The pounding in his temples never ceased even when he had locked the gates behind him. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he rested his back on the wooden surface. The peeling paint stuck to his skin in errant spots when he edged away. He gulped, his lungs doing their best to catch the breaths he missed from running.

He had watched Kai-Se throughout the entire process of ducking between merchant carts. Chi-Sae had coached them on which entrance they used in keeping the Fai Clan fed and comfortable inside the Piljissan, and so far she had been right. From between the spaces, he checked how Kai-Se was managing. The guards, with green sleeves peeking out of their armors, walked towards the growing commotion. Within stepping around Kai-Se's effective radius, their attention was sucked in.

Nao-Zai clenched his jaw and gave his legs the final burst towards the unguarded gate. Before the ones on the right line notice him. Relief didn't quite flood his senses even as he made it inside. This was just the beginning. Chi-Sae. He should tell her he's here. But...how?

The familiar walkways and gardens of the Imperial Palace loomed before him, reminding him of everything that happened the last time he was here. And what happened when he was forced to leave it behind. Coming back here...it would have been more torture to Kai-Se than it was to him. That's why he was hesitant to agree when Kai-Se proposed the plan to get the clans out.

If only the prince hadn't caught Nao-Zai talking about it with Shin-Ki, they would be away in Shencai, safe and sound. Well...as safe and sound it would be in a land of magical beings with animal heads and a different kind of humor. Gang Sen did say he and the council would provide Kai-Se asylum in return for his help with Dansarun. Nao-Zai hadn't yet asked the boar-headed man if he's willing to grant asylum to more than two hundred individuals. And at this point, he could only hope.

Nao-Zai passed the central palaces. More guards were posted in front of the three buildings, all dressed in green and bore swords with the Fai Clan's insignia hanging from the hilts. He ducked behind an overgrown bush. Without the servants meant to keep things in order, the entire palace has descended into disarray. A curse flitted out of his lips. The next bush was a mile away, tucked between the pavilion and another walkway. There's no way he could get there without being seen.

He peeked through the spaces between the leaves, watching how the Fai Clan handled patrols. Not a lot of guards milled around in pairs or groups of threes, seeing as how there's just one set that passed the central palace the whole time he had been here. How in the world did the Fai Clan take over Piljissan with so few forces?

Nao-Zai's eyes widened. Unless they're not acting alone. There must have been a hurried marriage so another clan could join them here. The next question would be: who?

Overhead, a flock of water terns cawed as they took flight, droptlets of water from the lake still glistening in their feathers. While the previous Emperor had been lenient towards the birds, this new government wasn't. The sun was blinding. Unlike the gentle rays shining down on the village from when he and Kai-Se made it down the hill, this set scalded currents on his skin and pricked his eyes with searing prods.

Half an hour. That's how long he had before Kai-Se ran out of magic in distracting the gatekeep. It wasn't because he was confident he'd make it out by then. He had been watching, and the longest length of time Kai-Se had been able to channel and use his and the spirits' korza was half an hour.

So, it would be enough. It should be. Otherwise, Kai-Se would end up straining himself, and Nao-Zai would feel it. Just as he had ever since they survived Zhi-Xen's assault in Trahn-gwok-tan.

He blew a breath. It did nothing to calm the rage in his thoughts and heart. Hide. Find Chi-Sae. Don't be seen.

One step at a time.

He cast a look down at the sword hanging from his belt. The blue tassel hanging from his sword. The dragon carved from nuggets of gold glinted in between the knots. He snatched it, his fingers gripping it tight. With a solid yank, he ripped it from the hilt.

Saengje was to the northwest, so Nao-Zai chucked the tassel to his east. He watched the blue threads sail in the air, its tails fluttering with the motion. The gold stone hit the manicured pathwalks with a distinct thwang. The sea of guards stiffened, their senses no doubt picking that up. The nearest man left his post to check what made the noise.

Nao-Zai dropped into a stance, preparing to dart the moment the guard realized what the insignia meant and what it entailed. As expected, the guard's face slackened into horrified shock. He ran back to his post and showed the man next to him what he found. The entire line caught the news and a bristle passed through them in a visible wave. Soon, they were restless, looking around for their superiors.

