Part 3, Chapter 21

Meeting old friends

Ch 21

Xun pulled Shun into the doorway of a storage room and hugged her fiercely. “I missed you, Shun!”

Shun pulled back and stared at her, “Xun, how?”

“Long story,” Xun said and Shun smiled wryly at her. “The Emperor is in the city, but I think we need the support of the high gods to free the city and the palace. Do you know where they went?”

Shun made herself comfortable on a pile of bedding. “I saw them in the Throne Room when they were preparing to leave. Xun, they looked strange. As if they were half asleep. I know they went to the Palace gates, but I don’t remember seeing them leave.”

“If you don’t remember seeing them leave, maybe they’re still in the palace.”

Shun looked uncertain. “Maybe, but wouldn’t it be hard to keep them all confined?”

Xun sank into the bedding next to Shun, deep in thought. “Well… you said they looked strange. Could it be a spell?”

Shun shook her head, “I don’t think so. The high gods have different aspects, so what is poison to one is medicine to another, magically speaking.”

“Poison!” Xun said in an excited whisper. “Could someone have poisoned them?”

Shun started to shake her head again, but stopped. “Maybe,” she said again. “I think I remember hearing something when I was working in the Hall of Medicine, but I can’t remember now…”

Xun hugged her friend, but because of the softness of their mattress ended up rolling on top of her instead. As she was trying to unentangle herself the door slammed open. A guard, an angry merman with flapping gills glared in through the doorway. Xun struggled helplessly as Shun craned her head up to get a better look at what was happening. As soon as the guard spotted Shun’s face he went purple to the tips of his fins with embarrassment. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled as he stumbled back through the door. “It’s just those two,” he said with heavy emphasis to someone they couldn’t see. “No sign of the empress.”

Xun finally managed to extricate herself her face dark with betrayal, “I think I know how they were poisoned,” Xun said.

“What?” Shun said, pushing tangled skeins of black hair out of her face. She sat composing herself for a moment, then a look of shock crossed her face. “Empress?”