Crown Prince Yoshi - 16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Yoshi, you must let me do this, for the sake of my Quad. You cannot argue with me. If you recognize Fier as part of this Empire, don’t try to talk me out of this decision. It’s not easy for me either, knowing I might lose you, to the war, or to your mother, the Empress’s rejection…just trust me.”

Midori’s words replayed in his head, never once giving him peace.

Yoshi hissed, urging the black into a faster run. His cloak flying behind him, branches and dry sticks catching at his tunic, in his haste to get back to the Village Qi. His heart thundered too fast, every minute passed akin to sands flowing through an hour glass.

Yoshi rode through the Village Qi, riding straight for the military camp, confident that Telia and Tai Migi had matters under control. Sliding off the black when he got to the camp, he stalked into his tent and stripped off his cloak.

“My Prince,” Sando came hurrying in, his expression filled with concern. “I was starting to worry.”

Yoshi paced the length of his tent ignoring him. There was only one way now. He would protect Midori with all he had. No matter the cost to him. He stopped pacing and looked at Sando.

“Where is Lady Tinya?” Yoshi demanded.

“She is dining with the Generals,” Sando answered. “With the Village Qi under your control, they are taking a few hours to celebrate.”

Yoshi narrowed his gaze. Celebrate while their Emperor Consort to-be got himself captured by their sworn enemy for their sake.

He scoffed.

“Send a message to Telia and Lady Pipa. The Dwind Army heads out tonight. Then make ready, I will join this celebration.”

Sando’s brow lifted in surprise, but he quickly moved to obey the order. He hurried out to pass the message to two of the black guard, and then returned to help Yoshi freshen up and change into his official finery.

Music filled the night air when he reached the mess tents. Soldiers laughing, eating and drinking, their moods uplifted. They all stood and gave him bows when they saw him enter. Yoshi waved them down, not wanting to spoil their fun. He followed Sando to the enclosed space at the end of the large tent, where the generals ate.

Sando held back the flap for him, and he stepped in to a sea of blue generals, no white cloaks for Dwind in here. Too busy helping Telia and Tai Migi finish arrangements in the Village Qi. Lady Tinya sat at the head of the table. When she saw him, she stood and her generals followed suit, turning to face him.

“Royal Highness,” Lady Tinya greeted her head lowering a fraction, the Generals mirroring her actions.

Yoshi clenched his hands into tight fists. He was careful to have left his armor in his quarters. Dressed in gold and red robes with only a gold knife in the scabbard at his hips. His attire disarming.

It seemed to work as Lady Tinya smiled wide and moved out of her seat at the head of the table, her action out of courtesy for his imperial status, instead of respect. She still thought him her simple nephew. Her loyalty was to his mother.

Yoshi smiled and moved to take the chair Lady Tinya vacated. She moved to the chair on his immediate right.

“Your Royal Highness,” Lady Tinya said, taking a goblet from the table, remaining standing as Yoshi sat with feigned ease, arranging his robes with casual grace. “Allow me to toast to your victory this day. The Village Qi was taken with no bloodshed, and our soldiers remain in high spirits for the main battle. Congratulations, Royal Prince.”

“Congratulations, Royal Prince,” the Generals echoed, lifting their goblets toward him.

Yoshi nodded, glad that Sando made no effort to offer him a goblet to return the toast. Lady Tinya sat, and the Generals all followed suit. Yoshi smiled, urging them to return to their meal.

Sando placed a plate before him, but Yoshi was certain no morsel would pass his lips. His stomach was tight with knots at the thought of Midori’s ordeal this night. There was the possibility that those who captured Midori would torture him. Maybe they would leave him intact for Namik’s torturing pleasure. He was going mad thinking about it.

Yoshi clenched his hands into fists on his lap and turned to Lady Tinya.

“My Lady,” Yoshi started, holding her gaze, as she chewed on chicken with relish. “We believe that it is important for us to stand on the same ground as we march to face Namik’s Army tomorrow. Do you agree?”

