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Sanhua breathed a sigh of relief.
She set her terminal down, processing the information relayed by the counselor.
Finally, after what seemed to feel like an eternity, there was an update from Mount Firmament.
Changli briefed her on the situation, however it seemed that there were things that still needed ‘cleaning up,’ as she so put it. Sanhua could only imagine what had happened based on the descriptions that Changli detailed. Knowing that the Fractsidus were involved didn’t surprise her. Rather, it was the fact that they managed to capture and imprison their Sentinel.
When asked about their magistrate however, the counselor did not quite have the answers that Sanhua was looking for.
”Unfortunately,” Changli had said with a note of reluctance that was quite unlike her, “we encountered an ambush on the way to releasing Jué. Jinhsi and the Rover continued onwards while I stayed behind to take care of the pests…”
”And then?” Sanhua prodded.
”Well, I assume they were successful, considering that I am able to contact you like this,” Changli sighed. “I can’t speak as to what happened after I parted with them but I am concerned for Jinhsi’s condition. Don’t worry yourself sick though—I know you tend to be when it comes to Jinhsi. That Rover was with her the entire time. It might be best if you hear the rest from either one of them instead. I’m sure that you will hear from them soon enough.”
And that was the last of her transmission. Changli abruptly ended the call, seemingly already busy with her own side of work.
She was correct about one part—Rover was the first to contact her. But it didn’t help much that their transmission was awfully succinct as well.
“The magistrate is on her way back to Jinzhou.”
It did little to alleviate her nerves. Her mind spun with more questions than with answers.
Was Jinhsi safe? How long will it be until they return? Should she make arrangements to meet them halfway? What about the Sentinel? The people of Hongzhen? Should Sanhua prepare efforts to aid Hongzhen against any remaining Fractsidus and aid in Hongzhen’s restoration? Was it even safe for outsiders to travel there now?
There was still no reply on Jinhsi’s end, despite Sanhua’s attempts to contact her. Simply not knowing the full situation was about to make Sanhua sick to her stomach.
She reached for her terminal to contact the Rover again when one of the city hall assistants hastily burst into the office. ”Lady Sanhua!”
Instantly, Sanhua was at her feet. “What is it?”
The assistant pointed outside. “I-It’s the Sentinel!”
“What?”
“We’re received reports from scouting Midnight Rangers that there have been sightings of the Sentinel making haste to Jinzhou!”
Jué?
Coming here?
“Did the reports mention anyone accompanying it? Perhaps the Rover or the Madam Magistrate?”
The assistant shook her head. “None, at least so far. Did… the magistrate go on leave to speak to the Sentinel?”
Jinhsi’s extended leave became harder and harder to cover for the longer that she was gone. It was atypical for the magistrate to leave Jinzhou except for official affairs in the first place, but for her to disappear twice—first when she left for those three days to search for Jué to no avail and again when her leads directed her to Mount Firmament—garnered a fair amount of gossip amongst the staff.
Still, it was best not to divulge too much information; only a handful of trusted personnel knew the truth. “After our battle with Threnodian she sought additional guidance,” Sanhua replied coolly. To quickly divert the conversation away from Jinhsi, she asked: “Do you know where the Sentinel was headed specifically?”
“O-oh, yes! I was told it seemed to be headed in our direction, to City Hall—”
At that same time, there was movement outside the window and the sounds of rushing air. The entire view from the windows to the outside was completely covered by a massive shadow. Sanhua’s terminal made a shrill noise—an alert from the Midnight Rangers. But she didn’t need to guess.
There was no mistake.
Sanhua rushed outside.
The Sentinel descended gracefully onto the large open courtyard of City Hall. Its long body coiled and while at rest, appeared to be waiting for something. A growing crowd was forming nearby, no doubt curious about the Sentinel’s unexpected appearance.
Sanhua sucked in a breath, briefly struck by awe before remembering her manners—with both Jinhsi and Changi gone, it was Sanhua who stood as Jinzhou’s representative. In the customary sign of greeting, she crossed her right hand over her chest and her left behind her back. She bowed her head in respect, her heart hammering against her rib cage. As if following her example, the congregation around her did the same.
