"It's Beng Shai's funeral," Rat said. He'd shown up a day after Eirian and Yuze arrived, having heard about Beng Shai and Fox through some avenue he refused to explain. Mingzhe had been pleased to see him and trusted his counsel. "The Bandri are planning a Warrior's Funeral for him. Lots of fire, lots of mead, lots of screaming. Not a good place to be the one who killed him." He glances at Chenzhou, face utterly blank.
He was more clever than Chenzhou had realized, and he fought back a scowl.
"They're not wasting any time," Eirian muttered, deep in thought.
Mingzhe studied the Atlas, the Bandri territory specifically. "It's interesting that they've invited all the other tribes. Typically, funerals are very private to the tribe and the immediate family."
"It's significant that they've invited the other tribes." Rat, who was still watching Chenzhou with those annoyingly knowing eyes, said.
"Another attack." Eirian guessed. "In Beng Shai's honor."
Mingzhe and Rat nodded in agreement, but Chenzhou's frown deepened. He needed to talk to the tribes before another battle broke out. He couldn't risk Eirian and Mingzhe ending up unlucky on the battlefield. They meant too much to him now, more than the Camelia at certain moments, though neither of them would be happy to hear that. Too dutiful, which was part of why Chenzhou loved them so much.
…
Huh.
He hadn't used that word before now. Not in reference to Eirian or Mingzhe or anyone besides Anna. There was even a bit of guilt there and probably always would be, but in the wake of everything, Chenzhou found he didn't have the energy to feel horrible about it anymore. He had loved Anna for nearly a decade, and a part of him would always hold her in his heart, but he was slowly coming to realize that there was room for more. Especially since he'd never be able to forget her betrayal at the end, unintentional or not. It hurt that they'd ended that way, but they'd had a long run with some great moments. Chenzhou couldn't bring himself to regret the relationship itself, just the end.
And now he might have been at the beginning of something new, but it was all confusing in a way his start with Anna hadn't been.
But the unknown was always scarier than the known, even if the known was already scary, and humans had a tendency to be far braver in anything but their personal relationships.
A part of Chenzhou wanted to swear he was never going to be a coward again, but it was crippling to think about having them completely and then losing them.
He wouldn't survive it.
He wouldn't want to.
He had to protect them at all costs. Even if they hated him after, as long as they were safe and alive, Chenzhou would be okay.
"It'll be another three days before my forces are here." Mingzhe had made the painful decision to withdraw his forces from the south and bring them north as well. It was a significant gamble that Song and Snow's plan hinged around the Bandri in the north and that the south was merely helping supply the manpower. They were still outnumbered, but even more dangerous were the heightened emotions surrounding Beng Shai's death. The tribes were difficult to predict on a normal day, but people became utterly incomprehensible in grief.
"The main Bandri camp isn't far." Eirian mused. "Wasn't that the point of putting the main camp here? If the tribal leadership is gathering there, it would be a good opportunity to cut them off at the knees."
Chenzhou grimaced. "Attacking a funeral?"
"It's war, Chenzhou." Eirian pointed out, annoyed.
"War doesn't last forever. You still have to live with everything afterward." He argued quietly.
Eirian frowned, eyes narrowed again. She still suspected Chenzhou was hiding something, but she hadn't had an opportunity to corner him and demand answers.
The reprieve would only last so long, which meant Chenzhou needed to act quickly.
***
Finn had passed out after breakfast and stayed that way through the day and the next night. Emm was impressed with his ability to sleep for so long; she hadn't been able to sleep like that since she was small.
Boredom had quickly set in for Patrick and Emmy, so they'd ducked out after asking the maids to check on him every hour.
"Pub?" Patrick had asked hopefully.
"How can you still be hungry after all that food?" Emmy muttered.
"I'm a growing boy."
"You stopped growing at seventeen. Thank god or you'd be an even taller freak than you already are." Emmy steered him out of the main castle and over the bridge towards the southern end of the Camelia, where many of the noble families had their family homes.
"Where are we going then?" Patrick looked confused, bless his heart. Emmy's brother was a great person and would make someone an excellent husband, precisely because he wasn't a genius.
Emmy grinned. "We're going to start eliminating suspects."
Patrick turned to her, confused. "But Finn wanted us to wait until he could come."
Emmy sighed. "He can join us tomorrow." Walking quickly, they were already on the edge of the noble family neighborhood.
The first houses on the street belonged to the Yangs and Yins, and Emmy hadn't been back since the night she'd spent absorbing fumes in a beer barrel.
"We'll just be in and out. Quick and easy," she added to assuage the worry on Patrick's face. "We can even bring Finn back when he's feeling better." She gave him an encouraging pat on the back as they approached the first house.
~ tbc