The Blooms of Shenkuu: Legacies

     They had been all over the city, feeling for a trace of her sister’s magic, and found nothing. Tonight was their last chance to find her, and their best chance.

     On the last night of the festival, everyone would be out on the streets, strolling freely and watching thousands of lanterns light up the sky. And the Emperor would open the gates to the palace garden for the public. When the Emperor had unified the warring provinces, he had created the lantern festival as a celebration of peace in the realm. And every year, he would invite the citizens and guests of Shenkuu to visit his gardens to watch the lighting of the first lantern, a symbol of what the new year would bring to its people. It might be a petpet, a flower, or another natural wonder, but whatever it was, it was always beautiful and mesmerizing. One time, a large lotus flower had opened up to reveal a meditating Nimmo wreathed in flame. The Emperor always put on quite a display.

     But tonight, Soratoshi would head to the palace garden not to celebrate, but infiltrate. How a large Eyrie and a faerie were going to sneak past palace guards was a problem that he had no answer for. But if they didn’t find a way, then Aura was determined to go to the Emperor and plead her case, which Sora saw as a situation that would certainly go badly. There was no way the Emperor would believe the wild tales of a faerie and a foreigner over a native Shenkuun lady whose talents he favoured and whom he had known for perhaps decades. Not without proof. And that is something they didn’t have. He could explain about the ship’s malice, but that would only lead to an inquisition about his past which he would rather avoid. He didn’t think the Emperor would take kindly to someone who lied about his identity. No, involving the Emperor was a very bad idea, indeed. But sneaking into the palace seemed fraught. Either way, he was probably doomed.

     He was stewing in these morose thoughts when the Buzz messenger flew up to him. “I have a message for you sir,” he said. “From the palace.”

     Sora took the note from the Buzz. Outwardly, he thanked the boy and ducked into his office. Inwardly, he was seized by dread. Had the Emperor caught wind of his plan somehow? Was it his spy that overheard their conversation that night?

     He opened the letter, which was written on pale pink paper, and smelled like cherry blossoms. He read:

     To honourable Harbormaster Soratoshi sir,

     Greetings. This letter is from a friend. I cannot reveal my identity now in case this letter is seen. Meet me at the South side entrance to the palace grounds tonight at twilight, just before the festival. Bring your friend. I think I have found what you’re looking for. Please trust me. I’ll be waiting for you there.

     Yours in friendship,

     A mysterious someone

     Soratoshi dropped his shoulders, feeling relieved it wasn’t the Emperor asking for his head. But it was very strange, regardless. How could he trust this ‘mysterious someone’ wasn’t just another spy, luring Aura into a trap? Was this ‘friend’ the same pet that had been sneaking about his rooftop, or another, separate party? Clearly, there was something bigger at play here. But what choice did he have? His ‘plan’ to infiltrate the castle was basically nonexistent, after all. He didn’t see any other way about it. He’d have to keep his wits about him, and venture once more into the unknown. A sword would be nice. Unfortunately, all non-palatial soldiers were banned from carrying weapons. Well, it wasn’t the first scuffle he’d entered into with just his brawn, beak and claws. He grimaced, feeling a kind of phantom pain where his wing had been. And look how well that had turned out.

     Shaking his head, he decided to set out to do his rounds, and tell Aura of the new plan. It came across his mind, and not for the first time, that being blessed by a faerie maybe wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

     *****

     Just before twilight, Kimi and Lunara snuck down to the South entrance of the palace. At the front of the palace, hundreds of pets were gathering in the gardens, waiting to see the lantern display which would happen just after dark. The princesses only had a short window before they too would be expected to make an appearance at the event, or the Emperor might send guards to look for them.

     They had managed to clear the gates by telling the guard a fib that their father was asking for him to help the lantern artists at the front gate, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d be set straight and sent right back. The girls waited nervously, peering over the gate in turns.

     “What if he doesn’t come?” Lunara asked nervously, tugging at her left ear.

     “Oh, he’ll come. Plus, you wrote such an enticing note, and everyone knows your calligraphy is divine, I’m sure he couldn’t resist.”

     “What if he recognized my penmanship and thought I was up to a silly trick again? Or what if the note was intercepted?”

     Just then, two figures appeared from out of the trees across from the gate. Lunara twisted the large latch and the two of them pulled the heavy gate open to let them in quickly. The big Eyrie pushed the gate closed behind them.

