The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

Prologue
    he early spring weather lingered without great conviction that day in Tai, the island kingdom situated off the northeast coast of the continent. The snow covering the hills and fields had yet begun to melt away. The buds of the plants and flowers slept beneath a blanket of white.
    The lands above the Sea of Clouds were no exception. While the snowfall was not equal to that of the lands below, most of the trees and shrubs lining the garden groves remained in a deep slumber.
    This was Kouki, the capital of Tai. The western quarter of the Hakkei Palace grounds.
    Shaped like a horseshoe, the palace held the bay in its embrace. Woodlands covering the expanse of the arm stretching out to the northwest abutted Jinjuu Manor, the abode of the Saiho of Tai, and Koutoku Manor, where the marquis conducted the business of the provincial government.
    Though the wooded parks were still locked in wintry desolation, the strangely deformed decorative stones and the ministerial estates had about them a kind of severe beauty. The evergreens contributed their deep hues to the frigid landscape and the plum blossoms approaching first bloom cast off a faint perfume.
    Beneath one arbor was the shadow of a child. He leaned against a white stone pillar. His steel blue hair lay on his bowed back.
    This child was the Taiki, the kirin of the Kingdom of Tai. The kirin chose the new king, seated him upon the throne, and became the Saiho. At the same time he reigned as province lord in Zui Province, home to the capital of Kouki.
    He was only eleven.
    Six months ago he had carried out his most important duty and selected the king. This child, the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Tai, was now alone in the gardens.
    The King was not in Kouki. Two weeks before he'd embarked on a journey to Bun Province. Taiki could not help but feel disheartened and anxious. His lord, Gyousou, King of Tai, had gone there to suppress an uprising.
    Taiki could never accommodate himself to war. Not only was it in a kirin's nature to avert his eyes from violence, but the young Taiki had never experienced such conflict. His knowledge of the brutality of fields of battle was purely intellectual. Yet that was where his lord was headed.
    To make matters worse, soon after Gyousou left on his journey, an ugly rumor spread throughout the palace: the rebellion in Bun Province was a plot to lure the king from his safe haven in order to assassinate him.
    Bun Province was directly north of Zui Province. A rugged, soaring mountain range separated the two provinces. Gyousou had no choice but to cross over the narrow mountain trail that divided the range. According to the rumors, the rebels had holed up at a difficult stretch along the road to the center of Bun Province and there were lying in wait.
    In fact, the day before Gyousou had been attacked in a surprise ambush. Disadvantaged by the unfriendly geography the fight turned ugly, or so Taiki's informant had told him. Distraught and fearful, Taiki felt as if a ton of bricks was crushing his chest.
    Take care. Be safe.
    Taiki could do nothing but earnestly pray. There was no one upon whom to unburden the anxieties blackening his heart. Taking care not to frighten Taiki, the adults around him would see no evil and speak no evil. Rumors of the insurrection were mere gossip, they insisted, nothing to get worked up about.
    So having secretly arranged a meeting and heard the bad news for himself, Taiki could share this information with none of the adults. He could, but he would undoubtedly be assured that he was mistaken and that it was all rumor and innuendo.
    Unless he ducked out of his official meetings, chose a moment when few people were around, and escaped to a place otherwise devoid of human activity, even praying for his lord's safety was impossible. That he could not expect to be treated as anything but a youngster was both pathetic and exasperating.
    He'd persuaded the loathsome shirei and sent them to Bun Province. At the very least, he wished to know if Gyousou was safe or not. If the fight turned critical he wanted to send what help he could.
    It was the nature of the benevolent kirin to loathe bloodshed and hate war. Refusing to bear arms or protect themselves through force, they instead commanded the youma and used them as their weapons. But Taiki had only two such shirei at his disposal.
    He ordered Sanshi and Gouran to go.
    With that, he'd done all he could for Gyousou. If only he had more shirei. If only he was an