of their country, not cowering somewhere,” Kajare muttered.

I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.

The Velisha didn’t have a fixed capital, but the place their king had held court most recently was located closer to the Dominion, and the Zarian had overrun it two days ago. From what I’d heard, the king and his family had taken charge of the fight and mostly retreated with their soldiers. This was the first time they’d actually moved their base back toward the direction of the Zarian. The first time they’d managed to beat them back, more or less. I assumed I’d meet the king there. And considering how few Imperial soldiers fought here compared to Velisha, it might be a bit of a sore point.

The airship slowed and lost altitude as we neared the town. It was encircled by a tall wall, but I counted half a dozen spots where that wall had been damaged, with at least two breaches. And not everything was covered by it, anyway, there were a number of buildings outside the town walls. One side of the fields surrounding it looked burnt, with large furrows dug in the earth. Most of the people I could see moving around carried weapons, presumably soldiers.

Looking down at the scene as we came closer, I sighed. After a moment of consideration, I turned toward the front of the airship. “Slow down a bit more, and go lower.”

I wondered if they’d heard me, but a moment later, I could feel the airship decelerating, and we dropped down even further.

By now, we were close enough to get a very good look at the scene. I analyzed the fortifications, clearly hastily reinforced. A few cultivators were patching the breaches in the wall. There were a lot of soldiers in the town, perhaps twice the number I’d taken with me, although I suspected the average stage of cultivation was lower. I could tell the town had been hit hard by the fighting. A few houses on the edge were only smoking ruins, many more had clearly been touched by fire. I would hesitate before moving into any of them for fear they might come down on my head with the next storm, but the inhabitants might not have a choice. And then, of course, there were the bodies.

“This match your expectations?” I asked Kajare.

He frowned, taking another look over the airship’s railing before he turned his head to answer me. “I don’t know.”

“This is the first battlefield you’ve seen, isn’t it? Assuming you can count this as one.”

“Well, yes.” He hesitated for a moment. “What are they doing with the bodies?”

I glanced at the soldiers who were laying out corpses in neat rows, clearly separated in three groups. One had everything, including clothing, stripped from them and gathered, clearly the Dominion’s fallen. It was the smallest group. The one where a few townsfolk lingered was probably the largest, with people in various different kinds of clothing.

“Clean-up, I presume,” I answered. “Taking stock of casualties, tallying numbers, and gathering the equipment of the fallen. This is going to take a while, I’d say. Cleaning up after a fight often takes longer than the actual fighting.” Especially with cultivators.

He nodded and continued watching the work. I noticed that his gaze flitted all over the scene, but his knuckles slowly whitened where he clenched his hands.

“It stinks,” he commented after a moment.

I took a deep breath, then regretted it as my enhanced sense of smell picked up the scent of death, blood and excretions. “Yeah.” I grimaced. “That’s how you could tell that a number of civilians died. Soldiers are stronger cultivators and usually don’t eat much, especially in a war. Their bodies don’t stink as much.”

He pulled a face. Tenira had joined us during the conversation, and I noticed her rolling her eyes from my peripheral vision. She didn’t look down except for brief glances.

After a moment, Kajare asked, “What point are you trying to make?”

I shrugged. “Nothing, really. I’m taking a look at the state of the town and the Velisha’s forces. Get ready to disembark, we’re almost there.”

We were coming up on what I assumed was the center of town, perhaps the manor of the local lord in normal times. They’d set up a security perimeter, and the airship had to wait, hovering in the air for a bit, before we were clear to land.

When we finally disembarked, every eye was on us. I smiled slightly, trying to project confidence and let the know I wasn’t rattled. Not everyone looked happy to see us. Most people kept away and tried not to make their stares obvious, while a greeting party stepped closer to us and bowed.

“Imperial Princess,” the man in the lead, probably an officer, greeted. “Please let me welcome you and your retinue to the Velisha.”

I nodded. “Thank you. My troops should have made contact with you a while ago. I’m glad to see things are well in hand here.”

“Of course, Your Highness. The king is waiting for you. And your companions, of course.”

We fell into loose formation as we followed the group, with my guards on the outside, watching our surroundings carefully. Kajare walked a step beside and to the side of me, with Tenira and Lei and then Yarani following. We’d set down on an open square beside the main complex, so we wouldn’t have far to go. I glanced at the tables set up in the area we walked through. They’d turned this into a command post, and people were communicating with what sounded like all the rest of their territory, and perhaps our strike force.

The Velisha king stood in the center of it all, accompanied by several younger people in rich robes and uniforms. He looked like he was maybe fifty, with a broad, imposing stature and gray-flecked hair framing a lined face. I recognized the people not in uniform as his sons from my briefing material, but the resemblance would have been obvious anyway.

They stopped talking as we approached and turned around, the king stepping forward to meet us, flanked by some of the others. Several of them openly scowled at me. I noticed some gazes stop on Kajare before they moved on. He tilted his chin up slightly as if in response to their looks.

For a moment, I wondered if I’d have to make the first move. Then the rest of them dropped to a knee while the king bowed deeply. An appropriate reception. “Imperial Princess Inaris, Prince Kajare, lords and ladies of House Leri,” he greeted us. “Welcome to our humble home.”

I bowed my head in response. “Thank you, King Valis. Please rise.” I waited as they did, hesitating for a moment, before I continued speaking. “I’m sorry for the death your people suffered, in this town as well as the rest. You have my condolences.”

For a few of them, their expressions only darkened at the reminder. But I kept my focus on the king. his eyes widened a fraction, and his gaze sharped for a moment, before he gave a small nod. “Thank you, Imperial Princess.”

“I hope that with the reinforcements the Empire has sent, we’ll be able to turn this around on the Dominion,” I said. “How are things here?”

“Adequate,” one of the younger men grated out. He scowled at a sharp look from the king. “They would have been better had the Empire been here earlier.”

King Valis cleared his throat. “We understand that this sudden strike was unexpected for everyone,” he said. The look he shot the others was clear. Don’t be an idiot, we need them to win this. Or something like that. “Our counter-push is going well, thanks to the Imperial elites,” he continued. “We are already pushing them back, and may regain several towns soon.”

