Grypha sat in her little booth, watching the city go around her. It was surprising how easy it had been to start taking shifts on the frontier. Sumoon city was one of the sect’s larger investments into the southern continent, situated deeper than most any other city, it was a prime source for resources, including of course, spiritual herbs.

  Her decision to pursue the discipline was paying well. With the promise she’d managed to show in her never-ending training sessions, Rak Ulvax had wanted her to get acquainted with the city. He said she’d likely be doing gathering work for the sect soon.

  Reading in between the lines, Grypha could tell the core disciple was just buttering her up. The role of sect representative was a boring one. She had no real power; she was a glorified messenger. No doubt the other sect gatherers were simply unwilling to do such a menial task when they could be out actually gathering.

  That said, there was nowhere better to gather the information Meiryu Ala Gorance wanted. There was nowhere better to work towards getting Lata back. Already, Grypha had a rough idea of the city’s dynamics. It was congenial. Sure, there was the occasional dispute that the Sono or Mond clans, minor subordinates to the blossoming sun and her own blooming moon sect, had to intercede in, but nothing significant. There were no obvious vulnerabilities for disruption. Everyone here was working towards the expansion of the city, with plenty of resources, more than she thought the Meiryu clan was aware of, being transferred back to the twin sects.

  The Sono and Mond clans were about the only ones who ever approached her booth, usually bringing her information on new deposits of rare timber they’d found. If it was a disciple of the Mond clan that approached, they’d inevitably ask after rare metal and whether the sect might be willing to part with some, something to do with their cultivation style. Grypha wasn’t entirely sure what the sect was doing with all the wood, but the guidebook she’d been given had plenty of information to go off of in regards to payment. None of those options included the metals which Sumoon city was apparently lacking in. She stonewalled them on the subject, something she felt a little awkward doing the first few times.

  The day moved along quickly. While the work itself wasn’t exactly exciting, Grypha enjoyed taking in the bustling city around her. It was unlike anything she’d seen in her travels before. Sure, some things never changed, the poorer citizens running water from the river, for instance, was the same as ever. There was enough difference here though to pique her interest. Mostly, it was the east side of the river with its shops sprawling into the streets, its buildings erected in seemingly impractical ways. She craned her neck, looking between buildings to watch what was going on. It looked like…

  “Hello.”

  Grypha’s eyes opened a little, and she turned to her visitor, feeling a little guilty. “How can I help you today? Did you find a…” She stopped. “Are you from the Da clan?”

  “Yes.” The young man bowed, his fists just slightly out of alignment from what every other cultivator had greeted her with today. “I am Da Waska. My junior disciple and I encountered a boy in the forest some weeks ago.”

  “Ohhh.” Grypha leaned forward. This sounded like a much more interesting story than the discovery of valuable timber. Living in the sect, she was starving for adventure. If this were how she got it, by way of a stranger rather than personal experience, then it was at least better than nothing. She’d still rather run out into the forest herself, but that wasn’t an option.

  “The boy claimed to be from a failed expedition into the frontier by the Meiryu clan.” Da Waska pulled himself slowly from his bow, sneaking a look to see Grypha’s reaction. Seeing nothing but interest, he brought himself back to his full height. “He’s acquitted himself well as a hunter, so, we asked him—my junior and I—to lead us to the caravan and we found it destroyed by demonic beasts, just as he’d described.”

  When he finally stopped, half-gasping for air, Grypha froze. She didn’t think she wanted to hear this story after all. Her qi trembled inside her meridians, shaking loose from her control.

  “Have I offended you in some way, honored sect representative.”

  Grypha waved her hand, motioning for him to continue, cursing herself and her qi. Why couldn’t she just act normally, like she had for every other cultivator who’d taken up her time today. Why did her qi never lay still like it used to.

  Da Waska produced a vial from one of the pouches in his hunting gear. Grypha practically growled, she knew this substance, she knew well what it was used for having been contracted to hunt down her fair share of demonic beasts. “Prey’s hearth. You said this was found in a Meiryu caravan?”

  “Yes, representative.” He clenched his fists tightly together. “From the scene, we strongly believe that the substance was used to intentionally draw demonic beasts.”

  Of course it was. Grypha knew better than most what the Meiryu clan was capable of, and that possibility had already been a certainty in her mind. “This is a sensitive matter, so I’ll have to ask you to join me inside the booth for privacy. Protocol dictates that I go through some questions with you, things my elders need to know.”

  “Ok.” Da Waska bowed low, clearly unused to interacting with members of the twin sects and intimidated knowing his clan lived in a city they basically owned. It was a good thing. There was no such protocol for this, and her questions would not be to inform the elders.