“Sentinel Jué. It is an honor to be in your presence,” Sanhua said.
Quite the honor indeed. While she had seen the Sentinel several times before, it was always as the accompaniment of Jinhsi. And just like her lady, Jué appeared unblemished in her corrupted eyes, in both its frequency and form. Sanhua was grateful to have her head lowered; her eyes needed to adjust to divine sight.
While she couldn’t see Jué like this she could still distinctly feel their eyes on her, making her skin tingle under the scrutiny. She wondered if the Sentinel recognized her at all.
After a tense moment of apprehension, she felt Jué's words travel through the air as the Sentinel announced with an unearthly echo: “Your magistrate has returned.”
Sanhua jerked her head up, as did all the other onlookers.
There, descending from the sky, was a sphere of splendid light. People in the crowd shielded their eyes from the condensed ball of Spectro. All but Sanhua, who recognized the frequencies within first.
She approached it, allowing the warm waves of light envelop her in its glow—the heat washing down her face, to her chest, and reaching within her as if to soothe the anxiety that gripped her heart.
Instinctively, she stretched out her arms and was rewarded when a familiar weight gently settled into them.
“My lady Jinhsi,” Sanhua murmured. All the remaining worries that troubled her dissolved in an instant. “Welcome back.”
Jinhsi roused from her dreaming with a small, contented exhale. “Mhm, I’m glad to be back.” She opened her eyes—the same wintry white that Sanhua loved—and smiled. “Good morning, Sanhua.”
It was like all that was wrong with the world fell back into place. “Not quite. It’s already past your scheduled tea time, my lady.”
Her smile became fonder, holding Sanhua’s gaze in a beautifully tender moment. Then, she looked back to the Sentinel. “Jué, I…”
“The transfer of the Temporal Mandate is complete,” Jué intoned. “One will not forget the promise that one made to you and to the people of Jinzhou.”
Her voice was thick with emotion. “Yes. The responsibilities that you’ve entrusted us—we will not let you down.”
Jué nodded in agreement. The Divine Loong uncoiled its body and started to ascend up to the clouds.
“Wait!”
Jué looked back down.
But Jinhsi hesitated.
As if sensing which words were catching in her throat, Jue answered. “You have assumed full leadership. But fret not. One will always be with you. One will continue to watch over Jinzhou as it steps into its new future for as long as One can. This is One’s new promise to you, as you are One’s appointed resonator.”
Jinhsi nodded in understanding. “Thank you.”
Her response was little more than a whisper, but Jué seemed to hear it all the same.
As suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared into the sky and was gone.
Sanhua lingered for several moments, absorbing the gravity of the Sentinel’s words. But alas, she was also not one to dilly-dally with time.
With Jinhsi safely in her arms, Sanhua made her retreat back into the building with even, measured footsteps, ignoring the awe-stricken crowd that parted in ripples as she pressed past. It would do no good to hurry, lest she jostle her lady.
Jinhsi remained quiet as they passed a gaggle of city hall assistants, circling amongst themselves with excited, hushed whispers. But after encountering one too many persons secretly chattering conspiratorially to their peers, Jinhsi then felt the need to speak up.
“Sanhua.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“You can put me down. I should be fine enough to walk.”
Instead Sanhua only readjusted her grip to hold her lady more firmly. “I will not. Not until you are in your chambers.”
“People are watching. Isn't it unseemly for them to see their magistrate like this?”
A valid argument, Sanhua had to concur that much. Certainly, it would not do to sully the magistrate’s reputation in any way. Again, Sanhua readjusted her grip, as if that might better shield Jinhsi from the prying eyes. “Let them watch.”
Eventually, Jinhsi let out a small laugh of her own. “This is going to talk of the city hall for a good while.”
“Then let them gossip as they watch too. That is of no concern to me.” Sanhua raised an eyebrow after a pause of consideration. “Does it concern you?”
