Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Twenty-two

It did not take long for Junseo to recognize the watchers who tracked him from the academy to the temple, to the forge. He thought they might be attached to the palace or maybe the council of regents looking out for his friend Tai Yi. When he mentioned it in passing to Manager Doak he was reminded there was still an investigation pending over the incident at the junior matches.

"So why would they follow me?" Junseo let some of his annoyance show.

"Maybe to see if anyone else is tracking you." Manager Doak shrugged and handed Junseo a new bow to practice with.

Junseo took the in the heft of the bow and it the stiffness of the pull before taking aim. His first shot was a bit wide of the mark so he adjusted his stance and tried again. Manager Doak then passed him different types of arrows and asked Junseo to judge which were the best match for the bow. Knight-Master Lie then joined them for a discussion about defense tactics in the field. He set up stone markers on a low table to show how important it was to hold the flanks and not be drawn out of position.

"The false retreat is a tactic the northern riders like to use. If your leading ranks chase after the enemy, it does not take long for groups to get separated." The older men shared a look that told Junseo this was a hard-earned lesson. He would have liked to hear more but they were interrupted by a messenger.

Knight-Master Lie read the message twice and looked bemused when he handed over to Manager Doak before asking Junseo, "Would you like to explain how one of my trainees and I have come to be invited to dine with the Qin Ambassador at then end of the month?"

"I did meet the Ambassador when I was doing kite flying demonstrations but the invitation is more likely from his wife," Junseo spoke quickly, "She is friends with my sister and some of the other people I know in Ilidan."

Manager Doak surprised Junseo by drawing a half-circle in the air. The boy let out a sigh of relief and offered the counter sign.

"I have been trying to find our friends in the city but with the watchers on my tail...." Junseo stopped when he noticed Knight-Master Lie's frown.

"So, these friends have connections to the Qin and you don't have a problem with that?" Knight-Master Lie's attention was fixed on Manager Doak. "Do you really know what they are playing at? Think about where we know their silver has been going!"

Manager Doak blushed then pointed to Junseo. "Well, its probably a good thing you can go with your trainee and judge for yourself."

"I still don't like that the invitation came to him here. Why not at his Uncle's?"

"Oh. I expect Madam Chen knows if the invitation came to my Uncle, then my Grandfather would also have to attend. I don't think her husband cares for Ambassador Kim." Junseo was a bit embarrassed by the way his mother's family behaved.

"I take their dislike as a good sign. Under all the pomp and protocol Ambassador Kim most likely reminded the Qin we are not just another province in their empire and they should not be toying in internal matters."

Knight-Master Lie called the messenger over. "Please convey our sincere thanks for this invitation and tell the Ambassador and his wife we will confirm our availability for this event later." He then turned to Junseo and said, "I am sorry our session will be cut short today. I need to check in at the Palace."

Manager Doak stared at his friend and then swore under his breath. He continued to mutter to himself as he and Junseo cleared up the equipment in the yard. When they were done, he gestured for Junseo to sit down beside him.

"I'm not going to ask how deeply you were involved in the events in G'Sang province. Your family must have had good reasons to send you here but I need to know if you have anything connecting you to the Broken Wheel group now."

"Just letters of introduction I haven't been able to deliver. At least that is what I think they are. I didn't look too closely after Madam Chen gave them to me." Junseo wiped his hands on his pants.

"They came from Madam Chen?" Manager Doak looked around the yard.

"Actually, I have them inside the binding of the design book I leave here at the forge." Junseo was ready to go get them.

"No. Not now. Show them Knight-Master Lie later and let him decide what to do but you can tell me who were you trying to connect with and I can assure them you have found your way."

When Junseo shared the names Manager Doak shook his head, "This is not good. We know at least one of your contacts has been passing information to the guards."

"So, it could be some kind of trap?" Junseo whispered.

"There are just too many possible layers to all of this. We will need a lot more information to understand what we are up against but I can guarantee some of the palace factions are involved." Manager Doak shook his head.

Here, in the yard at the forge, it was easy to forget about his Knight-Master's complicated political connections. Junseo had his own reasons to be wary of the palace even if he tried to put them out of his mind but now he was seriously concerned. There were just too many things to sort out so Junseo did the only thing that made sense when he felt overwhelmed. He grabbed up his pack and went for a run along the riverbank. It took him miles away from any of his usual destinations and reminded him of simpler times. He waved to the boatmen as he passed and wondered if his first official kite racing friend still worked this route. He scanned the sky but could not see any kites in the air over the city. He wondered what made it so still but then just headed back to his room at his uncle's school.