Prince Huaizong and Tan Po walked back up the mountain trail. On foot, they led their horses up the steepest but shortest way through the Annamese landscape. The horses had to negotiate narrow paths—old routes well-established for a single rider on foot and his mount. They ate berries and wild grasses as they made their way north, surviving on the provisions Ambassador Go Shi had given them. The land sloped downward dangerously; they had to be patient with their horses as rock slides were common. They tethered themselves and their horses, taking turns sleeping.

  Finally, they arrived at Tinsukia, where they found an inn and enjoyed their first sit-down meal since leaving that aerie in the clouds of the Trans Castle. Immediately, Huaizong insisted on a visit to the bathhouse and was restored to his princely appearance.

  “He lived with her? When?" Huaizong asked, sipping his tea and sitting in the steam of his bathwater. Tinsukia is famous for its hot water springs.

  "Remember that summer I returned to Annam for my studies?" Tan Po asked.

  "Yeah."

  "You went to Manchuria to supervise security, and Zhenjin and Mahintha wanted to travel to Lan..."

  "And instead of Lan, he went to Annam. Why, that snake in the grass, that runaway romantic!" Gushes Huaizong thrilled.

  "Yup, but I didn't know. I didn't see him in the twelve weeks I was billeted at the University. There was an evening on the main road where I thought I saw someone like him, but when I looked again, the man had gone. So I finished my studies at the historic, crumbling institute at Annam and returned to an empty court. No one was home"

  "You were sleeping in the dormitory while our boy was at the Aerie, nesting with his beautiful lady. Hmph. The privileges of power! Where was Mahintha?"

  "Mahintha is free to come and go however he likes. He bottles his wine and his beer and pays his tax. He is not entrusted with missions. He has no interest in reclaiming Lan. He is a free man. Unlike you and I—we are indebted to the Great Khan."

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “It's true. Shi Dao would have killed me, too, when I was a toddler.” Huaizong recalls.

  "But that's when it struck me that Zhenjin was in Annam. He was supposed to be at Lan with Mahintha, but it turns out Mahintha had gone to study beekeeping in the wine country."

  "So it's true! Our Crown Prince slept with the beautiful and graceful Huyen Trans!"

  “He may have been in Annam. That he slept with the Princess is a bit of a stretch.”

  “No it ain't, and you know it.”

  “Huaizong, you can't be in everyone's bedchamber.”

  “No? Why not?”

  Scene: Passage on the Brahmaputra

  Tinsukia is on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. They followed the river, resting where they could, walking parts, and riding hard when the terrain permitted. Along the great Brahmaputra are many famous towns; from Jorhat, they would take a river barge to Dhaka. They rode for the next town, veering west and avoiding the bigger cities where they could be recognized. They arrived at Jorhat at midday and boarded the barge floating downstream to Sagar Bay. The Brahmaputra River ties many Kingdoms together. It is a very scenic river.

  Setting: A cramped, creaking river barge floating down the Brahmaputra, hours after leaving Jorhat. It is packed high with trusses of rough teak wood, sacks of corn, and baskets containing noisy, fluttering chickens and several smelly goats. Prince Huaizong and Master Tan Po have found a small space to rest near the prow, surrounded by the rough-spun goods of simple river trade.

  The air is a sticky mix of river fog, damp wool, animal scent, and the sour smell of fermentation from the corn. Huaizong is sitting on a hard sack of grain, trying unsuccessfully to keep his silk doublet clean. A rooster crows.

  Huaizong: (Sighing, pulling a feather out of his hair) "So this is traveling à la bohème, Master Po."

  Tan Po: (Leaning against a teak truss, eyes closed) "It is called traveling urgently, Your Highness."

  Huaizong: (Shifting uncomfortably) "I do find the company amusing."

  Several roosters go off simultaneously, crowing; birds in cages cackle, rattle their cages, and whistle. A noisy parrot shouts, "Nine pieces of eight!", repeatedly

  "They have never had a more famous guest," Tan Po encouraged him. "We have first-class accommodations for our horses, and we will get to Dhaka sitting down. Now, if we corner that chicken, we can make a curry. There are barrels of beer and amphoras of wine in those storerooms behind the captain's cabin. Perhaps we can pilfer a mug or two."

  "Master Po, we are traveling in the greatest style," Huaizong replied, holding a pitcher of pilfered beer and a couple of chipped mugs. Tan Po lit a fire in the old-style kalan and began cooking the chicken.