I smiled. “That’s good news.”

“Of course.” He glanced around. “Forgive my poor hospitality. Would you like to come inside for refreshments?”

I didn’t really want to, but I didn’t want to risk offending anyone, and it sounded like this was the time for social niceties and pleasantries. It helped that both Tenira and Yarani were looking at me expectantly. So I agreed, and allowed the king to lead the group inside the manor. It would be better to talk about things with more privacy, too.

And while I still felt a bit of the restless urgency, I knew that there wasn’t much I could do for the fight here. I needed to concentrate on my own challenge, dealing with our vassals.

On the way, Valis and Kajare started chatting. Apparently, Valis had met his father a few decades ago, and was now asking after his health and various people he’d met. Kajare was friendly, but I could tell this wasn’t just idle small talk.

I sighed. They’re not going to be happy if I tell them that the Kingdom of Terbekteri isn’t sending reinforcements. At least not here, not now.

Our alliance was only a few days old, in all. It took time to work things out, set up coordination between our forces. And since Terbekteri had been left alone so far, they weren’t rushing their mobilization as much as some on our side might have hoped.

I shook my head and focus on the situation as we entered a large sitting room. One thing at a time. I’d learn what I could here, make a few decisions, and hopefully do my part in the war effort.

Schedule change

Hi folks, I hope you're all having a good day.

My buffer has almost shrunk to nothing and I think quality is going to suffer if I force myself to continue writing to keep up with my current schedule, so I'm going to slow it down.

From now on, I'll post new chapters regularly on Mondays and Thursdays.

There's still going to be a third chapter this week, on Friday or Saturday, and I'll keep my Patreon page two chapters ahead of Royal Road and Scribble Hub. I intend to increase that to three chapters after a while, once I've got enough of a buffer.

I hope you understand. Thanks!

Chapter 84 (Draft)

On first glance, the Earth Continent wasn’t much different from the Sky Continent. I hadn’t expected it to be, of course. I’d traveled to enough different continents on Earth to realize that while landmasses tended to put limits on flora and fauna, cultures couldn’t be so easily defined and architecture often changed gradually. Even going from America to Europe might not seem like much unless you looked more closely, at the details.

On second glance, holy crap that’s a large mountain range.I could feel my eyes widen as I stared further into the distance. I could only just barely make it out from here, but it seemingly stretched from one end of the horizon to the other, with mountaintops rising as high as those in the Central Mountains. Just a lot more of them.

I blinked, then returned my attention to the landscape closer to us. With the right technique, I could see a lot. The coast was fairly even, with more sand beaches than rocky cliffs like the east of the Sky Continent. A lot of cities dotted the large bay or gulf we had just come in over. There were two broad rivers leading further inland. Everything matched up with the maps I’d seen, even if I couldn’t see the borders that had been drawn on the maps in real life. Only one of them had what looked like a fence from here following its lines.

“They’re massing soldiers,” Tenira said, turning towards me and pointing out a few spots. From the faint glow, she was channeling light qi to her eyes as well. “There, we have more airships concentrated in one spot, and more activity at the outposts. Not just the Imperial provinces, either, I think the other countries we can see from here are doing the same.”

I nodded. While the Empire controlled most of this region, there were a few other countries touching on the gulf as well. Most of them were our vassals, though one to the north, stretching towards the Lotus Confederation’s territory, was committedly neutral. I wouldn’t blame them for being on the alert.

“I’ve set up a tentative schedule, but it’s going to change depending on what information we get on the ground,” Tenira continued. “We’ve set up a few meetings with communication talismans, since telegraphs weren’t an option.”

“Shame we haven’t finished building up the infrastructure,” I said. This airship and some planned convoys later on would deliver loads of radios, so the Imperial forces here would have at least that much. But easy, fast communication between this continent and the capital would have been nice. Of course, laying telegraph or telephone lines underwater is just a bit more difficult if the ocean is swimming with spirit beasts.

“Anything you need me to do? How can I help?” Kajare asked.

I didn’t know what to say, but luckily Tenira filled the pause seamlessly. “Mostly, you just need to look pretty. Er, no offense.” She shook her head. “Considering your wedding is the pretext for the Dominion’s attack, it’s perhaps best not to draw too much attention to it, but showing that the Kingdom of Terbekteri is actively supporting us would be good. Be nice, be diplomatic, don’t get drawn into arguments. And don’t offer input on strategy, let alone orders, without clearing it with us first. That goes for all of our stay here.”

Kajare nodded and smiled, though I could tell the expression was a bit forced. “I can do that.”

I smiled. “Great. Then let’s get ready for disembarking. They might have arranged a big welcome.”

It didn’t take long for us to arrive at the largest of the cities bordering the ocean. From above, it looked like roughly two-thirds of the size of the Imperial capital, with a lot of tall buildings and a few factories. There was a large central plaza with a sprawling complex I assumed was a palace or government center inside a garden, though we didn’t touch down there, but at the back of the complex where there were more visible defenses.

It looked like they hadn’t planned a big welcome, but many people wanted to offer it anyway. A large crowd had gathered, with some of them waving signs or flags. Cheering erupted as soon as the first of us, Tenira, stepped out of the airship onto the ground. I waved at them as I disembarked, checking out the crowd and our surroundings. The people tended to have slightly darker skin tones than on the Sky Continent, at least on average. Otherwise, they looked pretty much the same. The construction of the roads and houses also gave the impression of a typical Imperial city, though not an old one.

Then I turned my attention to the greeting party, who were already on their knees. They looked like a mixture of political functionaries and officers.

“Your Highness, my lords and ladies, welcome to Earthhaven City,” an older man said. “We have arranged accommodations and refreshments if you would like to relax after your journey.”

“Rise,” I replied. “Thank you for the welcome. There’s no need for that, we should get straight to business. I assume you have a briefing prepared?”

They rose, although the man looked a bit nervous. “Of course, Your Highness, although our top commanders are not in they city, but at the front.”

