Chapter 3 - Rosewood Tree
Seven days ago; the morning after the Festival of the Last Summer Evening.
"It was the morning after an evening filled with celebration and merriment. The entire capital was alive with the sound of song, dancing, and laughter. Even though the festival celebrated the last evening of summer, the festivities have long evolved into a whole-day event. The streets were filled with food while lanterns in red and white lined the paved streets of the Palace District to the busy market streets of the Garnet District of the West Gate and the Indigo District of the East Port. Scented incense burned the whole day in all the temples in the capital; the Temple of Contemplation, dedicated to the Phoenix of Undying Knowledge, the Temple of Gray Stones, dedicated to the One-Eyed Lord of War and the Temple of Twin Sun Dawning, and the Temple of the Moon Shade both dedicated to the Celestial Amethyst Dragon the patron of war and science—the celestial dragon guardian of the kingdom.
"Several groups of musicians walked from one street to another as they played festive tunes. They received food, drink, and coin from the people in front of the houses that they passed by. They even received a parting gift whenever they passed by the lands of the ten major clans or the twelve minor clans. A trinket from a clan's private collection, a fine hifu to help ward off the cold, a master-crafted pair of traveling boots fit to be used by the upper class of the city, or a simple sack of rice. In most cases, the traveling groups of musicians are more grateful for a sack of rice than anything else. It helps ensure that the coming winter days would be easier for them and their family.
"The Mukade Clan outdid themselves that evening by performing not two nor three simultaneous Dragon Orchestra but ten. All groups played simultaneously in different locations around the capital. I half-suspected Khyn to be among the disguised dancers, but at the same time, I knew that I would recognize him if he were among the ten groups that performed. The tunes and dances played by the members of the clan were enjoyed by everyone in the capital as people drank, ate, and enjoyed each other's company. Everyone had nothing but goodwill for everyone else. Everything felt peaceful, happy, and perfect.
"Except that the day was far from being truly perfect.
"It was normal for Mingmei to miss celebrations like this. She has never left their ancestral home since her twin—Mingmai—died sixteen years ago. Same festival; different afternoon. She never stopped blaming herself for what happened all those years ago. And we—her childhood friends—have never been able to comfort her nor console her nor convince her that it was not her fault. That she should stop blaming herself for what happened. That her twin would be saddened if she found out how she punished herself daily—for sixteen years—for what happened that day. I was not there when it happened, but I knew that it was impossible for Mingmei to willingly harm her twin. I have never seen them away from each other. And I have known the twins since we were born. There was never a time that I have seen them fight or argue—it was like they had the same mind, and everyone in the kingdom found it eerie. And those silly kid fights over a crayon, a torn parchment, a spilled mango juice on a new kimono—they never had those fights. It was just impossible to even think that Mingmei could even entertain the thought of bringing the slightest harm to her twin.
"We were all born during the same winter, and our parents were happy and amused by the coincidence. They had baby clothes and shoes made at the same time from the same craftsmen, and it made us all look like we were brothers and sisters. And so, we grew up like brothers and sisters even though we all came from each of the ten major clans. And I knew them all like I would know a brother or a sister that I grew up with.
"And thus, I knew, that even if Mingmei would miss the festival because of past circumstances, Lynn, on the other hand, would not for all the kimonos and tofu in the kingdom.
"Lynn loved festivals. She'd always be the first out on the streets to dance to the tunes of the traveling bards. And she was always easy to find whenever she is out in the streets with her flame-red silken kimono and her long flowing hair swaying behind her head as she danced. The Festival of the Last Summer Evening was her personal favorite. She would always travel to the River Gate with her sisters at the first break of light to buy accessories from visiting merchants that fill the western market of the capital during festivals. Bracelets made from colorful beads, necklaces of carved bone or crystal, hairbrushes with pearls or earrings of colorful metals, charms made from dyed threads in different colors—she loved them all. She would then have lunch with her clan outside the Ancestral Lands of the Scorpion and invite as many travelers as they can accommodate inside their lands to eat, drink or simply converse with members of their clan and learn from their ways. She would not always be among those that invite and usher in guests, but she is always with the musicians and would be dancing to as many of their songs as she could; at least before one of us snatches her away to our own clan's lands.
"However, the festival started and ended without a single glimpse of Lynn, which was beyond an odd coincidence. Moreover, the members of her clan acted normally, according to their tradition, during the entire festival. This told me that there was nothing wrong with Lynn. That she was not sick or in any kind of trouble. That her disappearance did not mean that she was in some kind of distress or emergency.
"Or perhaps not in any kind of trouble that her clan was aware of.
"The musicians just outside the borders of the Ancestral Lands of the Scorpion played with the same vigor and liveliness as if she were there with them dancing to their tunes and urging them on. Their feast table under the sweet-smelling ancient jasmine trees does not indicate that the clan was in any kind of mourning or worry. And for some strange reason, this made me worry even more.
