The Last Dahlia

040

Sheng Yun picked up the key, flipping it back and forth between her slender fingers.

"I've not seen it before, but I think I know what it's for," she said, setting it back down. "Besides the mechanism to open the stairway to Wan Jue's tomb, the marble statue of the tiger inside the astrology vault hides a second secret. If you look closely enough, you'll be able to see a circular line midway up the tiger's back where the marble's been cut through before and then replaced. In the centre of that is a small key hole. This key might well fit in there."

"There's a hidden compartment in the tiger?" Yuehwa frowned. "Why hasn't anyone tried to pry it open? Or smashed the statue to retrieve what's inside?"

"These contraptions usually include a mechanism that will destroy whatever's contained within if it is forcibly removed. In the absence of a key and a sure way of disabling the mechanism, none of the previous chief astrologers have dared make an attempt, in fear of losing something of unimaginable value to the kingdom."

Yuehwa scowled when she heard the patronising explanation, silently chiding herself for not thinking of it earlier. "Feng sure likes to hide a whole bunch of secrets," she said. The words sounded terribly sour, but she couldn't care less. She had to admit that Sheng Yun was useful to have around, but that knowledge did nothing to make her like the woman any better. Like the numerous puzzles littered all over her astrology building, Sheng Yun was an enigma. She could not read the woman's true intentions and she did not trust them, whatever they were.

"Our top priority is to find a way to cure Prince Baixun of his affliction, else it will be difficult for us to turn the current narrative around," Shoya said. "At the same time, I'll send some men to investigate the situation with Dahai."

"Do you think the king's shamans are responsible for the dark magic? For my brother's death?" Yuehwa asked, the muscles in her fingers tensing at the thought of this possibility. All evidence seemed to point towards the Dahai palace, but while the king could have been responsible for the explosions that had caused the collapse of the tunnels in an attempt on their lives, it was less certain whether or not he was also behind the sleeping draught or the supposed creatures that had attacked Baixun and Maroo.

"The shamans of Dahai do not have those abilities. Their spells and rituals have no effect on anything," Sheng Yun replied in her usual know-it-all way.

"What about their bronze guardsmen then?" Yuehwa retorted.

"The dark magic in the talismans of the bronze guardsmen is a relic left behind from the Wudi empire that merely happened to find itself in the hands of the Dahai royal family. Beyond that, there is no evidence that the shamans can wield any actual magic."

"Just because you don't know of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Yuehwa felt her temper flare as she stared down the placid expression of the chief astrologer.

Shoya reached over and placed his hand over hers, and she froze at the unexpected contact. The fire inside her quelled a little. She noticed Sheng Yun's gaze rest upon their joined hands momentarily, before shifting away and towards the open window and her beloved night sky instead.

"We'll get to the bottom of it. Even if the king of Dahai is not directly involved in the use of dark magic, I don't think he's completely innocent either. It's very likely that he knows the person behind all this," Shoya said.

"But Your Highness, are you sure you want to take the crown prince back to the capital? If anyone finds out that we have him, would that not also be detrimental to us?" Governor Wen asked, rubbing his temples wearily. "If you are worried that the king of Dahai will harm him, we could have him escorted back to the Gi palace directly."