I nodded. We wouldn’t stay here long, anyway, but probably head deeper into the continent. The welcoming party wasted no more time on niceties, but instead lead us into the building. It had a lot of statues and too many bright colors for my taste, but at least the conference room we finally arrived in wasn’t too ostentatious. A few more people waited for us inside, and they’d already spread maps and documents out over the table.

I greeted everyone, but didn’t take much time for it. I was feeling a bit restless, conscious of the time we’d lost on the ocean passing by that swarm of spirit beasts.

“How is the situation?” I asked after settling down at the head of the table.

They exchanged looks. No one seemed happy, but at least no one looked really grim. A woman I recognized as this province’s administrator cleared her throat. “It’s largely under control, Your Highness. I can’t speak for the front, but things are quiet here. There’s been some unease, especially in the provinces closer to the Dominion, but no widespread problems. Several vassals have registered their displeasure, but the worst we’ve gotten are verbal complaints that may just be playing internal politics. We haven’t yet imposed any measures on the public, we wouldn’t want to presume with you coming.”

I managed not to pull a face and only nodded. It sounded like they just wanted to cover their own posterior, but I shouldn’t judge that too quickly. “Of course. Let’s look at the details.”

Over the next hour, I was inundated with reports. Some printed or handwritten in documents that I read during pauses in the conversation, others directly from people at the conference table. I passed the documents on to Tenira and Kajare and tried to piece everything together to get a good idea of the situation.

“Wait a moment,” I said as I got past the last page and yet another official’s report. “How many states has the Dominion attacked now?”

“Two countries and two Imperial provinces, Your Highness,” the administrator replied. “The latter in the last five hours. Those were only probing attacks, raids and the like, which didn’t go deeper into our territory. The Zarian have avoided contact but established footholds in three places. The most pressure by far is on the Velisha, with almost half of their total territory occupied by Zarian troops by now.”

I sighed and rubbed my temple. Only hours. We could have gotten here before these attacks if we hadn’t been delayed by the spirit beasts.

“We encountered a large flock of spirit beasts on the way,” Tenira mentioned. “Flame variety. They are supposed to come from further inland, to the east, aren’t they? You haven’t mentioned fighting there.”

They exchanged looks again. One of the officers cleared his throat. “Indeed, my lady. These Flame-Tailed Birds come from a region between the Confederation, Dominion and Imperial territories, where there is nothing but two qi anomalies and a few small countries.” He pointed the area out on the map.

I leaned forward. “So, for the flock to be displaced like this outside of its usual migration, can we assume things are happening there?”

The officer nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I would bet money that the Zarian are to blame, either directly or indirectly. They might have stirred up trouble and conflict in the area, but I would assume that the Dominion has moved troops there. They may be preparing an attack on one of the Lotus Confederations’ members, get a new foothold for the conflict with us, or perhaps even open a new front and attack us from another direction.”

“Or they could be hoping to take these troops through the Forest Haunt and launch a surprise attack on the Terbekteri provinces,” another officer put in.

I nodded. “Can we make sure of it one way or the other?”

The administrator pulled a face. “They’ll hide, and our better seers are all with the army …”

I sighed. “Alright. I’ll take care of it once we reach their headquarters. Or one of them.”

“You don’t want to stay here for a bit?” Lei asked.

“No point,” I said. “There’s nothing we can do here that we can’t do closer to the front, and I want to at least consult with our generals.”

“We should probably move into Velisha after that,” Kajare put in.

“Yes.” I frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps we’ll take some troops. Let’s see.”

He smiled a little, and I couldn’t help but return the smile before I even realized I was doing it.

I still didn’t feel quite comfortable with his attitude towards the agreement with the Dominion and the view he’d expressed while we were watching the meeting. If I was honest with myself, some of that was because he had valid points but had crossed the line I would’ve set at some point. Still, the feeling of working towards a goal together was nice. And besides, he’s probably just sheltered, too caught up in how he’s been taught to think about these things. This might just give him a reality check.

“I hope you’re drafting plans for emergency measures and contingencies if you haven’t already,” I said to the gathered bureaucrats. “I’ll give some general guidance. We want the ability to control the economy and shift our output in favor of war-related production. That includes the possibility of setting goals and contingents for businesses to meet if necessary. Also, implement plans to store and secure food and other essentials and prepare to impose rationing if necessary. Assess what resources we may conscript if worst comes to worst, and especially take stock of cultivators in higher stages with valuable skills. Step up recruitment for the army, working together with the local guard.”

While I was talking, several people started looking more and more grim or even pale. Maybe the reality of the situation hadn’t hit them yet.

“What about the nobility?” the province administrator asked.

“I trust you to tread lightly, but make sure the goals I outlined are still accomplished,” I said. “If anyone makes trouble, inform me. We can’t allow anyone to play games at a time like this.”

I noticed Tenira nod beside me, glancing over a few of the reports. I was actually glad we were in the Earth Continent. The provinces here tended to be more directly controlled by the Imperial government, and noble clans or sects had less influence. The was none I couldn’t suppress if I had to.

“I expect you to get these plans to me quickly,” I concluded. “Questions?”

There were more questions than I had thought, and it was another half hour till we could finally leave the conference. By that point, I was seriously questioning how some of them had made it to their positions. Well, they’re scared, insecure. And they don’t know me. I guess it makes sense some of them want to double-check everything, and others are too caught up in their usual business.

It didn’t take long to get back onto the airship. As we rose into the sky, I noticed that two other airships had risen from what had to be the garrison and were moving to escort us. At least they were on the ball.

“So, the outpost we’re moving to isn’t directly at the front, but it should be where most of the senior commanders have gathered, and we’re still moving close to a warzone,” Tenira said as we left the city behind. “Hopefully, everyone will proceed with caution.”

We nodded. I glanced over the side of the airship at the continent spread out before us. Most of the fighting would take place on the eastern part, where the main contenders had their territories. We probably wouldn’t get close to the huge mountains looming to our northwest. It would take a bit to get closer to the real theater of war, or what it was right now. It was midday here. I took out my watch from my storage ring and glanced at the time.