"Lynn's noticeable absence from the festival prompted me to check on Mingmei first thing in the morning after the festival. The two were like twins since we were kids. When Mingmai was still alive, they were like triplets and they would know exactly what each other felt and thought about like their minds were connected by a powerful supernatural link. And thus, when Mingmai died, Lynn mourned like she lost her twin too. Their house was filled with her wailing and sobbing for months. She might have mourned even more than she showed because she saw Mingmei less after Mingmai died, and getting separated from the twins was one of the hardest things that Lynn had to endure. She started to do things alone after Mingmai passed away. She never lost her cheerfulness, but she would prefer to be alone if she had a choice, and she would spend time alone whenever she gets the chance.
"So, when I noticed Lynn's absence from the festival, I immediately went into the territory of the Jerboa Clan and into the dominion of the House Samon, the lands that Mingmei's family tends on behalf of the kingdom. The Jerboa Clan trains the most powerful eizou-jin in the kingdom—spellcasters that focus on the most destructive combat spells and defensive enchantments mixed with potent martial arts skills. The lands of the Jerboa Clan were always protected by ever-present enchantments that can detect and eliminate any intruder that enters their territory unannounced. Luckily, growing up closely with the twins had its benefits; their clan's defenses have long been desensitized to my presence. This allowed me to watch over Mingmei after Mingmai died. I would spend an hour or two daily to watch Mingmei. Always from afar and always unknown to her. Unfortunately, whenever I see her sad or crying, I am crushed by my overwhelming powerlessness because I am unable to find the strength to reveal myself to her and comfort her. Besides, what could I possibly do? I knew that the only thing that would comfort her was to see Mingmai alive again.
"The evening before the festival, I saw Mingmei's parents talk to her inside her bedroom. I have never seen them talk to Mingmei inside her bedroom since Mingmai died. It was like they made sure that she could have all the time alone that she needed to mourn the loss of her twin. I was unable to hear what they were saying, but I did get a glimpse of a hooded figure that came and went mere minutes before that conversation between Mingmei and her parents. Whatever they talked about; it was obvious from their body movements that it was filled with emotion. I suspected that it involved her twin or something that involved the time mourning her loss.
"I traveled to the same spot where I saw Mingmei and her parents have that conversation. It was atop a rosewood tree near the edge of their wheat farm just outside the compound where their house was built. I rarely go to their place before dark, but that morning was an exception. Lynn missing from the festival triggered an instinct in me to investigate anything that comes as odd or out of place that might involve my friends. These instincts in me might have come from being a member of the clan that has the distinction as the primary police force of the kingdom. Investigations and noticing odd things come naturally to us. So, I went there around noon; making sure that no one would see me when I approached and climbed the rosewood tree. Once concealed within the rosewood's foliage, I started to look around their house from that distance and tried to locate her. She was not there! Her family had lunch together, but her chair was empty, and there was no plate placed on her place in the table. This told me that her family knew that she was not around and since they acted normally when they were having lunch—hearty conversations that were likely about the events of the festival the day before; Mingmei was not in any kind of trouble even though she—just like Lynn—was not at home.
"I went down from my observation spot and went to look for Eunshi. If Mingmei, Lynn, and Mingmai were true triplets, Eunshi would be their closest friend outside of the family. Besides, Eunshi has a natural talent for knowing things that she always loved to write down in her journal. If she were not born into a major clan, she would have likely become a historian or a novelist.
"Or both. Or maybe even a playwright the way she makes up funny stories out of Ianme's and my actions whenever we're all together.
"The Ancestral Lands of the Omani Clan bordered the lands of my clan, so it was easy for me to go there and look for Eunshi. I wasted no time and went there to speak with Eunshi about the oddness that I have observed—Mingmei not at home and Lynn absent from her favorite festival. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Eunshi. Aside from the fact that her clan had always produced the finest advisers for the officials of the kingdom, Eunshi was always the wisest of our little group even when we were still kids. When I reached the Ancestral Lands of the Omani Clan, their members immediately invited me into their grounds to eat and drink with them. I accepted their invitation right away. I made it obvious that I was looking for Eunshi as I faked a conversation with some of their members. One of Eunshi's cousins noticed right away that I was looking for her as I ate. 'She's out on an errand to another kingdom. She might not be back any time soon,' Eunshi's cousin explained with a smile. I recognized her face but forgot her name. It's funny how I only remember the names of the friends that I grew up with.
"I knew better than to ask for details on whatever that mission was lest I jeopardize Eunshi's mission. So, I finished my food and drink as fast as I could and expressed my gratitude to the Omani Clan and left.
"The three were all out and it did not take too much intelligence to deduce that they were likely on the same errand.
"Errand or mission, something inside me nagged me to investigate further. It was something that I just had to do. The three would never leave the capital without at least informing someone else from our group. But before I could decide who I should approach next to join me in my investigation, a cryptic message whispered directly into my ear. 'Whisper your location when you hear this message. If you do not reply, I shall consider you to be in grave danger!' Someone else in our group has noticed that the three are nowhere in the capital!