The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

Author:F.C. Yee [Yee, F.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2019-08-14T22:00:00+00:00

OBLIGATIONS

“I always had a feeling I would be undone by a fancy party,” Jianzhu muttered.

He and Hei-Ran were in the main library, surrounded by the map collection. The best and comically worst representations of the known world were posted on the walls behind panes of flawless crystal. Ragged, heavily used pages from nautical chartbooks hung next to cloth maps stained the color of smoked tea. Jianzhu liked this room. It portrayed the advancement of human understanding.

Hei-Ran had insisted they meet twice a day since the incident, regardless of whether there had been any updates. This afternoon, there had been an update.

She finished reading the invitation stamped with the insignia of the flying boar and tossed it on the desk. “‘The Beifong family wishes to hold a celebration for the Avatar, commemorating his victory over the pirates of the Eastern Sea in front of the gathered sages of the Earth Kingdom.’ Jianzhu, this is a bigger disaster than that ‘victory.’ I thought Lu Beifong agreed to be hands-off when it came to the Avatar.”

“He did. It’s Hui who’s behind this.” Jianzhu rolled the letter opener between his fingers, longing for a sharper implement and something to stick it in. “He’s been at this game for the past year or so, whispering in Lu’s ear that training the Avatar shouldn’t be left to a man of such humble origins.”

He put the blunt metal knife down. “Hui may have a point. Look how Kuruk turned out.”

“We were kids back then, and so was Kuruk,” Hei-Ran said. “It wasn’t our responsibility to raise him.”

“Hui still presents it as a strike against us,” Jianzhu said. “Did Shaw respond about the shirshus?”

“No. And even if he did, there wouldn’t be enough time before this party.” One thing Hei-Ran shared with Jianzhu was a disdain for frivolities. She cracked her knuckles. “We could say the Avatar is sick.”

“We could, but then I look like a bad guardian who can’t keep the most important child in the world healthy. Hui will send doctors, herbalists, and spiritual healers, all insisting they see the Avatar in person for treatment. Every time we turn his agents away, it’ll sow more suspicion amongst the other sages.

“No, the truth will get out,” Jianzhu said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s simply a matter of how long we can delay it.”

Hei-Ran’s military mind was already adapting. “Then we need to consolidate your allies. Find out which sages will stick by you after this debacle comes to light. It’s going to end up with your faction against his, and right now we don’t have a count of those numbers.”

Jianzhu smiled as a possibility dangled in his head, waiting to be tugged. He could always count on his friend to seed him with ideas. These forced meetings had paid off.

“We need to do something like that,” he said. He drummed the tips of his fingers together. “What’s your wardrobe looking like these days?”

Hei-Ran gave him a stare that said he should be glad she didn’t have the letter opener in her hands.

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