CHAPTER THIRTY

Jin walked into her chambers and came to a stop in her entryway. Her eyes went to every fixture, every piece of furniture. It felt strange. She had no reason to expect anything to be different than when she left it, but there was a sense of wrongness. Everything was the same and exactly as she'd left it six months ago. It wasn't right when so much beyond these walls was different. When so much about herself was different.

She paid Hana little mind as the steward came in after her. As if in a trance, Jin walked further into her old rooms.

The entryway was a circular antechamber, almost a sitting room in its own right. There was a stone hearth for warmth, a necessity at this altitude. The hearth had been scrubbed clean of ash in her absence, without so much as a speck of soot remaining. Two sumptuous armchairs lined with furs sat before the hearth, and a small armoire stood near the door in case Jin wished for a coat before heading out.

Jin went to the armoire and pulled the wooden doors open. Inside, she found that her overwear had been wrapped in wax paper at some point. A cloying scent of mothballs accompanied the sterile interior. Jin wrinkled her nose. Surely, the maids would've realized mothballs would make furs and suedes unwearable. A princess couldn't attend a social event smelling of naphthalene. Jin could only hope the wax paper wrappings mitigated any olfactory damage done to her coats and shawls.

"Winds take me," Jin whispered as dread fell upon her.

"Shall I get the lights, Highness?" Hana asked.

Jin grunted something noncommittal and hurried through the next door. She was only partially aware of Hana turning on the antechamber's gaslights. Jin passed through her main chamber, a large and open room with a number of bookshelves with few actual books, flower urns containing orchids and irises, and an expansive hardwood floor with a glossy layer of varnish. There was little furniture; Jin preferred open spaces for when her instructors came to give lessons in the latest dance steps. The entire wall opposite the door into the antechamber was enormous windows with silver filigree that let in what sunlight pierced through the mists. A pair of doors opened out onto the high-altitude balcony— which also had a dance floor, if a smaller one. On the left and right hand walls, there were hand-carved oak doors leading to Jin's conservatory, her bath, and a library she rarely used. In one of the corners, a spiral staircase led up to Jin's solar near to Maya's chambers. Where the right hand wall met the glass exterior wall, there stood a rosewood door carved with images of ladies in classical gowns dancing with one another. Jin went straight to that one and pushed it open.

Behind her, Hana bustled into the main chamber, sighed, and started turning on the gaslights.

Jin's bedroom was dark despite the early afternoon hour. There was only a single window within, and the fuchsia silk drapes were drawn closed. Jin pulled them open before proceeding further.

The mists were thinner on that side of the tower and provided enough light to see. Jin's emperor-sized four poster bed had its curtains pulled away, and her panic lessened when she saw a familiar face waiting for her.

Jin went to her bed and picked up the plush megarach waiting loyally on her pillow. Edwyn, Jin's very first friend. His fur was getting a little bare at the bases of his legs, and there remained a small bald patch on his belly after an unfortunate sorcery incident when Jin was six. Besides those small and irrelevant flaws, Edwyn's eight black-button eyes stared back at her as kindly as ever. Someone must've given him a wash over the last six months, because his fur was softer than she recalled.

Without thinking, Jin pressed Edwyn's fluffy head to her nose and inhaled deeply. The familiar scent took away nearly all of her anxieties, and for a moment, she was at peace with the world. She held Edwyn at arm's length and smiled past a lump in her throat.

Jin set Edwyn back on the bed, at the foot of it this time— as the maids should've known he preferred. Bracing herself, she then went towards her dressing room and feared what she would find.

"Highness, I really must insist we... Oh, waves take me."

Hana went silent and gaped slack-jawed as she followed Jin into a collection of gowns to rival any seamstress' gallery in Northrun. They were sorted first by color, then by style. Most hung from steel runners along the walls while Jin's favorites were displayed on five posable mannequins on platforms. Jin knew she could spend an hour or more admiring the craftsmanship and artistry of the pieces in her collection— she'd often done so— but she was more concerned with the threat of some well-meaning but ultimately foolish maid daring to bring a blustering mothball into her most treasured of vaults.

"Your Highness?"

Jin gave the room a tentative whiff before breathing in more deeply. She practically wilted beneath the power of her relief. The scent in the dressing room was sandalwood oil and rosewater, just as effective in repelling cloth-eating vermin but nowhere near as offensive to the nose. "Every spirit of wind have mercy," she whispered. "I might've burned down the entire palace."