“You have a meeting spot soon?” Tenira asked.

“Twelve hours,” I answered and put the watch away. “I could get in contact with someone now, since we worked out a sleeping schedule and everything, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

She nodded in agreement, and I stifled a sigh. I wasn’t completely sure what I would tell Mother when we checked in. Well, by then I’ll hopefully have a better idea what’s up with the Dominion moving too far afield.

“Since we have some time, let’s check on that area, okay?”

I settled down on the deck of the airship, Tenira and Lei joining me while the others stepped back. I tried to ignore their curious gazes and focus on pulling on light qi. Carefully, I spun that into form for a technique, waiting while the other two added their own contributions. I had vague impressions of doing scrying in a group with others, and they clearly knew what they were doing. It wasn’t long until I saw the image of a foreign landscape appear.

We had a view from high up down on it. I checked that against my mental map and started navigating, zooming in closer. Nothing jumped out at me, and this was a lot of ground to cover.

“This is going to take a while,” Tenira muttered.

I started moving our point of view over the area systematically. On a few occasions, our view was distorted and blurred out, probably by wards. Those were centered over cities or estates, and I simply passed them by. I kept our imagined camera high up, since there was no way we could cover everything in detail, and trying to find individual Dominion soldiers was just stupid.

“There,” Lei finally said. “On that forest to the west, in the foothills. Let’s go to that valley.”

I moved our scrying window, but didn’t find whatever pricked his interest. This area was pretty wild, with only a few scattered villages. They seemed to be doing fine. I was about to start moving in a grid pattern, farther away, when I noticed a hint of smoke rising from the forest. He must have seen something like that. Carefully, I zoomed in and navigated the window.

I had to hand it to the Dominion, they weren’t stupid. They didn’t set up wards against scrying, probably because that would draw too much attention. Instead, they hid their soldiers, presumably at least several groups of elites, in the dense forest and the crags of the mountains. I’d almost given up hope before I stumbled on an outpost they’d built into the side of a mountain, covered by a rocky shelf. It was the same color and texture as the surrounding stone, clearly crafted from it, but adjusted by earth cultivators to offer more shelter and concealment. Perhaps a staging ground for an excursion, judging by the supplies covered by tarps they’d set up.

“Let’s not get too close,” Tenira warned.

I nodded and moved our technique back. “We have what we need, anyway.”

After a moment, we dissolved it and exchanged looks. I knew the others were thinking the same thing as I was. The Dominion was clearly there, planning something. This couldn’t be the only staging point it had set up. They may have quietly cleared the area, mostly unattended wilderness, to prepare for larger troop movements. Perhaps they’d already moved in and built up their presence there while keeping the local authorities quiet through bribery or subterfuge.

I still needed to get a better idea of what we had to work with and how our situation looked, but I’d keep that in mind. Perhaps we could use it. If nothing else, we had a new direction to guard against.

Chapter 83 (Draft)

The first sign anything was wrong were the airships leaving the area around the capital. I expected to find some, most of them heading south. While I could see those, there were also several heading in the opposite direction, and a few on various other courses. While the stream of reinforcements to the south seemed to be ongoing, with an airship leaving every few hours at least, there was too much activity besides that for my peace of mind. I wouldn’t have been able to see all of them without my cultivation, but by now I had enough experience to be fairly good at judging distances and flight times, and I could tell the pattern had changed since we’d left.

The second sign was Mother’s expression when she greeted us on the rooftop of the palace. Our airship had set down quickly and I disembarked with Lei and Tenira at my side, followed by Kajare and the others. Aston brought up the rear. He’d caught up to the airship shortly after the end of the meeting, before we could get too far away. I’d interrogated him about that in detail, but hadn’t learned much of anything new.

“Is something the matter?” I asked after I bowed to Mother and stepped forward.

She nodded tightly. “It looks like the war has now begun, more or less.”

“Really?” I turned my head to look south, although, of course, I couldn’t see anything from here. “Last I heard, things were still rather quiet, all things considered. So the Zarian attacked? Did the fortifications hold, or were they overrun?”

Mother shook her head. “They did attack, but not here, not us. They started on the Earth Continent.”

“Oh.” I sighed.

After a moment of thought, I glanced at Kajare. Guards lined the perimeter, and the ones from the airship had joined them, while my group lingered a little behind me. He didn’t look any more upset than he’d been before.

“The Zarian Dominion attacked the Velisha,” Mother explained. “It was a quick, brutal strike that overwhelmed their defenses with the Zarian elites. From the last news we have, a significant portion of the kingdom has already fallen to them.”

I swore softly, shaking my head. I knew that was the largest of the Empire’s vassal states on the Earth Continent, a petty kingdom situated on a strategic location near the center of the continent and surrounded by other Imperial territories or dependents on one side.

“That country doesn’t border the Dominion, does it?” I asked, recalling the map.

Mother shrugged. “They do on a narrow strip of land. Besides that, it seems like their northeast neighbor wasn’t quite as neutral as we thought, and allowed the Zarian Dominion to launch troops from the Dominion’s closest province through there.”

I sighed again. Then I glanced around and back to Mother. “Shouldn’t we take this to a conference room?”

“In a moment,” she replied. “If we have time. I want you to get going as soon as possible.”

I started. “You’re sending me to the Earth Continent?”

She smiled, although there wasn’t much humor in it. “All things considered, I think it’s still better than the front in the south. Back there, you’ll be able to do more good, dealing with our vassals. Not to mention the Kingdom of Terbekteri has territories there, too.” She glanced at Kajare. “With your husband, it makes sense to send you there to coordinate with our allies.”

Kajare took a step forward, bowing his head. “I will do my best to ensure that things work smoothly and promote the Empire’s cause among the Terbekteri leadership, Your Majesty.”

She nodded. “Good. Anything else?”

I glanced at Tenira and Lei, who were now stepping forward, as well. Tenira asked, “Who will accompany Inaris, my lady?”

