Shih-ka’i caught his breath. “No. Not the desert. No. Caught in the transfer stream. Done with this world. Forget the boat, Hsu Shen. Let me rest before I return to Lioantung. We’re done here.”

Pan ku was helping him leave when the air crackled behind them. A man stepped from a portal. “Lord?” he inquired.

Shih-ka’i turned. “Lord Lun-yu?”

“The Princess Mist is in Lioantung, Lord. Thought you’d want to know.”

Tasi-feng surveyed his surroundings. He seemed puzzled. Lord Kuo tried to make himself invisible.

Shih-ka’i sighed. “All right. I’ll be there directly. Pan ku, let’s collect our gear. Hsu Shen, send the rest of your men out.”

Lord Kuo remained apart from Shih-ka’i till Tasi-feng departed.

“Pan ku,” Shih-ka’i said as they approached their quarters, “I think I’ve aged a hundred years.”

A deputation of nervous Tervola waited in the transfer chamber. Tasi-feng said, “Lord Shih-mihn is entertaining the Princess, Lord.”

“What’s that racket?”

“Harassment from outside, Lord.”

“Tell the lady I’ll be with her as soon as I’ve studied the situation.”

“Lord?”

“You heard me. Lord Lun-yu, come with me. Tell me everything she’s said.” He led the way to a high gallery in the old fortress at Lioantung’s heart. From it he could see most of the city and much of the countryside beyond. Pan ku dogged their steps.

“This was a monastery in the old days,” Tasi-feng said.

“Really? Interesting. But I’m more interested in current events. What’s the Matayangan situation?”

“She gives the impression it’s under control. Lord Kuo struck a particularly savage blow before… before…”

“I see. What did she say she wants?”

“She’s investigating our position. The army is stretched thin. If either front sours we might have to abandon the western provinces.”

Shih-ka’i leaned out a window, watched dragons circle. “The worst is over here. We’ve eliminated their godling. There’ll be no more debacles like the Tusghus. What have they been doing?”

“Getting ready to storm.”

“Storm? That’s crazy. They don’t have the manpower.”

“They didn’t have it at the Tusghus, Lord.”

“So true. But they haven’t the weapon they had then, either.” Shih-ka’i scanned the darkness. “When will they start?”

Tasi-feng shrugged. “If he follows precedent, not for a few days.”

“Don’t count on it. He’s learning.” Shih-ka’i glared at the night. “Damn. I’d like to get my hands on him.”

Something skittered behind them. Shih-ka’i whirled. “A mouse, Lord,” Pan ku said. “Strangest thing. Sat there just staring at you.”

“Let’s see what’s on the woman’s mind,” Shih-ka’i said.

“Lord…”

“Not to worry. I’ll comport myself properly. I’m as fond of my position as you are of yours.”

Shih-ka’i had encountered Mist twice before, during her first reign, and each time his first glimpse had hit him like a blow between the eyes. Though he steeled himself, the result was no different this time. Hard to believe that anything that beautiful was human. Hard to believe that she was the child of that ugly old madman, the Demon Prince.