Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Twenty-six

The next afternoon, San Jin approached his training masters at the dojo about the problems he was still having with his stones. Their only suggestion was just to persevere and reminded him of the steps needed when he got his first crystals. He tried to explain the sensations from the ring were much more intense but they did not seem to take his concerns seriously. San Jin wished his Uncle was around to ask since he was the only other person that he knew had an affinity with emeralds.

He remembered how much Junseo's additional harmonies help with the stone mediations so the next time they met he got up the courage to ask his new training partner about crystals. It could be a very personal topic so he was shy at first, but fell into rapid-fire questions just like his younger brother. He stopped and blushed but Junseo just grinned.

"I am not sure how much I can really help you with your alignment. I only have experience with quartz and obsidian." Junseo rolled back his sleeve to show the accumulation earned through the tournament wins in his home province of G'Sang.

San Jin tried to do a quick count and then just stared at Junseo's collection before saying, "You might not have colours but you are carrying a lot of crystal power. How do you keep them from pulling you around and flashing for no reason?"

"Oh. Right. It only happened once or twice with new stones. I ended up having to add balancing anchors. See," he pointed to one of the dark stones, "this one is actually onyx, a bit harder to come by but definitely worth it. Maybe we should see if we can find you one and pair it up with a quartz with no fractures. Then you can do a bit of a reset with your other stones before layering in your emerald."

San Jin blushed a bit at Junseo's advice. He had not really cared about the quality of the few stones he had collected from going up in training degrees but when he compared his dull set to the luster Junseo's collection had he realized this had been a mistake.

It took a couple of days to re-arrange their schedules and free up the time to visit some of the maker friends Junseo had acquired since coming to the Capital. San Jin left the negotiations to Junseo and was very pleased with the result even if it had taken several different stops to find stones of the right quality. He was even more grateful with Junseo offer to help bring the pair of stones into alignment with each other before San Jin added them to his string.

They had just finalized the purchase when they spotted Hwan Ja-Kung across the street talking with a light skinned man with a curly beard. Junseo seemed to recognize the foreigner and looked around for an escape. He pointed to a Shaman's storefront and claimed, "I have a question about a family talisman and this looks as good as any other place." San Jin studied him a bit closer and Junseo admitted, "It would be handy for me to avoid Trader Pierce."

"Yes, well it shouldn't hurt," San Jin was just as happy not to have to meet his former classmate. Even if he personally did not put much stock in those purporting to commune with the spirit realm, he would never discount someone else's beliefs.

The boys hovered just inside the doorway and looked around at the looping strings of beads and other charms in various forms. A shorter grey-haired person peered through clouds of incense and then waved for them to come closer. It was impossible to tell if the elder Shaman was a man or a woman under their brightly colored robes.

Junseo bowed and dropped an introductory offering into the bowl on the low table beside the Shaman. "Thank you for your favor. I hope you might help refresh an amulet for me." The Shaman held out their hand. Junseo unwound a singed piece of cloth from his upper arm and handed it over.

The Shaman pursed their lips, clucked softly, then shook their head. "Foolishness. Didn't they know the dragon would see through this? It could never hold where she nests." He handed the cloth back and squinted at Junseo and said, "She claimed you. Accept it."

Junseo paled then added to his offering. Just then Ja-Kung came through the outer door. He made a show of being surprised to run into San Jin and was clearly waiting for an introduction. San Jin reluctantly obliged but only described Junseo as of a friend of his brother and occasional sparing partner. Junseo took the hint and made an excuse to depart.

"Now gentlemen what do you desire?" The shaman shook bells in a small circle.

"My mother sent me to pick up the renewed charms for our guest house." Ja-Kung added his own offering to the bowl and then placed a slip of instructions on top. He turned and grinned at San Jin and added, "It might be fun hear about our futures, don't you think?" Ja-Kung added another coin and gestured for San Jin to do the same. San Jin matched the offering but crossed his arms and glanced back toward the exit.

"I know you think this is a jest," the shaman frowned at Ja-Kung. "I will only tell you this. You are no prince." They handed a small package to Ja-Kung and pointed to the door. The young man blushed, then stormed out. San Jin was also ready to depart but the Shaman signaled for him to wait.

The Shaman rang a chime and waved a fan at the smoke. They stared at the faint swirls in the air and then pronounced, "It is your honor to serve Kings. Trust yourself to know your duty and your true friends."

San Jin politely offered his thanks for the foreseeing even though he did not think there was much to it. The differences in how his two companions had behaved could have easily prompted the last remark. Anyone with coins in their pockets in the capital could easily be called upon for the first. Still, it was nice to think he would find an honorable place in the kingdom.

He shook his head. He had a rough guess why Ja-Kung was so flustered. There had been rumors about his fourth kingdom ties for years. He was more curious about the Shaman's mumbo-jumbo about Junseo and the dragon. It surprised him that such a sensible fellow would be carrying around such a well-worn amulet. The substantial offering Junseo left indicated the item must have held value even if the proffered advice seemed non-sensical. San Jin wondered what the cloth had been covering on his friend's upper arm and why his new friend seemed so worried.

Water dragons were part of the founding myth for the Capital and it was claimed the Lie family's authority over the other kingdoms was only maintained through the dragon's favour. San Jin's family high enough on the King's court for him to appreciate the delicate combination of negotiations, marriage alliances, and threats of violence it took to keep the kingdom from dissolving back into the original four minor principalities. It was hard work for the loyal, not an unearned blessing from an invisible creature, that held things together.

Sounds of a scuffle  cut short San Jin's musings. His assigned guard tried to direct him away from the incident but changed direction when he saw Junseo was at the center of the disturbance. The palace guard who often trailed behind the boy was just standing by watching and this offended the Go retainer's sense of fair play.