They quietened when an imposing man sauntered outside the Jade Palace and descended into the wide courtyard. The guards gave the man the tassel and the man, which Nao-Zai could only assume to be a commander or a general, frowned. Then, he barked an order, the characteristic Torak-sai drawl muffling much of what he meant. A sea of green and maroon peeled off the courtyard and ran the opposite side.

He waited for a while, at least until the men who went off would take too long to double back, before making a mad sprint past his hiding place. Saengje was just beyond the pavilion. So close.

"Halt! Who are you?" a stern, commanding voice ripped through Nao-Zai'is ears. He wasn't about to follow that. He's not a soldier. Not anymore. "Stop in the name of the spirits!"

Nao-Zai ignored it and aimed for the pavilion. Beyond the line of lilac leaves, the tips of the roofs of the Butterfly Place peeked like a shy maiden. Footsteps were heavy behind him. He poured all of his strength just to make it to the wall.

Silver whizzed in his periphery. He side-stepped, planting his foot as he pivoted. His fingers wrapped around the all-too-familiar sword at his belt. With a quick click and a wide swish, his blade clashed with the first line. Faces blurred as Nao-Zai threw whatever morality he had left in this fight. If he didn't kill them first, they'd never hesitate to run him through. This was war. Nobody was truly righteous, and everyone was just doing their best to survive.

He spun, his sword slashing without mercy across armor, cloth, and skin. Both pained and defiant screams filled his ears as he held some sort of one-man barricade in front of Saengje's wall. Now, he fully understood the purpose of the walls separating the regions of the Imperial Palace despite having a united front. It was to prepare for coups like this. They might get the Jade Palace, but as long as one region remained unconquered, the Imperial Palace would never fall.

And it seemed like Saengje was holding its ground throughout everything. But, as Chi-Sae said, they didn't know how long they could last. They needed the Noryeong clan out, at least the ones who couldn't defend themselves. That's why she urged Nao-Zai to come. They needed all the help they could get.

Nao-Zai turned too late. A sword zipped to pierce his neck. A faint woosh of wind drove his hair out of his forehead. He slammed his foot into another oncoming attacker just as guard's blade clattered to the ground, followed by his body. Bright red blood streamed past the arrow sticking out of his throat. His eyes stared unseeing towards the open sky.

Nao-Zai whirled to trace the arrow's trajectory. Another soldier fell behind him. Against the sun's rays, a series of bumpy silhouettes rimmed the wall. "Paekdora, nice of you to join us!" Chi-Sae's familiar voice ripped through the clashing metal and screaming soldiers.

He turned and dealt with more soldiers with a series of parries and slashes. "Open the gates!"

"Climb the wall!" she answered just as a snake-like whip flashed in his periphery. A rope. "Can't risk the gates just for you!"

Nao-Zai flicked his gaze to the bright red gates now standing between him and the people he had been sent to help. The series of cables and wooden tubs hadn't been there before. His eyes widened with understanding. Should the Fai Clan force those gates open, something in the mechanism would snap, dousing the attackers with the tubs' contents. And knowing how Saengje remained untouched until now, it could only have been the most potent killer.

Acid. Or poison. Whichever it was, it was sure to do the job.

Nao-Zai struck another soldier down, driving him back to his comrades with a sharp kick before sprinting for the rope. He sheathed his sword and focused on scaling the wall. His soles slapped the once-pristine bricks of the wall as he clambered up, closer to the crenelations lining the walkways and farther from the ground.

He didn't dare look down. Something pulled the rope tauter. Weight hung from the ends he left dangling. He cursed. Hurry. They're climbing too. With his palms crunching against the rough rope, he heaved himself faster than he ever had to do in his entire life. Once his hands clamped on the crenelation, a flash of silver and the sound of threas snapping assaulted his senses. The soldiers who thought following him up was a good idea went down with the remnants of the rope. The twine didn't make a sound upon reaching the ground. The soldiers did. Crack.

Nao-Zai tore his eyes at the possible horror and lives lost from below. He faced Chi-Sae. The sang-kwonxia had ditched her skirts and ornaments for a simple fenhai complete with the wide-legged trousers. Her hair was freed from the traditional braids and instead tied back from her face in a top knot. The same pin with a lotus at one end secured it.

