The Power and the Glory

Book 3 Chapter VI: The Good Doctor

~~~~

It had been over fifty years since Mirio last visited the Dragon Palace. Very few of the buildings had changed. There were a handful of new faces among the ministers and a few alterations in his uncle's family. He kept up a running mental commentary on all the differences he spotted.

As he climbed out of the carriage he glanced around at the bowing politicians. Minister Xiao is fatter than ever. Minister Peng still looks like a weasel. Is that Minister Zhu? Whatever happened to his hair?

On the way up the stairs into the throne room he thought, Something must have happened here. Those are scorch marks on the stone.

When he got into the throne room he took note of his cousins. Zi Yi and Zi Xian are ignoring each other. Zi Su is smiling; he must be up to something. Zi Qing has been drinking. Zi Yang looks so miserable she must have been forced to attend at knife-point. Zi Guang isn't here at all. Zi Zhen looks like he's half-asleep. Zi Ming is bored out of his mind. Zi Yao is...

His thoughts screeched to a halt when he saw the person standing behind his youngest cousin. The royal court of Gengxin contained many strange and colourful characters, but this was the first time he'd ever seen a Saoridhin dressed in Gengxinese clothes attending an official event.

The stranger stared right at Mirio. His eyes were unusually large even for a Saoridhin and the colour of silver. Not like Abi's eyes, which were a shade of silver that was closer to pale bluish-grey, but pure silver like the metal. The effect was extremely eerie and almost frightening.

Feeling absurdly rattled, Mirio looked away from the stranger as he greeted his uncle and cousins. Then there was the exchange of gifts, the polite enquiries after the health of the absent Second Prince, the offering of condolences on the death of the Crown Prince, and finally the announcement of an official banquet which would begin in an hour. Mirio was already mentally calculating if it would be possible to take a bath as well as change his clothes in that hour.

Through the entire lengthy ceremony the foreigner never left Zi Yao's side. When at last Zi Yao grew fidgety and was dismissed, the foreigner accompanied him out of the throne room. Mirio noticed several of his cousins watching their departure with barely-veiled dislike. He couldn't think of any reason they would dislike Zi Yao so much -- it wasn't as if such a young boy could have done anything to earn their enmity -- so he could only assume they disliked the foreigner.

Strange. Very strange.

~~~~

After finishing his ice cream Shizuki wanted to find a bookstore that would have the latest novel in his favourite series.

"Won't your father be worried about you being away for so long?" Irímé asked.

Shizuki shook his head. "He knows I can hide if I have to. And I can bite anyone who won't leave me alone."

Irímé thought of the first assassin. He'd died within half an hour of being bitten by Shizuki and Koyuki. "...Oh."

He checked his watch. There was enough time to do some shopping before the next train was due. So the two of them set off for the town's only bookstore.

Ten minutes later they got on the train with their arms full of books. Not only had Shizuki got the book he wanted, he'd found a dozen more that he hadn't read yet. And since he hadn't any money of his own Irímé had agreed to buy them for him. The only reason they didn't have even more books was that Irímé hadn't brought much money with him.

Irímé was beginning to suspect that Shizuki was taking advantage of an opportunity to get as many books as possible at someone else's expense. At least the novels kept Shizuki occupied for the train journey. Irímé imagined what sort of trouble a bored shapeshifter could cause on a train and was suddenly very glad he'd been talked into buying so many books.

The journey from the train station to Gihimayel Palace was a very uncomfortable one. Fourteen books were heavy. By the time they reached the palace Irímé had stopped being glad about them and was instead thinking some very uncomplimentary things about Shizuki -- and the authors' decisions not to write shorter books.

To his surprise they found Siarvin and Abi standing outside the palace. Abi's eyes were closed. She didn't look round as they approached. Siarvin looked very grim.

"What's happening?" Shizuki asked.

"Necromancy," Siarvin said.

Irímé glared at Abi. "I thought you'd given that up!"

"I have," Abi said without opening her eyes. "There've been... complications. Don't distract me."

What does she mean by complications? Irímé thought, alarmed. That was not a word anyone ever wanted to hear in connection with dark magic.

A terrible screech came from inside the palace, followed by a tremendous crash. Abi's eyes flew open. She swore and cast some sort of spell at the front door. Another crash came from behind it. This time the door shook as if something had struck it with great force.

"What's in there?" Irímé asked nervously. "Abi? Abi, what's making that noise?"

Abi didn't answer. She'd gone very pale. With an unpleasant shock Irímé realised she was holding a magical barrier in place against the door. The sort of barrier that was generally used to keep people out of a place...

Or to keep something in.

Chapter Footnotes:

[1] This system is borrowed from the ranks of an emperor's wives in the harem system of China's Jin dynasty.

[2] According to the Chinese series I've watched, putting "A-" before a name is a way of showing affection in Mandarin. (I know exactly six words of Mandarin so there's a chance I've got this wrong. If you know better, please tell me!)

[3] For immortals being two hundred years old is roughly equivalent to being four or five.