"I believe it's a sleeping draught that's been reinforced with dark magic," the chief astrologer said, wiping her hands with the washcloth that her disciple handed to her. "I've seen records of usual medicines and poisons being made more potent in this manner, but unfortunately I do not know of a way to reverse its effects."

Once she returned from the marketplace, Sheng Yun had been ushered to Baixun's guest room to examine the prince's condition. She had quickly confirmed that the physical wounds he had been subjected to were not responsible for his unconscious state, but took a far longer time before she came to a conclusion on what the actual cause was.

"But you must know!" Maroo exclaimed, a mixture of confusion and distress written all over his tired face. He had cleaned himself up with a warm bath after arriving at the governor's residence, but the bags beneath his eyes and scars on his face and neck still made him looked more battle-worn than he had been his entire life.

Sheng Yun did not seem bothered by his agitation in the slightest. She wore a light smile on her face—the one that Yuewha decided she very much disliked—as she placed the used piece of cloth back in the bronze basin that Xin'ai was holding and took a seat at the round rosewood table where Yuehwa, Shoya and Wen Shu were at.

She also didn't seem surprised by the appearance of dark magic, Yuehwa observed. As if she had seen it coming all along.

"I wish I did, but unfortunately the records of the dark arts are sparse, even in our royal libraries and vaults. Unless we find a practitioner who knows how this magic works, then the only thing we can do is wait and let the heavens decide on the prince's fate."

"What about the golden chrysanthemums?" Yuehwa suggested, suddenly remembering the mystical flower that supposedly had the power to cure all poisons.

The chief astrologer looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping her index finger against the table's lacquered surface. "I'm afraid I don't know," she admitted. "The golden chrysanthemums are rumoured to have miraculous healing properties, but there is no literature that says whether or not it will work against dark magic. It could be worth a try. However, that means we will have to take the crown prince back to the capital, because the infirmaries in Muya are not stocked with the necessary herbs needed to produce an antidote for the sleeping draught."

As expected, Maroo immediately leapt up from the prince's bedside. "Absolutely not!" he cried.

"You said the same thing about bringing Baixun to Muya," Yuehwa reminded. She unsheathed the sword that had been hanging from her waist and held its gleaming blade up to the light, gently polishing it with her silk handkerchief.

Maroo's gaze glued themselves to sharp edge of the blade. He gulped.

"If you prefer, we could have the both of you sent back across the border immediately. I'm sure the king of Dahai will be more than happy to see his son-in-law again," Shoya said. "Or not."

The Gi adviser muttered something under his breath about "speculation" and "lies", but did not argue any further, thus making clear his decision on the matter. Regardless whether or not he believed that the king of Dahai was behind this plot against the kingdoms, he had opted to trust Yuehwa and Shoya another time.

Next on the agenda was the silver key that they had found hidden within the porcelain tiger. Shoya took it out from inside his right sleeve and placed it at the centre of the table.

"We found this in one of the unmarked caves in the mountains along with many empty chests. It was kept inside a statue of a white tiger," he said. "Given the chrysanthemum insignia engraved along the stem, we think it could belong to Hwang Nanzhe and Wan Jue. Have you seen anything like this before?"

Sheng Yun picked up the key, flipping it back and forth between her slender fingers.

"I've not seen it before, but I think I know what it's for," she said, setting it back down. "Besides the mechanism to open the stairway to Wan Jue's tomb, the marble statue of the tiger inside the astrology vault hides a second secret. If you look closely enough, you'll be able to see a circular line midway up the tiger's back where the marble's been cut through before and then replaced. In the centre of that is a small key hole. This key might well fit in there."

"There's a hidden compartment in the tiger?" Yuehwa frowned. "Why hasn't anyone tried to pry it open? Or smashed the statue to retrieve what's inside?"

