Techniques are taught based on rank within the clan. This ensures a proper foundation to build on. It also protects the inexperienced as more powerful techniques can be harmful if done incorrectly. This includes breathing techniques. The most powerful techniques for gathering Qi can be extremely painful as the meridians are flooded with the power of Qi with each breath.

  Tae lay on the bed in the small basement. Shin was sleeping upstairs. His friend had been more than a little put out with him when he’d realized Tae intended to sleep down here again. He’d been sleeping down here for two weeks now.

  Shin had been supposed to leave over a week ago, but after the incident with the assassins Shin had prolonged his stay. Tae knew his friend was worried about him. The medicine wasn’t working as well to contain the monster. What Shin thought he could do by himself against the monster that lurked within Tae he wasn’t sure. Shin hadn’t had a chance against Tae when he’d just been a feral child, and now here he was, unsure how much of himself remained and how much was the monster.

  Tae closed his eyes wishing desperately for sleep. It finally came, but with it were dreams of the past. Tae felt the memories drift through his mind, and just prayed that they would be some of his few, happier ones.

  Hyuk sat in the pavilion outside their shared quarters. Tae watched quietly while Hyuk played his zither. It was a new song, one he hadn’t heard before. The cherry blossoms fell gently to the ground making Hyuk’s delicate features stand out even more. It made him seem almost otherworldly.

  Just as Tae moved to approach Hyuk the scene shattered like glass. The ground beneath Tae gave way to a pit of darkness. Thankfully Hyuk hadn’t fallen with him. The fact that he couldn’t hear Hyuk’s voice calling to him in panic was enough to remind Tae that this was a dream.

  The falling sensation ended as suddenly as it began. Candles lit his surroundings and Tae found himself in a familiar canvas tent. A war map was spread out on the table before him. A glance was all it took for Tae to realize with dread what battle he was about to relive. Not this one, anything but this memory! Tae fought to free himself from the dream. He heard voices, those of his friends as well as his own, as they planned that final assault. Hyuk’s voice as he volunteered to go with him to face the demonized dragon… Tae screamed, but nothing came out. In desperation he pulled on his Qi lashing out at the dream itself.

  Silver light shot through the scene like lightning, shattering it. For a moment everything was dark again. Then he felt the horribly familiar dirt covered floorboards beneath him. Tae was on his hands and knees, with nothing but his long, white, hair to cover his small body. His hands and arms held plenty of scars, but enough were missing that Tae knew when and where he was. His stomach felt like it was filled with cold lead as he realized what the nightmare had changed to.

  Still, this horror was better than the previous one. In this one he was the only one who got hurt. No one he loved died in this memory. Tae fought against a shudder of revulsion as a large hand forced his head upwards. Tae closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see what he was being made to relive. He used Qi to block his ears as well, and pulled his mind away from his body in the dream.

  Tae blinked, he was laying in the basement. He retched and rolled over so as not to vomit on himself. A bucket appeared and Tae grasped it, emptying the contents of his stomach into it.

  “You’re okay.” Shin reassured him. “It was just a dream.”

  Once his stomach stopped its revolt, Tae sat up, wiping his mouth. It was only then that he realized he was soaked, and not from sweat. Shin knelt in front of him, the worry so clearly written on his face. The care and concern he saw was too much. Tae reached for his friend. Shin had clearly just been waiting for an invitation because he wrapped Tae in his arms. Tae sobbed.

  “Want to talk about it?” Shin asked once Tae had calmed down again.

  “Might help.” Tae replied. He pulled away enough that he could see his friend while he talked. “At first it was fine, Hyuk was playing that song he’d written for me.”

  Shin nodded. Hyuk had taught Shin and a few others the song as it had been a lullaby to help Tae sleep.

  “Changed to other memories, which turned the dream into a nightmare.” Tae continued. “Planning that last battle, moments before we rode out to fight.”

  Shin winced. He’d lived through that battle right along with Tae, among the archers. Tae knew that the fact that he’d been too far away in the moments after the dragon had been defeated, when Hyuk had died, had haunted Shin for a long time. Likely still did.

  “I managed to fight my way free of that one before it got very far.” Tae said. Shin placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. They’d had to help each other through the survivors' guilt they’d suffered from that battle.

  “The following bit, what you woke me up from, thank you by the way,” Tae gave his friend a small smile that was likely more of a grimace with his thanks. “Was from my childhood, before I escaped that hell hole. If I placed it right, it was from when I was around eleven.”

  “Was it…” Shin paused as if trying to think of how to continue his question.

  “Based on the scars I had, it was after she died, but before I realized there was a possibility of escaping.” Tae answered, knowing his friend had wanted to know if it was of his last moments with his mother.

  “A mission?” Shin asked hopefully.

  Tae shook his head. “The things she’d tried to protect me from.”

  Shin muttered some rather colourful oaths under his breath and hurriedly removed his hand from Tae’s shoulder.

