“Honorable El'Gin¹Literally el (supreme) + gin (gold). Name given to the male children of the Emperor. Could be translated into prince in the common language., the first detachment of the armed forces that had left for the Province of Pon for the rescuing mission has just entered the imperial grounds. Their representatives will be meeting our revered El’Dur²Literally el (supreme) + dur (ruler). Name given to the Emperor in the Great Hall.”

“I see … And the Lun Calzai³ Literally lun (black) plus cal (bright) + zai (blade), or Blade of Light. It can be translated in common language as Black General, one of military leaders of the Empire. Each Province has it’s own Calzai. To distinguish them they were given different colors. The Lun Calzai refers to Nox ZaiWin from Nox.?”

“There’s still no news of his whereabouts.”

Wen⁴Literally wen (sun). Name of one of the three Empires, Wen, Ran and Sen. (Sun, Moon and Star). Also used as a surname by the members of the Imperial Family with ascending rights to the throne FeiWan⁵Literally fei (raging / furious) + wan (fire) raised his gaze from the letter he’d been writing and finally looked up at the man bowing respectfully in front of him.

All dressed in black, blazing flames embroidered in the cuffs and hem of his coat, the pin in the shape of a winged serpent he wore over the left side of his chest marked him as one of the Palace servants personally assigned to him.

So, they had finally arrived. It was about time.

He had received news that they had crossed from Won⁶Literally won (wood). Won is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. into Wen approximately one week ago. Even with the Jundai⁷Literally jun (work / worker) + dai (light). Or Workers of Light, or in service of the Light. Name given to the priests and priestesses of the Temple. of the Temple working together to make sure that at least the present leading figures reached the Palace as soon as possible, it had still taken them a full week to organize and put the whole thing into motion.

Now that LaoTar⁸Literally lao (strong) + tar (wind) had finally arrived at the Palace, things were bound to get more interesting, he considered, resting his head on one hand. He couldn’t help feeling curious about the kind of justifications the other man would present, trying to justify and explain what had happened. Above all he wondered about what kind of excuse he was carrying, to justify the absence of the El’Dur’s faithful dog, who had clearly dared turn his back on his duties and refused to personally report back to the Palace.

That fucking idiot had finally done it, FeiWan concluded with a pleased smile. And it would give him an even greater pleasure to see that stone-faced, arrogant man dig his own grave and be buried alive in it.

“What about the Demon Clan’s CalDai⁹Literally cal (bright) + dai (light). Unlike the Empires, the Dragon Clan has no royalty. They have a Leader. CalDai is a personal title (not inherited), and it refers to the youngest son of the Leader, reason why ZaiWin and the others sometimes refer to him as a prince (which he is not).?” he asked with a second thought and the man bowed even deeper before he answered.

“The Demon Clan's CalDai is being led to the Great Hall as we speak.”

So, as to be expected, they had dragged him all the way here ahead of the others as well, he considered, rising to his feet, his gesture making the man in front of him fall back a couple of steps, obviously uncertain if he should kneel where he stood.

“You may excuse yourself,” FeiWan declared, not wanting to waste the time telling him to get up should he decide to prostrate himself in front of him, and the man bowed and retreated all the way to the door, swiftly exiting the room.

Pulling his red cloak over his shoulders, FeiWan stepped out of his study and quickly marched down the corridor, the two armed men that had guarded his door following him without a word.

How long had it been?, he wondered with a crooked smile playing on his lips.

He couldn’t believe his ears, when news that the Demon Clan's CalDai had been amongst the people abducted by rogue mercenaries had reached him. Unlike the other El'Gin, he knew the cold, stone-faced CalDai better than most.

As a young boy he had been sent to their accursed village, in the Heavenly Mountains, to live amongst the Demon Clan for an entire year.

The honorable’s El’Dur's motives to send one of the El’Gin so far north had apparently been the result of an attempt to better understand the Demon Clan’s way of living, in order to establish a healthier, future relationship with their faraway neighbors. The truth behind it, however, had been an entirely different matter.

