1 Leaving the palace

Hiding in the deep shadows, Xian stealthily followed the corridor leading to the yard. His long golden hair as well as his face were hidden in a large hood. Thanks to his black clothes, he was nearly invisible. Even at 14 years old, as a spy, he knew the basics of concealment. Had to.

In truth, he constantly had to check if his hair was completely covered but he didn't really mind it : it felt so refreshing to get rid of the hair dye made from walnut stain, and just the smell of the mixture was enough to make him want to puke ! Now his hair was clean and soft, and he felt contented. With his skills, he thought he could afford this small luxury, he just had to compensate with extra caution. However, deep inside, he felt slightly nervous and hoped his foster mother would never hear of it, otherwise the following nagging and scolding would be no joke, even for him.

Before arriving in the courtyard, he heard a couple of palace maids hurrying while whispering to one another :

– The First Prince is going to attend a party outside of the Palace with Lady Wei, even though she is pregnant and just avoided an assassination attempt. Poor Lady !

– Don't worry, she is a strong one. It is not the first attempt and probably not the last one, alas. Royals and Nobles are so scheming and cold-hearted ! I wonder how long she can last as the favorite concubine. Ah but she'll lose her status as soon as her beauty is marred. I heard the emperor sent a disfigured concubine of his to the Cold Palace. Her health was not good to begin with, so she died within a year.

– Shhh ! Don't say such ominous thing ! Lady Wei will not have the same fate. Her baby will be born in another couple of months. His Highness will surely protect the mother of his first child ! Anyway, I hope they will all be safe.

– Well, I also heard the Great Mage Soon-Yi is going to the party as well, so hopefully, nobody will dare harm them.

Xian always thought that women could be really scary when gossiping. These maids were no exception. However, all hearsays and rumors, even though they were unreliable, were a source of information. One just had to be extremely mindful and careful when analyzing them.

In his hiding spot, curled up in a dark corner, Xian waited until the maids were out of sight before getting out of his niche and resuming his escape. Thanks to his training and a bit of help from his foster mother, all his senses were somewhat enhanced, especially his eyesight and hearing. For years, he painfully trained his body to become the best tool for his trade. Spying was not as easy as he thought when he was a child, when Soon-Yi took him in. Well, his life in general as not as easy as he hoped back then.

He paused for an instant, hesitation and worry written all over his face. He already knew some details regarding the party (its location, the host and the list of guests), and only reluctantly agreed to leave Lady Wei's side after Soon-Yi promised to go with her. Even the palace maids were aware of the dangers and how unreasonable it was for Lady Wei to attend this party. Xian really couldn't bear to leave his charge all by herself. He didn't want to let the guards or even Soon-Yi deal with the protection of Lady Wei and her child, these so-called protectors were useless but he couldn't possibly say this to his foster mother's face. As a Great Mage of the Selnan Empire, Soon-Yi's pride could reach the clouds in the sky !

It was late in the evening, the perfect time to sneak out of the harem of the Orchid Palace, the First Prince residence and Xian's current Hide-in-plain-sight nest. Outside, the sun was still shining, albeit a little dimly, but at this hour, its light didn't reached this part of the palace. And that was exactly why Xian chose this route. He was pretty familiar with the place and even found a few secret passages, however he still kept them for some life-threatening emergencies.

He checked the corridor once more before running, as light as a feather and as soundless as a cat. It really felt like he was flying ; it had been a long time since he could feel so free. In the courtyard, the statue on the floor provided an ideal foothold and the dragon carving on the column itself made it easy to climb and reach the roof. It only took him a few moments and he was lying on the roof tiles.

He still had to wait a short while before nightfall and he was feeling rather satisfied : up to now, everything was going according to his plan. He just had to sneak out of the palace at night. Besides, he didn't need to bribe the guards at the gate, with his slim but athletic and flexible body, he could easily jump over the wall from the rooftop without any injury.

Outside, he knew of a place where he could easily 'borrow' – more likely steal – a horse and he'd be on his way to the southern border. That was the plan and he was proud because, since way before, no plan of his had been so neatly followed as this one. Unpredictable events always occurred and messed up everything. Moreover, Xian himself tended to follow his instincts more than his plans. He really wanted to improve his carefree personality and not only because of the numerous scoldings he received from Soon-Yi. Even though his instincts often 'saved the day', this part of him really contrasted with his dutiful self to the point where he was internally conflicted and this was not a comfortable feeling.

Xian crawled on the roof to find a place where he could observe the surrounding area without being spotted by the palace guards. The tiles which kept the lingering warmth of the day did not manage to ward off the chill wind of the evening and Xian shivered uncontrollably. Confined for so long inside the harem of the First Prince Zhou Xi in order to protect Lady Wei, Xian felt both happy and a little apprehensive about being out in the open. Such a girlish way of thinking !

As a spy, Xian often had to disguise himself and, in order to stay by Lady Wei's side and protect her day and night, he posed as her personal maid. Honestly, so many things happened, including several assassination attempts, anyone would feel on edge. It was the first time Xian felt so happy and relieved to go back to his old self. He was a guy, dammit ! It wouldn't do if his perfect impersonation of a shy and obedient maid rubbed off on his true self.

