The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

as he came down the gallery, he spotted Risai, cried out and raced up to her. Normally the child approached her, his voice bright with cherubic laughter. This day, though, the expression on his face suggested he was being pursued by something.
    "Risai, I've been looking for you," he said, grasping Risai's hand, almost clinging to her. "It is true that Gyousou-sama is in a lot of trouble?"
    "A lot of trouble?"
    "Gyousou-sama left because bad people are plotting against him. They are lying in wait in Bun Province to attack him."
    "Nonsense," Risai said with a forced smile. "Who's planting such silly ideas in your head? Gyousou-sama has gone to Bun Province to calm the waters there."
    Taiki pulled away from her. His countenance hardened. "That's what Seirai said too."
    "Well, it stands to reason, doesn't it? There's nothing for you to be worried about."
    Taiki shook his head. "You and Seirai are telling fibs. You don't want me to worry because I'm a child."
    Bewildered, Risai knelt and looked Taiki in the eyes. "I'm not telling fibs. Why wouldn't I tell you the truth?"
    "Nobody tells me what they talk about in the Rikkan. But Rousan told me."
    Risai furrowed her brows. She knew that Kaei had convened the Rikkan to discuss the same subject Risai had brought up with her colleagues. She could assume as well that they would have debated whether or not to tell Taiki. Taiki's permission was necessary in order to mobilize the Provincial Guard. For the time being, as Minister-in-Chief of Zui Province, Seirai served as Taiki's regent in such matters. Getting to the bottom of rumors so nebulous to begin with remained an exercise in guesswork. At this point, she would expect that they'd come to the decision that there was no need to inform Taiki and worry him needlessly.
    That Rousan, the Minister of Winter, would have been telling him such things--
    Illustration
    "When I ask Seirai, he says I have nothing to be worried about. It's only a minor rebellion, and even though Gyousou-sama is going there, it's not to fight but to rally the people. There's no danger and I have no cause for concern. Everything's going to be all right. Just what Rousan said he would say."
    Risai stood up and urged the unhappy Taiho to return to the garden. She said in a low voice, "There's no telling who might be coming by here. If they see the Taiho in such a state, the ministers are likely to get the wrong idea."
    "But--"
    Risai smiled. "The Saiho shouldn't behave in such a manner as to cause the ministers needless worry, should he? I'll walk you back to your quarters."
    She took the hand of the dejected Taiki and set off towards the Seishin. She continued their conversation in as cheerful a voice as she could muster. She articulated her own anxieties about the way in which Gyousou had apparently abandoned the Imperial Palace; the wild speculations people were tossing about; and among them the rumors that everything was part of a scheme to lure Gyousou to Bun Province.
    But that too was nothing more than a rumor. If rumors like that could sow panic among the ministers, who knew what damage would result. The Rikkan and the generals were conferring about how to face that threat.
    "That a rebellion has occurred is a fact. So I can't say that there is no risk in High Highness's journey to Bun Province. But Eishou went on ahead of him, and Sougen is with him. Add to that Gyousou-sama's strengths as a general, and too much worry might seem a bit discourteous."
    "But they say that Eishou was having a hard time of things. Didn't he ask Gyousou-sama to come and assist him?"
    The surprised look in Risai's eyes answered the question. "Yes, the rebellion proved fiercer than expected, and it is true that Eishou found things hard to handle, but he didn't ask for help. His Highness and Sougen went there to rally the people and the troops and bring peace to Bun Province as quickly as possible."
    "Really?"
    Risai smiled and nodded. Taiki seemed to draw a relieved breath, replacing the worried expression on his face. Hoping to raise his spirits, Risai fumbled around for something else to talk about, but Taiki wasn't paying much attention, and about the time the Seishin and Seiden came into view, she'd run out of things to say. She felt he hadn't completely decided whether or not to trust what she'd told him.
    "It seems you're still not ready to believe me," she pressed gently.
    Taiki looked up at her with a confused countenance. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm