Shai Mei's Place
The party was not going well for Shai Mei.
She had woven a mask out of grasses and flowers from the gardens, but her garb was still the travelling gear that she wore when she returned from the journey to the far east. Surrounded by the costly finery of Gens Amilar, she felt very much out of place.
Then, that creepy old hag Amilar Docent made a pass at her. The Way of Wood dictates that you match like with like, but... no. Absolutely not.
Then, while backing away from Docent, she bumped into that loudmouthed mountain of a war god, Junyo The Berserker. He clapped her on the shoulder with such force that she was forced to call upon the Five Dragon Fortitude to keep from falling down. “YOU are a WARRIOR.” Junyo took a closer look and frowned. “YOU are a VERY SMALL WARRIOR. So I will give you VERY SMALL GREETINGS. Hi.”
“Hello,” she replied.
But the Eastern God of Charitable Bloodshed had already turned away in search of a bigger warriors.
Still, these indignities were nothing compared to her conversation with her old comrade, Lu Fei.
“Truly, Lu Fei, it is good to see you doing so well.”
“I have found my place once again. But what about you? What is your place, Shai Mei?” The Seraph meant no harm in it, but his words hurt more deeply than Soho’s arrow. She smiled sadly.
“Lu Fei, I’ve travelled north to the fringes of [[Lookshy], south to the very edge of the Mask of Winters’ lands, and east to the Elemental Pole of Wood, trying to answer that question. And the truth is I haven’t the slightest idea.” She smiled and turned away. Once he was out of sight, she made a beeline for the sake and let her thirsty roots drink her troubles away.
Some time later, she staggered out of the grand lodge of the Plum Blossom Retreat. Between the fine foods and the considerable amount of sake, she felt rather ill. She wandered down the path to the guest wing. Most of the lodges were visibly full, with tents pitched outside for the servants of all the guests from Lookshy, but maybe the furthest lodge would have some room. But as she approached the remote cluster of buildings, a wave of nausea and death clouded her spirit sight. Perhaps Junyo’s guestroom was there? Either that, or she’d accidently been drinking shochu instead of sake… either way, someone unpalatable was staying there.
“Hmm, I’ll go to the garden, get some fresh air, sleep under the stars.” She wove her way around the trees – the gentle, familiar trees, not at all like the enormous, threatening, hostile trees of the far east – until she reached her favorite spot in the whole retreat – a grassy clearing, nestled along the hillside, with a stunning view of the inner ward. The cool night air cleared her vision, but, did little to ward off her pounding headache. She sat down and watched and listened to the faint hubbub of the distant party.
The party wasn’t what caught her attention, though; her eye was drawn to the flurry of activity around the stables, where a large number of messengers were saddling up. Soon, back at the grand lodge, she could see servants scurrying about on the upper landing, lighting the lamps leading to the Council Chambers. Most of the figures were too far away to distinguish, but the spirits in attendance stood out like distant constellations. Uncle Shu Zhuang always told her she had her mother’s eyes.
She could see the godly radiance of the Sweet Voice of Brass and Glory; she could only assume that the Solars were in there as well. A short time later, she could see other figures emerging from the party and making their way up the exterior stairs to the council chambers. She could see Lu Fei’s banner clearly, and even a mortal’s eyes could spot Bones Like Jade. “This is it, then?” she wondered aloud. “They’re calling everyone together so suddenly... is it war?”
“A war on many fronts, a clash of powers to mark the closing of the Second Age.” Shai Mei lept to her feet and whirled to face the unexpected response… and instantly regretted it as the whole world spun around her. She dropped into the fighting crouch of the Five-Dragon Form in an attempt to salvage her dignity. She found herself face to face with a stern monk in a grey robe, with an essence banner of saffron and lavender.
“Nameless Ravine? No… you must be his father. Kussir, it is an honor to meet you. I just wish I were a little more… presentable.”
“Indeed. Sit down, Shai Mei.” With a puff of essence, he conjured a cup of fragrant tea and set it down on the grass. Then, he pulled a glowing red cherry from his pocket.