Jinhsi laughed again. “You know what, it doesn’t. Maybe this is good. Making a scene like this will at least let them know that there's nothing to worry about.”
“If anyone asks, I will tell them that you were feeling unsteady after riding through the air with the Sentinel. For your safety and health, I thought it’d be more effective to help you to your quarters myself.”
“A well thought-out response.”
Sanhua hummed and otherwise did not speak anymore as they continued on their way.
They arrived to Jinhsi’s bedchambers with no incident. Anyone that they encountered along the way quickly deferred space for Sanhua to continue without hindrance; Besides the muffled chatter that Sanhua’s trained ears could still pick up on even as she walked further down the halls, they were unbothered.
Sanhua gently placed Jinhsi on the bed and moved to help her out of her boots, dutifully slipping them off her legs and setting them aside. Jinhsi murmured a quiet thank you as she relaxed on the soft duvet blankets.
After that was done, Sanhua said: “Madam, should I send for medical later?” She didn’t notice any injuries on her lady’s person but it was always better to be safe than sorry. She did notice the slight changes in Jinhsi’s frequencies. Subtle, but there. It was most noticeable when the Sentinel was with them—Jinhsi’s normal frequencies were already similar to Jué's but now they were practically identical. It must be related to the events that transpired in Mount Firmament. “Is there anything that you would like to pass on to the Academy? Or perhaps Director Taoqi?”
Jinhsi closed her eyes. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic but when she spoke, she still sounded very much awake. “You're not going to ask me what happened?”
“I plan to,” Sanhua answered, relaxing her barrage of questions. “To be honest, I’ve already heard some of it from Lady Changli and the Rover. But not all.”
In fact it was eating her up inside. But here Jinhsi was—back in the city and safe in her own bedchambers. She had returned and that was the most important part of all. Sanhua felt relief wash over her again as she processed it once more. Her dear lady must be exhausted after what she experienced. “I can wait until you've rested.”
“Has there been any word from Changli or Rover?”
“It seems that they both will be staying in Hongzhen for the time being, madam.”
“I see.”
“The counselor said there things that she needed to finish in Hongzhen before she could return. I plan to contact her later to update her about your arrival to Jinzhou.”
“I trust her judgment. I’m sure that she and Xinyi will have much to do. Thank you for telling me.”
Sanhua nodded silently in agreement. “Then, if there isn't anything else, I will excuse myself so you can have your privacy.”
Jinhsi shook her head, exhaled, and opened her eyes. “I'm fine.” She sat up and rose, catching Sanhua's attention.
“My lady, you shouldn't–”
Suddenly Jinhsi embraced her. Her weight leaned fully against Sanhua and her arms circled loosely around her waist. Jinhsi buried her face into the crook of her neck.
“I'm sorry,” Jinhsi said in a ragged whisper. “I'm sorry to have made you worry.”
Just like that, Sanhua could not hold herself back any longer. She returned Jinhsi”s embrace with a fierce one of her own.
“I’m sorry that I’ve left you behind,” Jinhsi murmured.
”No.” Idly, Sanhua stroked the tacet mark between Jinhsi’s shoulder blades to coax out a bodily shudder from the other woman. Internally, she basked in their closeness, in Jinhsi’s warmth. “It was… It was the correct decision.”
Truthfully, if it weren’t for Jinhsi’s stern orders and even Changli’s insistence not to do anything reckless, Sanhua would’ve followed Rover to Mount Firmament. “After the battle with Threnodian, it would’ve drawn too much attention if both of us were gone. Even the counselor’s absence would eventually be noticed. Somebody…” This part pained her more than she liked to admit, “someone needed to stay behind.”
Jinhsi shook her head. When they were like this, Sanhua could feel the vibrations of Jinhsi’s voice as she spoke; Sanhua always did like feeling Jinhsi’s voice just as much as she liked to listen to it. “I miscalculated. No, my panic upon losing contact with Jué made me act rashly. Yet, when I arrived in Hongzhen, I feared that I might’ve been too late.”