"The Queen is in the Butterfly Palace," she said. "She's waiting for you."

"How many people are we letting out?" Nao-Zai asked instead. All around him, women like Chi-Sae ran here and there, bows on their hands and spare ones slung over their shoulders. Arrows stuck inside quivers, with bright feathers whipping with the faint breeze ripping through the top of the walls, lined the floor and bounced against their legs. Were all of these...sang-kwonxias?

Chi-Sae whipped her bow and nocked an arrow. "It's just the Noryeong clan," she said. "About a hundred and twelve."

He frowned. "What about the Tarakure Clan?" he asked. Would they have to do a double trip? That's not what they talked about.

"They disappeared," she shot. Down below, another soldier fell with an arrow to the throat. He could tell just by the strangled gurgling floating in the air. Chi-Sae's not bad. "Only the Queen can tell you where they are. We'll hold the fort and meet you in Chaebeon."

Back to Shin-Ki's temple. That had been the plan. He bobbed his head and ducked his head at the court lady even though he was sure he had had a higher rank than her. It didn't matter now, did it? They're all titleless from the point the Emperor vanished.

He trekked to the stairs leading towards the ground. Within minutes, he reached the Butterfly Palace. It was exactly as how he remembered it, with its unlit lanterns, polished floors, and elaborate indoor gardens. It was the absence of the court ladies gossiping and eunuchs and scholars debating as they walked to and fro that jarred him to the reality of their situation.

"Paekdora Nao-Zai," a stern but silky voice spoke before him. He raised his head to find a middle-aged woman striding towards him. Behind her, a sea of people bled off the palace's facade. Most were women of different ages. Children. Infants. If there were men present, judging from the absence of djeng-gis or even just a small knife anywhere in their person, they weren't warriors. Weren't soldiers.

He ducked his head at the woman leading them. "Your Majesty," he greeted back. When he raised his head, that's when he saw how the woman's face resembled Kai-Se so much despite not being related by blood. White strands began their own war in her otherwise midnight black hair, which Nao-Zai only noticed when she ran a hand down her rigid plaits still in their traditional fashion. A single, jade stone ring glinted in her forefinger.

"It doesn't mean anything now, does it?" the Queen said. "I've heard a lot about you, djang-di."

Nao-Zai bowed again, despite her initial refusal of the gesture. "Let's go, Your Majesty," he said. "We don't have much time."

"How about Kai?" she asked. Kai-Se never talked about his mother much, but from the looks of it, she had enough love for the prince. "Chi-Sae told me he'll be with you."

He pursed his lips and moved to lead the rest of the Noryeong clan to the passage leading outside the walls' protection. "He'll meet us in town," he said. "He's out there, distracting the gatekeep. Buying us time."

The Queen's forehead creased as her eyebrows drew closer. "You left him there? Alone?"

Nao-Zai sighed. "He is more than capable of taking care of himself, Your Majesty."

"Shima-e."

He blinked. "Sorry?"

The Queen matched his pace and watched him from the side of her vision. "My name is Shima-e," she said. "I won't be hiding behind my position nor my husband any longer."

They marched around the Butterfly Palace, to where Nao-Zai had never been before. The Queen, Shima-e, narrowed her eyes at the gardens, the continuation of the wall barring them from the outside world, and the distance it would take them to cross on foot. "In speaking of the Emperor," Nao-zai ventured, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case something jumped at them from the bushes. "Chi-Sae told me you're the only one who can say where he and the Tarakure clan is."

Inexplicable anger twisted Shima-e's features. "They have my daughter," she said. "Those fools at Hanreikisan got their hands on her."

Nao-Zai knitted his eyebrows. "Hanreikisan?" he asked. "The one owned by the Wang bloodline? They helped us during the Pyeongjeon coup. Dong-seol told me she didn't want to join the nonsense of ascending to the throne. Why would they make a move now?"

Shima-e gripped the single wooden door designed to be a backway out of the region. She nodded to the single blue-clad guard posted in it. "And is Dong-seol still with us?" she asked. "She might have not wanted to dip her socks into these bloody waters but the Wang matriarch lost her heir. She won't stand by it."