  “You woke me up before anything happened, so contact isn’t bothering me.” Tae reassured him.

  “Now I’m even more glad I hurried down here when I felt your Qi.” Shin said. He didn’t move to put his hand back, so Tae leaned forward and put his head on Shin’s shoulder. He needed the comfort right now. Shin chuckled. “I don’t know what to do with my hands when you do that.”

  “You can touch my head,” Tae told him. “Just don’t play with my hair.”

  Shin placed his hand on Tae’s head and stroked his hair lightly. “That okay?”

  Tae nodded. Shin respecting how touchy he was about his hair had always been a huge relief. Some of the others still didn’t understand it. Especially when he’d let Hyuk do whatever he wanted to his hair. Shin had been the first to defend Tae when he’d get mad at someone for touching his hair. Shin would scold whoever had upset Tae, and Hyuk would either join, make jokes, or sly comments to help clue the person in. Tae’s heart ached at the memory and he sighed. He missed Hyuk. It’d been five years and he didn’t think he would ever stop missing him.

  ***

  DoYun cleared his throat, calling Min’s attention from papers in front of him. Min didn’t bother glancing up. He waved his brush in acknowledgement, and continued writing. HaJoon coughed.

  “Let me finish this.” Min said, beginning to feel a little cross. He finished the last line and quickly stamped the page. DoYun snatched the page from the desk as Min stood. Min left cleaning up to DoYun, he was already running late. “Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “And if anyone complains I’ll tell them to take it up with the Emperor.” DoYun said, grinning.

  “Better yet, tell them to take it up with my father.” Min replied. “I’d like to see those old men try to convince him that their papers are more important than keeping an appointment with the dowager empress.”

  His friends grinned at the idea of one of the officials being stupid enough to tell the former emperor that the dowager empress wasn’t important enough for non-urgent matters to be delayed.

  Min hurried from the room and out into the courtyard. HaJoon and YeJun followed him as he made his way through the palace pathways. If it wouldn’t put her in more danger than she already was, Min would much prefer to have his office and palace closer to his mother’s. As he approached the gate of the new palace his father had built for his mother for when she became the Dowager Empress Min smiled a little to himself. His father had been a great emperor and still held a lot of power. It amused Min that the first thing his father had done in his preparations in handing the throne over to Hanseul was build this joint palace for himself and then Empress Sena.

  The palace had a bit of a different layout than was traditional for a royal palace. As soon as Min passed the gatehouse he entered the front gardens. Directly in front of him was a large three story building. Usually there would be two separate palaces for the Dowager Empress and Former Emperor. This building held three entrances in the front. To Min’s left was the door directly to his father’s wing, to the right, his mother’s, and in the center, the largest of the doors, led to shared areas.

  The fact that there were three bedrooms for his parents, because the officials, ministers, and nobles, had all objected to there only being one, was more proof of his father’s stubbornness and how smitten he still was after all these years. There was a joint bedroom that was connected to their individual bedrooms. Min knew that the separate bedrooms were only used if one or both of them was working on a project into the night as the two almost never fought.

  Min entered the large dawn redwood door that led to the shared reception area. The polished dark golden cypress pillars, stairs, railings, and banisters accentuated the decorated plaster interior walls. Bronze and jade sculptures placed with care, and artworks painted by masters hung on the walls. The room was meant to impress guests, while still retaining a warm, comforting feel.

  “Imperial prince, Han Lee, MinJun.” a familiar voice greeted him. Min turned to see Chi, Yong, his mother’s personal attendant. He’d known Yong his whole life. Her greying black hair and the pleasant lines around her eyes and mouth were the only real signs of her age. She still stood straight and strong like she always had.

  “Chi, Yong.” Min replied with a smile. The woman was both his mother’s oldest attendant and had served as his nanny when he was young.

  “The Empress Dowager awaits you in her personal reception chamber.” Yong told him, bowing slightly.

  “No father today?” Min asked.

  “He’s busy scheming away in his office with his friends.” Yong answered. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes was more than enough to tell him what exactly his father was up to. Mother’s birthday was approaching.

  “Please instruct someone to tell him when he finally emerges that I came by.” Min said. “I’d rather not get scolded for nothing.”

  “I will,” Yong replied. “Though I doubt it will be necessary.”

  Right. Mother would tell father when he joins her in bed later tonight.

  “YeJun, HaJoon.” Min ordered. “No need for you to follow me, wait for me here, or go catch up with the others.”

  Both bowed in acknowledgement and held their bow until he exited the room. They knew some of the attendants and guards here. A few were relatives of theirs on their mother’s side. Min stopped in the hallway just outside of the reception room. On a ledge built into the wall was an old small wooden box with minimal adornment or carvings. Hanging above it was a clumsily braided charm. The charm was as worn and water stained as the box it hung above.