"These contraptions usually include a mechanism that will destroy whatever's contained within if it is forcibly removed. In the absence of a key and a sure way of disabling the mechanism, none of the previous chief astrologers have dared make an attempt, in fear of losing something of unimaginable value to the kingdom."

Yuehwa scowled when she heard the patronising explanation, silently chiding herself for not thinking of it earlier. "Feng sure likes to hide a whole bunch of secrets," she said. The words sounded terribly sour, but she couldn't care less. She had to admit that Sheng Yun was useful to have around, but that knowledge did nothing to make her like the woman any better. Like the numerous puzzles littered all over her astrology building, Sheng Yun was an enigma. She could not read the woman's true intentions and she did not trust them, whatever they were.

"Our top priority is to find a way to cure Prince Baixun of his affliction, else it will be difficult for us to turn the current narrative around," Shoya said. "At the same time, I'll send some men to investigate the situation with Dahai."

"Do you think the king's shamans are responsible for the dark magic? For my brother's death?" Yuehwa asked, the muscles in her fingers tensing at the thought of this possibility. All evidence seemed to point towards the Dahai palace, but while the king could have been responsible for the explosions that had caused the collapse of the tunnels in an attempt on their lives, it was less certain whether or not he was also behind the sleeping draught or the supposed creatures that had attacked Baixun and Maroo.

"The shamans of Dahai do not have those abilities. Their spells and rituals have no effect on anything," Sheng Yun replied in her usual know-it-all way.

"What about their bronze guardsmen then?" Yuehwa retorted.

"The dark magic in the talismans of the bronze guardsmen is a relic left behind from the Wudi empire that merely happened to find itself in the hands of the Dahai royal family. Beyond that, there is no evidence that the shamans can wield any actual magic."

"Just because you don't know of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Yuehwa felt her temper flare as she stared down the placid expression of the chief astrologer.

Shoya reached over and placed his hand over hers, and she froze at the unexpected contact. The fire inside her quelled a little. She noticed Sheng Yun's gaze rest upon their joined hands momentarily, before shifting away and towards the open window and her beloved night sky instead.

"We'll get to the bottom of it. Even if the king of Dahai is not directly involved in the use of dark magic, I don't think he's completely innocent either. It's very likely that he knows the person behind all this," Shoya said.

"But Your Highness, are you sure you want to take the crown prince back to the capital? If anyone finds out that we have him, would that not also be detrimental to us?" Governor Wen asked, rubbing his temples wearily. "If you are worried that the king of Dahai will harm him, we could have him escorted back to the Gi palace directly."

At that suggestion, Maroo opened his mouth to say something—possibly agree—but then quickly shut it again when Yuehwa looked over and gave him a menacing smile.

"That's too risky with Baixun unconscious. He will be safest if he stays with Yuehwa and I," Shoya replied. "Also, it will help save us time considering the golden chrysanthemums are within the royal astrology building. If we were to send the chrysanthemums over to Ri-en, that would mean at least another two weeks wasted. Many things can happen in two weeks."

Wen Shu nodded. "In that case, I shall make arrangements for your transportation back to the capital immediately."

"Keep it simple. Carriages used by regular trading merchants will suffice. Prepare merchant clothing for us as well. It would be best if we did not attract any unnecessary attention on the way back."

Yuehwa turned towards the bed where Baixun lay asleep, oblivious to the danger that was fast approaching the five kingdoms, threatening to derail his ambitions. It was funny how quickly things changed. One day they were enemies, the next they were fighting for each other's lives. Who knew what other surprises tomorrow would bring?

The fluttering of wings interrupted her thoughts. When she turned towards the window, a red feathered ball was already perched on the sill.

"Ember?" She frowned.

She had left Ember back in the Hwa palace to look after Yi'en and Yang-yang in her absence—and also to give him a break, after having dragged the poor bird across the kingdoms for three whole years. For him to have left Hwa to come all the way here could only mean that something serious had happened.

It's the Prince Yang. He's gravely ill, Ember quickly said.