Shai Mei’s eyes went wide. “When did you…”
“I come and I go as I please in the retreat. I took it from the basket just before they called council.” He broke the cherry in two and squeezed half of it into the teacup. “When I was a mortal, I became something of an expert in rare teas, and since dying and being endowed, I have learned even more. I know that the juice of these cherries, when mixed with tea, has strange and wondrous properties. If you mix it with Greenroot Tea, you can cure any disease. I also know that the cherries themselves are fatal to mortals.” He popped the other half into his mouth. “If, on the other hand, you’re already dead, they’re quite flavorful.”
Shai Mei eyed the cup of tea warily. “And what does the cherry juice do when mixed with Fivefold Monkey Picked?”
“The Yin of the Fivefold Blend balances out the Yang of the Tree of Heedless Youth and Inexorable Glory, leaving the tea karmically neutral. If nothing else, it will get rid of your hangover. Drink, Little Tree, for I would speak with you this night.”
“What do you wish to speak of, honored First Martyr of the Deliberative?”
“Tell me, Shai Mei – What is your place?”
Again, the painful question; again, the painful answer. “Honored Kussir, I don’t know.”
“What are your talents of note?”
“I’m not so good a fighter as Selara, and I’m not as good an archer as Soho. I don’t come from as distinguished lineage like Lu Fei, and I’m not as strong as Bones Like Jade. I can’t command troops like Cathak Nekuto, and I’m not as stealthy as Hsuan Lin.”
“That’s the sake talking, girl. I asked what you can do, not what you can’t.”
“Well…” she took in a deep breath. I’m a better shot than Nama Bi, I can outrun Secret Avalanche…”
“Continue.”
She cocked a grin as she continued. “I’m a better fighter than Marta, I have more discipline than Sha Yan Shi, I can outsmart Choshu Ishi, I’m a better exorcist than Mite Xu, and I’m a fair shade prettier than Junyo the Berserker.”
“Hah! And what have you accomplished with these talents?”
“What are you getting at, old man?” By now, tea had dispelled her headache, but that just made her more confrontational, not less.
Chokhan Kussir seemed more amused than irritated. “Let me tell you what I see. I see a woman who is more than a mortal, but who is less than an exalt. You aspire to greatness, but you are acutely aware of your weaknesses. You believe in the New Deliberative, but you fear that it is little more than a fleeting moment of glory, and you wish you could do something to make that moment last as long as it possibly can. You have pushed yourself to excel at the classical martial arts, though you lack the benefits of dragon-blood, and your teachers have been, on the whole, middling. You bristle at the suggestion that you should join a monastery, preferring instead to take to the field where you can better learn the bitter taste of life and death. You were mentored by an Immaculate monk, and the inadequacies of their philosophy cost you dearly, you chose to forgive and seek an enlightened, if unorthodox solution. In many respects, you remind me of my son.”
Chokhan paused for a long time, observing the activity in the lodge below. “And perhaps most importantly, you saved his life.”
“Are you… offering me a reward?”
“I’m merely observing that you are perhaps uniquely qualified to join my service.”
Shai Mei gazed at him shrewdly. “Honored Kussir, I told you already, I don’t know what my place is. But if I were to ask you what my place is, what would you tell me?”
“MOVE IT, you dogs! I’ve seen wild monkeys with more discipline than you lot!” Cathak Nekuto’s shouts galvanized the First Legion into action. He had drilled them endlessly since the glories of Breaking Iron, when they led the Marukani host against Ma-Ha-Suchi’s servants. Then, they had marched into battle in armor forged in the range towns of Marukan… now, they strapped on magnificent Gunzosha Armor, while their gauntleted fists held crackling Shockpikes.
While they prepared for war, their squires ran to and fro, grabbing last-minute supplies and equipment for the legionnaires. Amidst the frenzy of activity, The Qinglong Alliance directed the officers and formed the talons into ranks for the long march to come. Shai Mei strode confidently through amongst them, scanning the faces among the armored lines. Finally, she spotted a familiar mop of dark hair. “Blacksaddle! Can you help me find Chi Wen? She’s too short, I can’t see her among all these suits of armor.”
