The Third Crossing

21. The Archmage

Kungwan was almost done writing his last letter when knocks sounded on his door. After jotting down the last line, he put it in an envelope, sealed it, and slipped it into the drawer of his desk, alongside the two dozen envelopes with the same message he had been writing for an hour. He knew how hard it was to make a decision like abandoning your homeland, which was more of abandoning your faith. Not everybody would follow him to Gorania now. Some would without hesitation because they believed in their Archmage. Others would need more time to ponder the facts and decide. For those, he had written these letters.

"Come in," Kungwan shouted, and at once, Jihoon pushed the door open and scurried to the desk Kungwan was sitting behind.

"Imperial guards, Kungwan Sen," Jihoon began, his eyes betraying his worry. "They stormed Sun Castle without informing us. We heard them say they were headed to the Portal Yard."

The imperial guards' sole job was to protect the Emperor. Seeing them outside the Imperial Palace was a rare event. What game was being played? A few days ago, the Emperor had sent his snake to investigate the recent incidents, and today, his dogs? This is Hanu's doing.

"Summon every Red Cloak in the castle to the Portal Yard." Kungwan pushed to his feet and stalked past Jihoon toward the door.

"We are not fighting the imperial guards, are we?" Jihoon asked, catching up with Kungwan at the corridor outside the office.

Kungwan hoped they wouldn't have to do that. Not on the eve of their escape. "Just be ready."

Jihoon went the other way to see to his master's orders. Kungwan himself, rushing through the hallways and down the stairs, urged every mage he ran into to join him. When he reached the Portal Yard, he was leading a squad of seven Red Cloaks against two dozen imperial guards under the command of his old friend Wei.

"What is happening, Wei Sen?" Kungwan asked firmly, eyeing the imperial guards who were hammering silver plates on the floor.

"Kungwan Sen." Wei inclined his head toward the Archmage, and then he gestured for his old friend toward the corridor behind him. "Why don't we talk elsewhere?"

"I'm not going anywhere before you order them to stop," Kungwan pointed at Wei's men. "Or I shall stop them myself."

"Kungwan Sen," Wei called out flatly. "All of these men look up to you. You won't make them watch their role model disobey the Emperor's orders."

Nonsense! Wei might fool anybody with this farce, but not Kungwan. Leaning forward, he whispered into Wei's ear, "You mean Hanu's orders?"

"She is acting on the Emperor's delegation to oversee the investigations," Wei justified, his voice low. "You do not question His Radiance's choice, do you?"

Kungwan heaved a sigh, staring at Wei's open hand. His friend's offer of resuming this conversation somewhere else was still standing.

Without saying a word, Kungwan walked Wei to the nearest unoccupied room, which happened to be a small chemistry lab. After slamming the door closed, Kungwan snapped, "This is becoming unacceptable, Wei. Your men can't just storm the castle without even notifying me!"

"You seem to forget how things are run here, Kungwan." Wei's voice was suddenly harsh, unlike the reserved tone he had used a few minutes ago in the Portal Yard. "Those men belong to the Imperial Guard. They answer to no one but His Radiance."

What Wei stated was the law, but Kungwan was talking about the norm. Out of respect, he expected a different kind of treatment. A treatment befitting his status as the most eminent mage in the Koyan Empire.