"What do you mean? How's that possible?" The last time she saw him, her young nephew had been running circles around the palace gardens catching butterflies.

We've traced it to a poisonous powder that was scattered on the prince's clothing. It first presented as a rash on the prince's arms and legs, which everyone assumed to be his usual allergies acting up. But the rashes kept getting worse, until they covered his entire body and he could not sleep from the itch. Then, he began wheezing and coughing. A few days ago the physicians found blood in his sputum, that's when they conducted a more thorough check and realised that the cause of his illness was poison.

Yuehwa could hardly believe what she was being told. Poison? On a child? "Who did it?" she whispered. "Have we found a cure?"

The queen has had all the prince's nannies and servants placed under house arrest while the royal guards conduct the investigation. As for the cure... Ember turned his feathered head in Shoya's direction. We were hoping that the White Scorpion would be able to help. The royal physicians have managed to stabilise the prince's condition, but they claim it could take weeks to come up with a cure without knowing what the poison is. We're not sure we have that sort of time.

Shoya walked over, placing a hand on Yuehwa's shoulder. "What's the matter? Did something happen back in Hwa?" he asked.

"It's Yang-yang, he... he..." The thought of possibly losing another family member so soon after her brother's death gripped her heart with fear. Anxiety coursed through her veins and messed with her mind.

"Take a deep breath. You need to calm yourself down, then we can work out a solution to whatever the problem might be."

Yuehwa did as she was told, inhaling and exhaling deeply over and over, until she felt like her nerves were under control. She began to translate Ember's account of Yang-yang's symptoms to Shoya, making sure that they did not leave out any detail.

"Rash and violent coughing, caused by some form of poisoned powder..." Shoya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I'm not mistaken, it's likely to be Murong powder." He pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing down a prescription. "Ember will need to bring this back to the royal physicians as quickly as possible," he said. "Get them to brew the medicine according to this prescription. Upon drinking the first dose, the prince should spit out some blackened blood. Tell the queen there is no need to be alarmed if this happens, it is the expected response as the body purges the poison. Subsequently, his condition should improve."

"Are you sure this will work?" Yuehwa asked, wringing her hands together worriedly.

"Murong powder is not a difficult poison to deal with. It's actually fairly common in palace harems, something that concubines like to use against one another. It's typically mixed in with face powder, and then the victim slowly suffers its effects until they die. Because it's effects are so similar to allergic reactions, it can go untreated for a long time, until it's too late." Shoya finished the prescription and rolled up the tiny length of parchment, placing it on the sill so that Ember could pick it up with his claws.

I'll bring this back to the palace now, Ember said.

"Keep me updated on Yang-yang's condition. And of the outcome of the investigation," Yuehwa replied. She watched as her red canary took off, disappearing into the night.

Her expression darkened, fingers clenching tightly by her sides. When she found out who it was that had tried to kill her beloved nephew, there would be hell to pay.

#

The journey to Anyang was thankfully uneventful, and their little merchant convoy made it to the gates of the capital city without the need to brandish a single blade. Yuehwa had left her Firebrands at Muya under Ru Fei's command, to help Wen Shu and the Feng army guard against any impending attack from the combined forces of Gi and Dahai, which made her the sole representative from Hwa that was accompanying the group.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Shoya asked. "You can return to Hwa to check on Yang-yang." He was riding alongside Yuehwa as they led the two carriages , one carrying Baixun and Maroo, the other with Sheng Yun and Xin'ai, towards the gates.

"It's fine. Yi'en sent news that his condition has greatly improved with your prescription," she replied. "Jing Bohan was responsible for it. And he claims that he was put up to it by Gi."

"Ah."

If Gi was truly behind all this, then she had a major score to settle with Baixun. She glanced towards the carriage that was carrying the unconscious Gi prince. She could kill him now, but she would not do that. Even a criminal deserved the chance to defend himself, and die a knowing death.