"So she mobilized the entire clan to get the Princess?" Nao-Zai asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

The Queen let the rest of the Noryeong clan out first, her eyes never straying from the women still carrying bundles of cloth on their arms. From the folds, infants squirmed and made the littlest of noises as if they also knew the situation they were in. "They're using Hana-e as bait," she answered, dropping the Princess' name like it wasn't forbidden for a lowly commoner to know the names of the royals. "They know Lin-Se wouldn't stand by it like I wouldn't. They're waiting for us to muster up our forces and attack their fortress. Only then can they set the trap of spreading word that we've started to move to reclaim the throne."

"And that would set the entire Xuijae to hunt down the Tarakure and Noryeong clans before they could?" Nao-Zai asked. Politics was a dirty field, one he would never survive if he was thrust in the middle of it. "Is that why you're moving the Noryeong clan? Before the Fai clan or any one else gets a hold of them?"

Shima-e's eyes flicked to the women and children in front of them. Aside from Nao-Zai, only the guard from the backdoor accompanied them. Was the Queen really this confident that no one would attack them in the forest until Chaebeon? "No," she said. "I promised my family I'd take care of them and this was me trying to fulfill it. There's nothing more to it."

"Where did the Tarakure clan go, then?" Nao-Zai asked.

They lit no torches and the only sounds accompanying the crowd were the rustles of clothes against grass. The night was quiet, despite the violent fighting happening in the front gates. What was Nao-Zai called here for, really? It wasn't to provide back-up. There were enough sang-kwonxias here. So...why call for him and Kai-Se specifically?

"They're in Hanreikisan," Shima-e answered. "They're getting my Hana-e back."

Nao-Zai frowned. "I thought you said the Wang bloodline is just looking for an excuse to pin the target on both clans?" he said. "Why would the Emperor attack them?"

The Queen's eyes flashed in the afternoon sun. "Recall your basic history, djang-di," she said. "What was the Tarakure clan known for as opposed to Yomaura?"

He craned his neck to the approaching line of trees and undergrowth. His mind ran through the passive information about the ruling clans he had absorbed over the years. One word clicked. "Assassins," he said. "The Tarakure clan is a syndicate."

A satisfied look passed across Shima-e's face. Of course. That's why the number of sang-kwonxias tripled or quadrupled by the time the Emperor rose to power. Espionage and assassination. Two of the most powerful weapons a clan could have, and the Tarakure clan mastered both branches of art.

"And the Wang clan is an arms dealer," the Queen continued. "They profit in war. They built their wealth on top of it. The way they went against the Tarakure clan is a calculated move—one I'm leaving to Lin-Se to figure out. It was his fault we're in this mess anyway."

"He did it to save Kai-Se," Nao-Zai blurted before he could stop himself from talking back to the Queen. "If you're referring to him consulting a shaman as the reason why his reign is uprooted."

Shima-e rolled her shoulders. Even though she was thirty years his senior, she didn't look a day past her youth. Her skin remained smooth and taut, her face free of wrinkles. What sorcery was she using to stay this young? "I'm not talking about that," she said. "He should have struck the clans one by one at the beginning of the Akoshize dynasty instead of striking diplomatic talks with them."

Oh. That.

"But it's a matter of the past," the Queen gave a dismissive wave of a hand. The ring whizzed past Nao-Zai's periphery. It's that big. "Lead me to Kai-Se. I must tell him of these developments. That way, we can help his father deal with the Wang clan."

"What about the Noryeong clan?" Nao-Zai flicked his gaze at the women and the children. "Chi-Sae won't be meeting them until Chaebeon. We're barely past Dangrao now."

Shima-e didn't appear concerned. Instead, she inclined her head at Nao-Zai. "If Tarakure is to assassins, Noryeong is to...?"

She dragged the last word, like she's waiting for him to fill out the blanks. "Hunters," he said.

The Queen hummed, jerking her chin at the people dressed in the blandest fenhais marching in front of them. "They'd figure out how to survive, this lot," she said. "We'll meet the others in Torake by the next month. Preparations to flee to Shencai must