"Princess Jin!" Hana said as her frustration at last reached its peak.

Jin eyed her sidelong. "I perceived a threat. Thankfully, I had no need to worry."

"Your Highness, this... This is obscene!"

"I beg your pardon."

"No one, princess or otherwise, has a need of this many floundering dresses. You could clothe an army of courtiers before making a dent."

Jin frowned. "Do not underestimate the frequency of events in the City of Althandor, Mistress Hana."

"There could be a gala every day for a year, and you still wouldn't need to wear the same gown twice."

Jin was appalled. "Do not be ridiculous. There could not be much more than a hundred here." She was rather proud of herself on the point of her restraint.

Hana's jaw dropped. "Do you mean to say you've worn all these?"

"Of course. To commission a gown and not wear it is the most galling insult one could give to the artist who created it."

Hana squinted and looked like she was about to deny the plain truth that fashion was an art form. She wisely stopped herself, and Jin wasn't given a pressing need to disabuse her of such wrong-headed notions.

"Would you prefer the conservatory or the solar?" Jin asked.

"Whichever is more private, Highness."

Jin started walking with the assumption that Hana would follow. "The solar, then. Maya will not have yet returned, and hers are the only rooms on that floor."

Out of the bedroom and up the spiral staircase, the solar was a small room but one with a breathtaking view of the Spired City below. An enormous bay window encompassed the north wall in a single rounded pane of glass. It looked out over Northrun, where the lower levels shone like gold through the deep mists between the towers, and the skybridges glittered like diamonds. From the solar, the gaslit dome of the opera was the most prominent sight, rivaled closely by Pinnacle Tower, the High Cathedral, and the threefold spires of the Starlit Sisters. Northrun, the heart of Althandi culture, was in Jin's estimation the most beautiful skyline in the world. It only became more impressive come nightfall when the gaslights outnumbered the stars in the sky.

Jin placed a privacy ward as she looked out the window and gave little attention to Hana settling into one of the two velvet armchairs. Seeing this familiar view again after so long made the truth of her present situation undeniable.

She was home.

It should not have taken me so long to accept my mistakes, she thought. This is where I am meant to be.

Jin found little value in dwelling on her faults. She should have remained in the Palace of Towers, sent Deebee away when she came with tales of Enfri's survival, and held true to the life she'd always wanted for herself. Accepting that to be true, Jin could now only move past it. She was a royal assassin, and the fool who wished to become something else was gone.

Her hands shook. Jin had neglected to go to the alchemists before coming to her rooms, and she'd yet to resupply on oren. Perhaps she'd grown too used to not having it and needed to readjust her thinking. Jin promised herself to collect at least a few vials before retiring for the night. It'd been so long since she'd last taken doses daily, she could hardly imagine how much better she'd feel once it was in her system again. Another part of being a royal assassin, and one she no longer needed to delay.

Jin pulled herself from the view to address Hana. "You say there is a demon in Eastrun."

Hana glanced to either side. "First, I would be more comfortable talking about this with..."

"I've already placed privacy wards. The demon, Mistress Hana."

Hana folded her hands primly in her lap. "His name is Algol."

"I've heard of this demon before," Jin said. "This is the one Brother Joshuan encountered several months ago?"

"I assure you, I know nothing of your past accomplices coming across demons, Highness. But, if your blood runner friend survived an encounter with the Black Star, I can only conclude he is fortunate to be alive."

Jin took her seat and gripped the armrests, knees spread. She purposefully took an unladylike and more looming posture. "Perhaps you should start from the beginning. Firstly, why are you here at all?"

"To the heart of the matter, then." Hana sniffed and raised her chin. "The Amak'talan do not approve of Ku Garret Merovech. Our halah'ha, my sortha-son, places a good deal of weight on my testimony regarding my time near the Dragon Empress. While I was kept at arm's length more often than I would wish, I witnessed enough to know just what sort of monster Master Deveaux really is."

Jin tilted her head to the side. "Is that to say there is a rift growing between the Espallans and the People of Jade?"

"I don't wish to overstate current affairs," Hana said with a shake of her head. "The Amak'talan will not abandon the Jade Empire. There is far too much history between our peoples to split over a single poor ruler. However, Hagen is quite fond of the executor who once quartered in our holdfast."

"Ku Ji Min," Jin said.

"Yes. Hagen considers her what we in the east would call a sister of the heart. So you may be able to imagine, Your Highness, of the lengths Hagen would go should the Glorious Executor request he help her in undermining the emperor."