  She just needed him to come away with this satisfied the sect would take action. She could see in his eyes that was the outcome that he wanted. It was the outcome Grypha would have wanted too, if only it wouldn’t mean Lata’s death. The moment the matter came into her hands though, she’d known the consequences if she failed. She was bound by her bond to him to deliver this not to the sect, but right back to the Meiryu clan.

  She grabbed a sheet of paper, pulling up a seat for the Da clan cultivator. “First question.” She looked down at her paper, pretending to be reading a line. She knew she’d be doing a lot of that. He’d leave certain his evidence would make it into the right hands. It would not though, it could not.

  …

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  Toraga city was the territory of the Meiryu clan in addition to playing host to the celestial twins. In such close proximity, it was easy to see the hatred between the two sides. It wasn’t hidden. Outside the sect’s elaborate front gate, the Meiryu clan had bought up all the residences, turning them into bases where cultivator’s kept constant watch over the sect. It was one of the biggest reasons why it was so difficult for new disciples to get out of the sect.

  It had taken Grypha intervening in the convoluted and questionable affairs of one of the lower ranked elders, and a core disciple. The pair were hopelessly in love, but their positions made the relationship difficult. At least, that was their interpretation, none of it was nearly so secret as either seemed to think, nor nearly as scandalous. It didn’t matter, Grypha was just happy to get an exit permit without dealing with anyone who she’d be likely to interact with again.

  That was just an excuse though, she didn’t want to make Elder Ming look worse than she would already. The truth was that she didn’t plan to return. This evidence could well be enough to settle her deal and free her brother. In the hands of the sect it could have been used against the Meiryu clan, maybe it would even have been brought in front of the emperor himself.

  Grypha walked into the city, not bothering to aim for any specific destination. The Meiryu clan would find her. This was their city after all, nothing escaped their notice here.

  She walked for longer than she’d expected to before eventually, when she was picking her way along one of the city’s aqueducts, under a bridge, a hand wrapped in black cloth landed on her shoulder. “The young lord will see you now.” The hand pulled shadow qi into the world, expanding the cover from the bridge above, making it more solid. Before she knew it, Grypha was falling through the stone embankment she’d been walking along a moment before.

  She managed to land on her feet, a tricky and somewhat lucky stunt, considering just how disorienting the shadow qi was. The technique itself was no doubt a carefully kept secret. Unless she was mistaken and Meiryu Ala Gorance kept his chambers beneath the ground in some random part of the city, she’d just been transported, and likely a fair distance at that.

  His private chambers, that was where she was, there was no doubt. The furniture practically announced as much. Even still, the man himself wasn’t lounging around in comfortable clothes or even wearing formal robes for that matter. Instead, he was wearing a full suit of armor. Granted, it looked quite high quality, even managing to match some of his movements, but no matter how high-quality armor might be, it was still armor and it wasn’t made to be comfortable.

  “Our spy returns.” That same pretentious voice, every word held as if to reach some higher standing coming from his mouth. “I hope she bears interesting news.”

  Grypha didn’t trust her tongue not to betray her. She would sooner draw her blade and rush the man than hand over the bottle of prey’s hearth, even if it meant her own death. Not Lata’s though, his life was worth this, his life couldn’t be assigned a price too high for her to pay. She moved her hand, drawing out the alchemical concoction.

  The young lord’s eyes narrowed. “Prey’s hearth. Might I assume this was found nearby a certain caravan in the frontier?”

  “Yes.” Grypha kept her words short, to the point. No need to give any more information than she had to. The Da clan had come to her in good faith. Already she had betrayed them, she would not make them the targets of this lunatic. Not, of course, that it seemed like Gorance had much interest in the matter.

  “Well done. This would have been awkward for the entire clan if it had found its way into the wrong hands.” He chuckled slightly, a sound that put Grypha on edge. “Of course, consequences will have to be administered internally. I think the elders will agree to punish my dear younger brother for this failure, wouldn’t you agree?” With the last, he turned to the man who’d brought her here.

  “I will see it done.” The man in black cloth wrappings took the bottle from his lord’s hand, vanishing with barely a flicker of qi.

  “Nothing else?”

  “That is all.” Grypha stepped forward, ready with words she’d carefully prepared. “I feel my action has disrupted the plans of the twin moon sects on the frontier. It’s my understanding they could have used the evidence I intercepted to force the Meiryu clan to sacrifice resources from the war effort and put them towards the frontier instead.”