Established on the border between the three Empires, the Demon Clan’s territory was the perfect place to guarantee a quick and relatively safe exchange of information with Wen’s spies, stationed in the Empires of Sen¹⁰Literally sen (star). Name of one of the three Empires, northwest from Wen. and Ran¹¹ Literally ran (moon). Name of one of the three Empires, northeast from Wen., and to relay them new orders. But, of course, one couldn’t just send a military detachment all the way to the border without proper justification. And so he had been selected as a front for the entire operation. An expendable front, he had been all too aware, in case things didn’t go according to plan, and the Dragon Clan realized the true purpose of their presence in their lands.

Cold-blooded, inflexible warriors that they were, they were ruled by a strict set of morals and conducts. And FeiWan was sure they wouldn’t have even blinked, before sentencing him to death, if they had suspected the existence of the ulterior motives behind his presence. They most certainly wouldn’t have cared that he was one of Wen’s El’Gin.

So, how a bunch of such cold-blooded warriors had managed to get themselves captured by a bunch of vulgar slave dealers, was something he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around. He had seen them fight, their white, pale, thin blades swift and silent like a whisper of death. Their honorable CalDai, being one of the strongest amongst his Clan, had developed what he could only refer to as the perfect assassin’s technique. How come someone like his had simply allowed himself to get captured?

The sudden bright light of the day made him squint for a moment, the wind brushing against his carefully braided hair. Once outside the Red Rose Pavilion where he lived, he quickly followed the stone path that would lead him to the long flight of stairs of the Main Hall, where official audiences were held.

He had no intention whatsoever to set foot inside it. One of the most important rules, in order to survive living in the Palace grounds, was that he had to make sure he remained as free as possible to move around. And meeting the El’Dur face to face would inevitably result in him being ordered to do something, or take care of something that would inevitably place him under the El’Dur’s close scrutiny. Besides, even though he was curious about the report that LaoTar carried, he also knew that it would be filled with bullshit, destined to deceive anyone dumb enough to believe it. He had his own ways to acquire information. Not to mention that, later that afternoon, the man he had planted at the service of the El’Dur, would undoubtedly report to him everything now being said.

And so he patiently waited outside, in one of the white stone landings halfway up the stairs, leaving his guards at the bottom so that he could enjoy some privacy once he met him again.

There was a lot he wanted to ask the stone-faced man, but he also knew that pulling information out of him wouldn’t be easy. And so he took the time he had to quickly organize his thoughts, prioritizing some questions over others.

When the sound of the large doors opening echoed around him, FeiWan quickly turned back to look up. And soon there he was, the same cold, stone-face he remembered.

He hadn’t changed much, FeiWan realized with a small frown. Sure, he was taller now, his shoulders wider, his white hair longer. But the face was practically the same. The same pale skin, the same cold gray eyes, the same delicate, beautiful features. Like most people in the Palace, he had heard stories about how the Demon Clan didn’t age the same way other people did. And now, looking up at him after all those years, FeiWan couldn’t help consider that there might be some truth behind such rumors after all.

As to be expected, his presence was immediately noticed, those gray eyes landing on him for a brief moment before he began climbing down the stairs. And yet his face didn’t show anything even remotely similar to recognition.

All dressed in pure white, with a tunic that reached all the way to his feet and a wide mantle falling from his shoulders, the CalDai calmly made his way down the stairs, closely followed by two other members of the Demon Clan, also all dressed in white.

Unlike the nobles of the Empire, the Demon Clan rarely tied or braided their long hairs, rather preferring to use a single ribbon tied around their foreheads. Likewise, they never used or carried physical weapons, like swords or daggers, using their inborn magic to conjure them from thin air. FeiWan also knew they didn’t have daitai¹²Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power., or were blessed with the presence of the Tien’Elhar¹³Literally tien (Heaven) + el (supreme) + har (girl child). The Heavenly Beings also known as Celestials in the common language., making the source of their power a mystery that scared a lot of people. And they all had white hair and gray eyes, even though he had learned that the tone of their eyes could differ from dark-gray to almost white. The CalDai’s eyes, for example, were a silvery gray that sometimes, depending on the light, seemed to take on tones of metallic blue. All in all, with their white vests and calm, silent movements, they were all like a sore thumb, sticking out amidst the reds, golds and blacks that decorated most of the main Palace grounds.