     “The letter didn’t say there would be two of you,” the Eyrie said suspiciously. “Which one of you is the mysterious stranger? Explain yourself, before we go any further. I … Princess Lunara?”

     A wave of recognition came over Sora’s face as he realized who he was talking to. And then he saw the other, lesser-known princess. The Vandagyre. He abruptly bowed deeply. “Forgive my rudeness, I didn’t know to whom I was, er, addressing. Did you write me the note?”

     The Air Faerie had lowered her mask by this point. “Princesses? Pleased to make your acquaintances.” She curtsied. “Thank you for your letter.”

     The princesses looked at the faerie in awe. A real faerie! They both made little bows back and started chattering over each other.

     “Oh I’m so glad you came –”

     “--wasn’t sure you had gotten my letter–”

     “--you’re very pretty–”

     “--I knew you were real–”

     “--didn’t think you’d believe us–”

     The Eyrie looked at the little ladies, and murmured to himself, “I really thought you’d be … taller.”

     But Aura interrupted all the noise as she stripped off her cloak and unfurled her wings. She asked pointedly. “You said you had found my sister. Can you take me to her? Time is running out.”

     That brought them all back to the task at hand.

     Lunara said, “Oh yes. We must hurry. Follow me.”

     Lunara led them around the back of the palace, through a path cloistered between clusters of feather reeds and hairgrass. Sora had to practically crawl to avoid being seen. They crept across a garden near a pond, and finally came to a low window.

     “Everyone is at the festival, so the room is empty, but I can hear a faint heartbeat inside. I think she’s hidden in one of the performer’s travelling trunks, but this is the first time the room has been empty. Let’s go.”

     The Air Faerie flew through the window, and Lunara jumped up and clambered in after her. Kimi nimbly boosted herself off one of the wooden slats and jumped through. The window was too small for Sora. He hunched down between some reeds. “Hurry,” he said. “Shout if you need me.”

     Inside, there were about fifteen travelling trunks stacked in piles around the room. Lunara closed her eyes. “This one,” she said, and moved to a large trunk with ornate metal carvings. It had a silver lock on it.

     “Oh no, now what are we going to do?” Lunara cried.

     “For some reason, I know that we could file through it with a piece of iron or a farm tool, but it will take a long time … or I suppose we could use black powder.”

     Lunara gave her sister a quizzical look. “Black powder? What …”

     The Air Faerie stepped forward. “I think I can be of service here. I just need … ah there.” She brought something out of her pocket that looked like a blue dental floss pick. She pushed it into the lock and began to whisper something. After a few moments, she turned the pick, and the lock sprang open.

     “Faerie magic is weird,” Kimi giggled. Lunara looked at her, incredulous.

     The trunk was filled with mirrors, blushes and other various glamour items. Aura looked devastated. “I can’t feel her,” she said despondently.

     “But I can hear her,” Lunara said. “There’s a heartbeat in this box.”

     “It must be a false bottomed trunk,” Kimi said distantly, without emotion. “Try to find a seam.”

     Lunara and Aura started to feel their way around the sides of the trunk. Finally, they found an edge and managed to pry the top part of the trunk out, revealing a small dark chamber underneath, like the entrance to a small pit. “Whoa, it’s enchanted,” Lunara said in wonder.

     Aura climbed down into the pit, lighting it up with her glowing form. “Leila!” she cried and bent over the slumped form of her sister. “She’s alive,” Aura said. “But she’s weak.”

     Together, Lunara and Aura pulled Leila out of the trunk cell. Leila was barely conscious. “Maybe she needs a doctor,” Lunar said.

     “No, she needs her magic back,” Aura said. “Something or someone has drained her, I can’t feel her magic.”

     “I think it’s time to tell father,” Lunara said. “He has to believe us now. Petals, one of us should go run and fetch him.”

     She turned to her sister, but found a stranger.

     “I’m not Kimi, exactly,” Kimi-not-Kimi said. “But I can help you, I believe.”

     “You’re the one from the stone,” Lunara gasped. “Who are you? What are you? We have so many questions.”

     “And no time to answer them, it seems. I’m a warrior of the Dagger of the Moon. I seem to be in a new body, though. And I seem to be a girl,” the warrior’s cheeks reddened, but he continued. “I am hoping that together, we can all find some answers. But right now, there seems to be a … situation that needs tending to.”

