Part 1, Chapter 6

Well, that’s enough about the players. Now the plot begins.

Ch 6

Xun slipped into the Emperor’s chamber as silently as she could. The guards had been sleeping peacefully in front of the door, which had seemed odd to her, but she hadn’t questioned her luck. Checking to make sure the Emperor hadn’t noticed her presence Xun began to search desperately around the room. 

That day she had lost the hair stick the Emperor had given her while she had been cleaning. Xun, Xiaomin, and Shun had turned the entire palace upside down looking for it and they had come to the conclusion that the only place it could be was in the Emperor’s rooms. Xun had been terrified that the Emperor would think she didn’t want his gift and had been determined to get it back before he could find it on his own.

Which is how she had ended up in the Emperor’s room just past Sheep hour silently begging him not to wake up while she turned his room upside down looking for her lost hair stick. 

Xun was starting to become frantic when she noticed a light in the doorway. Panicking she climbed into the clothes closet to hide. As she huddled in the dark curiosity overcame caution and she opened the door just enough to peek through into the room. 

Four people approached the Emperor’s bed. In the dim glow of a fairy light Xun recognized the Lord of Storms and his wife, shocked Xun bit the back of her hand fiercely to keep from crying out. A single drop of blood fell to the closet floor as one of her teeth broke the skin. Licking at the small cut Xun almost missed the opening of the spell. The four figures surrounded the bed and suddenly the Emperor was encased in a dirty yellow and red light.

“Stop them!” Xun shrieked at herself. “Jump out and disrupt the spell! Call for help! Something! ANYTHING!” But she didn’t move. Fear immobilized her. Who would she call? The guard were all asleep. Even if she tried to disrupt the spell anyone strong enough to overcome the Emperor would crush her like a bug. So she crouched, watching from her hiding place, begging herself to figure out something, but her mind stayed blank with terror.

Then there was a flash of white light brighter than anything she had ever seen and everything disappeared.