The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

the pillars penetrating heaven and earth. The shape of the mountain, rising abruptly from the hilly countryside and projecting upwards toward the sky, looked like a bundle of calligraphy brushes of different lengths stood on end. The narrow, steep summit of the mountain was shrouded with clouds that hid it from view.
    The sheer rock face creating such a silhouette was more like an enormous wall.
    "That's Kankyuu? That mountain?"
    Comparing the tiger's legs against the mountain, they were still an unbelievably long way off. That's how big this mountain was.
    "That is Kankyuu Mountain. Such a mountain is home to the royal palaces in all the kingdoms. The palace is at the very summit."
    The light of the moon gleamed faintly on the outlines of the rising cliffs, so pointed as to come close to the vertical. She searched for the familiar shape of a castle, but with the summit hidden in the clouds, she could be sure of nothing. At the base of the mountain she saw one or two points of light.
    "Those lights are the city of Kankyuu."
    If it was the capital, it must be bigger than Ugou. They must be so far away that the lights were all she could see of the city.
    Youko was momentarily overcome with surprise. Even at the rate the beast was flying, Kankyuu was not close enough to seem to be moving. Slowly, the mountain drew nearer, such that she could not take the entire mountain into view without turning her head, nor could she clearly see its summit. At last, she could see the outlines of the city of Kankyuu.
    The city rose up around the base of this absurdly high mountain, spreading out in an arc over the gently rolling terrain. Lying in the shadow of a mountain so gigantic, the nights must be very long indeed.
    When she asked Rakushun, he confirmed that it was so. "I went once to the capital of Kou, Gousou, and that's what it was like. Because Gousou is to the east of the mountain, the twilight lasts a long time."
    "Huh."
    Seen from above, Kankyuu was a large city. A sea of light spread out beneath them. And before them, as far as the eye could see, the cliffs. The bare, treeless layers of stone that made up the narrow, vertical mountain looked chalky in the dark.
    Up ahead, the En had alighted on a rocky ledge projecting from the side of the cliff

    The landing area was about the size of a tennis court. The level area had apparently been hewn from a larger mass of rock. Following the En, the tiger Youko and Rakushun were riding set down on the ledge.
    Grinning, the En glanced back over his shoulder at them. "Looks like you made it here without falling off."
    How could you fall off? Youko wondered. On the back of the tiger, there was no sense of cutting through the wind, no shaking from side to side.
    As if reading her thoughts, the En smiled. "The height makes some people dizzy. Others get so used to the sensation they fall asleep."
    Well, I suppose, Youko thought sarcastically.
    Intricate designs were carved deeply into the smooth landing area, like anti-skid marks. There were no handrails, and she had no urge to peer over the edge. She couldn't begin to imagine how far above the ground they already were.
    A pair of doors led from the ledge into the cliff. The En turned on his heels and headed toward the doors. The doors both swung inwards before he arrived.
    The doors were twice her height and seemed to have been fashioned from a single slab of stone. As heavy as the door looked, they were opened by a pair of soldiers. She wasn't positive that they were soldiers. But as they both wore thick leather breastplates, it seemed a logical conclusion.
    After nodding to the soldiers, the En looked back at Youko and Rakushun, beckoning them to follow along. When they passed through the doors, the two soldiers bowed, but not deeply, and then hurried out onto the ledge where the two tigers were resting. They were probably going to water and feed and groom them as they would a pair of horses.
    "What's holding you up? This way." The En was looking at her. She hurried to catch up and found herself within a large hallway.
    The chandelier overhead made the room as bright as day. Fluttering his whiskers in amazement, Rakushun stared up at the ceiling. So it must be something pretty unusual.
    The hall wasn't long, leading to a much less impressive room. From there, in the middle of a tunnel-like arch, a white stone staircase continued on upwards. Seeing the staircase, Rakushun's whiskers drooped.
    The En glanced back and said encouragingly,