Jin blinked in surprise. "Ji Min works against Garret?"

"She does indeed, and she isn't alone. Other than Hagen of the Amak'talan, Lita of the Harkh'alash also stands ready to assist. There are four other hallah'ha who would also prefer this new emperor's reign be a brief one. However, other tribes such as the Sa'shara or the Ito'kashai remain fanatically devoted to the alliance. Should we tip our hand too soon, our tribes would be slaughtered without hesitation or mercy. Not just by the Jade Armada, but by our own people." Hana took in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "My sendings to Hagen brought me word of what happened in New Sandharbor. Ku Ji Min's hopes of assisting Her Majesty in defeating the armada were squandered before they were given a chance to begin."

Jin nodded and had no difficulty keeping emotion out of her response. "It was an unfortunate turn of fate."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "Yes, it was. Therefore, I've been told that since the Aleesh will provide no aid against this false emperor, Hagen and Ji Min have little choice but to seek it from the Althandi. Everyone involved is well aware there is no love lost between Espalla and Althandor, but there is something to be said of a common enemy uniting old foes."

"The demon you know," Jin muttered, "though perhaps that old cliche is inappropriate in these circumstances."

"Althandor has a dark side I doubt even you would deny," Hana said, "but His Grace King Cathis is just a man, which makes him preferable to the old masters."

Jin nodded in understanding if not complete agreement. "There is a contradiction in what you've said. One does not become a House Algara steward in a matter of hours. You've been here for some time. I would know for what purpose."

Hana bowed her head. "Quite so, Highness. You see, the executor has become aware of the old masters. I was sent to confirm the things she's learned. Specifically, everything that was known to the Aleesh first minister's ill-fated delegation."

Jin narrowed her eyes. "I would not think Reyn would divulge such things to a presumed enemy."

"Not directly from that dear girl, no. The executor learned of this from Lord Haldi and Lady Huunaa."

"They are still alive?"

"And back in Shan Alee as we speak, I expect. From them, Ku Ji Min learned the darkest secrets of the Jade Empire, things the Espallans have only suspected until now. The truth is, Your Highness, the tribes have known for a very long time that something is amiss on the other side of World's End Gate. The People of Jade misunderstand the basic tenants of magic and attribute the Law of Five to their emperor's elder bloodline. They believe him and other so-called Fonts of Glory to be the source of all ether."

"How could you not know why they've been so wrong for so long a time?" Jin asked.

Hana sighed. "We've long avoided discussing such things with them."

Jin frowned. "Why?"

"Because it would be rude," Hana said as if the answer was obvious. "You must understand, Espallans are fanatically protective of our western neighbors. We wouldn't dream of arguing this subject, not when it would cause the People of Jade distress. By the same token, the People of Jade abstain from asking about how the Espallans gain ether without the Glorious Emperor's blessing."

"Both know something is wrong and do nothing about it." Jin scoffed. "As if they are two lovers avoiding a difficult subject."

"It could be said," Hana allowed. "Regardless, those suspicions have now been confirmed. The Glorious Emperor is and has been a mortal man possessed by a demon. The executor now knows who her true enemy is, and she has pried information about the old masters from the one she supposedly serves."

"About Algol," Jin said. "What has Ku Ji Min learned of him?"

"Algol, also known as the Black Star, is an enigmatic figure, seemingly even to Carinae. All the executor has learned for certain is that Algol is in the Spired City. You apparently already knew this."

Jin nodded. "There is value in having it confirmed from a second source."

"The rest I can tell you is supposition. The executor has been named as the supreme commander of the emperor's eastern interests, therefore she receives reports from the Gray Lotus Society. They have a multitude of spies in the Five Kingdoms and abroad across the Continent. Some of those spies were set in place by the Glorious Emperor's personal order."

"To assist Algol?" Jin asked.

"Perhaps. I'll remind you this is supposition. Many of those reports speak of mysterious errands carried out at the behest of the Black Star. They bring him innocuous things, textiles and trinkets for the most part. I cannot imagine why. However, there are more concerning items." Hana sat straight as if to brace herself for speaking something unpleasant. "Livestock, arcane reagents, and... people. Unwilling subjects."

"You mean slaves?" Jin exclaimed. "Here? In the Spired City?"

Hana held up a palm. "I'm well aware the royal assassins target human traffickers even more ardently than they once targeted Aleesh. But, you must know that no matter how many slavers you kill, there will always be men willing to profit off the misery of others."

