The Emerald Championship Grounds, two months ago...

The largest of the many Imperial tents was normally abuzz with activity, and had been for more than a week as the Emerald Championship had begun to take shape. Now that the final match had concluded and the Championship was ostensibly at an end, the clamor within had calmed somewhat, but there were still more than a dozen young Otomo and Miya scurrying here and there, handling the hundreds of bureaucratic tasks that had arisen from the match. The stoic Seppun guardsmen at the door looked on impassively, bowing sharply as the tent's flap opened suddenly.

Otomo Hoketuhime, Lady of the Otomo, entered the tent, her face completely devoid of any expression whatsoever. On her heels was Miya Shoin, the Imperial Herald, whose face bore a hint of concern, although over what was not certain. Hoketuhime stood motionless for a moment, then spoke. "Leave us, please."

Everyone in the tent froze, perhaps recognizing the enormity of their lady's displeasure despite her tone and appearance. Then, with great haste, they slipped out the front of the tent, leaving the two Imperial daimyo together in silence. Shoin said nothing, simply waiting.

"How did this happen, Shoin?" Hoketuhime asked quietly.

"The rules that govern the tournament are quite clear," Shoin offered. "Nothing that happened was in violation of our traditions."

"Kakita Noritoshi should have been the victor. Any fool can see that," she replied. Her tone had become icy. "And now how do we proceed? With a creature like Jimen serving as the Emerald Champion? Preposterous!"

Shoin winced at her tone. "We have little choice, my lady. We discussed this possibility some time ago, when the plans for the Championship were in their earliest stages..."

"We discussed nothing of the sort," she cut him off. "The possibility of some Lion or Unicorn, perhaps, but this? A possibility of this sort was never even entertained. It was simply too...too ridiculous to contemplate!"

The Herald nodded. "It certainly seems that way, and yet it has come to pass. There is little we can do to mitigate the effects, I fear."

"Do you know Shosuro Jimen?" Hoketuhime asked. "He is a predator. An animal. Everything said in his presence is stored and used as a weapon. Some say he is Paneki's personal assassin as well."

Shoin said nothing. He could not remember ever hearing Hoketuhime ever speaking with such vitriol.

"Very well then." As quickly as her anger had appeared, it seemed to dissipate like fog in the sunlight. "We will simply need to create another Champion to ensure Jimen's influence in the courts is not altogether unopposed. A Crane would be ideal, of course. Their outlook mirrors our own quite nicely."

Shoin frowned. She could not mean another Emerald Champion, for to even entertain such a thought was anathema to one of Imperial blood. "You mean a Jade Champion, my lady?"

"Begin preparations immediately," she ordered. "We will convene in two months' time."

He grimaced. That was scarcely enough time to organize even a moderately sized tournament, much less something with the size and requirements of the Jade Championship. But of course he had no choice in the matter. It would simply be done, regardless of whatever hardships were involved. "I will see to it at once, my lady," he said, bowing.

The tournament would not yet begin for another two days, Shoin mused, and already the representatives from the Great Clans had begun to arrive. The first attendees had come shortly after dawn, and were relatively few in number. As the day had progressed, however, they had begun to arrive more frequently and in larger groups, sometimes dozens at a time, sometimes even entire caravans of hundreds. He had known this would be the result, of course, ever since the unpleasantness at the Emerald Championships, he had looked toward the Jade Championship with a sense of impending doom. He hoped that he would be proven incorrect, but he now wished nothing so much but that he had been more adamant in trying to convince lady Hoketuhime this was not a good idea.

As if on cue, the lady of the Otomo emerged onto the balcony, her wispy white hair billowing slightly in the cold wind. At her side, as was the norm in the past few days, was the familiar form of the new Emerald Champion, Shosuro Jimen. Jimen appeared much as he had prior to his victory, clad in beautiful Scorpion robes, his face concealed by an intricate mempo. The difference, however, was that he had replaced his previous, rather disturbing mask for the mask that was part of the Emerald Armor. He had inherited it as part of his new station, and had begun making use of it almost immediately. Despite its familiarity, Shoin found it as disturbing as Jimen's previous mask, perhaps even more so. "Good morning, my lady," Shoin said. "My lord." He bowed deeply to both.