     “Right. We have to get my father.”

     “Wait.” A small, fluttering voice said. It came from Leila. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

     A small blue wisp of cloud was moving from where Aura was holding her sister’s hand, up her arm, and into her chest. “Sister, I’m borrowing a small amount of your magic. I need to tell the princess something urgently. Princess, your city is in danger. The Red Lady plots to break the peace in the land. Her and her spy children have secretly filled the hull of their ship with explosives. They plan to destroy the Emperor’s fleet, and thus his ability to maintain control. The land will return to disparate warring provinces. You must hurry to stop them. There isn’t much time. The ship is a bomb…”

     The tired faerie trailed off.

     Lunara froze, but the spirit of the Dagger spoke without hesitation. “I will go and try to stop the Red Lady, and disaster. You stay here and inform the Emperor. Try to capture the spies, if you can.”

     And with that, the Dagger leapt out of the window. Soratoshi had been listening from outside and was already running as fast as he could back to his Skyport.

     When Sora had been blessed by Leila, feeling elementals wasn’t the only gift he had received. He was also blessed with great haste, which he used to keep up with the whirling Dagger warrior as they hurled themselves through the city streets, and up the long stairway to the docks. But at the entrance, one of Lady Red’s spies was blocking the way. The Mynci held a bow with an arrow notched in it, aimed straight at them.

     The Dagger turned to him. “I’ll stay and draw her fire. You save your fleet, shipmaster.”

     And with that, the little Vandagyre charged up the last few stairs, whipping around in the air, gathering dust and spraying it into the Mynci’s eyes.

     The Harbormaster watched for a dazzling second before he sped toward the Scarlet Mother. She had been untethered, and two of his night guards lay unmoving on the dock. Above him, someone was moving about the deck, and the gangway was creaking, about to give way and fall to earth as the black ship pushed off. Without thinking, he ran up the gangway and launched himself onto the deck. Just as he landed, an Ixi leapt over him in the opposite direction, bounding off to the safety of the docks. “You’re going to go down with your ship, your big brute,” she called after him, mocking his attempt at bravery.

     Sora found himself sprawled on the deck of a ship with fire powder moving swiftly toward the fleet, nestled quietly ahead of him in their hangars. Furthermore, he couldn’t fly back to the safety of the dock either, as he only had one working wing. The other was as useful as costume jewellery. Well, it provided him a counterweight for his missing appendage, but beyond that, it was vanity he strapped on each day. Curses.

     And … blessings. He couldn’t save himself, but maybe he could fulfil his duty. He ran to the bow and reached.

     *****

     The Dagger was the only one who saw the great miracle. He had managed to tie up the sore Mynci with a bit of rope back at the top of the stairs and was about to give chase to a crafty Ixi who was running off into the night, when he felt a powerful rush electrify the air. The night was bright due to the presence of a full moon. What he saw was a dozen massive ships collectively pull themselves from their hangars, and in a coordinated formation that seemed to be as graceful as a flock of Pteris at a flying championship, the ships flew off into the night.

     And in the midst of the empty sky that was now the Skyport, a great fireball exploded in the night, bigger and brighter than any fireworks show that a Lunar festival had ever seen or was likely to again. Thunder boomed through the night, shaking the platform the Dagger stood on.

     And with the night vision of a Vandagyre, Dagger also saw a small black dot fall into the mists. And he made the sign of a fallen warrior.

     *****

     Back at the palace, Lunara had unburdened herself to the Emperor. He had ordered the arrest of Lady Red and all members of the Scarlet Curtain. It was all a terrible ordeal, and he was fearful for his daughter, the princess-not-princess’ safety.

     On the bright side, no one had noticed that the Emperor was neglecting his guestly duties, and a new lantern hadn’t been revealed, stunned as they all were by the impressive Lunar fireworks display. “Like a sun in the night sky,” many had remarked.

     Finally, his daughter/The Dagger (it was all quite confusing) returned to the palace alive and with some good news, the fleet was safe, if scattered to the wind a bit, surely with time and effort the ships would be recovered. It wasn’t good news about the Harbormaster though, she didn’t think the Eyrie had made it off the ship to safety, since he couldn’t fly.

