Jeiku slipped cautiously into Jao-Nyang and strained to wind the chain that closed the gates. By the time the main entrance to the fortress was closed he was breathing heavily. He leaned back against the thick stone wall and wiped perspiration from his brow. The spy regained his stamina fairly quickly and removed a folded flag from his pouch. He clenched it tightly in his hand as he hurried though hallways, climbed staircases, and snuck around innumerable corridors and passageways moving ever closer to the highest point of the fortress. It did not appear that a single man had been left to guard the entire place.
Kanna, assistant to the court magician, awoke suddenly. The stone fortress was silent. She had not accompanied Liyuin to Rupanda earlier that day due to a bug she had acquired. The dark-haired girl had experienced an uncomfortable day, beginning with a headache and eventually leading to a fever. She sat up in bed and took a wooden brush from her nightstand, pulling her messy hair back in a tight ponytail. Something more than feverish dreams had woken her up this time. The soft sound of a window being opened caught her attention. Someone was opening the window in the next room. She had been fairly sure up until this moment that the hinges were rusted shut; apparently she was mistaken.
Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 60- Red, Red, Red
A thin shaft of crimson sunset light passed over Father Chico Mattaya's face as he paced down the tiled hall. He turned his tanned and battered face to the line of narrow windows that were placed equidistant from each other along the length of the hall. Outside the sun was melting down over the low, sloping hills. It was the reddest sunset he had seen all autumn. Some days had brought the red of poppies or the red of cherries, this hue was deeper and more foreboding: the shade of fresh blood. It seemed to be dripping off the hills and running like wet paint towards the state of Tawa. There was certainly trouble in Tawa lately. His ministers had informed him of the rebel advance and advised him to send troops to Jao-Nyang's aid to stop the uprising before it reached his lands. Chico had agreed reluctantly and sent a few token units.
Just the week before he had received a letter from Chief Priest Hirano in open support of the "honorable revolutionaries" who were fighting the "oppressive Imperial government" for the sake of "creating a land free of tyranny that would uphold the ideals of the Church." It had been a letter written to him personally, not something copied over and over by a low-ranking priest at a desk to be sent to every member of the clergy. Chico appreciated the personal approach, although he had no doubt that similar letters had been sent to many others.
The kind instructions of the Chief Priest and the harsh orders of the Emperor. If he did not make up his mind quickly he would be facing a moral crisis, something he particularly disliked.
And either choice was a decision for death and chaos.
His shining hair was red in the eerie light. His skin was reddish, his robes were crimson, and his eyes reflected the scarlet glare. "There is already blood on my hands!" he fumed, berating himself aloud, "I want this blood off my hands!"
The dark-eyed ministers from Rupanda peered down into the long hallway cautiously, their faces showing their fear as the priest shook his hands and stalked towards his personal quarters. Years working to run this southern state had made them grow accustomed to dealing with the whims of the state's ruler, but this was something they had never seen before.
Suddenly, nearly inside the door at the other end of the hall, Father Chico turned violently, robes swirling about him, and pointed one hand, still bathed in red light, at the ministers. "It's on you too! Don't think you're immune! Don't set yourself above this chaotic mess! There is blood on you too!"
The three men, horrified, rushed from the capital building and promptly resigned from their positions permanently.
Angeline through her hands out and concentrated, pulling from the depths of her mind the ancient words of the spell. Each syllable formed itself separately on her tongue, linking to the last to create a forgotten plea for power. She could clearly remember the face of the man who taught her the words. "Angeline," he had said, "Never loose sight of the force contained in this incantation, don't let the power take control of you." He had been a wise man, but that had been many years ago. He had certainly passed away during that time she had spent in Rupanda's dungeons.
Han Li caught sight of Angeline amidst the fray and as he felt the tug of the spell on his mind he abruptly spared the many Imperial soldiers gathered about him and rushed in the other direction. Dirk raised high above his head, the dusty man leapt towards the longhaired woman, who dodged out of his way with a glare. He caught himself in the air and slid on the dry road a few feet, turning again towards the solemn mage. He was not in time.
The air crackled with heat as a wall of flame surged forward. Hai-Yong barely moved out of its path in time, pulling Carlos after him to the lower ground where the edges of the forest began after parting to accommodate the road. Not all were as lucky. Louis Abdul threw his olive green cape to the ground and stomped out the flames before the whole thing was consumed.
Liyuin looked on from further down the way, standing back among the trees, with a smirk on his face. Mio glanced at Sanada, who was busy in a tree alongside Caio, pointing out good targets for the gunner. He picked up the heaviest branch he could lift and crept up behind the court magician, bringing the branch down solidly on his enemy's uncovered head. Liyuin shook with the impact of the blow and clutched his head, eyes squeezed tightly shut, "Oww..." he groaned.
It was not exactly what the orange-haired strategist had hoped for, but it would do. He slowly set the dry branch down, leaning it against the trunk of a nearby tree. "Um, excuse me," he began, "I'm sorry that I had to do that, Sir, but I need you to listen to me."
The ebony-haired man did not respond vocally, but opened a narrow eye to size up his attacker.
"I'm Mio Silverberg. Another thing I'm sorry to tell you, Sir, is that your side isn't going to win this war and you're going to lose your job, if not your life. I have a suggestion for you...you don't have to take it, but it might be to your advantage to do so, unless you seriously believe that the Emperor is going to win this war..."
Han Li continued to badger the longhaired woman, who angrily punched him in the mouth. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and swung his dirk swiftly. She continued to evade his every move, stepping back or loosing him in more closely bunched groups of soldiers. The ancient mage felt his temper reach the breaking point. "Stop that!" he yelled in frustration, charging through the battered ranks of his enemy to reach the woman.
Liyuin stepped out from among the trees calmly, a hand covering the large lump on the side of his head, "Angeline, draw back. Come here," he commanded. Mio stood beside the former court magician with a pleased look on his face.
Understanding the situation, but still overflowing his irritation, Han Li turned to the nearest Imperial soldier who still held a weapon and slashed his chest horizontally with a smooth flick of his wrist.
Kanna stuck her head out of her bedroom window to see a gray-clad man climbing out of the half-open window of the next room and pulling himself rather gracefully up onto the first level of the tiled roof. She leaned out further and to try and see what he would do next. He shuffled slowly up the roof towards the higher towers and when she lost sight of him he appeared to be scaling the side of a tower, heading straight to the highest point of the fortress. "What is that man doing?" she wondered curiously.
Jeiku stepped cautiously onto the highest level of the roof, and one step at a time moved closer to the last, and highest pinnacle of Jao-Nyang. He pulled the Aronian flag down distastefully and tossed it to the winds. It floated away, to the northwest, in the direction of the Aronian capital. The sunset lent an eerie feeling to the late autumn evening. With two pieces of twine, Jeiku secured the rebel flag to the pole. It waved awkwardly, the edge flipping back and forth in the slight breeze. He sat down on top of the roof to watch the red sun sink low over the lush forest.
His thoughts were only slightly interrupted by the sound of deep, beastly growl.