“We shall, Your Royal Highness,” Lady Tinya said, nodding. “My army, Dwind’s soldiers, Earith and the Furian Princess, we are all standing behind your House Taimeng.”

“Lady Tinya forgets one other,” Yoshi said, feeling a hard, cold pillar settling around his heart One designed to break down any who tried to bring Midori down. He would wear the resistance they had against Midori. If that failed then…

He would leave her out of the circle. While he needed Tinya’s help, he needed to make a stand on her attitude toward his trusted people. Otherwise, she would never take him seriously. If this failed, then, he was a Prince of the Realm. This was a battleground, danger lurked in any manner of ways.

“My Prince?” Lady Tinya asked, looking at him in surprise.

“We have news of Lord General Midori of Fier,” Yoshi said, silencing the room. “He sacrifices much for the sake of the Phoenix Army, and the alliances here. Infiltrating the Fier Army on our behalf…”

Yoshi trailed off and pulled out his gold dagger, using it to pick on his left thumbnail. Waiting for the eruption.

He didn't wait long.

“How can your Royal Highness be sure he is not giving up our position?” General Benal demanded.

“Lord Midori has not returned since His Royal Highness sent him off. How can we trust what he says? Who brought this information? Can the messenger be trusted?”

The questions of doubt rang through the room, the generals’ faces turning red in their loud arguments.

Yoshi studied his thumb with interest, waiting for a break in the mad questioning. When Lady Tinya lifted her hand and silenced the room, he smiled. She had let them voice her views. Let them spout out doubt and anger at his persistence with Midori.

She cleared her throat, making ready to speak.

Yoshi stood then, surprising her into silence.

“I, Yoshinori Taimeng, Prince of Amana, met in person with Lord General Midori in an old hut in the middle of the forest not forty-minutes from here.”

The Head of the Black Guard walked into the tent, followed by the two who had followed them at a discrete distance. Yoshi sighed in relief when the two removed their black hoods. They were Lilind’s Children, and therefore had not signed on to hide their faces forever.

“They are my witnesses,” Yoshi said. “Those two are from Dwind, and to ease your mind, they have yet to join the Black Guard, officially. Their loyalties lay deep with Lilind of the Sands. As you don’t trust what I, a Prince of this Realm, says will their words do?”

“Your Royal Highness!”

Lady Tinya got to her feet, her head bowed low, for the first time since he met her.

The Generals seeing their mistress distressed, got up too, and dropped to their knees. Their heads bowed.

Yoshi took his seat, studying his gold knife again.

“We don’t quite understand your actions, Lady Tinya. We’re simply providing evidence to the council—

“The Council—

“Do you dare interrupt?” Yoshi asked.

Lady Tinya stopped talking.

“The Council has been divided since the day we arrived. Six on our side to nine loyal to you and your agenda against the Lord General. We remember numerous occasions, you have insisted on an investigation into Lord General’s activities. Claiming his stink must not stain our character, what that means, we are still unable to comprehend. It is clear to us today, that we need to convince the people in this tent how important Lord General has become to this mission. Or does placing one’s life in danger for the sake of the Empire not count as honorable anymore?”

Yoshi waited a heartbeat, his gaze sliding to General Benal who knelt right beside Lady Tinya, his fists clenched in tight fists.

“Lady Tinya, you may enlighten us,” Yoshi said.

Lady Tinya lifted her head to look at him, her gaze unreadable. He wondered if she hated this spectacle, he was making. It was a huge one, designed to make her lose dignity. The great Commandant of Terra, facing an Imperial Princeling. He wasn’t sorry. She had dared brand him naïve and disillusioned.

“My men have dishonored you this evening,” Lady Tinya said then, her voice heavy with regret. “Please forgive their forwardness. We do not, nor shall Terra ever, doubt Your Royal Highness’s words.”

Yoshi kept his gaze on Lady Tinya.