     “He will be remembered as a Shenkuu hero,” the Emperor remarked. “He was a dutiful and honourable man.”

     Then word came. The guards had looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Lady Red, or her troupe. They would continue to spread further out and look on all the roads. It was quite a mystery as to how they could have escaped, seeing as all the exits had been guarded and they had been on palace grounds earlier that evening.

     Princess Lunara grabbed her sister-not-sister, saying, “You won’t remember this, but there’s a secret passage under the palace. Do you think they might have known about it?”

     “If you know of it, it’s possible that anyone does.”

     Lunara and the Dagger hurried off. Sure enough, the door to the passage was ajar.

     “You’re faster than me, and more powerful. But I don’t know how much time we have until you’re just Kimi again.”

     “I will do my best. Where does it lead to?”

     “I don’t know, I’ve never followed it all the way before.”

     “Well then.” And with that, the Dagger started sprawling down the passage in pursuit of his quarry.

     The dagger was in the passage for what felt like hours. Some parts could only be passed through crouched over. Thankfully his new body was very small. He might gain on the enemy.

     Along the way, he found something shimmery and blue on the floor of the passage. It was a kind of glass vial. It looked like magic. The faerie’s magic, perhaps? He put it in his pocket and continued on.

     By the time he reached an exit, and climbed to the surface carefully, the sky was lightening. He saw footprints in the snow on the mountainside. They went in many different directions, to try to confuse him, but he followed the smell of the Ixi he had from the dock. He must not be too far behind.

     He climbed up on some rocks for a vantage point and peered through the thin tree line. Suddenly, the air felt very thin, as if it were vanishing into nothing. The Vandagyre lost her footing and tumbled down the rockside.

     Kimi woke up in the snow with a cut on her head and a sore arm. Vague feelings and memories felt strong for a second, but then vanished as soon as she reached out to them. The last thing she remembered clearly was meeting the air faerie and the Harbormaster at the gate. She hoped everything went well. But if it had, then why was she here? Where was here?

     There was nothing much to tell her location by, but she was way outside the city, in the mountains. And it was snowing, so she must be higher than the city itself. She probably was North of it then. Oh bother. She sat down and clutched the moonstone to her chest, sulking.

     But to her surprise, she wasn’t alone. From somewhere, Chi came walking up to her in the snow, making no marks in the fresh powder. “You are always appearing so mysteriously,” she said to the little petpet. But she was glad to see a friend.

     Chi stopped a few paces from her and sat staring. It felt like he wanted her to follow him. Maybe he knew the way home.

     She got up, and he turned around and started climbing down some slippery rocks and into a copse of trees. There was a kind of shelter, a small gazebo under the trees. On it was a small ceremonial tea platform, and next to it, something wrapped in a kind of ceremonial blanket. With a cry, Kimi fell to the ground. It wasn’t a something, it was a someone. It was the Priestess. She looked like she was sleeping, but Kimi knew the truth. Chi didn’t stop though, he leapt up onto the platform, and sat on the Priestess’s chest, and started to cry. As his tears fell, he looked with shining green eyes into Kimi’s eyes, and she saw the Priestess’s final moments, as if she were living them.

     The tea had gone cold in its pot.

     It was early in the month of Sleeping, and nightfall. But it had been dark for hours - this side of the mountain was almost constantly in shade. She had taken the older, more secret path up the dark side of the mountain as a precaution, even though she knew it wouldn’t save her from what must come.

     She reached inside her pack and pulled out a small tin of sweet rice cakes and set them deftly beside the tea bowls. The silver lining of her holy robes shone in the soft moonlight as she worked, the only light. But she wasn’t frightened. The shadow Xweetok was most comfortable in darkness.

     Chi leapt up onto the rock she was seated on, his green eyes flashing warning. Her guest had arrived.

     From the blackness, “So we meet again, Priestess.”

     “The honour’s all mine. Please enjoy my small tea service. It’s a little cold, for I wasn’t sure when to expect you.” She held out a tea bowl with a steady paw.

     “The fact that you expected me at all is a testament to your great skill.” In a swift motion, the Kyrii leapt onto the rock and landed without a sound. “But do you really greet death as an old friend? Or do you hope to sway me from my bitter task with sweet cakes?”

     She looked at the proffered beverage suspiciously.

