Part 3, Chapter 37

Leaving for war

Ch 37

The High Gods stood ranged for war in front of the Palace. The first rays of dawn glinted off metals and gems in a thousand different colors. Here and there a mount stirred, flexing a wing or stomping a paw, but those were the only movements in the still morning air. 

Just inside the gates in the entry courtyard the ranks of the Merfolk loyal to Xidi also stood ready to see the High Gods off. On the ground at their feet lay the consort of the previous Emperor and the mother of the Lord of Storms, bound, gagged, and awaiting the coming of the Emperor. 

He strode into the courtyard arrayed in his armor and followed by a maid who fell back as he approached Merun. 

“Murderer, you have killed the wife of my brother, the Lady of Storms and attempted to kill his child,” he said in a hard, tight voice that reverberated through the courtyard and beyond to the High Gods assembled outside. “We do not have time to bring forth the witnesses or detail the crime. However, it was witnessed and has been verified by the Second Prince of the Merfolk. Combined with the crime of treason I herby sentence you to death. The punishment to be carried out immediately.”

There was a roar of approval from the High Gods and a muttering from the Merfolk, although none spoke up for their princess. 

The Emperor lifted his sword and brought it down once. In moments the body of the Princess of the Merfolk was nothing more than a scattering of bubbles. 

The Emperor turned to his troops and led them to the battle. 

Xidi knelt in the courtyard where his sister had died. He wanted to mourn her loss, but the woman he had arrested that night had been so far from the sister he had known in their childhood in the Western Sea that it felt like the death of a stranger. 

He stood and dismissed his troops to their duties and watched their faces closely as they went. Some looked resigned, some accepting, and some resentful. He took note of the latter. When the courtyard was empty Xidi felt two narrow arms hug him from behind.

“I’m so sorry, Uncle,” Xun’s voice said. He turned and looked down at her. Wet lines traced down her face as she looked up at him. 

Xidi hugged her tightly, letting her cry the tears he couldn’t. He closed his eyes and felt grateful for the presence of his niece.