The sunset was beautiful but Xian only wished to be far from the Palace, on his way to the neighboring southern kingdom. He could feel a tingling on his fingertips and had to calm his breathing. He'd never felt so eager to go on a mission : he was going to the land of the dragons, the famous and highly mysterious dragon kingdom ! Such powerful, wonderful and dreamlike creatures ! Even the Great Mage Soon-Yi – this old hag who raised me – never managed to win a fight against a dragon.

Even though he was kind of daydreaming, Xian kept his focus on his surroundings and noticed the lavish carriage going out of the palace gates. No doubt it was Lady Wei and Soon-Yi en route to the party. Behind them, two slightly less ornate carriages followed, with the other concubines and their servants. They were all supposed to meet with the First Prince Zhou Xi and his retinue on the way, so they did not have many guards with them, not enough by far, according to Xian. This night was supposed to be very dark, the new moon presumably, and Xian's face couldn't help but crease with worry. The sun was already disappearing behind the horizon, it was time to leave.

Stick to the plan, I wish I could stick to the plan.

… or not.

Xian sighed. He knew that as soon as he felt the urge to repeat this motto, it was too late and he invariably failed to execute said plan.

On a whim, Xian decided to follow the carriages, so in a hurry, he jumped over the wall and let himself merge in the shadows of dusk, disappearing from anyone's view until he entered the city. The guards at the gates, oblivious of Xian's whereabouts, were commenting on the ladies' outing and their attendants. Outside, the roads were packed with people returning home or going to restaurants, entertainment shops or pleasure houses. Both men and women really wanted to enjoy the refreshing summer night after the stifling heat of the day. Even Xian had difficulties just walking through the throng of the most bustling streets. Ahead, the convoy he was trailing was almost at a standstill, its speed reduced to a lame crawl.

The young Xian slowed down as well so that he could maintain a reasonable distance and remain unnoticed. Under his cowl, his eyes were darting left and right, suspicious of every little movement. The carriages in front of him finally came to a halt. The mass of people was truly impenetrable, buzzing louder and louder to complement or maybe to cover the voices of a drunken dispute nearby.

In an instant, Xian hid in a narrow alley and removed his outer cloak. In the crowded and brightly-lit main street, being dressed from head to foot in simple black clothes was a bit eye-catching and suspicious. Luckily, he was well prepared with some handy accessories hidden in his multiple pockets. He fished a small hat to hide his features and hair as best as he could and wore his cloak inside out, showing the other side which was a light shade of brown. Even though it was far from elegant, it was better than his previous black garb and hood. With this outfit on, he looked just like the other dwellers and was able to easily blend in the crowd.

A few meters ahead, the guards surrounding the carriages were on alert, trying to ward off the people closing in on their group. The horses didn't seem to deter the passersby in the slightest. Without prior notice, two of the three carriages turned in a narrow street on the left hand side. It made sense because this kind of path was less busy and the convoy would thus be able to go past the difficult area. It was obvious that the throng prevented the escort from providing an efficient protection and it was probably easy for an assassin to get close enough to do great harm without being caught.

However, the guards had a rather surprised and helpless look on their faces. Disorganized, they hurried to catch up. Xian couldn't help but wonder who decided to change the route. Even the captain of this small troop seemed taken aback. Thinking carefully, it was a pretty bold and risky choice, unwise too, especially when unprepared. Indeed, the further they went, the narrower the lane became. It was barely large enough for the carriages, so the guard riding their horses couldn't protect the sides and had to go in front or further behind. Actually, most of the escort was stuck in between the two carriages in front.

At that time, Xian was on the rooftop of a building, following the convoy, just a step away from Lady Wei and Soon-Yi who were now in the last carriage. They had been in the front before and were entangled in the mass of people. Therefore, it took longer for them to change direction. Moreover, their lavish carriage was larger than the rest and had to proceed slowly to avoid any damage.

From his position, Xian surveyed the surroundings with caution, looking for any threat and carefully hiding himself. He could not walk on the road anymore, since he would be easily singled out. Although the bustling streets were just around the corner, this smaller lane did not have any shops and was usually deserted.

A few hundreds meters ahead, Xian spotted the First Prince Zhou Xi and his retinue. They were waiting at a crossroad rather impatiently. The first carriage with the majority of the guards was almost there and Xian, with his enhanced abilities, could hear that the ladies inside were making a fuss, monopolizing the attention of the prince and his men.

Overall, the escort of the whole convoy seemed relieved and Xian felt like cursing them for lowering their guard too soon but he couldn't do anything about it so, seething with frustration, he continued following them all. He couldn't shake off the foreboding of a great danger. The Great Mage Soon-Yi was really too eager to send him off on his new mission and Xian had to admit that, at that time, he was overjoyed to leave the palace and its heavy atmosphere. Now he regretted it. It would have been so much easier to protect Lady Wei if he was inside the carriage as her personal maid and bodyguard !

However, it was no use lamenting over this. Better stay sharp and help when needed.