Chained to old wounds

CH136

Morgan

“I’ve passed that on to Tsuneo. He said that there’s a list of sworn guards who can be trusted, and he’ll work on getting the others sworn in or incarcerated to be investigated. “That will go for the staff, too. Everyone will be thoroughly screened, and the palace’s defenses will be restored before then.”

Maya and Anya took note, before we could move on, a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open, and two guards entered.

“Your Majesty,” one of them said, bowing respectfully, “we are ready to accompany you.”

Was it that time already? I guessed so.

I nodded, standing from my chair. “Thank you. Maya? Anya?”

They stood as did Jun who hurried ahead to get back to her room before we arrived at the harem.

We walked down the long corridors, the flickering torches casting eerie shadows on the walls. My footsteps echoed against the marble floors, matching the rhythmic stride of the guards.

We stopped at the first door, and I nodded to the guard. He knocked firmly.

A moment later, the door opened, and Lady Maro appeared, her face still pale from dinner. I met her gaze, watching the resistance and irritation war in her eyes.

“Lady Maro.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she stepped aside, allowing us to enter. Inside, there was a table piled with jewelry, gowns, and various other luxuries she had purchased with the extra funds.

“It’s all there,” she said bitterly, avoiding my eyes.

“We’ll see,” I said, nodding to the guards and the small group of staff who had come with us. Maya and Anya directed them on how to pack it up and separate it for cataloging. “The treasury will inspect everything, anything over the amount will be returned to you. If you are short, we’ll be seeing each other again.”

CH136

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Her expression darkened, but she said nothing more. As I turned to leave, I noted that her servant was glaring at me openly. For a moment, I wondered if she was also a part of all of this.

We left her room and continued down the hallway.

“That went smoother than I thought it would,” Maya said.

“Her servant. Who is she?”

“She brought her own staff from her family’s home. They tend to keep to themselves.”

I nodded. ‘I’ll need to look into them. She seemed rather bold to be glaring at me openly.”

We arrived at Lady Mei’s quarters, and the door stood slightly ajar. A frown tugged at my lips. From what I knew of her, it would be unusual for her to leave it open like that. I motioned for the guards to stay alert as I pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The room was dark, save for the flicker of a few candles left burning on a table near the far wall. Something felt off. The air was still, and a strange tension settled over the space.

“Lady Mei?” I called out, but there was no response.

I exchanged a glance with the guards, my instincts kicking in. I stepped back, allowing the guards to go first.

‘Search the room.”

The guards immediately spread out, moving cautiously through the space. I stood near the entrance, my senses heightened. The longer I stayed, the more I felt something wasn’t right.

“Maya, Anya have the staff move back.”

One of the guards moved toward the back of the room, reaching for a wardrobe that seemed slightly out of place. Just as his hand touched the handle, a sharp hiss echoed through the room, followed by a loud pop.

“Get down!” I yelled, instinctively ducking as thick gray smoke erupted from the wardrobe, billowing out in every direction.

The guards reacted instantly, covering their mouths and trying to fan the smoke away, but it was too thick, filling the room in seconds. I could barely see two feet in front of me as I coughed, the acrid scent stinging my lungs. It wasn’t poison it seemed. I suppose when she went back for the vial, she couldn’t afford another dose for whatever this smoke was.

CH136

“Find her!” I shouted, my voice muffled by the smoke.

She had clearly planned to escape, but she couldn’t have gotten far. Through the haze, I saw a shadow dart toward the back of the room, heading toward the window. I lunged forward, my hand reaching out just as the figure moved, but the smoke made it impossible to see clearly. I heard a soft thud and a scuffle of feet, but by the time I made it to the window, the figure was gone.

Cursing under my breath, I turned back toward the guards, who were fanning the smoke toward

the window.

“After her! She went out the window.” I turned back to the other half of the guards. “Send out a search party. Lock down the palace and the capital. No one leaves until she’s found.”

The guards scrambled to follow my orders, and I stepped back into the hallway. I hadn’t imagined that she would make it this easy to have a reason to interrogate her about he relationship with Elia and his plans.

I moved toward the nearest open window. The cool evening breeze hit my face, helping to clear the lingering smoke from my senses.

“What can you tell me about Lady Mei?” I asked. “Was she an active child? Grew up in poverty?”

“No, Your Highness. If anything she’s always been quite lazy.”

Was that an act or not? She went out of the window without much hesitation.

I turned back and headed toward the exit of the harem.

*She

won’t get far. She knows she can’t return the money, and she must be heading for an escape route somewhere on the palace grounds. Increase the patrol on the walls nearest the capital city.”

An alarm went through the air. The air shuddered, and I could see through the eyes of the palace. A group of guards had spotted her running in the capital city, heading toward the roads that would take her to the Tiger Kingdom’s border.

Given the war and everything that had happened at the last Convening, it was possible that she was in league with the tigers rather than with Elia, or they were all in league together.

“She is not to make it out of the capital. And once she’s captured, bring her to me immediately.”

The guard nodded and ran off to deliver the orders, I headed toward the gates, feeling my ability to see expand through the foundation of the city. She wasn’t dressed very practically with just a simple scarf over her head and the shoes she’d worn to dinner.

10:13 Thu, Oct 24

CH136

She had to be betting on someone picking her up somewhere near the edge of the palace, or maybe even in the capital city.

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I reached the outdoors and commandeered a horse from the stables, following Mei’s path through the city.

“She’s heading toward the west gate!”

I felt the gates tremble. Could I close them from here? I reached for them with my mind. I felt Pyra stirring and reaching. Then, the gates closed. Mei changed directions. The guards darted through the narrow streets of the capital, their heavy boots pounding against the cobblestone. I could feel it like thunder in my chest.

I changed directions, following her. They were closing in on her, but if there was an escape route in the walls, they’d lose her.

I couldn’t let that happen.