“Her personal retinue, I’ll leave to you to figure out,” Mother replied. “Though you won’t have much time and there’s no need for a large following. I assume you and Lei will accompany her?”

They both nodded, and I couldn’t help but smile at how casually they agreed.

Mother smiled. “Then let’s not waste time. You’ll be taking a different airship, and I want you to be on your way as soon as it’s ready.”

I hesitated for a moment, even as the others turned to go. “Mother,” I said quietly, in English. “How bad is the domestic situation?”

She was silent for a moment before she answered. “It’s okay. Many people aren’t happy with the way things have gone, but few are openly blaming me or our clan. We’re focusing the people’s anger on the Zarian, and most of the populace is still firmly behind us. I wouldn’t trust many of the eighth stagers, but that’s hardly a new development. In any case, there should be less trouble for you in our overseas territories.”

I nodded my understanding and turned to go as well. If I could manage it, I’d visit some of Kariva’s people and gather some more information, perhaps pick a few to accompany me in addition to whoever we would have on the Earth Continent.

I didn’t like being blindsided, but I couldn’t blame Mother.

---

Of course it was too much to hope for that our trip would be quiet. The way things were going lately, we were lucky we weren’t running into a fleet of Dominion warships.

I sighed as I stared out at the dark spots in the sky that were steadily growing larger. This was manageable, at least.

“Sorry for bothering you, but I think this needs attention,” Lei said. “Bad luck to run into something like this.”

I nodded. I’d read through briefing materials, spent the night with Yarani, then started to work on a small project when Lei had called me away from it. We were over the open ocean now, with land nowhere in sight even with enhanced senses, well on our way to the Earth Continent.

It was a strange feeling to be over the open ocean. Although the airship flew in the sky, I could still feel the weight of the waves clearly in my qi senses. The tide felt different here, but it was still noticeably present, and I could have easily found my way to the nearest landmass even in complete darkness. It also meant there was nothing to obstruct our view, nothing we could use if it came to a fight except for tons of water and open air.

Aston joined us on the deck, a faint frown on his face. “Your Highness. I would suggest that we adjust our course slightly and try to avoid these beasts if possible.”

I glanced at the black spots again. By now, I could make out suggestions of beating wings in the forms. “Of course.”

“How many soldiers do we have here again?” Lei asked.

“Not many,” I admitted. “But most are Imperial Guard and in a high stage.”

He nodded and turned to watch the approaching spirit beasts again. Their numbers only seemed to increase as they got closer, though I knew that this wasn’t a real swarm. Not yet, at least. It was possible these were just the vanguard of a big one.

“Shouldn’t you take cover, Inaris?” Yarani asked as she stepped up to join us.

She looked relaxed, but there was a faint tension in her posture, and I noticed her hands hovered in position to draw a weapon from her storage ring. Her eyes flicked around, switching between me, the sky, and scanning the rest of the airship, in what I assumed was a subconscious search for threats. I’d almost forgotten that my lover was a soldier, and now felt acutely reminded of it. It reaffirmed my decision to bring her along.

“Maybe later,” I answered. “There’s not much call for it now, and it’s not like I’ll be safer in the cabin than on the deck. Here, the guards could actually defend me more easily. Have you ever crossed the ocean?”

She shook her head. “I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never been more than a few leagues from the coast.”

I nodded. Sea travel was relatively safe these days. With the agreement I’d brokered with the sea dragons, it should be even safer. But there was always a bit of luck involved, and perhaps the recent fights had stirred something up.

Aston came back from talking to the captain, and I waved him over. I noticed the way he was watching the sky, on alert but not as if he had to fight every moment now, and figured we still had some time.

“So, what do you and those more familiar with this think?” I asked.

“We are going to detour and try to avoid the spirit beasts, or at least the worst of it,” he told me. “With your permission, it’s best if we leave that to the experts. Finding the best path needs experience and the airship’s equipment. We may have to fight, but it should be manageable. Please stay close to me, Your Highness.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

My finger brushed against the cool metal of the storage ring on my left hand, and a moment later, I held my new weapon in hand, the weight of it a little reassuring. Despite the bright day, Fides’ tip didn’t sparkle, and only the runes set into the spear’s shaft glowed darkly to my sight. I fed some qi into it, watching as the glow intensified a little, then brought the spear into position.

I didn’t have long to wait before the fighting started. The flying spirit beasts, birds that looked like overgrown migratory birds with too sharp claws and beaks, closed the distance quickly. Some of them changed course towards us, and I could see bright lights as some of their feathers seemed to light on fire without actually burning them. Quickly, the first fireballs flew towards us, followed by gusts of wind.

I created a technique, forming darkness qi into shape for a Void’s Nibble, and launched it towards the nearest bird. The blob of darkness shot from my spear’s tip faster than usual, and struck true, burning through its wing, putting out its fire and sending it spiraling downward. I nodded in satisfaction.

Over the next few minutes, I really came to appreciate my weapon. Fides sucked in darkness qi like a sieve, held it in place for me and anchored the form of my techniques, then let me launch them swiftly and precisely at my targets. I knew it wouldn’t work so well for light, but most of my real attacks were darkness-based, at least the ones where a weapon would help.

But the swarm didn’t show any signs of thinning. Many of my shots missed the agile birds, and the others, including the guards, didn’t have much better luck. Even if a bird was hit, it often took several attacks to put it out of the fight, since they were strong, resilient and looked to regenerate quickly. One of them kept flying without its tail feathers as they were ripped away, then they swiftly regrew in time for it to dodge my attack.

After a bit, I took a step back from the railing and closer to Aston. “This isn’t working so well.”

He nodded. “We’re going to turn around even more and try to avoid the worst of the swarm. It’s getting closer, but we should be able to keep to the outside and let most of them pass us by. We’ll lose some time, but I’d rather not take risks with your safety.”

“Alright.” I shook my head. “What is up with them, anyway, do you think?”