“As for Lord General Midori,” Lady Tinya continued. “Your Royal Highness must understand, Lord General’s father is not an easy force to face. We, here, have seen the pain he has wrought in our people. The Empire is shuddering under Namik’s weight.”

“Have you stopped to imagine what life must be like for the innocent people in Fier?” Yoshi asked. “The young children who have lost parents because they refused to follow Namik. Their homes burned, their lives in danger, turning into refugees seeking relief in other Quads where they are met with fear, cold attitudes, and in some cases hate. Who is to fight for those lost Fier people?”

Lady Tinya stared at him.

Yoshi decided to push further.

“What happens after the war is won?” Yoshi asked. “When victory is ours, and we are walking the beloved corridors of our palace, will the Quad Council vote to burn down all of Fier for their leader’s faults?”

“That is—

Yoshi stood then, angry that they were forcing him into defending the best man he knew in this Empire. Thinking of the dance Midori had once taken him to in the middle of a field, the children who had raced to him, their smiles wide, petting his hair, and running with him. Hope in their eyes, as they looked forward to returning home.

“A man might die this night, facing Namik all alone. His only determination to protect those lost Fier men, women and children you dare not think of,” Yoshi said. Stabbing the gold knife into the table with anger, he looked at the kneeling generals. “We dare you to do better before you speak Lord Midori’s name in our presence again.”

Sando pulled his chair back, and Yoshi moved away from the table.

“Your Royal Highness,” Lady Tinya started.

“If any of you feel unable to follow a Prince who dares believe in a General from Fier, we give you permission to return to your Terra. The Empire thanks you for your service this far and wishes you prosperity.”

Yoshi ignored the collective gasps and left the tent as fast as he had walked in. Sando kept up with him, once they were outside, and a safe distance away, Sando spoke up.

“You realize if they leave, we’re left with only Dwind’s forces on our side?”

“Midori has decided to allow his father to capture him,” Yoshi said, determination in his every step. “We’re racing against a clock. I don’t care if I have to face Namik alone. One person who believes in the cause, is better than thousands who don’t. Now, pack up, we’re heading out tonight. Telia and Lady Pipa are waiting.”

“What about Lady Tinya?”

“We leave her to make a decision, Sando,” Yoshi said, smiling at him. “Midori is Emperor Consort to-be. Anyone who dares oppose him opposes me.”

***

Midori groaned, his hands tied tight behind his back. The carriage moved too fast, not caring about bumps, he bounced on the bench and tried to stay comfortable. The windows nailed shut, his captors not taking a chance that he might escape. Closing his eyes, he hoped this plan would work. He had never imagined meeting his father this way, but perhaps this was the only way they would have met again. Midori thought about Yoshi. His handsome prince, with eyes full of worry for him, a smile tagged his lips. Yoshi loved him. Yoshi worried for him. That was a gift he had not expected at the start of this journey. A gift he wanted to savor, hold close and cherish for the rest of his life. His mind filled with their last conversation after Yoshi declared he was nothing without Midori, truth ringing in his voice.

Midori gripped Yoshi’s upper arms and shook him.

“You’re not nothing, Yoshi. You are everything to me,” Midori said.

“Then stop this ridiculous plan.”

“I can’t.” Midori smiled his heart squeezing with pain at the worry in Yoshi’s eyes. “I knew you would give me this exact look, and I wouldn’t be able to deny you. So, I sent my men ahead. They are already joining the Fier army as we speak.”

Yoshi closed his eyes in defeat.

“Who is in the forest?”

“Lenoth and the two men you sent me from Dwind. They wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“At least someone has sense,” Yoshi sighed. “Now what?”

“Now you let me hold you a bit longer,” Midori said, pulling Yoshi into his arms. “Then when our time is up, you let me go finish what I’ve started. And you, my dear Prince, you must meet my father in battle.”