“There were unprecedented circumstances.” Indeed, Jinzhou was at the brink of disaster multiple times in such a short period. It was a miracle and a testament to the strength of the nation’s people that they overcame them all.
“I feel like there was so much I missed out on. If only I had gone earlier, I might’ve caught onto the signs—about what was going on with Jué, about the Fractsidus’ schemes. Had I not arrived when I did, Jinzhou…” She trailed off.
“But you’ve succeeded,” Sanhua said, filling in the silence.
“Mhm.”
“For now, that’s all that matters.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Changli and Rover and the others.” Jinhsi smiled. “I have you to thank for that, Sanhua.”
“My role was a small part.”
“So modest.”
“I was simply following your instructions, my lady.”
At that, Jinhsi peppered a chaste kiss on the underside of Sanhua’s jaw. “You have my utmost gratitude for everything you’ve done. Thank you for taking care of the city while I was away.”
Sanhua pressed a kiss onto Jinhsi’s forehead in return. “I am glad that I could be of service to you.”
”Let me thank you properly.”
Jinhi surged forward. She guided her into a kiss and it was as warm and soft and wonderful as it always had been. Sanhua savored the taste of her and the feeling of Jinhsi's body pressed against her own.
“You being here now is compensation enough for me.” Sanhua breathed when they pulled away, delighting in the dusting of color adorning her fair lady’s cheeks. “You’ve journeyed far. Please, don’t let me keep you from your hard-earned rest.”
“I feel like I rested long enough with Jué,” Jinhsi said. “I’m not particularly sleepy now. However…”
Sanhua perked up, at the ready to listen to her lady’s whims.
“There was so much going on that there was no opportunity for me to properly enjoy my time in Hongzhen.” Jinhsi took her by the hand. “After being in the snow for so long, I'd like to take a nice, hot soak in the bath.”
“Ah. Yes, my lady. I can prepare the bath for you if you don’t mind waiting.”
“Of course.” Discreetly, Sanhua felt dainty fingertips play at the hem of her gloves, tickling the skin of her wrist. Jinhsi said: “By the way, I’m sure you’ve been hard at work since the early morning. How about taking a break with me?”
Sanhua felt her forte flared slightly and she had to bite her tongue so as not to cause snow inside the room. She cleared her throat. “Madam, I shouldn’t stray from the office for too long. I am still on the clock.”
”You say that after that display we did earlier? Sanhua, I’m sure that no one will be expecting us for the rest of the day.”
Snowflakes fluttered around Sanhua. “That—that wasn't my intention.”
Jinhsi giggled. “Oh, I know what you intended. But the others might have their own ideas.”
Roughly, Sanhua cleared her throat again.
Amusement pulled at the corners of Jinhsi’s lips. “How about we put that aside for now, hm? If they gossip, let them.” Jinhsi echoed, reiterating Sanhua’s own words. “Come, stay with me for a while. Tell me about what happened while I was gone and I can tell you more about Mount Firmament.”
There was no way for Sanhua to argue back. She sighed in agreement. “Fair enough.”
“And perhaps, after I’ve caught up with my side of work, we can both take proper time off,” Jinhsi suggested. “I fear that that might be a while away with all the things that I’ll have to catch up on but… I’d like to return to Hongzhen. I’ve heard that Sagaci Springs are quite rejuvenating.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Doesn’t it? I’m sure that Xinyi would love to meet you.” Jinhsi spun around, shifting her hair to better expose her back. “Will you help with my dress?”
Sanhua removed her gloves. A slow and deliberate movement: she pinched the fabric at the tip of the middle finger and slid the supple leather off her hand. Then the other. She set them down on the nearby nightstand. “Anything, for you.”
“You will be staying here with me tonight, correct?” Jinhsi took one of Sanhua’s now revealed hands again, running her thumb over knuckles and hard calluses and faint scars.
Sanhua smiled. “If my lady permits.”