The Jade Palace was redolent of crimson cinders. Ash piled around the gates while water dripped into the sand. The fire that broke out painted the brilliant palatial residences of color black. Smoke emerged from several buildings and filled the country’s blue skies. Laoyuang guards hurried to and fro, salvaging whatever could be recovered from the discolored edifices. Ayai sauntered through the destruction towards what would be the Xinggong Imperial Library. The façade of the library had its transom window shattered, the head of the doors collapsed to the ground. She unsheathed her sword and slashed the entrance open. Books were turned brown on the shelves. Some shelves had snapped as hundreds of tomes were spilt to the floor like a frozen sandfall. Ayai went to the exact place where she kept her draft of the Máak dictionary. Sandwiched between two blackened books was a manila folder. She pulled it from the shelf and dusted off all the ash. One of the corners was burnt, but nevertheless it was still intact. The taped label on the folder read ‘Mǎkè Cídiǎn’. She tore it off, and now it read ‘Desert Company’. Ayai checked the contents of the folder, and her dictionary draft and Izato files were safely intact.

“The folder is safe.” She turned around to see Zhen in the doorway of the ruins. “Do you have the briefcase?”

“Of course. Quite the boon thou hast applied to that folder. Surviving a fire is a big deal for those parchments.” He brought out the case as Ayai walked up to him. He took the manila folder and slipped it into the briefcase, locking it twice and chanting a spell. “If we wish to unlock the receptacle again, then it shall require the strongest of emotions.”

“Tch…” Ayai stared at him, her eyes dead. Zhen slowly brought the receptacle to his side.

“What is it?”

“Don’t ever call a briefcase a ‘receptacle’ ever again.”

“Hm? Did I not phrase myself correctly? If so, what is the correct term?”

“Nevermind.”

Together they exited the defunct Xinggong Imperial Library, as the morning sun lightened the palace’s once jade glow. Sentries stood at the Meridian Gate and saluted the two. Ayai looked at the vista over the vast stairs, the golden glare of the sun reflecting off her hair. Zhen stopped beside her.

“Gong Dongye. Captain Yulduz says it will take around an hour to disembark his ship. Before that, I shall reassure my country’s people.” He spoke solemnly, viewing the same view she did.

“Do you expect me to stop you? You and your father must calm the nation, after all the Crown Prince is leaving them for some time.”

“Huh…” He scratched his chin, as a subtle grin came across his face.

“What?”

“‘Tis be the sign of the times! Gong Dongye acknowledged me for the first time in two years!”

Ayai quickly glanced at him with widened eyes, before looking away. “So you are a Laoyuang. And that is your title.”

“Yes, I am the Crown Prince.” He chuckled softly, holding his stomach. “That aside, I shall go. Everyone else is in the Al-Bashwa Hôtel, including Mister Xiong and Kwa. Captain Yulduz and his crew are currently on the docks. As such thou mayst go anywhere with carte blanche.”

Ayai bowed to him lightly. “Understood.”

“Also.”

“What?”

“From now on please don’t bow and say ‘understood’ to my presence ever again. We are equals, are we not?”

“Tch. Your humor is dead.”

Zhen waved with a smile, ignoring her comment. “Stay safe and maintain vigilance, Gong Dongye.”

They split off as they walked down the stairs. Ayai stormed off as she tightened her fist, thinking about what Zhen said to her. She decided to go straight to the hôtel first. Entering through the sliding doors, politicians and Laoyuang staff crowded the lower lobby. Makeshift cubicle curtains were arranged in several rows, as many medics dealt with severe and minor burns alike.

Across the marble path lined with carpets and lamps, Ayai spotted ‘Mister’ Xiong from the rest. In the bodyguard’s arms was Kwa.

“Miss Xiong. Do you know where Her Royal Highness Hojun might be?” Ayai came forward and kneeled down towards Kwa.

“We’ve received word that Her Royal Highness and Jorge Tarique are down by the pier, Gong Dongye.” Miss Xiong took off her cap, brushing her hair. “It’s cold out there.”

“By the pier? Where have they been?”

“Want to go ask them together?” Miss Xiong raised a finger. “I have nothing to do here, so I might as well.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be accompanying him?”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

She titled his head, while Kwa played with her hand. “Him? Oh, m’lord? He’s already going to be accompanied by his father’s guards, so I’m not needed.”

Ayai and Miss Xiong guided Kwa towards the entrance. Suddenly Miss Xiong was being tugged slightly. She turned to the child with a light voice.

“What’s wrong, Kwa?”

Ayai looked to see Kwa reaching out for her own hand, which was out of his reach. She sighed and stretched out her arm. “Koj puas xav tuav kuv txhais tes?”

“Tau kawg!” He gleefully grasped Ayai’s hand. Now he held Miss Xiong’s hand on his right, and Ayai’s on his left.

“Ya, he speaks in your language…” Miss Xiong gawked with her other hand over her mouth. “Do you even know how Zhen managed to find this little guy?”

Ayai took a closer look at the child herself. Kwa seemed to be a regular Žongren child. Perhaps not, given that the child was now speaking Máak. Other than that, she didn’t really know the origins. Zhen had given Kwa to her when he was little over two years old. The child’s development was stunted, given that he was mute for a while until recently. More progress than what Kwa was now.

“Kwa has some spunk, I’ll give him that. He has the former champion of the Dineh Kazaàd on one arm and a female bodyguard on the other.” Ayai closed her eyes and put one hand under her chin.

