Closing In

Devil underneath your grin, sweet thing, bet you play to win, heaven gonna hate me

[Not Afraid Anymore: Halsey]

By the time they reached the foothills of Mt Daichi the tension among the Seishi was palpable. Marin was keeping herself at a distance, and it made Daisuke darkly pleased to note that she was avoiding Zifeng as well. His eyes swept over the rest of the Seishi and settled on Zhang Yong up ahead of him.

The boy had to have got the poison from someone. Someone capable of putting their hands on a lethal poison so obscure and hard to come by that it was practically a myth. More importantly, it was someone who had been in contact with Zhang Yong even while he was wandering across four countries with the Priestess and her Seishi. Which meant the Seishi themselves, or… Daisuke focused on Zhang Yong as the boy climbed the path, and he frowned.

The attacks in Qudong had been directed at the Priestess, and had come from Huo Huan, but if Marin's theory was correct then Byakko and Seiryuu, and possibly Genbu, had been out to kill Daisuke and not the Priestess, and that poison had unmistakeably been for him. By Marin's reckoning, most of the threats they'd faced had actually been aimed at Daisuke, and didn't that bring up some interesting ideas. Someone wanted him dead. Someone powerful. Someone, maybe, who could influence the gods. But why?

Around another bend in the path, the trees suddenly opened, and Mt Daichi rose like a dream in front of them.

The landscape stretched above them in great sandstone fingers touched with green that disappeared into the sky far above. Daisuke found himself tilting his head back constantly as he walked, trying to make sense of the dizzying, fragile spires of stone. As they kept climbing, the air grew thin and damp, wisps of mist clinging and drifting away.

Finally, around a turn in the mountain path, a wall of rock rose above them, vast and intimidating, closing out the sky. They came to a stop, staring up at it in silence. The path kept going, and it had been worn smooth by use or by design into something that looked almost like steps, until it disappeared between a huge cleft in the rock like a keyhole into the sky.

Without a word, they shouldered their packs again and began the climb. As they passed under the vast rock arch, Daisuke could see from the faces of his companions that he wasn't the only one feeling daunted. After the dim green of the forests below, the shock of blue when the mountain opened up in front of them was intense. Daisuke felt as though he was perched on top of the stone spires they had been walking under. Mist curled around them, thicker now, leaving the impression that the earth below their path had vanished and they were climbing from one floating island in the sky to another, patches of green and worn rock rising out of the clouds.

The path became smoother, twisting in a narrow ribbon around the side of the mountain and clinging precariously in a way that made Daisuke's stomach drop every time he looked out over the edge. A crude handrail ran alongside the path, rough-hewn branches that someone had lashed together to give the illusion of security as the path became steps that went up steeply in front of them. The rough handrails became stone balustrades carved into exquisite patterns and worn with time that took them across a bridge that seemed entirely too fragile for the vast distance beneath it and led to the solid form of the gatehouse beyond.

The gates stood open. They passed through the tunnel of the monolithic red structure and found themselves at the edge of an immense grey courtyard. Stories of blank shutters in scarlet scrolls and curls closed in the courtyard, but Daisuke's eyes were drawn inevitably to the rising tiers of stone stairs on the other side of the square, and the palace looming above them like the mountain itself.

As they made their way slowly across the stone expanse, Daisuke felt the back of his neck prickle uncomfortably, but there was no sign of life or movement among the heavy balustrades and screens around them.

They were all panting harshly by the time they reached the top of the stairs, and Daisuke glanced behind him at the dizzying view of the steps dropping away and the mountain beyond disappearing steeply into the mist below. When he turned back to look up at the palace in front of them, his head spun with the red and blue and gold splendour that towered over him. He blinked.

"Welcome to the Palace of Purple Tenuity," a soft, musical voice said, and Daisuke took an unwary step backwards in startlement. Zhu Yi caught at him before he could fall backwards down the steep stairs. He was sure that there hadn't been anyone there a moment ago.

Someone giggled, and Daisuke scowled at the tiny little girl who stood in the vast doorway of the palace, swathed in diaphanous pink robes. She covered her mouth with her sleeve, but her eyes twinkled at him as he recovered his balance.