  Min brushed the lid of the box lightly with his fingers. Though stained by water, tea, and tears, there was no sign of the blood that had once covered it. For a moment his vision clouded with burning rage at the memory. The trace of his own Qi on the braided charm glowed slightly in response to the emotions churning within him. Min quickly suppressed both his rage and Qi. His mother still lived and breathed, and the time for his revenge would come. Within a few breaths he was under control again, and there was no outward sign that he had momentarily lost himself. He glanced at the door, readied a slight smile, and entered the room.

  “Min dear!” a melodic voice greeted him warmly.

  “Mother.” Min’s smile was no longer forced as he laid eyes on her.

  She sat in a large cushioned chair that seemed to swallow her smaller frame. Her long thick black hair was done up expertly with beautiful pins. Her bright golden amber eyes sparkled. Time had not dimmed her beauty in the slightest. She had aged with extreme grace. There was an elegance about her that only came with age, the rare silver strand of hair, and there were a few fine lines around her eyes that hinted at her actual age.

  Her greeting was a clear indication that she was alone, and so Min ignored all formalities. She stood as he approached and held out her arms. Min gladly hugged her and kissed the top of her head. After a moment she released him. He was ready to help her if needed, but she just patted his arm and sat in her chair again. He was relieved to see her face was full of colour. Min knelt on the floor and laid his head in her lap. Had anyone else been in the room he would never have done so, but when it was just the two of them he reverted to the comforting behaviours from his childhood. She placed her hand on his head, stroking his hair lightly, and the two sat together in pleasant silence.

  “I hear that more than the responsibilities your brother gave you is keeping you busy these days.” Sena said. Min could hear her smile. It seems he wouldn’t have to be the one to tell her after all.

  “DoYun?” Min asked, not moving from his position.

  “You know I’ll never tell you, so why bother asking?”

  “Because I keep hoping one day I’ll time my question just right and narrow down my list of suspects.” Min told her, smiling.

  “I’ll have to be extra vigilant to keep my crafty son from discovering my spies.” Sena laughed.

  “There are three consistent spies, whom I happen to have willingly and wholeheartedly trusted my life with.” Min told her. “You’ll never lose them even if you one day admit who is telling you what.”

  “True,” Sena mused. “But where’s the fun in that?”

  Min laughed.

  “Now, tell me about this elusive restaurant owner.” Sena urged. Min lifted his head to look at his mother. She was as beautiful as always, her excitement over this new development in his life brightened her whole face, and Min did not doubt his father’s word that Sena had been the kind of beauty wars were started over in her youth. Most of Min’s features were inherited from his mother.

  “His name is Hwan.” Min said after a moment. His mother would not sense a lie from him as he was technically telling the truth. If she’d used her gods blessed eyes, which he’d inherited from her, she might have noticed he was hiding something. Min would have noticed if her Qi was activated, which was required for that particular ability.

  “No family name?” Sena asked. Even the poorest of commoners had a family name.

  “He just goes by Hwan.” Min told her. It was a full truth this time. He preferred when he could be completely honest with her.

  “Interesting.” Sena mused. “Well, there are lots of reasons one wouldn’t want to divulge their family name.”

  “He’s explained it, and there’s nothing for you to worry about regarding that.” Min reassured her.

  “Good.” Sena said. “I’ll leave that be then. Now, tell me more about him.”

  “He’s incredibly tall, strong, and skilled in many ways.” Min told her, smiling as images of Tae-Hwan came to mind. “He’s kind, the first day I met him he protected both a worker in his restaurant as well as some of the patrons.”

  Sena smiled, and Min proceeded to tell her about that first meeting in detail. From the way Tae-Hwan had thrown the knife, to how he’d been unfazed by the courtesans offer while declining it respectfully. Sena laughed several times during his retelling of that night.

  “He’s more than half a head taller than me,” Min continued. “His build and beard make him resemble a large bear at times. Despite that, he’s incredibly handsome. Frustratingly so at times. Since his restaurant is near the red-light district people are a bit more forward about it. You’d think with how large and rugged he is that fewer people would be inclined to make a pass at him.”

  “I’m sure if you wanted you could look plenty intimidating enough to keep the flies away,” Sena commented. “You may look more delicate at a glance because you inherited the majority of your looks from me, but you’re taller than most, and I’ve been told your glare is near deadly.”

  “Things haven't gotten far enough for that just yet.” Min sighed. “He’s plenty capable of shooing the flies away himself, it just irks me to watch them buzz around him.”

  “Hmm…” Sena mused. “I’m sure things have passed the admiring from afar stage at least.”

  “Yes,” Min confirmed.

  “Then I’m guessing you two just haven’t spent enough time together for things to progress further?”

  Min sputtered and felt his face heat at the implications she layered in that comment. That was not something a son expected to hear from his mother. “Mother!”

  “What?” Sena asked, her tone was coy.

  “That is not a discussion I want to have with you.” Min told her. “I may hear far too much about your and father’s relationship, but I have no intention of sharing those type of details with you.”

  Sena laughed.