Kai Low had sat in many Elder's Tents. Before his family returned to the Bandri fold, it was just a small tent with only his grandparents acting as the tribal elders. After, it was nearly a hundred who'd managed to outlive multiple generations of their own blood, and thought that taught them something about life. And as soon as life taught you something, you were entitled to teach that lesson to others.
Kai Low didn't share that belief, but it was possible he was biased. He'd spent a large amount of his childhood getting lectured by elders who wanted him to be more like his older brother. He'd taken a vindictive pleasure in rubbing it in their faces when he turned out to be a traitor, but that hadn't stopped them from nitpicking everything he did anyway. It just went from 'look at your brother. He's the pride of the tribe, you should be more like him' to 'remember your brother? Don't want to be like him, do you?'
Kai Low had volunteered for every duty outside the village to avoid them and pretty much single-handedly built relationships between the scattered northern tribes for Beng Shai. He knew how to talk to people. How to make them feel comfortable enough to tell him things they didn't want to tell their friends and family. The only one who'd ever managed to put up some kind of resistance was Lord Rong, whom Kai Low had come to find out was the First Eye of the Camelia.
The greatest spy in the Land of Sorrow.
No wonder he'd managed to resist Kai Low. He'd been weakening, though, in those days they'd spent travelling together. It was unfortunate that Kai Low hadn't managed to see him since he'd arrived. He was about the only good thing about this place.
Beng Shan had asked Kai Low to take the position as Ambassador, against the wishes of the Elders, who'd wanted to send one of their own, and Kai Low had been primed to tell her no. She was an excellent leader and a large part of Beng Shai's success. She'd been one of the few siblings who'd supported him from the start, and Kai Low knew how close they'd been, how much she mourned the brother she'd helped raise. Beng Shai had been the dreamer, the one who wanted to change the world no matter how hard or costly it was. Beng Shan was the nurturer who was going to heal it all now that Beng Shai had succeeded in death, where he'd struggled in life.
Beng Shan had been impressed with Lord Ye putting his sword in Beng Shai's grave as a symbol of his dedication to peace and his regret over his death. Kai Low less so, and most of their tribesmen were just confused, but all of them were furious with the betrayal by the Land of Song and Snow, so some overly emotional Lord from the stone city was the lesser of two evils as far as they were concerned. Only time would tell which evil was truly worse than the other.
These lords of the stone city certainly argued like the tribal elders. Kai Low had been one of the first to arrive out of sheer boredom and looking for a chance to snoop, but they'd arrived too quickly, and he'd been stuck listening to them argue and politely insult each other ever since.
They'd fallen silent when Lord Zhao arrived, as much of their gossip had been about him. Kai Low had heard enough to understand all of it, but he did understand that Lord Zhao's forces had been the forces ambushed by Beng Shai in the north at the beginning of the fighting and that his own people believed he was to blame. Kai Low wasn't sure why; maybe Lord Zhao was a terrible person? Or he had something the rest of them wanted? He seemed to be a favourite of Lord Ye and his wife, which probably afforded him a significant amount of power and influence. Maybe it was simple jealousy? He didn't really stand out to Kai Low. He was handsome enough, he supposed, though not nearly as handsome as Lord Rong.
Perhaps he had a mind that belied his looks? Or a temper?
Why wasn't Lord Rong present? Kai Low had expected to see him sitting at Lord Ye's side. His wounds should have been significantly healed by now, enough that he could sit for this meeting.
Was there something else wrong with him? Something Kai Low had missed? Or that had happened after he'd escaped?
Kai Low had been trying to keep an eye on him, despite the heavy hand of Beng Shai's other commanders, but he hadn't been very successful.
He hadn't expected Kai San.
Or whoever that damn woman was.
Lord Rong would have been better off just putting up with it for a couple more days, until Kai Low had talked Beng Shai into releasing him. The tribes had no need for the First Eye of the Camelia. They didn't care about the inner workings of the stone cities and the civilisations; they just wanted to tend their crops and their herds and ferment their wheat and be left alone. Beng Shai's momentary lapse of control over his temper at the sight of Lord Rong didn't change any of that, and even Beng Shai had known it.
Lord Ye entered with his wife, the one his tribesmen insisted had controlled fire itself. That wasn't supposed to be possible, and the tiny, fragile woman on Lord Ye's arm hardly looked capable of such a feat.
If Kai Low hadn't seen her stop the wildfire with his own eyes, he'd never have believed the stories.
~ tbc