"Please, enter and be welcome," the girl said, and stood aside, bowing low as she ushered them in.

It was hard to not feel intimidated by the immense hall they found themselves in, and Daisuke found himself scowling again. He thought he heard a ripple of childish giggles echoing around them, but when he glanced around there was no one there. His eyes followed the lines of the supporting pillars up into the distant ceiling, tracing the animals that curled and danced around them in colourful carvings. A serpentine tortoise looked as though it was holding up the weight of the whole temple at the pillar's base, and tigers stalked the flirt of a firebird's tail under the imperious stare of a dragon coiling around the girth of the pillar. Daisuke felt like there were eyes everywhere watching him.

Zhang Yong broke into a run and almost flung himself at the feet of the ancient woman waiting with unmoving patience on the dais at the far end of the hall. This was the old woman he'd seen in Zhang Yong's mirror, and Daisuke realised with a start that she was floating on a cloud. A cluster of giggling little girls indistinguishable from the child who had greeted them hovered around her.

"Great Sage," the boy breathed reverently, and the woman extracted one wizened hand from her sleeve to brush his cheek with her fingertips.

"You finally made it," she rasped, her voice like cracked glass. Daisuke thought he saw something dark flicker behind her old eyes. "It took you long enough, Chiriko."

Someone knowledgeable. Someone powerful. Someone Zhang Yong was in contact with…

Then she turned to look at Daisuke directly and her face crinkled with warmth as she floated closer.

"Well, you're a handsome one, aren't you," she said, catching his chin in one hand to tilt his face down towards her, and he had to fight the instinct to reach for his daggers. "Even more handsome in person. Troublemaker, I'm sure."

Her gaze raked over the group. "Suzaku's Seishi. What a chapter of adventures you've had." And finally her attention fell on Marin, her wrinkled face deepening in a smile. She held out a hand to the Priestess. "Come, dearie. Let's take those shentsopao somewhere safe and you can tell me all about it."

The old woman spared a glance for the rest of the Seishi, and a wave of her hand at the fairy-like girls who trailed after her. "These flibbertigibbets are Lai Lai, my handmaidens. They'll look after you all."

And with that, they were all dismissed from her notice. Tai Yi Jun sailed out of the hall, clearly expecting Marin to follow her. There was another flurry of nervous giggles as one of the little girls in pink popped out of the air to take Xuelian and the princess into the women's domain, while another handmaiden materialised to usher Jing Yun, Zhu Yi and Tian Zhen back down towards the stone courtyard and the residential quarters behind the scarlet shutters. Daisuke found himself being herded along with them, and he dug his heels in. Daisuke's eyes met Marin's as she turned to look over her shoulder, and he was gripped with a sudden dread.

Daisuke turned and took three quick steps back, catching at Marin's wrist before she could go any further.

"I don't like this," he whispered urgently. Tai Yi Jun and Zifeng had turned back to find Marin, and Zifeng strode towards them.

"What's wrong?" Marin asked, but Zifeng's hand closed around Marin's arm, drawing her away.

"Lai Lai," the old woman snapped, a sliver of anger in her grandmotherly voice as yet another little girl appeared at Daisuke's elbow. "Take our guest to his quarters."

He had little choice but to follow the fairy-like girl. Daisuke fought down the urge to snatch Marin back, to grab her and run and… then what? Fight his way through all the Seishi and the gods alone knew whatever Tai Yi Jun had stashed around this mountain, and go where?

He needed a plan, and Marin was the one with the plans. As he climbed the narrow staircase, he looked back to see Marin glance up at him as her escorts ushered her into another building. He had to assume that, at least for now, she was safer with Tai Yi Jun and Zifeng than she would be if he created havoc. He turned back and kept going.

At the top, the little handmaiden was waiting for him in front of a door. She tucked her hands into her diaphanous sleeves and bowed.

"Please enjoy our hospitality. My master requests most strongly that you remain in your quarters until sent for." Daisuke could have sworn he saw an odd flash of something like fear in the girl's eyes at the mention of her master, but it was gone too fast to be sure. "We would be most distressed should anything unfortunate happen to you if you wandered."

"Where else am I going to go?" he said bitterly.