The Goldsign of the Jai clan.
“Jai Daishou!” Eithan said happily. “What brings you down the mountain on this fine autumn morning?”
Jai Daishou kept his gaze fixed on Eithan, never so much as glancing at Lindon or the servants streaming around him. “I was told you would arrive today, and I wanted to offer my greetings in person.”
“How generous of you! Please, allow me to introduce the two newest members of my family. This is Yerin, the top-ranked student of the outer family, and Lindon. The second-ranked.”
A feather-light touch brushed across Lindon’s spirit, and the old man’s wrinkles creased into a frown. “Second.”
“I ranked them myself! Lindon, Yerin, this is Jai Daishou, the seventh Underlord of the Blackflame Empire.”
“And Patriarch of the Jai clan,” Jai Daishou added, his frown deepening.
“Ah, that’s right. He is also the Patriarch of the third-ranked of the three great clans.” Eithan’s smile was sunny.
Jai Daishou examined the other Underlord for a long moment. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but your family’s performance in the city has slipped while you’ve been gone. I can only imagine what it’s like over the rest of the empire, without your personal supervision to guide them.”
Lindon rubbed sweaty palms on the inside of his pocket, keeping his eyes down lest he attract the Jai Patriarch’s attention. Of all the things he had expected to happen when they landed, he had never imagined he would end up between two Underlords in conflict.
He flicked a glance at Yerin, but she was glaring at Jai Daishou openly, arms crossed and Goldsign quivering.
“I’m quite pleased with how the family performed in my absence,” Eithan said.
Jai Daishou’s attention briefly touched on Lindon and Yerin, and he let out a soft noise of disapproval. “An Underlord should have higher standards.”
“Really?” Eithan sounded baffled. “I’ve always thought my standards were too high. Well, let me know if the Arelius family can help you defend your territory in the upcoming days. Jai Long can be quite a threat…unless, of course, you intend to take action yourself.”
That sounded to Lindon like the only genuinely pleasant comment Eithan had made over the whole exchange, but Jai Daishou bristled as though Eithan had insulted his children. “The Highgolds of the Jai clan are more than capable of dealing with an exile.”
“I’m relieved to hear it! I knew you wouldn’t be forced into action by a single Highgold.” The Jai Underlord’s face darkened further, but Eithan laughed harder than Lindon thought was appropriate, eventually tapering off and wiping a tear from his eye. “Ah, it’s refreshing to have such a friendly conversation.”
Jai Daishou had the look of a man about to set a house on fire.
Eithan gave his opposite a shallow bow. “I know it’s been brief, but I appreciate you seeking an audience with me so quickly. When I have more time, I’ll be happy to pay your Jai clan a visit in return.”
He turned, dragging Yerin and Lindon with him, and started walking away before Jai Daishou had a chance to say anything. Lindon couldn’t stop himself from glancing back, to see how the enemy Underlord would take the insult.
The Jai Patriarch folded his hands behind his back again.
Then, suddenly, Lindon’s body weighed five times as much. Air rushed from his lungs as his knees slammed into the stone of the courtyard, his head bowing as though a giant palm pressed on his spine.
He gritted his teeth and spent all of his madra to Enforce his body. Even with his full strength, he only lifted his head a fraction.
It wasn’t just Lindon. Everyone was on the ground; children cried, splayed out on the stone. A wagon had dumped over, spilling garbage onto the street, and most people he could see were gasping for breath.
Yerin’s jaw was set, and she was very deliberately breathing in and out, but she was on her hands and knees just like he was. Even Eithan’s knees were bent, his hands held out for balance, his smile gone. The strain showed on his face.
Lindon couldn’t take a breath. His mouth gaped, but it was as though the air had turned to stone.
“I have done you honor by speaking to you in person,” Jai Daishou said calmly. “Don’t spit in my face, Eleven.”
Eithan raised his hands and pulled against the air, as though he were trying to pry open an invisible door. He strained for a long moment before, finally, something gave.
The pressure vanished. Lindon gulped down a deep breath. Eithan staggered to lean against the statue of the First Patriarch, red-faced and panting.
Jai Daishou’s lip twitched into the first stage of a smile. “You have had a long journey. When you recover, come see me, and I will grant you an audience.”
He departed, striding off through the courtyard at his own speed, paying no heed to the servants who scurried out of his way.
When Lindon had recovered himself, he looked to Eithan. In joining the Arelius family, he’d picked up their enemies and rivals as well, and Eithan might not be capable of protecting an Iron from significant threats. Maybe Lindon would be safer if he stayed further away from the Underlord.
But as soon as Jai Daishou rounded a corner far away, Eithan stopped breathing heavily. He straightened his back, smile returning to its place.
When he saw Lindon’s concern, he winked. “People here are all so concerned with high rankings. I’ve always felt that you get more done when you’re not in the spotlight, don’t you think?”
Yerin rolled her shoulder in its socket. “It’s too late to save face. You were hauling like a plow-horse.”
Eithan laughed. “I was, wasn’t I? Well, maybe I have provoked too strong of an opponent this time.” He didn’t sound too concerned about the possibility. Reaching into his pocket, he flipped Yerin something that looked like a wooden coin. “Yerin, have one of the servants direct you to the refinery. Show them that token, and ask them for a Purple Feather Elixir.”
She brightened immediately. “This will smooth my path to Highgold?”
“Your path to Highgold is very smooth, if only you would listen to me, but this will help you advance your madra base without tapping into your Remnant. Cycle as much as you can over the next three or four days, until the pill wears off.”
Yerin gripped the token in her fist and ran off without another word.
“What about me?” Lindon asked hopefully. He had received a dozen Four Corners Rotation Pills over the course of the journey, though their effects had begun to fade during the last week or two. But if Eithan had something more powerful in reserve, Lindon wanted a taste of it.
Eithan rubbed his hands together in apparent anticipation. “You and I, Lindon, are headed for my personal favorite room in the entire city: the Arelius family library.”
***