     The Xweetok’s face crinkled into a smile. “I wouldn’t use something as low as poison on someone I think of so highly, old friend.”

     “To the legendary Priestess of Shenkuu, then.” The Kyrii put the bowl to her lips and took a small sip. Passing the bowl back, she added, “But we were never friends. Those like us don’t have the luxury. We stand with the highest bidder, mercenaries of the night.”

     The Xweetok held the tea bowl in one hand, and the hilt of her dagger in its sheath in the other. “Oh, I know better than to stand between you and your coin. Remember, I know you like I know my own reflection - we have shared the same path, you and I. We are not each other’s enemies.”

     The Kyrii’s fists clenched inside her metallic claw casings. “You know very well that this is an errand I do for myself. No one pays for our services, not anymore. Haven’t you heard? We are banned from mercenary service; the old networks are broken. Our people have been scattered to the hills, living like peasants. But you, you have chosen to become a stranger to the old ways. You’ve betrayed the order of things and chosen a side, and -” here she paused to scoff at the Priestess’ glittery robe, “all of its – comforts.”

     “You’ve always been made of fire and brimstone, haven’t you, friend? If you look closely, you’ll see it isn’t one side I have chosen, but a new path. A path we have been told all our lives is closed to us.”

     “Ah yes, the warrior puts down her weapons and walks a path of peace. But peace for who, friend?” The word was twisted and sharp, it burned. “We were taught never to choose a side, for no one will be on our side. Would you really die for someone who only values you for your power? You have played your part so well, Priestess, maybe you have fooled yourself. You are no wise woman, no mother. You cannot be both creator and destroyer. Have you forgotten your training? Have you forgotten yourself?”

     “When we were young, we never had a choice. We were only offered one way. Don’t you want all girls to have the choice we never had? You had a family once. You were a wife. Was there nothing there for you but duty?”

     The Kyrii winced. “You sound like you’ve been spending too much time in Fairyland. Maybe once I was something else, someone before all this. But she is gone. There is no escaping one’s destiny … I am nobody’s wife now. Peace for the few always means sacrifice for the many. It’s too bad you want to die for a dream.”

     And with a sudden ferocity of a much younger self, the Kyrii slashed at the Xweetok with her metal claws, taking her by surprise. The Xweetok managed to stagger back and shield herself with her left forearm to avoid a fatal blow, but her arm was slashed.

     Years of training kicked in in an instant. She counterattacked with a low swipe of her dagger, using her slightly smaller stature to weave beneath the Kyrii’s second swipe.

     The Kyrii leapt onto higher and higher rocks, and the Xweetok pursued her up the steep and twisted mountainside. But the Xweetok tired quickly. She began to feel sluggish and finally she couldn’t stand up. Her dagger clattered to the rocks below. Knowing the danger was past, the Kyrii leapt down and kneeled beside her old sparring partner.

     “I’m sorry. Don’t think worse of me. You’ve always been nobler than I. I’m not above cheap tricks if it keeps me alive. The claw blades are poisoned. You will soon pass on to the next realm. You can’t protect your little princesses from their fate. It was a fool’s errand.”

     Out of the dark, her little Chi sprang up and nuzzled his friend’s cold nose. The Xweetok whispered something to him, and then turned to her murderer. “It may be too late for you,” she said softly. “But it’s not over. Stars, help them to bear the parts they will play…” Her voice perished in the black night.

     Angrily, the Kyrii rummaged through the Xweetok’s pockets, looking for something. It had to be here. But all she found was a small package of tea leaves. Something glowed green in the dark. The Quilin stared at her with an admonishing look, like it knew what she was thinking.

     The desperate Kyrii snatched at the little creature, catching it by the tail. It shrieked eerily, and then dematerialized in the mountain air, leaving the frustrated Kyrii with nothing but an empty fist and the echo of its cries.

     Tears ran down the little Vandagyre’s cheeks, but inside there was also the flicker of something more. A kind of flame rose in her heart. She knew that must learn to control her powers, to be ready to fight back. The Priestess had given her the stone, and she would learn its secrets in her memory.

     “Oh Chi,” she cried. “The work of a Princess is never done. In fact, I think mine has only just begun.”

     *****

     “a blushing bud is but a beautiful enemy”

     - old Shenkuun proverb

     *****

     The End.