Aston frowned. “I’d say they were roused by something, and they’re not the only spirit beasts that have been stirred. Looking closely, there’s more activity in the sea as well, and I spotted some other bird types. It’s probably the fighting on the continent. It may have displaced some spirit beasts and lead to ripple effects.”

I sighed. That indicated that things were really heating up on the Earth Continent.

The airship slowed down and started drifting away further. It seemed to work, at least for now, and we saw less of the birds as the bulk of them shifted in relation to our position and heading, moving further to the side from my perspective.

I took a breather and tried to pull in some qi while I had the chance. Darkness qi was hard to find, even though it was what I’d primarily used so far. Normal light attacks didn’t have the same punch against their resilient forms, and I was reluctant to try playing around with radiation. I hadn’t even managed a real laser, one that would be focused enough for longer distances.

After half an hour, I noticed that the number of fights was inching upwards. We drew closer to the center of the swarm again. Maybe they’d changed their heading a little. We were still moving at an angle to them, but more of the birds dove at us. There had to be thousands altogether, a bigger swarm than usual from what had been mentioned in one book I’d read.

I turned back to Aston. “I have an idea. If we can wing it, pun not intended, I think we should descend. We’ll be harder to see on the water.”

Aston raised an eyebrow and looked like he wanted to say something, then he simply nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

I watched him go again, grabbing onto the railing and chewing my lip. He was an air cultivator close to the seventh stage. And at least a third of the other guards with us cultivated air or water affinity qi. This shouldn’t be a problem. I had to force myself to relax as I waited, tense seconds dragging on.

I was still caught by surprise as we suddenly started dropping like, well, a multi-ton vessel hanging in the air should. I’d expected them to do maybe a gradual descent with an easier landing. It took me a moment to adjust, relaxing my grip on the railing and looking around to make sure that nobody was adversely affected. Luckily, we were all cultivators here and the others didn’t even stumble.

Not that I’d complain, this was actually better than I thought.

We set down on the water with a quiet splash. If not for the sudden stop to our momentum, I wouldn’t have thought we’d impacted the ocean at all. My stomach tried to climb into my throat, but a moment later, I was focused, assessing the situation and calling on my qi.

“Tenira, Lei, help me, please,” I said.

Then I concentrated on finishing my technique. A moment later, I sensed Tenira and Lei adding their work to my own, patches of qi that intersected with mine so each of us had to cover less ground. It didn’t take long for everything to happen, and I finished the work quickly.

Glancing around, I had to force my eyes to perceive what was going on. I could still see the ship and people around me, but it took focus to process what the outside, the ocean and sky, looked like. For anyone looking at us from the outside, we should now be invisible.

I wasn’t that practiced with conventional illusions, but it seemed to work. None of the birds came closer, at least.

“Your Highness, the ship doesn’t have a drive we can use on water, although it’s not hard to keep it afloat,” Aston said as he came back. “We could still move it manually, though we would have to be careful not to stir the ocean too much, I assume?”

I nodded. “Yes, the less disturbance we cause, the better. But please do.”

It didn’t take long for us to start moving again. A much slower pace than we’d had in the air, but better than nothing.

I watched the swarm of spirit beasts fly past. After a while, the bulk was past us and seemed to shrink as they moved farther away. I’d still wait until they were really gone until we took to the air again.

At least we don’t have to worry about attacks from the Dominion’s ships on the ocean, thanks to the sea dragons. We’ve only lost time.

Chapter 82 (Draft)

The airship braked hard, making me grab the railing to preserve my balance, then turned around. The sails of qi, translucent extensions of energy, flared for a moment before they vanished again as the vessel evened out. It stayed floating in the air, a few hundred meters up but beneath the range it should usually fly at, and gave me a good view of the landscape below us. I smiled.

“Ah, Inaris?” Tenira asked. “Aren’t we supposed to fly directly back to the capital? Your Mother won’t be happy if you go off half-cocked on some adventure when she called you back to her side.”

I turned towards her and smiled mischievously. “Don’t worry, Tenira. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll just stay right here for a bit, taking a break before we get going back home.”

Lei chuckled. “Oh, I see. Good idea. Do you have any way of actually seeing what’s going on?”

I shrugged and cycled some light qi, letting it gather in front of me. I hid a grin as I noticed Lei’s smile widening while Tenira shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Um, is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” Kajare asked. He hovered a bit away from the rest of us but closer to me, two meters or so down the railing. His hand still gripped it, and he looked less than amused.

“You know about that diplomatic meeting they’ve planned, parleying with the Dominion about a limit on the employment of cultivators in the eighth stage during the upcoming hostilities?” I asked.

“Of course. I assume that’s the reason why your Mother is calling us back this quickly. She doesn’t want you anywhere close to the Dominion’s heavies?”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” I shrugged. “I think this spot isn’t so close, though, is it? I intend to stay right here and watch the talks while they happen. Should be safe enough for her. The base is only a few kilometers away.”

Kajare’s expression cleared and he started to smile. He relaxed and leaned against the railing. “Oh, I see. Good. Can you share whatever scrying you do with your techniques?”

I nodded and focused on the qi I was gathering again. This would be a little tricky, but I was confident I could manage it. The fact that Mother had shown me her camera techniques that day after my breakthrough didn’t escape me. I’d built on it since then, and now I’d really make use of them.

I was almost certain the site would have a scry-shield, wards that prevented conventional types of scrying. Even trying to directly get the light from there would be doomed to failure. But I pulled up clumps of darkness qi and sent them out, mixed with a bit of light qi, to form mirrors and lenses in the air. It was a good thing we had clear space between the airship and the location, a hill in the jungle just short of our wall, where they’d already erected a sort of open stone pavilion to host the meeting. I leapfrogged my way closer, using the previous constructs I’d placed as anchors for the next stage. Finally, I reached a spot some distance from the meeting point, hidden by a rocky ledge and thick forest growth, but with an unimpeded view of the place. I set up the biggest lenses there, making a sort of spyglass, then positioning a mirror to pass on the information back to me.