The soldier’s jaw dropped as he saw her. Her long brown hair was tied back back into warrior’s braids, draped over a uniform of sturdy green cloth. She wore no armor save for a carved wooden bracer on each forearm. A straight-sword hung from her belt, and a beautiful, jade compact bow was strapped to the back of a golden-yellow sash tied around her shoulder and waist; the line of the sash mimicked the cut of a monk’s robe, and marked her as member of Second Wing, First Talon – Chi Wen’s “Yamabushi Brigade”.
The soldier was utterly speechless for a moment, then he shrugged and pointed off towards another cluster of men. “I’m in First Wing, Second Talon; Second Wing is somewhere over there. But, Little Tree, are you sure you’re supposed to be here? We’re marching off to war…”
“Blacksaddle, if you even think of asking me what my place is, I swear I’ll crack your skull open like an old pine in a windstorm. Oh, and good luck out there.” She smiled, reached up and patted his cheek, and turned for the direction he’d indicated. “Ahh, there she is.”
Five scales of men stood in a fivefold circular formation as the officer corps of the Yamabushi Corps gathered around the Talon’s standard-bearer and listened to the briefing. Chi Wen stood at the forefront as Nameless Ravine and, Sapphire River at Midnight relayed the battle plans. Lu Fei was there as well. She quietly walked up to them and peered over the Amalgamated Herald’s shoulder and watched Ravine gesture to a map spread out on the ground before him.
“…only the third and fourth Talons from Second Wing will be going to Varsi, under Choshu Ishi’s command. The remainder of Second Wing will stay here with Sweet Voice of Brass and Glory to serve as the backbone of the main relief force; she will rally the Marukan to us, and you will be the shock troops. We’re not sure whether you’ll be marching to Celeren or to Varsi; that will depend on what the advance elements find. Furthermore…” Nameless Ravine stopped in his tracks. “…Shai Mei, what are you doing here?” All eyes were on her. Sapphire River scowled, and Chi Wen shrugged. Lu Fei merely raised an eyebrow.
“Reporting for duty, your solarness.” An amused titter ran through the ranks at this remark. Sapphire River cut the laughter off with a gesture of her war fan. “This is no time for games, Mei. You just got back from the East, your place is…”
Lu Fei stepped forward and interrupted. “…pardon me, your grace, but Shai Mei’s place is right… there.”
He held the Soul of Ice forward, towards the Talon’s war-banner. The banner showed a stylized monk, standing atop a mountain, brandishing a staff with one hand while contemplating a lotus in the other. But below the image, the Talon’s organization and roster was stitched in golden thread. An iron star adorned the name of each member who had served since Breaking Iron, while a separate roster of golden names on an ivory field bore the names of the honored dead, members of the Talon who had died in service since. At the very top of the hierarchy stood the characters for “Chi Wen, Herald of the Qinglong Alliance”.
Just below Chi Wen’s name stood further characters stitched in silver: “Adjutant: Shai Mei”. The Little Tree’s name was emblazoned with the Lavender Cross, the mark given to those honorably wounded on the field of battle.
“When was THAT put there, I wonder,” said Sapphire.
Chi Wen peered closely at the silver stitching. “These characters… Nameless Ravine, this looks like your handiwork."
Nameless Ravine shook his head. “Not mine, Chi Wen. It looks like the Legion’s patron has decided to give Shai Mei a promotion.” He turned and regarded the god-blood with mock skepticism. “Adjutant, eh? Yojimbo, more like. If Chi Wen comes back with even a single scratch on her, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Shai Mei threw the Dawn Caste champion a snappy salute. “Well, sir, you’re still in one piece.”
The men roared with laughter once more, Chi Wen put an arm around her new adjutant, and even Sapphire was forced to smile. Lu Fei gave her an approving nod, and Nameless Ravine, Chosen of the Sun, bowed deeply to her.
“That I am, Little Tree. Welcome to the Legion.”
