Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

brilliance and Tuan with his strength that they were blind to any reasoning their mother attempted.
    "They are." Her tone was fond. "They're very much like their father that way. But you are right, I cannot stop them, only pray that they both return to me when it is done." That prayer would not be answered, not if Chien's plan went as intended. Mai's sons were as bad as she herself was, vicious men who believed that anything they wanted should be theirs. Many a maid had gone missing while in employ at the palace. Chien would feel no guilt at their end.
    He stood carefully, no longer interested in the conversation. He had the information he wanted. His aunt could not keep control and soon, when she could not produce the Sword of Heaven, the people would lose further faith in her. If he were willing to wait, her reign would fall apart on its own. These small revolutions were proof enough of that.
    Chien could not wait that long however. Anticipation made his hands shake. So close. He could not wait any longer. There would be no more of pretending the fool. No more watching his aunt destroy his empire, kill his people. There would at last be an end to this story and his father's throne would finally be his.
    Chien had to crawl free carefully, thankful that he had not dared to wear one of his more elaborate robes, but a training robe instead. He might have cried to see rips in his favorite silk. Once he had managed to pull himself free, he paused for a moment to ensure that no one had heard him. It would not do to find himself caught running from the Empress's room like a guilty servant.
    The dust shook free from his blonde hair after a quick run through with his fingers and he hoped he looked inconspicuous enough to make it back to his rooms without pulling anyone's attention. With one last glance around, Chien slipped from the Empress's war room, down the hallway and down the steps to the light wind and steady sun of the outside. Spring was fading quickly into summer, the flowers of the Phoenix Tail tree just beginning to bloom. Chien paused for a moment to admire them. There was one tree for each of the emperors who had reigned over the empire. Each of these trees was a lasting legacy of the wisdom of the men who had ruled.
    If Chien needed anything right now, it was wisdom. He wandered closer, his hand brushing against the rough bark of the trunk. None of the trees were marked, but Chien found that if he listened closely enough, he could feel them. He stopped first in front of his grandfather's tree. The trunk was sturdy, the branches short. His grandfather's time had been one of stability and little growth. He had died when Chien had been very young, but Chien could remember him still as a very steady and calm man. He had died peacefully in his sleep.
    In comparison, his father's tree was struggling to survive. He had not understood it when he had been younger, but his father had always been sickly. For the longest time, they had believed that his older sister would take her father's place. But then their father had declared his youngest son his heir instead. Chien had always wondered if his grandfather had sensed something inside of her. The space beside his father's tree was empty. Mai had not yet proven herself. She could not plant her own tree yet.
    The heavy hand that settled upon his shoulder startled him and he turned, prepared for any manner of things, his hand going automatically to the place his sword should have been. Minh stood behind him, a curious look on his face, "Cousin? How lucky!" His nose curled, "But why are you so filthy? And why are you in this," he paused, looking around the grove of trees before shivering slightly, "ghastly place."
    Ghastly. His cousin had no appreciation for the sacred grove. The Empire would be lost if one of them ascended to the throne. "I got lost." And there had been the voice. Whatever presence had been here a short time ago had vanished into the wind once more. The false Empress? Someone else who wished to rise against her?
    ****
    Minh frowned at his statement. "Well, it's no matter. I need a moment to speak with you. Outside of here." There seemed to be something about the grove that truly disturbed him. He stepped outside of the edge of the grove and gestured Chien closer.
    With a sigh, Chien stepped outside of the grove as well before answering, "If you might give me a moment to make myself more appropriate then." They both looked down at Chien's drab attire. Dust