It took a few minutes of fiddling, making sure that everything was tuned correctly, until I had anything like a clear picture. But it worked. I only used light itself until the whole setup reached the airship, where I put up a screen of light qi and the actual technique that projected the image on there, like a screen showing the data fed to it from a camera.

Tenira whistled. “Impressive. I don’t know if I would have managed to do something like this. And you don’t even use that much qi, so you should be able to keep it up for a while.”

“Right.” I grinned, allowing myself a moment of pride, before I focused back on the scene I was trying to observe.

It looked like some people from each side where already there, while others were arriving. Perhaps they’d arranged it that way. I wasn’t clear on the details, Kariva hadn’t even told me how they actually communicated. But so far, nothing much was happening. Just people hanging around, giving each other dark looks and maybe chatting with their companions. All of them wore either ornate robes or uniforms, and I was sure their presences would have been impressive, but since my technique only conveyed visuals they didn’t seem all that intimidating.

“This is nice enough, but without a way to transmit sound there’s only so much we will learn,” Lei commented.

I grinned. “Just watch.”

Fumbling for a moment, I pulled out a device from my robe. It looked a bit like a large cellphone, just blockier and without a real screen. I had to extend the fold-up antenna until it was three times the length of the device. Then I started messing with the buttons until we got first a crackle and hiss and then some actual sound.

“Wow. How did you get this done?”

I shrugged. “Kariva is carrying a radio transmitter. We worked things out so I’m listening in on what she sends.”

On the hilltop, the noise level died down as the last people arrived. On our side, Kiyanu strolled in accompanied by another cultivator in the eighth stage I hadn’t met, though I recognized her face. They joined Kariva and a few diplomats, including a representative from Terbekteri in the eighth stage. Beside them, I saw a Zarieni man, characteristic clothing with bones and other ornaments standing out from the others’ robes. That would be the chief of the strongest of our allied tribes. There were two Zarieni on the Dominion’s side, as well, though the way they flanked the rest a little further back showed they weren’t considered integral. The rest of the Dominion’s representatives were all in uniform, a mix of gray, blue and black with unfamiliar markings.

I zoomed out a little more until I caught side of Aston with a few soldiers farther back. He was probably the weakest person in the delegation, but hopefully they’d just assume he was there as my eyes and ears. I took a deep breath and shook my head. There was a risk that they’d see his connection to Mior, but he needed to be there as an anchor for Mior’s presence in the coming talks. One of the downsides of possession, the spirit had told me, was that they couldn’t go far from their host. There was a similar group of soldiers with the Dominion’s delegation.

One of the Dominion’s representatives cleared their throat and turned to face the Imperial side. I drew in a breath as I recognized the face from pictures I’d seen in books. The Dominion’s intelligence Director, head of their intelligence services and ‘internal security’. “If everyone’s here, can we begin?” he asked.

It took me a moment to realize that I could understand him even though he was speaking in a different language. Wait, what?

I shook my head at myself. When I recalled what he’d said and tried to make sense of it, the actual sounds and words didn’t mean much to me. At least, I didn’t consciously know what they meant. But I must have learned to speak Zarian before, and the knowledge lingered subconsciously. I hadn’t noticed it with the Zarieni, but thinking back on it, that had been different. Like a strong accent or maybe a closely related but distinct language, with the words and pronunciation different enough that I couldn’t automatically get it. I’d had other things on my mind back then and hadn’t really noticed if there were any feelings of familiarity. Well, even if I did know the Zarian language consciously, I probably couldn’t speak the Zarieni’s language, so …

I grit my teeth and grimaced, frustrated with myself. In my reading, I’d avoided any primary sources or other texts where I might have read Zarian, since I didn’t think it would help me any, and only gotten translations. In hindsight, that was a really dumb mistake. Why didn’t I even think to ask if the old me spoke any other languages? Ugh.

While I’d been busy berating myself mentally, the conversation had moved on. Taking a quick moment to sort through my memories, I realized Kariva had answered that they were ready and the talks could start, with everyone agreeing, and the Director had welcomed them all formally. Appropriate since the Dominion had called this meeting.

“We have called you here to come to an agreement regarding the use of supreme cultivators in future hostilities between our nations.”

“Like those hostilities you are going to start any day now?” Kariva raised an eyebrow, speaking in Imperial Common.

The Director frowned at her. “Whatever happens in the near future,” he answered in Common as well, luckily, “isn’t it all the more reason to agree to keep the strongest fighters out of it? After all, it is your lands that would bear the brunt of the devastation. Surely you aren’t callous or conceited enough to miss that?”

Kariva tilted her head a fraction. She didn’t seem fazed, still looked like they were meeting acquaintances for small talk. “The Empire is always in favor of reducing large-scale devastation. We wouldn’t even want that to happen to our enemies, unless it was necessary. And yes, we recognize that those in the eighth stage of cultivation pose a serious risk and potential for widespread, uncontrolled devastation that will only hurt everyone in the long run, if they were to be unleashed.”

Looking at the screen, I raised an eyebrow. “Well, that was easy. Seems like we’re all in agreement, right?”

“That’s fortunate,” Tenira agreed.

“Why?” Kajare cut in. He crossed his arms and looked from me to the others. “I don’t understand. Why are you all acting like this is a good thing? I thought we were just humoring the Dominion and trying to find an advantage in the talks, not going along with their plan.”

I turned towards him a little, so I could still keep an eye on the screen. “Because they’re right about the devastation. Even if it wouldn’t hit us first, dozens of eighth stagers fighting could destroy everything around them. Fields, fortifications, cities. What point is there if half of the territory you stand to conquer is a wasteland?”

Kajare shook his head, his frown settling deeper. “All of that is fixable with time. And we have time. It’s more important to wind this war than worry about what might happen. And it’s not like there are huge wastelands from other wars.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. There’s never been a war with more than a handful of eighth stage cultivators fighting. No one really knows how an all-out assault might turn out. Plus, it’s too much of a risk for the Empire to assume we’d win.”

Kajare took a step closer. “Why? We have more black stage cultivators than they do.”

“Yeah, but how many of them would actually fight if it came down to it? How would they fare against our opponents? We don’t really know.”

