Eirian and Chenzhou were having dinner with the children when Captain Li arrived.
Haggard and dirty, he stopped in the doorway. An apologetic expression on his face.
They'd been making an effort to be with the children more, so Chenzhou waved him off until they were finished eating, and they took the children back to their rooms, where Marian was waiting to put them to bed.
Brendan had been clingy with Mingzhe's absence, and it broke both their hearts to leave when he was upset, but Marian and all the others insisted it would pass.
By the time they joined Captain Li in the hallway, it had been more than an hour since he'd first arrived.
"Captain Li." Chenzhou stood close to Eirian, her fingers tangled with his. "Can this wait until morning?"
The aging guard shook his head. "Unfortunately, not. They've found something in Yang Manor."
Eirian woke up a bit. "What?"
Captain Li shook his head. "They're not sure. The High Court requested someone with experience with magic…"
Chenzhou glanced at Eirian.
"Princess Soliel was the only one we could think of."
"There's something magical in Yang Manor?" Eirian frowned. "The artifacts missing from the vault?"
"No," Li shook his head, "Well, not just. We did find several of the missing artifacts Finn identified.
Chenzhou scowled. "I wish I could say I was surprised at this point." Li nodded in sympathy. Chenzhou had not taken news about the Yang's well, though it had been crushed under the weight of the hurt from Mingzhe.
And the small part of him that was so used to accepting whatever Lady Yang did that was surprisingly hard to shake.
"You haven't rested in days," Chenzhou frowned, concerned. Not since Counsel Margrave's visit. "Perhaps you should rest and go tomorrow."
Eirian looked conflicted, which spoke to how truly exhausted she was.
"I don't think it can wait." Li was apologetic.
Eirian stiffened at that and shared a worried look with Chenzhou.
***
Yang Manor had been taken over by the Crimson Army. Guards were stationed at every entrance. Anyone who worked for the family had been relieved and held for questioning. More than half would end up being arrested by Li's guess. The family itself had been separated and placed under arrest.
Li had never been in Yang Manor before he'd gone in to arrest them. He'd been expecting resistance, and he hadn't been disappointed. The Yang's soldiers were loyal, even if the people they were loyal to weren't worth it.
There had been several fights when they'd tried to resist, and a few deaths when they just refused to give up.
Ironically, Lady Yang had gone quietly enough. The shock on her face had been rewarding, but empty as Li started to understand the level of damage she'd done.
The basement level, already suspicious because of the sheer number of locks barring it from view, had felt like stepping into a grave. Cold and silent and uncomfortable.
Li had known the moment he set foot on the floor that something was wrong.
Something was terribly wrong.
It had been the last door they'd tried. Even though the key had opened the lock easily enough, the ice encasing the room had stopped them dead.
Despite the chill that had Li's guards pulling on extra cloaks, it wasn't cold enough to explain the sheer amount of ice in the room.
Nor did ice grow in that way normally.
The ice was unnaturally clear. To the point that Li could see the bodies it contained.
He'd recognized something of magic immediately. So had Counsel Margrave when he'd called her down.
So did Eirian when he opened the door for her. Behind her, Chenzhou's sudden intake of breath echoed in the hallway.
"Has anyone been inside?" Eirian's eyes tracked every ridge of ice across the room.
"No." Li shook his head. "As soon as we opened it, we knew it was…different."
"Did any of the Yangs-"
"At this point, I cannot speak to our source." Li interupted with an apologetic look. "I can only ask you to confirm that it is magic and remove it if possible."
Eirian frowned, anger sparking, but Chenzhou stepped closer and placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
She took a breath and forced herself to be calm.
She'd come a long way from the volatile young woman who'd first arrived at the Camelia, Captain Li thought. Growing in a good way into a strong, respectable leader for the estate.
But maintaining enough of that fire to actually inspire the soldiers that followed her.
Li liked her even more now that she and Chenzhou were growing into their relationship, and he wanted to see them continue to grow.
Which meant he couldn't let them veer off the very narrow path they were on right now. Everything had to be done to the letter of the law to make sure there was no question when it was all over.
Eirian turned back to the ice and stepped closer. Chenzhou hesitated a moment before following. Even as a child, he'd been wary of things he didn't understand or recognize. A human trait, but one he was getting better about.
Eirian touched the ice and frowned. "It's Mingzhe's." She froze as she realized she'd said it out loud, casting a wary glance at Li.
He kept his face blank and didn't respond, but that only seemed to confirm whatever she was thinking.
She turned back to the ice, tense. "I think I can remove it."
"Please. Do you need anything?"
Eirian shook her head.
"You should call Counsel Margrave to witness," Chenzhou suggested quietly.
Li nodded and sent a runner. It only took a few minutes before Counsel Margrave was following him down the hallway.
"Princess Soliel, Lord Ye. I hope this is good news?"
"I can remove the ice," Eirian said, not looking away from it. "But I don't know how long whatever is underneath will last."
Counsel Margrave nodded. "I understand." She glanced back at the guards loitering behind them. "We have plenty of witnesses if something should happen. May I ask how you are going to remove it?"
Eirian rolled her shoulders, forcing herself to relax and let her magic slip out. She hadn't used it much since the war had ended, and it came to her call, eager and hot. "I think the best way would be to evaporate it at first. Once I'm closer to the body, I can adjust if needed." She focused on the ice, and almost immediately, steam began to rise.
Everyone but Chenzhou backed up, but Eirian could feel his discomfort being so close to it.
It was nice that he stayed, though.
It took nearly half an hour to melt the majority of the ice. She had to slow down as she got closer to the bodies, including several in the corners of the room that she hadn't even noticed at first.
"How many?" Chenzhou muttered, clearly not expecting an answer.
"Too many." Li sighed. It was just beginning to dawn on everyone how much they'd missed all these years.
Eirian stopped suddenly, eyes locked on the two bodies in the middle of the floor. Only a couple of inches of ice remained, clear enough that she could see the fading features of the corpses underneath. "Emmy and Patrick."
~ tbc