All of Momuji came to celebrate the heart of autumn. Those who could not visit the temple came to the markets, where music played from the district square. A row of men beat large, hourglass drums, their hollow beats accompanying the rippling vibrations of a four-stringed kokyū. Its sound drifted even to the Hancheon Gate.

Banners hung from the upper tiers of the tunnel. Warding charms, Yui explained, designed to attract spirits of ill fortune. At the end of the day, the banners would be burned and its ashes scattered to sea.

Tam Mai counted them as they walked. It kept her mind off the tunnel and the chain of soldiers guarding its walls. She used to tremble whenever they passed through the Hancheon Gate; the first time she even collapsed half way through. Luckily General Eunkoji had been with them at the time, and was able to quickly carry her to the elevators.

'There he is!' Yui nudged Tam Mai.

The general waited by the mouth of an elevator, already filled with an assortment of visitors. Grandparents with grandchildren in hand, girls dressed in fancy qi-sang, blushing couples in matching clothes, young families with babes cradled on their backs ...

'Morning greetings, General.' Yui bowed deep as they approached. 'Thank you for the temple pass. I never imagined I'd ever be able to celebrate the mid-autumn festival at the castle!'

'It is my pleasure.' His smile was warm. He ushered them into the cage, people squeezing in to allow room for four more.

Isla watched her sister. The cage-elevator was the worst part of the tunnel for her; once more she was contained within iron bars, chains clattering all around them. Tam Mai used to fill the tunnel with her cries, shake the entire cage with her feverish throes. The first time they rode it, she had even struck another passenger in her rage. The guard would have thrown them off were General Eunkoji not there to stop him.

Now the only sign of her discomfort was her death grip on Isla's arm and the constant mumbling under her breath as she listed off the colours and clothes surrounding them.

'I'm glad to see her improvement,' said the general, quiet enough that only Isla would hear. 'Especially in under two turns of the month.'

'This is one of her better days, but indeed, Eshe's work has been invaluable. The Emperor is fortunate to have her.'

'Her results are slow but steady. Sometimes it is difficult for the Emperor to see that.'

Isla understood, to an extent. There were days it seemed nothing had changed; days it seemed Tam Mai's condition only took a nosedive for the worse. It was difficult to see all the progress she made when one bad day clouded months of improvement.

'Tam Mai is at least lucky to have many people around her who care. Not all people are so blessed.'

Like the Emperor's children? Whom Eshe sees more in a week than their parents do in a year?

Light cascaded from above. The grinding reached a climax as the cage surfaced atop the plateau. Tam Mai breathed a sigh of relief, her grasp on Isla immediately easing. The passengers dismounted in orderly rows. They followed the crowd out from under the bridge, Yui fixing the folds of her qi-sang with Tam Mai's help.

The full-chested robe-dress was tied below the armpits, worn over an open-placket blouse. It was too much of a hassle to wear without assistance, which was why Isla stuck to the casual jin-sang despite such a high occasion. Now she regretted her decision. Everyone else was dressed in high fashions. Yui's qi-sang was nowhere near as complex as some of the shrine robes other women wore—garments so-named for their resemblance to the Tsun shrine gates: long and rectangular, square sleeves of varying length, tied at the waist by huge sashes. Some were tied so ornately, it looked as though they wore bouquets by their chests or bows and ribbons upon their backs.

'Eldest, look! That one's a peacock!'

A group of young women passed them on the pathway, the middle sporting a sash that indeed fanned up and around her like the open crown of a white peafowl. Her companions were equally themed; one styled hers with the draping curls of a nine-tailed fox, another into stiff, gauzy blades of the glasswing butterfly.

'Aren't we underdressed,' muttered Isla.

'I would not worry,' said the general. 'Many temple visitors take the festival more seriously than those down in the city, but plenty still only come here to pray.'

He stopped where the path branched into three. More people joined from the north and east, uniting into a steady stream flowing south toward the Temple of Tennu.

'I must return to my duties,' continued General Eunkoji, 'so I will leave you here. Please enjoy the festivities.'

'Isn't the Empress coming to the temple?' asked Tam Mai.

'Not this year. Something important has come up that unfortunately cannot be delayed.'

Fukuse-himi's engagement with Kiet? Isla knew better than to ask.

The girls bowed a farewell and he continued east into the grove; the only one to walk against the current.

'He never gets to have any fun.' Tam Mai sighed.

'The general's too old to be thinking of fun.'

'Why shouldn't you be able to have fun when you're older?' Tam Mai lifted her chin.

The gesture reminded Isla of herself, so she only laughed in response. 'Come on. Eshe's probably already waiting at the gates.'

They started to join the converging pedestrians, but something stopped them in their tracks. Heads turned, loud chatter turned to whispers. The crowd into which General Eunkoji had disappeared slowly parted, waved aside by a vanguard of Tsun soldiers.

'Is it the Emperor?' Tam Mai shrunk back.

Far behind them, the next row of elevators had emerged. More people trickled out, stopped by the oncoming procession.

'It can't be,' said Yui. 'The Emperor should already be at the temple since daybreak.'

Silver and blue flashed between the soldiers ahead.

Neru have mercy.

Isla scrambled back, pulling Tam Mai with her until they were hidden behind the peacock-lady and her friends. She did not even hear Tam Mai's whimpers or Yui's barrage of questions; the procession took the turn south and all else faded.

The last time she saw him, he was dead in her arms. Now there he was, alive and strong. Isla's breath caught in her throat. He looked tired, his eyes dark and face unsmiling. She would never have recognised him as the carefree sailor she had first met aboard Tempestorm.

Of course not. His mother's dead and all thanks to you.

He walked past, so close now. If she pushed even an inch between nine-tails and glasswing, he would see her. If she called his name, he would hear.

Would he stop if she did? Would he be glad to see her? Or would he have her seized for regicide?

'Gods, he is handsome!' Yui gasped in her ear. The moment passed and he was gone, hidden behind the Emperor's soldiers who brought in the rear. 'I wonder who he is.'

'Kiet.' The answer slipped reflexively from Isla.

'That is the Surikh hanjeon?' Yui made a sound in her throat. 'I wish we had hanjeon like that in Tsunai. Ours are either really old like Hijeon Yeungji, or really young like Hanjeon Fukuhei.'

"Eldest?"

Isla jerked at Tam Mai's voice in her ear. She glared down at her sister, but one look and all the irritation left her.

"Is something wrong?"

Her chest felt hollow, her head light and spinning. But her agitation was infecting Tam Mai, so Isla forced herself to calm. No, Tamma. Just a lot of excitement here.

"Do you want to go back to the hokkan?"

Isla smiled sourly. She was supposed to be the one looking out for her sister. No. Eshe's waiting.

Besides, a part of her hoped she might see him again.

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↝ END CHAPTER FIFTEEN ↜

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☆ this chapter is dedicated to ausvirgo; another one of my newer readers. thanks for reading! ☆

Video: Mad Blood
Image: © rsef_ at ArtStation; © Nicholas Cannell at ArtStation

Is this it? Are they finally going to meet again? (⚈○⚈;) Guess we'll have to find out next time.

In case you missed it, I did an interview a while back with WattpadAsianFantasy. You can read it in their SO YOU WANT TO BE IMMORTAL? anthology, or click on the external link to go straight to the page!