The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

The Summer Palace

They set off for Askoflin, the Summer Palace, in the afternoon. The pace was slow, even so, the horses were still sweating, their coats sheening in the sunlight. Despite the heat, Teal took the opportunity to drink in more of the city.

The buildings they passed were different to the ones when the Emperor had taken him out for a run through the forest. On that day, they had passed what Teal believed had been more of a residential area. Today's journey took them down wider roads that were lined with large buildings and protective tall walls that wound the perimeter of the premises. These buildings inside, towered several floors high, and Teal marvelled at the decorations on their half-hipped roofs.

For the most part, there were few people on the roads save for the occasional people in shaded alleyways. In this district of the city, Teal noted that the people he did see, were sharply dressed and walked with purpose. Still, when their eyes fell on the Emperor and his procession, they stopped in their tracks and kowtowed on the road.

After an hour, the city that sprawled up and down the coastline fell away and they were soon following a dirt path into the forest. Again, Teal's shoulders relaxed instantly. A smile came to his lips; nature really was his best friend. Birds thrived in the treetops and monkeys jumped from branch to branch above their heads.

Teal's evening with the Emperor and the Empress remained poignant in his thoughts as well. The touches, sensations and sounds of that night came in constant flashes where he was instantly taken back to it all. Overwhelmed, Teal didn't know if it was the influence of the Empress and his first sexual experience with a woman, or the fact that for the first time ever, he had been intimate with the Emperor. Both were radical concepts to digest.

Teal wished the Empress was with them, but the discomfort of travel and the danger of premature labor, was not going to allow for it. His eyes flickered to Delba momentarily, but he shunned that thought away. While alluring, he still found her dangerous. Lana was certainly more amenable but unfortunately, he noted, not currently on a horse with them.

He turned in his saddle and found Jale analyzing him. It must have been obvious his attention and gaze had fallen to Delba a couple of times. Teal tried to hide the smile that was tugging at his lips. The haughty almost indignant look on Jale's face was something he would not forget. With the way Jale's body looked on the back of his horse, strong and broad shouldered, Jale had nothing to worry about.

Teal was also delighted that Satner had been ordered to join the party who had left the palace. He was to be the head of security at the Summer Palace while they were there. Galton would also be present but as a long-standing friend of the Emperor, it would be his annual break, and he would be allowed to be present in a less than official capacity. It was for that reason, Satner was not free for idle chatter. He was on duty, in charge, and conducted himself in a manner that let everyone know just that.

Askoflin didn't disappoint. Perched on the side of a cliff face, it was high enough for its balconies to be on the same level as the tallest treetops, when down below water from a river split into two waterfalls and fell on either side of the small palace. Above, Jale explained, a river split in two creating two waterfalls that cascaded around both sides of the core building.

Due to its location, it was a small palace housing only several rooms for sleeping, a dining room, and a group entertainment area that had a balcony overlooking the waterhole below. Teal was amazed to find that the large balcony area even included a private rock bath and shower area. The size of the palace and its minimal staff however, did not affect its grandness. Marble walls and floors covered every inch, and the furniture was luxurious and plentiful. The caravans and horses were camped out a short distance away, the last approach to the palace conducted on foot.