WHEN JUSETSU had reached Koshun, the expedited messenger who was supposed to tell him about the underwater volcano’s eruption still hadn’t arrived.
“I’m going to Je Island,” she said.
As soon as he’d finished reading the report from Reiko Shiki in his private room in the inner court, he put the letter down and stared at her. The young woman had a fraught, anguished expression on her face.
“Did Senri tell you something in his letter?”
It seemed likely that Uren Niangniang’s missing half—a black sword—had sunk in the sea around Je Island. That being the case, Koshun had sent Senri and Shiki there.
Koshun had also received a report from Senri, and it took no stretch of the imagination to assume that he’d written a letter to Jusetsu too.
“There are strange things happening in the waters around Je Island.”
“Well, Shiki told me that,” the emperor said.
“That island lies on the border.”
“The border?”
“The divine border between the Secluded Palace and the Palace of Paradise,” Jusetsu explained. “When the waters get rough, it’s because the sea god at the Palace of Paradise has been angered. Something’s intruding into its territory. I have a terrible feeling about all of this.”
Koshun went quiet for a moment. Originally, he’d planned for Jusetsu to go to Je Island too—but now that didn’t seem like such a good idea.
“Hakurai is there.”
Koshun passed the letter from Shiki to Jusetsu. In it, Shiki had informed the emperor of Hakurai’s presence.
“That must mean that the ao god is there too,” he added.
“Exactly,” replied Jusetsu. “The thing that’s intruding on that forbidden territory is the ao god. I have to hurry.”
Does this mean the ao god is at Je Island to look for Uren Niangniang’s missing half? Koshun wondered. If that was the case, he could understand why Jusetsu didn’t want to waste any time. But even so, Koshun couldn’t bring himself to acquiesce. He felt strangely uneasy.
While Jusetsu may have had a foreboding hunch about the situation at play, the very idea of sending her to Je Island as well gave him a bad feeling.
“I’ll go with her,” declared the star raven.
The bird was perched on the back of a nearby chair. Although he looked like a star raven on the outside, inside the bird was the Raven’s older brother, the Owl.
“If the ao god and the other half of the Raven are there, then war’s going to break out,” he continued.
“I’d really rather it didn’t,” replied Koshun.
When Uren Niangniang and the ao god had last fought, it had plunged an entire island underwater. If that were to happen to Je Island, calling it a disaster would be an understatement. That island acted as a gateway for trade and was an important hub that brought considerable profits to the country. On top of that, it was inhabited by both Sho citizens and a large foreign population.
“Is the Owl really claiming that he’ll accompany me?” Jusetsu cut in.
“Can you hear him?” Koshun asked, amazed. Until now, he’d been the only person who could hear the Owl’s voice.
“No, not at all. The Raven just passed on the message.”
“The Raven… Oh, I see. You’re able to communicate with her, then?”
Jusetsu nodded.
“I can’t hear the Raven’s voice, but I can hear the Owl—and for you, it’s the other way around. It might take some time and effort, but at least we can all communicate with each other.”
“On that note, I actually have a request for the Owl.”
“From the Raven?”
“No, from me.” Jusetsu then took a black pearl necklace out of her breast pocket.
“What’s that?” asked Koshun.
“This was left behind by the Owl—or rather, by Shogetsu. It’s what remains of the vessel that he was inside.”
After the doll apparatus that the Owl had created—Shogetsu—had been destroyed, feathers were left behind. However, those feathers had transformed into black pearls overnight.
“Can you use these to create Shogetsu again?”
Koshun glanced at the Owl.
“Indeed I can,” the bird said simply.
In the very next moment, the black pearls split open and became feathers again. They all gathered together in one place, and then in the blink of an eye, started to metamorphose into Shogetsu once again.
The vessel looked just like he had before—complete with his shiny, long black hair, his soft, porcelain skin, and his emotionless eyes. He was also dressed in his usual eunuch’s robes.
“In this form, we should be able to talk to each other,” said Shogetsu.
“We shall be able to correspond too—even if we are far apart,” added Jusetsu.
I see what she’s planning, thought Koshun. Jusetsu had a good idea.
“You’re taking him with you to Je Island, then?” he asked.
“Precisely.”
“Wait.” Shogetsu raised his hand. “It’s the other way around.”
“The other way around?” Koshun and Jusetsu asked in unison.
The star raven flapped over and soared down by Jusetsu’s side.
Shogetsu then pointed at the bird. “These two will go together.”
“The Owl will head to Je Island with Jusetsu, and Shogetsu will stay behind with me?” the emperor asked.
Shogetsu nodded. “Yes. Otherwise, I would’ve been exiled for coming here for nothing.”
The Owl had chosen to be banished from the Secluded Palace so he could save his sister, the Raven. It was obvious that if the Raven was going to Je Island, he’d want to go with her.
“Fine,” Koshun said, after a pause. The fact that the Owl would be by Jusetsu’s side provided Koshun with some peace of mind too. “Now, let us get everything in place for your departure. Eisei?”
Koshun called out to Eisei, who stood behind him.
Eisei appeared implicitly to understand exactly what was being asked of him. “The boat is already prepared.”
“We should go, then,” said Jusetsu—but as she was trying to make her way out of the room, Koshun called out to her.
“Jusetsu.”
She halted and looked behind her—but Koshun didn’t know what to say next. How was he supposed to express the anxiety that filled his chest?
The two of them exchanged glances.
A faint smile came to Jusetsu’s face. “It’ll be fine.” With that, she left the room—with the star raven flying after her.
Koshun leaned as far back into his chair as he could.