“You make it sound so easy, when it is clearly not. Your life will be in danger. I could lose you at anytime. How—

“Yoshi, you must let me do this, for the sake of my Quad. You cannot argue with me. If you recognize Fier as part of this Empire, don’t try to talk me out of this decision. It’s not easy for me either, knowing I might lose you to the war, or to your mother, the Empress’s rejection…just trust me.”

Yoshi wrapped tight arms around his waist with a sigh. Midori buried his face into Yoshi’s hair, breathing him in. Yoshi trembled, struggling with the need to protest. They stood for a long minute.

“I forbid you to die.” Yoshi then ordered into his shoulder. “I forbid you from getting anymore wounds on your body. After the battle, if I don’t find you first, find me at Lexin Square, Midori. I will not enter the palace without you. Do you hear me?”

Midori pressed a kiss on Yoshi’s forehead.

“I hear you, Yoshi.”

“You promised to dance with me in the imperial courtyard.”

Midori closed his eyes with a wince.

“I will not break my promises,” Midori said, vowing to see Yoshi again. He had never seen Yoshi in his official royal gowns, and that was something he really wanted to see.

Yoshi held him tighter.

“I’ll clean out my house before we meet again, Midori. No one will dare look down on you and Fier.”

“Yoshi.”

“It is the least I can do for this insane plan you have devised.”

Midori smiled now, amused. Their life together barely started and they already had so many obstacles and disagreements.

His fault for loving the heir to the throne. Yoshi was going to fight Midori on anything that put Midori’s life in danger. He knew it. Knew that Yoshi would do it out of fear of being lonely, being left alone with no one to see the man under the crown.

Shouts filled the night and Midori tensed, shelving thoughts of Yoshi. They were close to Namik’s army, either that or had already arrived. The shouts kept coming, and the carriage slowed down. Heart hammering, Midori took in a deep breath hoping to keep calm. He hoped Naro and his hundred men were now within Namik’s camp. Supply runs were easy, and with a rebel army, any who men wore Fier’s colors were accepted in hopes of increasing numbers.

Namik was occupied with facing the Furian Princess who kept up attacks, no matter the losses she faced. Distracting Namik from focusing on the palace and the idea that Prince Yoshi might have amassed an army large enough to threaten his rear.

Midori now hoped he would turn the tide by having his men within the rebel army.

The carriage came to a stop and his hammering heart slowed, calm filling him. It was time to face his father, Namik Sanori of Fier.

***

Palace, Lexin City

The nobles watched Almira, their gazes wary. The palace was packed with ministers, officials and their families. She paced the length of the court, majestic in her red and gold robes, her armor gleaming. Her gold sword gripped tight in her right hand, she paused when she reached the Chancellor. A deadly smile on her lips.

“Do you think us cruel?” she asked. “Do you think us a tyrant? Blood thirsty for not getting out of these palace walls to talk to Namik? Do you think us stupid for not naming Prince Saki heir?”

“Your Majesty—,” Chancellor Rokka started.

“We are not addressing you, Chancellor.”

Almira brought her sword to his neck and he fell down on his knees, cries of fear escaping his lips.

Prince Tailen, who knelt in the middle of the courtroom, Lord Hong Ma’s Royal Bureau officer standing behind him, chuckled.

Almira kept her sword on the Chancellor’s shoulders.

“Are you asking me, Your Majesty?” Prince Tailen asked.

“We’re asking the men and women in this room loyal to your cause, Tailen.”

Almira stared at the Chancellor, a deep sadness settling in her bones. She had trusted this man with her family, her son’s life. Thinking about it now, Chancellor Rokka would have been the only one who knew the route Yoshi was taking when she sent him out to Fier. He would have also known what time Yoshi would reach the Imperial Lands, and the number of royal guards with him.

“Chancellor Rokka, lift your head.”

The old man straightened up, his gaze downcast though he kept kneeling.

“What promise would allow you to break trust with one such as I?” Almira felt pained looking at him.

She relied on him heavily, he handled all important matters coming to her office. How long had he known about Prince Tailen? The poisons flowing in her inner palace, the untrustworthy eyes peering at her through the walls.

