The Hiwan soldiers gasped, as their leader, a young lieutenant, tightened his grip on his sword.
“What has happened here?” he asked crisply.
Azuma conjured up a deep, shuddering breath. “I tried. I fought hard. I tried to save him, but I failed!”
The soldiers approached, working their way slowly over the bodies strewn across the throne room.
“Emperor?” the lieutenant whispered as he got close to the Sheng.
Azuma forced himself to cradle Saemon’s head with his palms.
“I did everything to protect him against the Ameyas. They did this to us, can’t you see? They’ve betrayed all of us, and killed the Emperor. My people, my loyal soldiers, died trying to stop them. Look at all their dead bodies in here!”
The lieutenant scanned the room, his eyes taking in the Nari, Ameyan, and Hiwan dead. “You are here alone?” he asked carefully.
“Yes. Once they killed the Emperor, I destroyed the rest of them. I . . . I couldn’t control my rage.” He gritted his teeth. “They killed my Emperor, and for that they paid with their lives.”
Azuma gently set Saemon’s head down, and began to sniffle, as if attempting to hold back his tears. A thrill ran through him when he saw the rage start flickering in the lieutenant’s eyes.
It was working. Just as planned.
The lieutenant whirled around, taking it all in. “Nari,” the lieutenant whispered, nudging a nearby body. “Hiwan over here. And Ameya. So many dead.”
“My men fought bravely. You see how many soldiers from the Ameya clan we killed?” He looked away, and screwed his eyes screwed shut. “But still we couldn’t save the Emperor.”
One of the soldiers – a boy not older than seventeen – suddenly dropped to his knees. He reached out and placed a hand on the body of a Hiwan whose throat had been slit. A sob bubbled up from deep within his chest. “Brother!” he cried. “They killed my brother!”
“This was a bloodbath,” the lieutenant hissed. “They ambushed us, and our Emperor.”
Azuma nodded. “Yes.”
The young Hiwan who cradled his fallen brother’s head raised a fist to the sky and declared with clenched teeth, “I will have my revenge!”
The Hiwan soldiers began to murmur aloud.
“Ameya,” one said bitterly.
“Revenge,” demanded another.
“We will fight.”
“They will not get away with this.”
“Sir! Over here!” one of the soldiers called out suddenly.
The lieutenant perked up. “What is it?”
Two Hiwan soldiers stood against the far wall, beckoning with a wave. “Saten Azuma. Your sister . . . Nishu Yuna is over here.”
Azuma exchanged a glance with the lieutenant. They picked their way through the field of bodies in the throne room. Yuna lay on the ground, robes torn. She curled in a ball, her back against the wall and her face covered by her hands. Her entire body shook.
“Yuna?” he questioned gently as he crouched next to her.
She jerked away from him with a cry. “No! No, don’t hurt me. Don’t rape me!”
“Yuna, it’s me. Azuma. Your brother. I’m here to help you. You will not be harmed. Can you tell me what happened?”
Slowly, she peeled her hands away from her face, and peered up at her brother. “Azuma?” she asked in a voice that quavered.
“Yes, Yuna. You’re safe.”
“T-the Ameyas. Th-they tried to . . .” She swallowed. Tears filled her eyes. “They tried to rape me. I escaped. Just barely. I-If the Nari and Hiwan clans hadn’t shown up to fight the Ameyas, they would have – ”
She turned away. Azuma embraced her fiercely as she trembled against him. The sound of running footsteps filled the air. Chancellor Bramen Qin and a contingent of Nari soldiers rushed into the room.
“By the gods,” Bramen muttered, a hand to his pale cheek. “What has happened to Yuna?”
“The Ameya clan did this,” the lieutenant said. “They tried to harm Yuna, murdered Nari and Hiwan guards, and . . ..” He choked and pointed across the room with his sword, which shook slightly. “They killed the Emperor.”
The Nari clan exploded into curses and yells. They advanced into the room, looking for their fallen comrades.
“Pull our soldiers away from the Ameya scum,” Bramen commanded. “Close their eyes. Our men shall be honored while we burn the or leave them for the vultures.”
Upon hearing these words, Azuma swallowed a cheer. Now was not the time to celebrate their plan. Yuna was pulling her role off beautifully – he must do the same.
Bramen Qin’s face became splotchy with rage as Yuna slowly stood up. She smiled a tremulous thank you when a Hiwan soldier reached out a hand to help her. She somberly adjusted her tattered robes, eyes averted. A cry came from the doorway. Azuma glanced over to see Ren standing near the door, clutching at the frame.
Yuna rushed to her side, taking her into her arms. “Ren. It’s horrifying.”
“What happened?” Ren whispered.
“The Ameya clan attacked. The Hiwans and the Naris fought bravely against the traitors.” She lowered her gaze, swallowing heavily. “They tried to rape me. And they killed the Emperor. They tried to kill our brother, but like a true leader, he was too strong. Once the Emperor died, Azuma killed all the rest of the traitors in this room.”
“Did they do this alone?” someone called.
“No,” Yuna said, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. They must have had aid somehow.”
“We’ll find them!” Bramen shouted, lifting one fist. “We will find them and destroy them for what they’ve done!”
“Saten Azuma?”
Azuma spun around to find a Hiwan servant right behind him. Blood marred the bottom edge of his robe, staining his shoes. Like the rest of those surrounding him, he trembled slightly.
“Yes?”
“The Hiwan Chancellor, Najeem, is dead. We just found him in his room.”
Azuma’s shoulders slumped. Yuna shook her head, murmuring quietly, “Those bloodthirsty heathens.”
A ripple moved through the amassed crowd. Azuma nodded once. “Thank you for letting me know. Najeem was an honest and fair man. He will be greatly mourned, along with our beloved Emperor.”
“What now?” a Hiwan soldier called. “The Chancellor is supposed to rule if one of our clan leaders die. The Emperor is dead. Who will rule the Hiwan clan?”
As a chorus of panicked voices broke out, Azuma raised both of his arms in a request for silence. “Everybody, please. We must be calm.”
“Panic will only divide us,” Yuna said. “We must be more united than ever before. The Nari and the Hiwan clans have been lied to and betrayed. Together we can fight if we trust one another.”
“Justice will take its course,” Azuma declared.
These words calmed the crowd that had gathered. Yuna now reached over and laid a hand on Azuma’s arm. “Azuma, your face. There’s a deep cut on your forehead that needs attention.”
“How can I think of a mere cut when there are so many more important things? No. I will deal with my scratches later. Let us check the rest of the castle.”
A quiet murmur of approval rolled through the crowd.
“Those of you who are injured, follow me,” Yuna said. “We’ll find you medical assistance immediately. Then we can start to plan for the proper burials for our brave soldiers, and rid the palace of the stink of the Ameyas’ betrayal.”
Those congregated shuffled away. Azuma caught sight of something far more strange: Tieng Shorguz of the Uma clan and Gavan Jenzud of the Horalu speaking quietly amongst themselves.
Once they saw Azuma’s sharp gaze on them, they silenced with a dutiful nod.
Two hours later, Yuna, clad in a clean robe, pressed a wet piece of cloth to Azuma’s forehead. He hissed and reared back, glaring at her.
“Ouch!” he complained.
“Don’t be a child. I have to clean it.”
He braced himself as she touched the alcohol-soaked rag to the skin again. This time it only lightly burned.