He snorted. “How many would fight? Most of them should! It’s their duty to their monarch and nation.”

I sighed and rubbed my temples. He was starting to grate on me. “And what do we do if some of them refuse? Force them? That wouldn’t work and just risk alienating the ones who are ready to fight. From what I’ve read, the situation isn’t much better in the Kingdom. Here, there’s a delicate balance. Many eighth stagers don’t want to risk their precious lives in a war and would rather just focus all their efforts on trying to reach immortality. We don’t know how many the Dominion could actually field, but given their ideology, it might even be more than us.”

“Really?” Lei asked. “They couldn’t just brush off the Dominion’s leaders?”

“They arethe Dominion’s leaders,” I reminded him. “They have a lot to lose.”

Kajare cut in again, “Whatever the case, we should be able to field more than them. The Zarian are too cowardly to really all go join the fighting and risk their lives. But we’re better than them. Yes, there might be some devastation, but this is war. The Empire’s supremacy is at stake, and that of the Kingdom of Terbekteri.”

I sighed. “Not even considering the economy, what about all of the extra civilian casualties?”

He shrugged. “They won’t die in vain, but for their country.”

For a moment, I just stared at him. This is the guy I married. I know there are cultural differences, but damn, this caught me a bit off guard.

Before I could respond, a loud noise from the transmitter made me turn back to the meeting we’d almost ignored. I stepped away from Kajare, turning my back to him, closer to my friends, and held up the receiver a little more. On the screen, I could see that the scene had changed.

The delegates had been talking but not said much of importance, until now. The Dominion’s representatives had moved away a little, and swirling mist was condensing in front of them, quickly taking a human shape. I breathed in sharply as I recognized Isuro.

I couldn’t tell what he said, probably because he was using telepathy. Crap.But our delegates exchanged looks, and the eighth stager from Terbekteri nodded. A moment later, they all took a step back as well, and once again, swirling mist rushed in.

A moment later, Mior stood there, facing Isuro. The spirit hadn’t showed any connection to Aston, as far as I could tell, but simply appeared there much like the Pioneer.

I clenched my teeth in frustration as I watched the two of them stare at each other. They must be communicating telepathically, but I couldn’t hear any of it. I could only watch the reactions on the faces of the delegates, and Isuro. His eyebrow twitched once, and his lips pressed together. Then his expression smoothed over again, and after a while, he gave a curt nod.

“Then we’re agreed?” Kariva said aloud, finally, perhaps thinking of her transmitter.

“Yes,” the Zarian Director said, his tone almost bored. “No one in the eighth stage of cultivation will be fighting in this war, attacking either people, property or nature.”

Kariva’s eyebrows drew together. “No one with power equivalent to the eighth stage of cultivation or above.”

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other. Mior and Isuro both moved their heads. Then the Director nodded. “Agreed.”

I exhaled softly, some of my tension flowing away. I’d pointed this out to Kariva, and I was glad she’d taken it seriously. I had no desire to go up fighting against Isuro if I could help it, and they might have tried that if they could use a loophole.

The two spirits took a step forward each, their hands reaching out. I still couldn’t make out what they were saying, but this time I knew there was a lot of qi involved. There was a visible haze in the air, and some of the weaker members of the delegations noticeably paled. One almost sank to his knees before another Zarian braced him.

Then, I suddenly felt the connection to Rijoko in the back of my mind open up. I could sense his presence, locked in on this area, focused on the exchange happening below. I gripped the railing and took a deep breath. What looked like showers of light fell down from both sides, meeting between Mior and Isuro. Then the two of them touched hands, and they disappeared. Kariva’s device crackled. A moment later, Rijoko’s presence started to recede. That was the Greater Spirits witnessing this agreement, I guess. Not going to be easy to break.

Noise came from the receiver, people offering congratulations, assurances or farewells. This had been a really brief, to the point meeting, perhaps because of the spirits. But I couldn’t focus on all of that. I took deep breaths and tried to feel after the connection in my mind that joined me to Rijoko. It had closed again, and my mental fingers slipped off it as I tried to get deeper into it. I could perhaps try to pry it open, but I held back. No point in that.

I turned away, then hesitated. Something tingled at the edge of my senses. Some instinct told me that there were things afoot not too far from me. Far less noticeable than before, but it was coming from the direction of the meeting, and perhaps getting stronger, although the spirits there had disappeared.

“Go!” I shouted towards the front of the airship, taking a step back from the railing. “Get moving, now!”

The captain of the airship didn’t hesitate or ask questions. With a small lurch, the airship started speeding up again. I glanced around. Kajare still stood a ways off, he and the rest were frowning in confusion. I wrenched my eyes away from him and continued looking around, into the air where I’d set up my techniques.

I could sense something touching them, a hint of foreign qi. It jumped from one to the next. Quicker than I thought, the feeling reached me.

I felt it tap against my mind, the foreign qi winding into that of my techniques and the tenuous link they afforded to me, where I’d left them out in the open. A breeze rose around us, kicking up leafs and bits of gravel, sweeping over the airship. I concentrated on my mental defenses as I sensed Isuro’s probing.

He gave me a mental shove, crawling over the walls around my mind. I closed my eyes and concentrated on keeping them secure, on keeping him away.

After a long moment, the wind whispered again, and I felt his mind knock against mine for the last time before he withdrew. I sighed, shaking my head. This was a warning, clearly. He was telling me that he knew what I’d been doing, and perhaps not to push things.

“Inaris, is everything all right?” Kajare asked. He looked concerned.

I glanced at Tenira and Lei. They were both quiet, though when Tenira noticed my gaze, she gave me a smile.

“Fine,” I answered brusquely.

Then I turned away, making my way to the front of the airship. I’d ask the captain again how long we’d need for the trip.

Mother had said we wouldn’t need to unpack at the palace, so I assumed we’d be traveling further, perhaps with a different airship. At the moment, the thought felt strangely reassuring. I crossed my arms and ducked into the cabin. I wouldn’t mind getting away from here.