“This servant is unworthy of you,” Rokka said. “He has failed in his duties—

“Don’t speak,” Almira hissed.

Failed was a stupid word to use, when he had deliberately misled her.

She turned away from him and faced the court ministers and many officials now standing in the palace court. She had insisted on waking them to handle this, wanting retribution for the pain her family faced. There were steps she needed to take that required her palace have only trusted officials. Naria’s battle drums and horns filled the night. The Furian Princess was keeping up a steady attack on Namik.

It was Almira’s job to secure the palace, removing entry into the great halls from the chessboard. Then, and only then, would Naria be able to fight Namik without apprehension.

“I’ve called you here to witness the end of six men who dared attempt treason in our Empire.”

Almira moved to the dais and waved her hand to Lord Hong Ma. His bureau officials moved into the mass of court officials and quickly arrested the ministers who had worked with Prince Tailen.

“Minister of Defense Sharifa, Minister of Rites Zanna, Chancellor Rokka, Prince Tailen Meng, and his son, Prince Saki Meng,” Almira paused, when murmurs filled the court.

The Royal Bureau officers were not gentle as they dragged each one to kneel next to Prince Tailen in the middle of the court. Prince Saki, supported by two men looked weary from his bout with stomach upset. She hoped to save his life, but only if he swore allegiance to her, and gave up his father’s blind ambition. The ministers supporting her house insisted on it, saying it wasn’t right she wipe out a house of royal blood in one night.

She sighed as the bureau officials dropped Saki, without care, next to his father.

“Lord Namik Sanori of Fier, for bringing a rebel army to our gates and bringing fear and uncertainty to our people.”

Almira walked up the dais to the throne and sat, holding the dragon head allowing her gaze to sweep the room.

“Your Majesty, what makes you believe these men have committed treason?” the minister of punishment asked.

“Minister Won, what is the charge for one who dares try to murder a Prince of the realm?” Almira asked.

“Death by a thousand cuts, and his limbs severed and sent to the four corners of the Empire. His family sent to the depths of the Fier mines for the rest of their lives,” Minister Won recited.

“Such a cruel punishment,” Almira narrowed her gaze on Prince Tailen. “Sayuri, give me the official scroll Tai Migi brought with him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sayuri hurried out to the private office behind the dais.

“What reasons have Tai Migi missing from the palace?” the Minister of Tax asked. “He is always at your side—

“You show your hand, Minister Jun.” Almira smiled at him. “Tai and Zia move within and out of this palace as per my will. Do you dare say you know why they would not be in the palace?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Minister Jun said.

“Then be patient,” Almira said, as Sayuri returned with the scroll signed with Yoshi’s new seal. She nodded to Sayuri, who stepped down closer to the ministers and unrolled the scroll.

“To Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Almira Taimeng, the Imperial Court ministers, and officials, Lords and ladies of the Amana noble houses. Worry not as the Empire will not fall to gross injustice. I will settle any grievances Namik of Fier may have against the Empire, and return to the Palace in victory. Signed and sealed by His Royal Highness, Prince Yoshinori Taimeng.”

Sayuri finished reading the letter and handed it to the Minister of Punishment, Minister Won. The shock that filled the court was palpable.

Almira reached into her robes and pulled out the lock of hair she treasured.

“My son, the heir to his Empire, Royal Prince Yoshinori is alive.”

Almira held up the lock of hair, though she refused to give it to anyone for show and tell. It was the only connection she had to Yoshi until he appeared before her.

“We have mourned an impostor, and buried an impostor in the Royal Tombs.” Almira declared. “This plot devised by the men you see before you and countless others brought to justice by Lord Hong Ma.”

“How can this be?” Minister of Personnel Seno demanded. “They checked—

“Her Majesty is beside herself with grief,” Prince Tailen shouted. “Can’t you see it? You fools, she will lead you to your deaths if you continue to stand against Namik. He has the Imperial Army with him. Would the Imperial Army stand with Namik if Prince Yoshi were alive?”