Jin sighed through gritted teeth. "An ugly truth, but one I must accept as fact. As you say, there is seldom a year we are not called to eliminate such filth."

"And some of their wares have found their way into Algol's clutches. I believe you must realize for what purpose they've been procured."

Jin curled her lip in distaste. "With arcane reagents? I would suspect biomancy."

"More commonly known as flesh forging, yes. It is the executor's belief that Algol's purpose in the Spired City is to use forbidden magic to create fiends."

Jan touched at her forehead. She felt nauseas. Fiends were twisted and unnatural abominations, creatures transformed by dark magic into monsters. "It was the responsibility of the Order and the congress of hierarchs to regulate forbidden spellcraft. Without the magocracy, it could be a simple matter to make fiends right under our noses."

"That is our belief as well," Hana said. "These errands by the Gray Lotus didn't begin in earnest until after the Sanguine Tower's collapse."

"Starra mentioned fiend sightings in the lower levels," Jin murmured. "She thought Vintus and the battlefield coterie were capturing them for some unknown purpose, but if Algol is actually breeding them..."

"There may be yet another army," Hana said. "One just beneath your feet. Algol could very well have... a monster factory... somewhere in your city."

Jin fixed Hana with her intense stare. "What more do you know? Do you have a location?"

"Forgive me, Highness, but I don't. We believe Algol to be operating somewhere within Eastrun, but more than that, I couldn't say."

"Eastrun," Jin said. "That is where Krayson met with this demon. If I remember correctly, Arcrest Tower. Thirtieth level. Near to Fellowton."

Hana blinked in surprise. "It seems you already know more than I had to give you."

"No," Jin said with a shake of her head. "Your information is valuable. Algol is clearly more of a threat than I believed."

"Truthfully, Highness, I think it would be foolish to rate any demon as less than the highest threat possible. All sources point to six old masters loose in the world. Carinae, Antares, and Algol are accounted for, but the remaining three could be anywhere and doing anything."

"You are right. Vega is said to be in the south, building the Lord's Alliance out of the remnants of Altier Nashal. Rigel commands the Courtesans, but no one can be sure of from where. Centauri's whereabouts are unknown since she fled from Melcia."

"Up to something nefarious, no doubt," Hana said. "Rest assured, Highness, Ku Ji Min will make certain House Algara is appraised of anything she might learn of the demons. She will inform Hagen, Hagen will inform me, and I will inform you."

Jin clenched a fist. "Would that I was able to act on anything she might give. I've not yet received orders from my father. For the moment, my one concern must be defending the City of Althandor from the armies coming to destroy us. The Jade Empire, the Teulite Horde, the Lord's Alliance, and now Shan Alee and Algol's fiends. The royal assassins are depleted in number after the destruction of the battlefield coterie. There are not enough of us to counter every threat."

"I understand, Highness," Hana said. "However, if you mean to defend the Spired City, you cannot ignore what I've told you."

"As you say." Jin rose to her feet. "Thank you, Mistress Hana. You have my word. The royal assassins will put every available resource on this threat."

Hana stood as well. "I'm pleased to hear it. In the meanwhile, what will you do about the spy you've discovered in your home?"

Jin narrowed her eyes as she looked at Hana. "It may be disadvantageous to sacrifice a potential source of information."

Hana smiled. "I was hoping you would think so."

"However," Jin said with a frown, "there is also something to be said of the security risk you pose. How am I to be certain you will not also give Hagen everything you can learn about us?"

"You can't," Hana said simply. "In fact, I can promise you that I will. That being said, when official lines of communication aren't feasible, it falls to spies such as me to maintain a dialogue. If it helps, you may be inclined to think of me as... an ambassador?"

"A secret ambassador," Jin said. "It would be inconvenient if anyone besides me learned of your true allegiances."

Hana curtsied. "I do believe we understand one another perfectly, Highness."

Jin snorted in amusement. "It seems you are more dangerous than Enfri ever imagined."

"Please, Highness," Hana scoffed. "I'm just a harmless oldwife."

Jin smirked. "As you say. For your own safety, I would suggest you continue your duties as a steward to maintain your cover."

"I believe you're right, Highness. Might I ask what you plan to do?"

Jin rested her hand on her sword pommel. "For now, I must rest and recover my strength. In the morning, I go hunting."

"Alone?" Hana asked with concern.

Jin shook her head. "No, that would be foolish. Fortunately, if I am to hunt a Black Star, I have a Star Hunter."