After, there was only the sound of the Sheng’s deep, panting gasps until the Saran's dulcet tones rang out again.
"Sheng, you know of me and what I do. I am the Saran, servant to Lord Suryan, Lady Canandra, and their Messenger, Braham. I perceive. I translate. I give you the interpretation of the visions they give me. This is what I see."
"Be SILENT!" the Sheng commanded.
Her expression didn't waver as Saemon rebuked her.
To even think about Isao dying . . . it couldn't be so, Saemon thought. Isao had life. Vivacity. He would ascend the throne and continue the proud legacy of their family!
Saemon knew this reality all the way to his bones. He had planned for it always; he deemed it so!
He drew his shoulders back, expanding his chest as he took a deep breath.
"Sheng – "
"Another word from you and I . . ." He paused, swallowed, and forced a wave of agitation to pass out of him. "Saran, I have shed too much blood on behalf of the Triad. Did I not fight for them in the Horat-Vu war? How can they ask this of me? My son. My only son. No. I will not sacrifice him to their whims. My blood was what was needed to usher in a new era." Here he thumped on his chest with a fist. "My blood. The last Saran told me so. She predicted this."
"I cannot speak for the previous Saran. I can only tell you what I see."
"I will not allow Isao’s blood to be spilled," Saemon yelled. "Not now. Not ever!"
The Blessed Saran reached out a hand, but didn't move any closer. In a gentle voice she soothed, "Isao has all of our hearts, Sheng. You are not alone in your love for him. I wish I hadn't seen what I revealed to you, but I cannot deny what they have given me. I – "
"Silence!" he roared. "You test my patience, Saran. All of you…you are fickle beings that don't know anything. Get out of my sight. Now!"
Her lips formed a frown. She paused, then bowed at the waist. "As you wish, my Sheng."
She left the room on bare feet that barely brushed the floor. Then Saemon fell to his knees and gave a deep, guttural growl.
This the Triad could not ask. Their selfish whims had taken enough from him already.
He would not give his son.
Saemon tossed aside the memory and inhaled sharply.
This appearance by the Blessed Saran haunted him even now, years later. No matter how desperately he had tried to forget everything about that day, he never could.
She had revealed what could be. Of all the things she had to predict, why did that have to be one of them?
Why did the Triad have to take everything?
It was not enough that Saemon had to take many lives in their name during the Horat-Vu war. That the Triad had taken his beloved wife, leaving him to raise his son and the Empire all by himself.
No, now the Triad was taking his people too.
The Triad was always thirsty for more.
The verses played through his mind again and again…
A veil of crimson cloaks the moon. The herald of the blackest night returns. Heed his mournful wail.
The young lion refuses his kingdom. The fires burn, heralding chaos. The era of disorder begins. Balance has shattered.
And then the moon will hide. Eternal night descends until the blood of the ninth beckons the old sun to the new kingdom.
He shivered and reflected on Khalem’s absence as he hoisted the katana in his hands.
If the prophecy must come to pass this night, Saemon thought, at least Isao would be safe. Khalem would give his life to ensure that outcome.
"Isao," he murmured aloud, just to have his own voice break the quiet of his bedroom. "Isao is safe. Khalem will protect him. Nothing else matters. And now it is time for me to do my part."
Four guards were present in the hallway when Sheng Saemon stepped out clad in full armor. Only twenty minutes had passed since he'd spotted the Gube, yet already he could hear clashes so loud that it was apparent a fierce battle had begun.
A tall man with a broad chest stood in the midst of three other guards. It was Captain Jurobei, leader of the Karu unit. His sharp gaze narrowed, taking in Saemon's appearance in with one quick gaze.
"Sheng," he said, bowing. "It is my honor to serve you tonight. You have summoned us?"
Saemon nodded once. "Captain Jurobei. Thank you for coming. Is the back hall being guarded?"
"Yes, Sheng."
"And the front doors?"
"Yes."
"Put three more guards by the doors leading out from the kitchens, and make sure men are some stationed near the cellars too. Our enemies are already upon us, but surely they have not fanned out just yet. We must stop them before they overtake everything."
"The intruders, Sheng?"
"Yes. I don't know who they are for certain, but I do have an idea."
"Yes, Sheng."
A clashing of metal sounded at the end of the corridor. Sheng and his guards all turned at the same time to spy a soldier attempting to make his way down the corridor.
Blood poured down his face from a gash over his eye. There was a trickle of blood on one of his legs from the knee on down, and a large amount of blood spread across his chest. The man fell to his knees with a cry, then tried to use his elbows to slowly pull himself down the hall.
“Help him,” Saemon commanded. “Bring him to me.”
Two of the guards rushed down the hall, then gingerly lifted up the wounded soldier and carried him to Saemon’s side. They placed him down on the floor carefully, propping his back up against the wall.
“Sh-sheng,” the soldier murmured. “They are here.”
Saemon crouched down next to him. “You have done well, soldier, in fighting and coming to me. Where are they?”
“Every . . . everywhere.”
“Outside?”
“No. Inside.”
Saemon swallowed back an uneasy rise of acid in his throat.
“The old . . . the old armory,” the soldier gasped.
Sheng recoiled in horror. The old armory boasted several entrances to the twisting maze of hidden passages that darted through the castle. This news was dreadful!
The soldier coughed and began to gag. Saemon reached out to put a consoling hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Thank you, soldier.”
The young man took a shuddering breath just before his head fell to the side and his body slid down the wall. As it was clear to all present that he had passed, Captain Jurobei reached out to carefully close the man’s eyes. He then looked to the Sheng.
“Your orders, Sheng?”
Sheng’s mind was spinning. These intruders had already broached the interior of the palace! How were they even aware that the armory offered entrances into the palace? Worse, how could he and his men fight enemies who were both without and within?
He felt faint, but he forced himself to be strong.
“We fight,” he whispered fiercely. “Carry out my commands as before, and prepare yourself and your men.”
Captain Jurobei barked a crisp order to one of the guards, who spun on his heels and left to see the Sheng’s commands fulfilled. The other two remained at attention behind Jurobei, remaining to protect Saemon.
Saemon drew in a deep breath, appreciating his opportunity to be in command. Standing idly by, just waiting for destiny to take its course, was an interminable punishment. But being able to act and create some order out of chaos created a modicum of safety. Even if his people were surrounded on all sides by enemies, at least he could fight them.
And fight he would.
"Is the Karu unit ready?"
"Of course, Sheng. They are preparing as we speak, and may even be ready already."
Saemon nodded once, pleased to hear this good news. Now there was a chance. A chance that he could defeat the prophecy, prove the Sacred Triad wrong, and banish these enemies from his life.
For a moment, though, the darkness in the hall seemed to press in on him and affect his thoughts.
Double guards. Karu unit. Khalem with Isao. Had this all happened just tonight? It seemed to have happened too quickly to be real.
Saemon shoved the thoughts aside.
"Sheng," Captain Jurobei said, stepping forward. "I trust you with my life, and the lives of my soldiers. We are ready to give our lives for you and the Empire. But may I just ask . . . "
Saemon met his gaze. "What is it, Captain Jurobei?"