The murmurs rose in the room, and Almira stood ready to defend her declaration.

“This seal is new,” Minister Won declared staring at the scroll. “The ink is only days old, and the words printed in His Highness’s own hand. Have a look Minister Seno. We all learn how to differentiate the Prince and the Empress’s writing the first few months of office. His Highness is alive.”

Almira clenched Yoshi’s hair tight her gaze on this Minister Seno. When he took the scroll and read it, he bit his lip and shook his head, his gaze full of anger when he looked at Prince Tailen.

“If this is true, then we have all been duped by Prince Tailen,” Minister Seno said in shock.

“Any who have been duped by Prince Tailen and committed crimes will be answerable to this court in full. We charge those mentioned with the attempted murder of Crown Prince, Yoshinori Taimeng, heir to the Amana Empire,” Almira declared. “Lord Hong Ma, make sure all traitors are arrested with no chance of escape to stand full trial the moment the Royal Prince returns.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Almira took her sword then, walked down the steps to Chancellor Rokka. When he looked up at her, she drove the sword into his vital vein and ended his life in one swift cut. Gasps filled the court as Lord Hong Ma led in ten of her attendants.

Almira wiped Chancellor Rokka’s blood on his tunic, and turned to the ten women who had tried their best to poison her and Sayuri. Before that, they had tried to poison Yoshi, until she was terrified for his life and forced to send him out of the palace for his safety. Each one responsible for leaking information to Prince Tailen in the hopes of gaining wealth.

Gripping the handle of her gold sword, Almira swung her hand out and cut down the closest attendant to her. Hong Ma followed suit, swinging his sword to execute the remaining nine women. Her sword was swift and deadly, and when the last girl fell to the polished floor, Almira looked up and met the gazes of her shocked courtiers.

“Namik wants the throne,” she declared. “He hoped to use Prince Tailen to get it. Any who stand with him or asks us to meet Namik for negotiations will meet their end on my sword. We are at war. Hold the line.”

Almira met Lord Hong Ma’s gaze and gave him a satisfied nod. Walking through the bloodied floor, Almira left the court, stepping out into the outer courtyard. Lord Hong and Sayuri guarding her back as the royal bureau officers scattered around them. Almira paid no mind to the surprised palace staff and guards as she headed for the main gates.

Earlier in the day, she had ordered Lord Hong to take in as many people as the palace could hold. She hoped the war would end fast, but could not be sure. The rest found shelter in the streets close to the palace with Lord Hong’s bureau officers making patrols.

Almira paused at the official palace gates, her heart heavy. She wanted to protect every citizen in the Capital, but couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep the Palace impenetrable. Looking at the three men who opened and closed the gates morning and evening, she gave them a nod.

“Your Majesty,” Old Man Teng Heim said, coming up behind her, having emerged from the palace kitchens where he liked it best.

“Will this work, even after so many years?” she asked as the heavy gates rolled closed.

“The Palace is a well-oiled machine,” Teng Heim grinned. “Your majesty’s officials keep their workers on the move. I would hope those assigned to the great labyrinth below would have kept to their duties. If not, then this old man will have to eat his words.”

“One would hope,” Almira said, gripping her sword tighter.

She gave the path to the palace one last glance. This siege with Namik was not about the people, it had never been about the people. Namik wanted to rule, Lexin City would remain standing, as it was the crown jewel of the Empire, the capital of the empire.

No, what Tailen and Namik wanted was her and her power. She would keep control as long as she kept Namik from entering the palace. Shielding the palace meant she was making a choice to wait for Yoshi. Without him, unlocking the shield she would raise would be very difficult. They could all starve to death in here, depending on how long the war lasted.

The alternative, however—

The gates locked closed and Almira walked to the old pillar holding the main gates on the right. With her bloody sword held to the side, she stood before the tall pillar, its surface intricately carved with waves of water. Teng Heim had shown her the hidden slot the day before. At the time, she had difficulty finding it, but now, it was all she could see.

