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Kiet dropped Akai onto the chōza, wondering who was supposed to be taking care of whom. So far, he had less trouble before he had taken on a captain of guards.

At least his swordsmanship makes up for his carelessness. Kiet nursed his shoulder, sore from their earlier bout. His eyes fell upon the runesmith's carrier, basking under the tea room windows. It was filled with mostly clothes and a few elementary runes—including a couple more of those smoke bombs and air blasts the runesmith had used against him. The only secondary rune he carried was a dark, iron cuff.

But the runesmith did leave one vital piece of information in his bag.

Kiet knelt by the tea table, flipped open the small, sheepskin pocket book. The runesmith's identifying papers. He was a Surikh, just as Kiet surmised, and a fourth-rank theurgist.

A mind-whisperer, according to his papers. Kiet thought back on his reading. That explained Akai's behaviour. A mind-whisperer was able to conjure illusions—though at his rank, Kiet assumed he'd only be limited to one or two targets at any given time. And touch. This one required touch for his theurgy to work.

A call disrupted his thoughts. One of his servants was rapping on the tea room door. 'Enter.'

His sampler came in with a platter of tea and cakes. She set them on the table and bowed. 'Maharaj, a visitor has come requesting admittance.'

'Haruse-himi?'

'Ah, no ... he introduced himself as Taeichi Jinsei.'

He did not recognise the name. Kiet gestured at Akai's comatose form. 'Now is not a good time.'

'He says he's the Emperor's adviser, maharaj.'

The adviser? What did he want? Curiosity got the better of him. Kiet instructed the girl to bring him in.

He tried to wake Akai during his wait, but it was to no avail. His guard was in deep sleep, a bruise forming on his forehead right where he was knocked into the tree.

'Maharaj. Seunghwan Taeichi Jinsei to see you.' This time it was one of his guards who came. He stood by the door as the man named Taeichi entered the tea room.

'Afternoon greetings, maharaj. Ah—' His gaze landed upon the man sleeping on the floor, Kiet hovering over him. 'I did not mean to intrude.'

'Funny.' Kiet studied the Emperor's adviser. From this close, he was able to glean more information from him. He was not as young as Kiet initially thought; perhaps even a few summers older than himself. He carried no visible weapons—no sheath on his waist, no bracer under his robes when he pulled up his sleeves. 'Please, sit. You must excuse my captain—he's had a hard day.'

'So have I heard.' Taeichi glanced around the room before taking a cushion across the maharaj. 'It is for that very reason I come.'

'Straight from the palace, too.'

Taeichi looked down as though noticing his ceremonial robes for the first time. 'I was on my way to my residence. I have also had a long day, though nothing as invigorating as yours.'

'Emperor Gyoseong needed not send you here to reproach me. I'm fully aware of the disturbance I caused, and at such a sacred site, too. I intend to spend tomorrow at the temple for atonements.'

'Quite the contrary, maharaj. Word of your scene has attracted more visitors than the temple knows how to handle. I hear all the stalls have sold out.'

'So you've come to give me my cut, or ...?'

Taeichi smiled, and all the fragility left his face. He turned to look at Akai by the floor, his earring still glimmering with theurgy.

Does the man ever tire? Kiet served their tea, wondering again what his skill could be. To keep it up the entire day ... he was either remarkably strong, or remarkably trained. Both, more likely. Kiet tried to decipher the shade of his bloodrune, but it was impossible to tell beneath that golden glow.

'Does he need to be taken to our healers?'

'Akai? He'll be fine.'

'Good. Good. The Emperor takes the safety of his guests as a matter of utmost priority. Thus should in future anyone cause you any offence, maharaj, I encourage you to bring the matter to the Emperor, rather than pursue it yourselves.'

'It was rather a matter of urgency than one of offence. The use of theurgy without license is forbidden within castle grounds; this man I was pursuing used his against my captain there.'

'That is indeed concerning. Did you know the man?'

'No, seunghwan.'