From atop her horse, Yuehwa peered ahead through the hazy veil that hung from the broad brim of her hat. The imposing city gates of the capital had already come into view, as had the neat line of people and horse carriages queuing to enter.

There were many loose ends she would need to tie up with this trip to Anyang. Besides determining the circumstances of Yang-yang's poisoning, she also wanted to know what was hidden inside that stone tiger, and whether or not it was a clue that would lead her one step closer to her brother's murderer. She did not know if the ones who tried to hurt her nephew were the same as those who had taken her brother, but dark magic or not, she was going to rip them to shreds when she found out who they were.

When they reached the front of the line, Shoya held out his royal seal for verification by the city guards. The moment he laid eyes on the bronze token, the guard balked, then immediately hollered for his captain. The latter, a barrel-chested man with a thick, luscious moustache and sadly none of that glory on his shiny head, came marching over moments later.

The captain of the guards stared suspiciously at Shoya for a while, then said, "Arrest them." Loud gasps and exclamations rose from the crowd as the guards suddenly swarmed in.

Yuehwa's expression darkened. She unsheathed her sword and pointed its tip straight at the jugular of the first unfortunate guard who dared attempt to come into contact with her. "Are you going to arrest me as well?" she said, removing her straw hat and veil.

"How dare you!" the guard stammered, not recognising her.

"Wait," the captain called out. He gave the signal for his men to halt their actions, eyes resting on the red jade pendant hanging from the hilt of Yuehwa's sword. "Princess Yue?" he asked, still sounding unconvinced.

It was telling, for a mere captain to give an order for the arrest of his own prince but be willing to call it off in the presence of a foreign princess, regardless of whether he believed they were the real deal.

Before Yuehwa could teach the arrogant man a lesson, a mellow voice spoke out from the carriage behind.

"Let us through. We have urgent matters to speak to the king about," Sheng Yun said, lifting the curtain of the carriage just slightly so that the captain could see her face—and the gold, hexagonal token of the royal astrologers.

"Your Excellency!" the captain exclaimed, dropping to a respectful bow. "I understand. I apologise for the delay." He hastily barked out instructions to his men, who promptly cleared a path for the group to enter. No more questions were asked about Shoya and Yuehwa's identities, and even Baixun's carriage was allowed to pass unchecked.

Such was the power that the chief astrologer held over the kingdom.

But if the debacle at the gate was anything to go by, then they were not going to have an easy time in Anyang. Once they reached the palace, Shoya, Yuehwa and Sheng Yun proceeded to the throne room for their audience with the king, while Baixun and Maroo were shifted to the astrology building at the chief astrologer's behest.

Hwang Qun was already waiting for them on his throne, his forehead creasing with displeasure when he saw Shoya step in. The only other person present was the king's chief steward, who was standing quietly by the side bearing a tray piled high with scrolls. As regent of her own kingdom, Yuehwa remained standing while the other two bowed to their king.

"You're back," the king remarked, disappointment lacing his words.

"Yes, Father. The spirit of the first king must have been watching over me while I was in the Jilin tunnels."

Yuehwa caught herself from spitting out a laugh when she saw the king's expression darken with a simmering rage. To invoke the spirit of the first king was a direct slap to the latter, considering he was so insecure about his own reign that he ordered a son killed merely for being born under the same conditions as that ancestor. It was also a reminder that maybe fate could not be denied after all, since that son had escaped death—again.

The king grabbed a bamboo scroll off his steward's tray and flung it at Shoya, striking him on the left shoulder.

"How dare you return?" he bellowed, ignoring Yuehwa's presence—or perhaps doing this precisely because she was present. A show of dominance that he was so obsessed with. "I sent you to defend our borders against an invading army, not to invite further conflict to our kingdom! These," he gestured at the pile of scrolls, "are all from the court officials, demanding that you be shipped to Gi immediately to atone for your crimes."