“Your Majesty,” Teng Heim prompted her. “The mechanism is full proof, but you must make the first step.”

“Yes.”

Almira took a step back and lifted her sword. With determination, she sunk her sword into the pillar, and was surprised when the tip sunk into the stone with no difficulty. She fed the sword in until it was half-way, then stepped back when the mechanism took over, turning the sword clockwise in rapid motions.

The palace grounds shuddered under the onslaught of great tremors. Almira gasped in wonder as smooth metal rose up the outside of the palace walls. The color of silver blades shaped into great leaves of a lotus flower, rising high into the sky then sliding to lock into place each one over the other, until they rested high above the palace walls, enclosing them in. They left a small narrow space at the top for daylight and rain, or fresh air.

“That hole can be used against us, with the right archer,” Almira noted.

“Perhaps, if they manage to gauge its existence. Only one who is inside can see it, and as the shield has not been used in this era, I doubt there is one who knows.”

“What if they dared to climb the shield on the outside?” Almira asked, her hands folded behind her back.

“The surface is too smooth to allow climbing, the curve to steep to allow any man to safely crawl without falling.”

Almira nodded. She hoped Yoshi would reach them soon. He was the only one with the key now. The only one to set them free of this absolute protection.

“Your Majesty,” Lord Hong said.

“Yes, Lord Hong.”

“We should complete the rest inside court,” he said. “Now that Minister Won is idle, perhaps he might lend a hand with interrogation and punishment of the prisoners?”

Almira stared up at the sky.

“Yes, you are right. All we have now is time to clean house. Do let’s enjoy the air for a bit, then we can go back to deal with the stench in court. Teng Heim, tell me, what’s good to eat in the kitchen?”

Teng Heim chuckled beside her.

“Her Majesty is hungry?”

“I haven’t eaten much lately. Too afraid of poison.”

“Well, that is not good. I can make you rice porridge to ease your stomach first,” Teng Heim started. “We will add some pickled cabbage with red spice to the side, and fruit….

***

"Princess Naria," Lord Heloth, Earith's General, rushed into her tent, his tone urgent. "Something is happening at the palace. We cannot explain it."

Panic seized Naria for a second.

Had Namik found a way to enter Lexin City and move on the palace? She had worked so hard to occupy his attention.

Grabbing her spyglass, Naria hurried out after Lord Heloth.

Her Furian sisters and the majority of the Earith army soldiers were staring down below at the capital from the small hill they were using to hide their base. Naria

hurrried to the front, and brought the spyglass to her eye, her gaze on the palace. The Imperial Palace was built high in the middle of the capital. Despite the city's

main walls, on a beautiful day, the white walls of the palace gleamed in the morning sun, majestic and untouchable. A beacon to all who lived in the empire. The true

seat of power.

Naria bit her lip watching silver metal slide along the walls of the palace into a dome. The sound of their movement loud and frightening. Naria smiled for the first time in days, as the silver metal clicked into place, creating an impenetrable shield around the palace.

"My Lady?" Heloth was studying her, confused.

"Nothing to worry about," Naria dropped her hands and stood on the hill, taking a deep breath. "We can finally meet Namik full on with no fear."

"Should we worry for the Empress?" Heloth asked, his gaze returning to the palace.

"No. The Empress is safe within the shield. She is taking the palace out of the board. No one can gain access unless they know the secrets to that shield. I believe the shield was last used during Emperor Vulan's youth, before Almira was born. None remain outside the palace who know that shield's secrets. We are to focus on Namik."

"And Lexin city?" Heloth asked.

"For the shield to be up, the Empress has made arrangements for the people, so they will not be in harm's way. No one wants to damage the Capital anyway,"

Naria said. "Least of all Namik who wants to rule."

Heloth nodded in satisfaction.

"The Prince should have arrived by now."

"Yes, which makes us late," Naria said, excitement racing through her. "It's time to march forward and corner Namik with his own plot."

***