The air buzzed with a subdued power, its source clear. Taeichi seemed to bask in it, drinking it in along with his tea. Kiet eyed the bloodrune hanging low on his ear. What was that? A paper fan? A leaf—?

Kiet drew in a knowing breath. 'Taeichi-seung, are you a terrakin, by any chance?'

Taeichi chuckled, his smile chilling. 'I am not an element-raiser at all, maharaj.'

'I admit it surprises me, that the Emperor would appoint one of the Refined Ginkgo as his right-hand adviser. Your skill must be invaluable to him.'

'I do my best, as we all, and presently that is to ensure your attacker is quickly caught. So I will ask again, maharaj. Are you certain you do not know this man?'

Something about his question did not sit well with Kiet. 'I never saw him before today.'

'I see. In any case, I would ask that you refrain from putting yourself in harm's way, maharaj. If you see this man again—'

'I will send immediate word to the Emperor.' Kiet raised his hands in mock defeat.

Taeichi watched him, amused, like a cat watching birds at play. Kiet would be offended if he were not too perplexed by the blatant disrespect.

As though to assert his indifference, the Emperor's adviser shifted from his formal tsujeud into the casual tsagura—a more comfortable, cross-legged position men generally used between peers. 'I feel like a trickster, maharaj, in that I have an unfair advantage over you.'

'How so?'

'I am the Emperor's truth-weaver, so let us not insult one another with dishonesty.'

That took him aback. Not merely the nature of his theurgy, but the fact he disclosed it so freely.

Taeichi read his face. 'You would have learnt it sooner or later. This way we at least can be done with the dissembling.'

'I've not dissembled once since I sat before the Emperor.' Kiet found his words.

'Indeed you have been forthcoming, for the most part, and so the Emperor would like to return the favour. If you have come here to speak with Hanjeon Haruse, I fear your wait will be in vain. Still, the Emperor hopes you will stay if only to enjoy the sights of his city.'

'The hanjeon has been made aware, then, of my request?'

'Made aware? Of course, maharaj. He heard it with his very own ears.'

Kiet frowned. There had only been three sitting upon the tribune, Gyoseong included. 'Do you mean to say ... the himihwan sitting upon the Emperor's left ...?'

'Indeed, that was Haruse-himi himself; Emperor Gyoseong's left-hand adviser.'

'How mortifying. I thought he was the crown prince—ah, the hijeon, Yeungji-himi.'

'An easy assumption to make.'

Kiet reflected on their meeting that morning, tried to envision the left-hand adviser's face. If he had known, he would have paid more attention to the man's reactions. He looked old, he remembered that much; far more than his fifty-odd years. Old and tired and sickly. Why is such a sickly man made left-hand adviser?

He only was of second-rank, and his theurgy not remarkable enough to make up for it. Kiet tried to remember his readings. The Divine Gyok dynasty had an abundance of terrakin and apsakin. Occasionally they would beget other element-raisers, but even that Haruse was not.

And where, then, is Yeungji?

Taeichi made a move to rise. 'I am sorry to disappoint.'

'You would tell at least not why the hanjeon declines my request of a simple meeting?'

The young man's smile was serene. 'The himihwan do not make their reasons known to me, maharaj.'

Himihwan, in the plural. That only confirmed Kiet's suspicions. Gyoseong was well-informed on what his youngest brother was up to. He would have to proceed with caution, and continue to draw their eyes away from Sindhu.

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↝ END CHAPTER ELEVEN ↜

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☆ this chapter is dedicated to hibamon1, yet another one of my newer readers! ☆

Video: A Way of Life (OST. The Last Samurai) by Hans Zimmer
Image: Family tree made with Family Historian and Photoshop

As some people have requested, the image above is the family tree of the Divine Gyok dynasty. Since the story is still in its first draft, keep in mind that it is still subject to change, but you get the general gist!

Anyway, looks like this time around, it's Kiet's turn to do some sleuthing. Ginkgo is also known as the maidenhair tree, and it has a very distinctive leaf--in case you didn't know!
As always, tell me your theories in the comments, and don't forget to vote if you liked the chapter ^_^)