Miss Xiong’s head pivoted almost immediately to her. “I am Laoyuang Zhenbyoung’s bodyguard, and I’m not here to protect some child assigned to you!”

Kwa pulled Miss Xiong’s hand and she moved along with him. But when he tugged on Ayai’s hand, she didn’t move an egem.

“Uh, Gong Dongye?... It wouldn’t hurt to go along with it once in a while.” Miss Xiong gave a sour face.

“Do you expect me to be moved when someone with insignificant weight tries to jerk me?” Ayai sighed, before realizing her words. “Not that I’m mocking Kwa or saying that I’m heavy…”

“So m’lord was right in describing you as that Azu term. A ‘tsundere’.”

“Tch. I’ll hit you.”

Miss Xiong went along forward with Kwa, dragging them both along with a sarcastic grin. “Okay, okay, let’s actually exit the lobby first.”

The Laoyuang docks were void of any idle crowd. The dry sea wind blew across the cold waters, stinging Ayai’s eyes. Stagnant ships aimlessly bobbled up and down, while others moored into the pier with a hissing crackle. The sun came alive from the horizon a while ago, now beginning to reach into the blue sky.

In the midst, the large ship in the pier seemed the busiest. Captain Yulduz sent out directives frequently, pointing with his fingers and yelling at his fellow sailors and workers among the vessel. Next to him, Hojun and Jorge stood outlooking the sea. Ayai with Kwa, and ‘Mister’ Xiong walked over to them.

“It’s been a minute, miss.”

Hojun and Jorge turned towards them. She held her hand over her chest. “Ah, Ayai. I’m sorry to have left so suddenly when this deliberate act was committed.”

“Nevermind apologizing… Where were you and Jorge when it happened?” Ayai shook her head, before asking solemnly.

“The politics in Silla have made the situation a bit…. Difficult.” Hojun scratched her head while hanging her head low. “The Sillan fleet is currently preparing to sail over here for me, and I must deal with them now.”

“Your father again?”

“Yes. He’s discontent with my lingerance in As-Z̆onghu̐a. I heard the operation to the Peninsula is beginning to fall into place, so I’ll be taking my lead as the Izato Rearguard.” She stood straight and gave a gesture of respect.

Ayai recalled the official names in the documents about the plan, and saluted her. “We understand. Safe travels, Hojun. The Izato Head and Izato Vanguard will disembark today on this chilly morning.”

“I wish to all of us, that our goals be fulfilled.”

Hojun and Jorge bowed their heads, before heading back up the docks. It wasn’t known whether they’d see them again after a long time. Ayai confronted the captain of the ship she had hired, while he was untying a rope down.

“Captain Yulduz. When do you think we’ll depart?”

He finished untying a rope down, his muscles flexing through his sleeves. “With my crew and I, we can leave as early as right now. But we are waitin’ for everyone and His Royal Highness Laoyuang Zhenbyoung to be here at the wharf.”

They both gazed out onto the ocean. Dark clouds buzzed in the distance, with the sunlight barely breaking through the clouds on the horizon.

“The sandstorm is passing through from the southeast.” Captain Yulduz cleaned his rough hands. “We’re lucky we’re leaving this early. Any later and this city’ll face the brunt of it before we can even get off port.”

‘Mister’ Xiong tapped Ayai’s shoulder, followed by Kwa. “Gong Dongye, His Royal Highness has arrived, along with Hou Yizi and the others.”

Hou Yizi was Izdaha Saya. The whole lot of them marched onto the docks carrying various traveling bags and leather containers. Zhen and Izdaha were first, and then there came Suruj and Tvuj, along with a couple of people with green bandanas around their sleeves.

“Has everyone gathered thy portmanteau?” Zhen waved his hand as he inspected the ship and the rest of Izato. Ayai held the urge to say, ‘Don’t ever call a suitcase a ‘portmanteau’ ever again’. The Crown Prince was just a dunce at speaking normally, at least in her eyes.

A bell reverberated. Everyone turned to the ship. The captain ran across the gangplank, pulling some of the luggage across.

“All aboard! We’ll be leavin’ as soon as everyone’s bags are in!”

Captain Yulduz’s grand vessel, the ‘Songha-Lia’. It rocked back and forth gently as people walked the bridge across. A baochuan-class ship, its nine masts and twelve square sails begged eagerly to be set free. A horizontal windmill sat across the main mast. Yulduz’s crew of fifty helped haul cases into the ship, aiding the boarding of their Izato passengers.

Crossing over the gangplank, Ayai made her way on the deck towards the forecastle. Soon no one was left on the pier except for men untying more ropes.

She heard Captain Yulduz’s voice from the quarterdeck. “Anchors aweigh! Release the sails! We’ll beat that sandstorm northeast to Shikot!”

Two chains grinded against the ironclad hull on each side. Men pulled on ropes, and the twelve sails rotated sideways, their junk rigs jerking the boat forward slightly. A blue flag flew on the mainsail.

Ayai gazed out onto the ocean ahead of them. It was time. Now that the ship hastily disembarked from the docks, there was no going back. Izato was going to accomplish their main goal. A trip to the Twintail Peninsula, to Shikot. Their first step in finding that man, Thiệu Addja.

“We… Izdaha and Toya, Izato, swear to fulfill our goal.”