Page 23 of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Xifeng watched him hurry to retrieve the items, bristling a bit. Did the woman imagine she couldn’t read? “Can I do anything to help?” she asked pointedly.

The woman bent her blue-black head over Shiro, inspecting his wound. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell with labored breathing. “Not at the moment, thank you,” was the absent reply. Shetugged his tunic from his injured shoulder, and Xifeng saw that the injury had grown even worse. The ragged edges had turned an oozing pale green, and the sour-sweet smell that emanated from it made her cover her nose.

Hideki rushed back in with two small jars, followed closely by Wei.

“Is he all right?” Wei asked Xifeng, hand brushing her shoulder.

“I don’t know.”

Shiro winced and hissed through his teeth, eyes still closed, as the physician pressed a moistened cloth over his wound. She gathered a mortar and pestle, mixing the root, powder, and several other ingredients. She used a scale to measure some of the components, and when the mixture became a white paste, she carefully daubed it on his cut.

“This is an old remedy that will keep the wound clean,” she told Hideki, seeming to sense that Shiro’s well-being was in his charge. “The peony root will draw out the infection. That should take a few days, and then I’ll add a paste to hasten the healing of the skin.” She had Shiro’s calm, knowledgeable manner of speaking.

“It’s a pleasant surprise to have my friend in the care of a countrywoman,” the soldier said gratefully. He seemed to have forgotten his reservations about the physician being female.

“I see my accent has given me away.” The woman bestowed a brief smile upon him.

“If the healing will take a few days, we ought to find lodgings. Or I supposeIshould.” Hideki glanced at Xifeng and Wei. “I don’t wish to keep you two. You’ve been more than kind to wait with us this long.”

“It’s the least we can do. We’re all friends now,” Wei said.

Xifeng hesitated. Reality had begun to sink in now that she was so close to the palace. She needed to find a way in and figure out what to do about Wei. She thought of his envious gaze on the city guards’ armor,and of the soldiers’ training taking place tomorrow. This delay could buy her time to come up with a solution. “I’ve never had many friends,” she confessed, gazing at Shiro’s pale, drawn face. “And I find them precious to me now. I’d like to stay until he heals completely.”

Hideki beamed at her. “It’s settled. I’ll see about finding lodgings.”

“As for that,” the physician said, wrapping a soft cloth around Shiro’s shoulder, “you are all welcome to stay here while your friend heals. I’d be happy to have you.”

“You are most generous, miss.” Hideki reached into his tunic for a purse, but the physician stopped him.

“I do not seek payment until my charge has healed. And please, call me Akira.”

Akira offered them lodgings, but it was clear she expected them to earn their keep. She sent Hideki to fetch water from the well and Wei to market to buy items for the evening meal. Again, she had turned to Xifeng first as though to ask her, before changing her mind. A bit insulted, Xifeng went out without being asked and carried in their belongings for the night. When Shiro had fallen asleep, his face relaxed and gaining a bit of color, Akira turned to her.

“Hideki will stay with Shiro tonight. If you’ll help me prepare the upstairs room, you and Wei may have that.”

Xifeng followed her, noting that the entire house was neat and meticulously clean. The physician did not seem wealthy, but she clearly did well enough never to go hungry. “When did you come here from Kamatsu?”

“My mother came from Kamatsu, but I was born here in the Imperial City. In the palace.”

Xifeng gave a start. “You’re a noblewoman?”

“Unfortunately not. But my father is a person of some standing at court. You might say he isthephysician.” Akira studied her with an odd expression, like pity mixed with anger. She spoke slowly, as though to a child. “What I mean is that he cares for the Emperor and Empress.”

“Yes, thank you. I understood that,” Xifeng said, too astonished to be annoyed that the woman thought her stupid. Moments ago, she had wondered how to find a way into the palace, and now she had been presented with a potential key: the daughter of the Imperial physician. “You would rather live alone than with your father in the palace?”

“Who is closer to the Emperor than he who cares for him in illness? A man of such rank would never acknowledge a bastard, however grudgingly he may provide for her.” Her eyes cut to Xifeng. “I apologize if that offends you.”

Xifeng bit down her irritation as she compared Guma’s hovel with this well-kept house. She was a guest under Akira’s roof and had to show respect, no matter how she actually felt. “It doesn’t offend me at all, since I’m a bastard myself,” she said with forced politeness. “Onlymyfather never cared to provide for me at all.”

The physician had the grace to blush. “I am sorry. I don’t mean to complain. I know how fortunate I am to support myself without a husband. And what man would wish to marry me, anyway? I wasn’t lucky enough to be born a beauty like you.” The corner of her mouth lifted, taking the edge off her bitter tone. “Will you allow me to make amends with some tea?”

Xifeng accepted, satisfied that as poised as she seemed, Akira was not unlike other women Xifeng had known in her town: jealous and quick to judge.

Downstairs, Akira poured tea for her and placed a sweet rice cake on her plate. “I’ve imagined meeting my father many times, but he cannever leave the palace. He is like the nightingale in the old legend, trapped in a gilded cage to sing for the Emperor alone.” She studied Xifeng. “Your skin is as pale as the Empress’s must be. I hear she and her ladies never step into the sun without a hundred servants to shield them with silk coverings.”

“I wore a hat whenever I went outside. My aunt was afraid I would look like a lowly farm girl, tanned from always working outdoors, instead of a lady.” Xifeng stroked the rabbit painted on her cup. A drop of tea had dripped onto the image, like blood slipping from its heart.

She felt relieved when Hideki came in and Akira turned her attention to him. “It’s an honor to have guests from my mother’s country. I expect you and Ambassador Shiro have come from Kamatsu on business.” She glanced at Xifeng. “But what is your husband’s purpose?”

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