  The young lord inclined his head, admitting the point. “That is true, you have done good work, better than most would.” He looked away from her, instead examining some papers on his table. “It is not enough though. I’m sure you would agree that Lata’s life is worth more than some simple alchemical concoction. It would be unreasonable of me to end this deal so easily.”

  Grypha held her voice back even as her qi told her to respond with something truly venomous. Keep appearing to be reasonable. He has the upper hand, he knows that, but he talks as if he is morally superior to everyone. Clarify the deal and he likely won’t break it. “Then I will ask for something smaller, two things for this contribution.”

  “I’m listening.”

  But not looking at me. Grypha kept her tone as neutral as possible, pulled every scrap of hate from it that she could. “I want to know what specific condition will guarantee the release of Lata, and I want to see him today, to verify he is being well-treated.”

  Gorance tapped the tip of a quill against his vambrace. “You found the prey’s hearth in one of your sect’s settlements on the frontier, correct.”

  Grypha nodded. “Sumoon city.”

  “I will give you your brother back if you can render the city inoperable to your sect.”

  Inoperable. How was she meant to make a city inoperable. How did that word even apply to something like a city. She could make one of her divine formations inoperable by destroying a glyph, but a city wasn’t the same thing.

  Gorance apparently foresaw her line of reasoning because he leaned back in his chair, sparing her another glance. “I would recommend pitting the people in the city against each other. You’ll find, as I always have, that people are imminently reasonable. When presented with good reason to take action, they will. You need only find the right reason; the rest will be done for you.”

  Grypha stayed quiet, fighting her disgust at the idea. “I see, and my second ask.”

  “No.”

  This time, Grypha failed to contain herself. “And why is that? Have you hurt him in some way?”

  “Your brother is fine. I’ve taken the liberty of providing him with tutors. He has shown quite an aptitude for fire qi.” Gorance turned back to the writings on his table.

  Grypha moved forward to grab his arm with her hand, to keep him from turning away. This conversation was not over. She was not leaving without at least seeing her brother.

  A knee met her stomach then an elbow sent her prone to the floor. A foot, encased in metal struck her, stronger than any hammer. She curled around it with instinct, taking it as best she knew how. She tried to breathe to circulate her qi. She couldn’t, her breath was lost. The foot returned again, causing her ribs to protest and her to cry out silently in pain.

  “Know.” A kick. “Your.” A kick. “Place.” Another kick.

  The young lord of the Meiryu clan wasn’t speaking slower than usual. His blows just rained down that quickly. “Know your place. Know your place. Know your place.” Fury suffused his words, and his blows held little back. With all twelve of her meridians fully purified and her first kaerna pair formed, Grypha’s body was dozens of times more durable than that of a mundane. It didn’t matter. Her body broke with each blow. It was a wonder her bones didn’t shatter from the force. No, not a wonder, intentional. He just wanted to hurt, not damage.

  Grypha tried to stand up, tried to burn her qi to do so. It didn’t obey her though, trembling out of her reach. She wanted to use it, to strike out, but it just shook more than ever. It was a worse feeling than the blows that slammed into her. How was she so powerless, how was her own body fighting against her. With no other option, she was reduced to glaring at the shins of Meiryu Ala Gorance, promising retaliation.

  “Know your place. Know your place. Know your place.” She promised him she’d destroy him, she promised she’d tear him apart, she promised him she’d cut him to ribbons, to leave him for crows or for rats, she…

  Eventually, the blows stopped. Grypha pulled herself to her feet, standing against the pain with sheer will, swaying with pain. He may not have broken any bones, but she’d have plenty of bruises. She’d been wrong about one thing though. It hadn’t been fury commanding his actions. Meeting his eyes, she understood she’d been fooled. His anger didn’t burn hot, and it wasn’t even directed at her. His eyes gave away that he wasn’t even angry at her, even where everything else indicated he was. Why then?

  The man wrapped in black cloth was back. A show then. It didn’t make anything better. Grypha doubted she’d ever manage to hate a person more than she did Gorance. “Young lord, are you done meeting with this woman?”

  “I am.”

  Grypha wanted to move forward again, to demand to see her brother again, but her voice wouldn’t come, her breath wouldn’t answer her.

  “Very well.” Shadow engulfed her, and this time she did not land on her feet, instead bouncing against stone under the same bridge she’d come from. Nobody was around her. She stumbled to her feet, taking a breath in and circulating her qi. She needed to heal herself to a point where she could hide her injuries. They might lead to questions she couldn’t answer.

  Grypha was still bound, trapped, her path no longer anywhere near her. Still, at least she had a concrete goal, something to work towards. She just needed to do this, to make an entire city completely worthless to her sect, and the nightmare would be over. She would be traveling along her path again, her brother at her side.