KINGSLAYER

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Act 3 Chapter 125
JAYLAH

Jaylah did not stop Zensa from proceeding to her room. Instead, she bid her goodnight and headed the opposite way. According to Antinoch's summons, the Prince of Tilana had just arrived and she would not keep him waiting.

Antinoch joined her just before they reached the main entrance, where hurried Oceanic voices were floating from. The front doors had been thrust open, allowing Jaylah a clear sight of the small entourage of soldiers preceding their Prince. They wore uniforms of rich purple and were each fitted with flat plated armor that shone with the last gleam of sunset. She stood in the center of the steps as they parted to reveal Sozen Asaka himself.

At the base of the few flat stairs, he bent in a straight-backed bow. She took in the golden geometric designs that covered his black tunic-like overcoat. It fit him smugly and nearly brushed his black boots. The sleeves of it were wide and sweeping as he bent an arm across his chest to denote his respect.

"Please," she said as he straightened and fixed assessing black eyes upon her. "Come in. I have several topics I wish to broach with you, and I suspect you would like a hot meal after your days at sea."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, and strode up to walk at her side through the foyer. His men remained apart from Jaylah's, a clear split between royal purple and navy blue. Such a rich purple in abundance was odd to see due to the scarcity of dyes in the west. The King adorned his men in it as a subtle display of wealth.

"I am very pleased to see you arrived here well, especially on such short notice. I hope the trip was not too far out of your intended path."

"No," he said as their soldiers wordlessly formed a barrier from curious courtiers on either side, "the moment you expressed your desire to meet with me, I felt inclined to alter my route. I am adamant upon being amicable with the rulers of our neighboring nations, as I believe harmony is becoming increasingly sparse."

She knew what Sozen meant: he saw the way she had conflicts brewing on two fronts and wanted nothing to do with it. But he also had chosen to come to her rather than Ermalai or the Kalingi. She would be sure he would put her before them if enough pressure was applied.

Sozen did not wear a crown like the one Jaylah wore, but rather had on a traditional headpiece that fanned out of his sleek topknot. They strolled past a series of windows that allowed the sun's final light to glow across his diplomatically expressionless face. Dusk had arrived. If Ermalai had luck on his side, the ambush on Zensa was occurring right now.

"I feel the same way, as I believe the King does as well. He expressed as much to my father after the Red War." She folded her hands. "How has he been? Amidst all the recent preparations, the last news I heard was the festival thrown in honor of his birthday."

"It appears I have forgotten to congratulate you on your engagement to Czarevich Adrik," he said, which she accepted. "My father has been well as of late. I am more than happy to take some of the load of ruling off his shoulders, but he is still the proud man he has always been."

"My," she remarked, "you must have a truly busy schedule balancing that with studying for the Jeku." The Jeku was the test anyone who wished to become King upon the death of the previous ruler were required to pass. It was notoriously near-impossible to complete, much less pass, so candidates studied for decades in preparation. Anyone could take it and become King regardless of whether they were in the previous royal family or not, but the nature of the exam's questions rooted out those unable to shoulder the responsibility of delegation. 

Jaylah did not like the idea. Tilanic rulers worked tirelessly for their crowns, which they only owned for a few decades if they were lucky. All she had to do was be blessed by the Gods enough to inherit it.

"It is not so bad. The Jeku will be difficult, but it is rewarding to constantly expand one's mental horizons."

"Wisely said." When she waved her hand, her nails were a flash of reflective gold. "The conference chamber is just ahead. I apologize for the long walk."

"It merely allows me to sate my curiosity of Oceanic architecture. How different it is from cities back home. I have never seen such complex infrastructure before." To mark his point, he glanced up at the painted ceiling. The profile of his face looked as if it had been finely chiseled from stone. "Those are the work of the famed Nestoras, I believe."

"You would be correct. I am endlessly glad my ancestor saw his talent, for these halls would not be half as iconic without it."

Her mind was not on the conversation at all. Only one more corner...

There was the low hiss of a woman's voice and then it was in view: three men dressed in all black with their blades against Zensa's white throat. In the scuffle, her long overcoat had fallen, revealing the tattoos spiraling up her arms.

Sozen immediately went rigid. "Wuhan Zensa?" His lips parted in stunned recognition.

Jaylah gave the Navrikan mercenaries an unkind smile.

Zensa took advantage of their momentary shock and grabbed the closest one by the throat to snatch his dagger from his fingers. With her hand on his skull, she smashed it against the wall. Only once. He went limp as red peppered the marble. When the other two whipped around to run, Zensa prepared to give them the same fate, but Jaylah directed her soldiers to stop them. It was over in a matter of seconds.

"We only need one alive," she mused. "Put the other on his knees and let her do as she wishes."

The soldiers dragged away the lucky mercenary while the other shrieked for them to come back. Zensa looked down her nose at him with no mercy. His scream fell short as she wrenched his head to the side. His neck snapped.

"Wuhan Zensa," Sozen said again, breathy as if it had been knocked from his lungs. "It truly is you."

Zensa straightened. Blood speckled her arms. "I no longer use my father's family name."

Sozen stepped forward as if in a trance. The length of his overcoat made it seem like he barely floated above the ground. He dwarfed Zensa, but she still stared up at him with cool superiority. "I thought we would never see you again—you simply left. We had no idea if you were safe or not, but here you are."

"You know very well why I left, cousin." Her tone was flat. "Everyone heard about what a disgrace to your father's family I was. My own mother called me a whore in gossip to her courtiers for being impregnated by a commoner and suggested I get rid of my mistake."

"Your mother no longer resides in Chi Lading," Sozen was quick to clarify. "She was the disgrace to our family name. Everyone else has missed you dearly." He took ahold of her hands, not minding how gory they were. "Where is the child? I wish to meet them."

Jaylah's stomach sank at the way Zensa's throat bobbed. She swallowed her emotion and said in that same terribly even voice, "She did not make it." Her eyes finally darted away. "It was likely the stress I put myself through while running away."

"I see..." His hands clenched around hers. There was nothing for him to say to rectify her loss.

Zensa looked past him to Jaylah. "You knew."

"I have eaten with you several times. Only those trained in royal court etiquette know the correct utensils to use for each course." Her eyes dropped to Zensa's tattoos, which she usually covered for good reason. "And firebirds are the ancient symbol of the House of Asaka."

When Sozen turned to her, the family resemblance was visible: they owned the same full lips, the same solemn eyes. "Who attacked her and why."

"It was the Navrikans." The answer was ready on her tongue. "Likely sent by my father-in-law. He will do anything to overpower me." Her eyes shifted meaningfully to Zensa. "Even murder my companions in cold blood."

Surprise flickered across Sozen's face before morphing into rage. He was most terrifying when it receded into glacial impassivity. "Take me to him."

Jaylah struggled to appear shaken. "Gladly."