"Good morning, old friend," Hoketuhime said, favoring him with one of her rare genuine smiles. "How does the day find you?"

"Well, thank you, my lady," he answered. He favored the Emerald Champion with a wan smile. "I fear your hospitality will be tested more than we expected, Jimen-sama. The number of spectators we anticipated was exceeded some hours ago, and they continue to arrive in force."

"Excellent," Jimen said. "What better opportunity to offer the Great Clans my humble hospitality and prove to them that their interests are mine? I must again offer my sincerest thanks to you both for allowing me to serve as the host of such an auspicious event. I feel as if I have been favored by the Heavens themselves."

For the briefest of moments, Shoin believed that he saw a flicker of irritation cross Hoketuhime's features. But of course that was not possible, for in all the years he had served alongside her, the Herald had never seen her composure waver for even a heartbeat. Jimen was an abomination to her, that much was clear, but surely not enough to unhinge decades of experience in concealing her emotions. "Of course," she said, smiling. "It will be beneficial for you to meet your contemporary as soon as possible as well, for I am certain you two will have much to accomplish together."

"Agreed." It sounded as though Jimen might be smiling beneath his mask. "And of course it will be my duty as Emerald Champion to offer whatever guidance and support I can to my new brother-in-arms. I may have occupied this position only a short time, but I think you will find I can be a most advantageous patron." He offered a short bow. "If you will excuse me, honored guests, I believe that duty requires I welcome the newest arrivals."

Shoin and Hoketuhime both bowed as the Emerald Champion retreated, then turned their attention back toward the grounds. Neither spoke for a few moments until they saw Jimen appear among the arrivals. "He has adapted more quickly than I anticipated," Hoketuhime said softly. "This may prove to have been a mistake.

"How so?" Shoin asked.

"If the new Jade Champion is not a samurai naturally predisposed against a man such as Jimen," she explained, "then he may quickly recruit him to his banner. And then we will have twice the difficulty we had before."

He considered her words. "Shugenja are priests," he finally said. "With any luck, the new Jade Champion will have the same devotion to the empire that the Emerald Champion appears to have."

Hoketuhime frowned. "Only if the Fortunes are with us, Shoin."

Kitsuki Taiko shook the dust from her traveling cloak while trying to keep it wrapped around her shoulders as tightly as possible. She and her companions had been traveling so long that she should have been accustomed to the cold by now, and intellectually she realized the temperatures in the empire were nowhere near as cold as those in her mountain home in the Dragon provinces. None of this alleviated her misery, however. She was chilled to the bone, and it seemed nothing would warm her.

As usual, Kakita Hideo appeared almost as if he could read her thoughts. "You are cold," he said. "Let me get you something for you. Hot soup perhaps?"

"Perhaps in a bit," she said. "How is Narako?"

"Resting," Hideo said. "She tires so easily, and seems so frail. I do not understand it."

Taiko nodded. "It is not only that," she observed. "Much of the time she seems...almost child-like in her demeanor. She appears so much younger than her years as well. I have no evidence to support my belief..."

"A rarity indeed," Hideo interjected somberly.

"But I believe there must be a price the Heavens demand for a gift as incredible as the one Narako possesses. I believe her...eccentricities are the same manner of ailment that afflicted Agasha Hamanari in our parents' age, or even the prophet Uikku during the dawn of the Empire."

Hideo glanced at the tent where the young girl was resting. "Do you believe her power can be the equal of Uikku, truly?"