Once they finally reached the landing where FeiWan stood, the CalDai halted for a brief moment, taking both hands to his forehead before he slightly bowed his head. His movements were so soft and fluid that, for a moment, FeiWan couldn’t stop staring at the way those pale hands rose and fell. In the past it had taken him a long time to get used to their way of moving, longer even to put through his thick skull that those fluid gestures were not, in any way, indicative that they would be slow fighters, quite the opposite.

Placing a courteous smile on his lips, he replied to his greeting with a bow of his own, before he opened his mouth to speak.

“Well, if it isn’t the esteemed CalDai of the Demon Clan, CalRimRan¹⁴Literally cal (bright) + rim (cold) + ran (moon). It is my honor to humbly welcome you to our great Palace of Wen,” he declared, making a point to mention his birth name. He knew that doing so was bound to be seen as an impoliteness from his part, but he wanted to see if he could rattle his impenetrable, icy expression a bit. The CalDai, however, simply nodded his acquiescence.

“El’Gin Wen FeiWan,” he muttered back, his voice almost a whisper, his gaze as cold and indifferent as always.

Well, at least he hadn’t forgotten who he was, FeiWan concluded with a renewed smile. If breaking through that wall of ice was going to be a hard endeavor as it was, if the CalDai were to see him as a total stranger he might as well give up before even starting.

“I hope your travels haven’t been too tiring. And I would like to apologize, in the name of all the citizen’s of Wen, for the wrongdoings of a few misguided souls. I hope they haven’t mistreated you and your people too much, and that you may find a way to forgive their misconduct. If there’s anything Wen can do to make amends, please, don’t hesitate to let us know,” he went on, with what he knew was the politically correct thing to say. After all, the moment they had received news of the kidnappings, the El’Dur had promptly sent a message to the Dragon Clan, promising to spare no efforts in the attempt to rescue them, and offering his own older daughter in marriage as a collateral, should they fail.

“We are grateful to the El’Gin for his consideration. And hope we can ease his concerns. There’s nothing to be forgiven, and no need to make any amends,” he simply replied, his tone unchanging.

If FeiWan had been back in the Demon Clan’s village he would have been pulling the CalDai’s hair by now, or maybe throwing dirt on him, or even setting his mantle on fire in an attempt to make him at least frown a bit. But here he was one of the El’Gin. His actions reflected the image of the entire Empire. He could not offend such an important guest, no matter how much his stone-face was starting to annoy him.

“I am glad and relieved to hear that. May I offer to accommodate the esteemed CalDai in our humble Red Rose Pavilion. It would be my honor to properly repay the hospitality that the Demon Clan has showed me in the past.”

“We thank the El’Gin for his offer. But the El’Dur has already offered to accommodate us in the White Pavilion, which is my belief to be the usual arrangements for any Imperial guests?”

FeiWan’s smile twitched a bit at that.

Yes, yes it was, he grunted in his mind. But still, he would much rather have been able to keep him close at hand. Working around that icy wall would take time, and he didn’t know how much he’d be granted, before the Demon Clan’s people were allowed to return north.

“So it is,” he conceded with a short nod. “Then would you give me the honor to show you around the Palace grounds?” he offered, knowing that politely refusing that would be much harder. “We could enjoy some refreshments, in one of the inner gardens.”

The gray eyes that openly stared at him didn’t even flicker. He hated those eyes. Had always hated them since he’d met the Demon’s Clan CalDai for the first time. It was as if he could see straight into him, trough all the politically correct facade he used like an armor better than anyone.

“May the El’Gin please lead the way,” finally came the reply he had been expected, and FeiWan couldn’t help smile, excited with his own victory. With a curt gesture of his hand, his own men got rid of the Palace servants waiting at the base of the stairs to lead the CalDai to his quarters. And then, with a light bow, he fell into step beside the CalDai, politely showing him the way to the inner Palace.

Silvareiel

Ah, FeiWan as a new play-thing. Or is it the other way around ...? ?