"I do not know what crimes it is you speak of, although I'm sure you are more than willing to create one," Shoya replied. He bent over and picked up the scroll that had been thrown at him, reading its contents cursorily. "For the brutal murder of the crown prince of Gi?" he scoffed.

The king's face reddened, the vein at his temple throbbing painfully. "You ingrate! Do you know what you have done? You have sentenced your people to war and ruin because of your rashness and stupidity!"

"As far as I recall, it was Baixun who sought to invade our land, so you can hardly say that I'm the one starting a war. Should you not be overjoyed if he is indeed dead like they claim? Or maybe you would rather I have been the one covered in a white sheet instead?"

"Not when his death has brought tens of thousands more soldiers to our doorstep! Guards, throw him into the dungeons immediately. This bastard is no prince of Feng and no son of mine!"

That last aggrieved shout took the wind out of the elderly king and he crashed heavily against the bronze backrest of his throne, visibly shaking from the anger. His steward immediately set down his tray and rushed forward, dabbing the king's sweat-drenched forehead with his sleeve.

"Hold your horses, Your Majesty," Yuehwa interrupted, with a mocking smile on her face, "I don't think that's necessary."

"This is Feng, Princess. It would be best if you learned your place." The king bit down hatefully on each word as he glared at Yuehwa, the girl responsible for forcing him to bring back his abandoned son.

"I know my place very well, thank you. I just thought there was a slight technicality that you should know of. Baixun isn't dead."

A stiff silence hung in the air. The king stared at her with bulging eyes, as if trying to read the truth within her words.

"What do you mean isn't dead?" he said after a long pause.

"Your Majesty, perhaps allow me to explain," Sheng Yun said, speaking up for the first time since they entered the throne room. "Crown Prince Baixun was found seriously injured within the Jilin mountains and has been brought back to the capital. He is still unconscious. I have temporarily arranged for him to be taken to the astrology building, to ensure that his presence here is kept discreet." Whether intentionally or not, she left out mention of the role of dark magic in Baixun's condition.

"You did what?" The king looked horrified. "How could you have brought him back here?"

Yuehwa rolled her eyes. Hwang Qun should rightfully be afraid of losing his crown because he did not deserve to wear it. If the king of Dahai was a sly schemer, then the king of Feng was no better. Overly superstitious and self-centred, with no political acumen whatsoever, it was a miracle he had stayed in power for as long as he had. Yuehwa considered it her good fortune that her own family had never been that way.

Beside her, Shoya was regarding his father with a cold condescension, emanating an air of authority and resolve that felt unfamiliar to her.

"The only way Feng can get out of this situation unscathed hinges on whether or not we can rescue Prince Baixun and help him regain consciousness," Sheng Yun continued. "Dahai wants to use the prince as an excuse to legitimise their invasion, but they cannot do that if he shows up alive. And then he would owe us a life debt."

Hwang Qun narrowed his eyes, thinking through the chief astrologer's words with a care that he would not have accorded to his own son. "And what do the stars portent?" he asked.

Yuehwa's lips twisted scornfully. She folded her arms and looked away, bored and tired of this conversation. There was a war looming on the horizon, one that would plunge thousands of citizens into suffering and hardship, and he was making decisions based on a reading of the stars?

"The signs are positive, Your Majesty. There is hope in our future and Feng's star continues to shine brightly. We will yet weather this crisis and emerge victorious."

"Excellent." The king looked towards Shoya, lips twitching with reluctance. "I will give you one more chance. If Baixun cannot be saved and the armies of Dahai and Gi dare step foot upon our soil, I will have you delivered to the king of Gi myself in exchange for our kingdom's survival, have I made myself clear?"

Shoya did not reply. Instead, he turned on his heel and strode towards the door, leaving his irate father in his wake. Yuehwa smiled, giving the king a lackadaisical nod as a form of greeting before leaving. Formalities done, it was finally time to get down to some actual business.