Taiko looked at Hideo curiously. Over the course of the weeks they had been traveling together, she had noticed he never once engaged in his lecherous tendencies while Narako was present, much less actually used his questionable charm on her. In fact, she would best describe his attitude toward the little prophet as overly protective, perhaps even brotherly. "I do not know the depth of her abilities," she finally answered him. "Only that they are genuine, and something I could never have imagined."

Hideo said nothing for several moments. "Well, we have reached our destination, at least," he said after a while. "Should we celebrate? Perhaps some incense and candles?"

She ignored him. "We need to find representatives from the Mantis Clan."

All sign of jesting left Hideo's face in an instant. "You cannot seriously intent to turn her over to the Mantis?"

"It was her wish to come here with us and see them," Taiko reminded him. "The choice is not ours to make."

"They are opportunistic mercenaries," Hideo hissed. "You cannot possibly trust them!"

"My feelings regarding the Mantis mean nothing. I chose to accept a duty, and to fail it now is to disgrace my family and my clan. I will not do such a thing. Would you?"

Hideo ground his teeth. "My role in this...this incident, could very well redeem me in the eyes of my lords. My disgrace at the Emerald Championship could be forgotten...and yet, I am reluctant to surrender her to any I do not trust to protect her."

Taiko touched the hem of Hideo's sleeve gently. "This is not the task we imagined when we set out from the Imperial City so long ago," she said quietly. "Your role in this may single-handedly heal the rift between the Crane and the Fox. The Mantis will surely wish to demonstrate their gratitude as well. Do not allow your personal feelings to interfere with what should be a clear course of action."

The young Crane warrior drew a deep breath and released it slowly. "If the path were an easy one, no one would fall from it," he muttered under his breath. "Do you think we can leave her here safely while we find the Mantis?"

"This is a gathering of priests," Taiko said. "It is as safe as any other, I suppose. Would you prefer to remain and protect her while I find the Mantis contingent?"

"I would, yes, but I cannot." Hideo's hand strayed near his sword, almost certainly without thinking. "I must meet those who will be her guardians, and determine if they are worthy of the task."

Taiko frowned, but glanced around at the large amount of Seppun guardsmen who were present. She had heard allegations that a Tainted ronin had infiltrated the Emerald Championship some months before, and from the looks of it, the Imperials were taking no chances that such a thing might be repeated. "I think all will be well, so long as we are quick about it," she said.

The two samurai walked away from the tent. Inside, the young Fox woman thrashed about on her mat. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the cold air around her. Her eyes flickered open in her sleep, and their color was white. "The heralds shall gather the court of the First Prophecy, and the word shall spread to the Empire," she muttered.

The Mantis tents were clustered close together, and Tsuruchi sentries were posted throughout their small section of the tournament grounds. Taiko was not particularly surprised, given that their clan had recently been ejected from the Imperial City by the Phoenix. Not only would they be defensive, but there was a real possibility of reprisals from the Lion Clan for the skirmish which had gotten the two Clans expelled from Toshi Ranbo.

The Mantis sentries were not rude to the two young samurai, but neither were they particularly friendly. Still, they took word of Taiko's request into the tents, and in a short time returned and beckoned for her and Hideo to follow.

The largest of the Mantis tents was decorated not only with the clan's mon, but also a number of smaller mons that symbolized the Centipede Clan, a minor clan that had been absorbed into the Mantis as the Moshi family decades previously. Within the tent, a smaller altar had been erected, and the scent of incense hung heavily in the air. A woman, adorned plainly but nevertheless clearly beautiful, knelt in meditation. "I am in preparation for my role in the coming tournament," she said evenly. "It is only out of respect for my clan's long history with the Fox Clan that I am entertaining an audience with you." She opened her eyes. "You claim to speak for the Fox, do you not?"

"In this particular instance, we do," Taiko said.

"And I assume it is not necessary for me to remind you of the penalty for misrepresentation on this nature?"

"It is not," Hideo said.

"Then welcome," she said. "I am Moshi Amika, daimyo of the Moshi family, and I would be very appreciative if you would make your presentation as brief as possible."