The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

An Unsettling Conversation

Jale tried to fight the exhaustion that was starting to press heavily on his shoulders. He needed to sleep where he wasn't disturbed and where his body could wake up on its own accord when it was ready and energized. He wasn't going to get it though.

He glided towards the small table at the side of the room, strategically placed where it was half inside and half on the balcony. Its surface was decorated with mother of pearl but its beauty was taken for granted, never truly appreciated as it always held an expensive range of wines, spirits and liqueurs.

Jale poured a glass of wine and moved to the balcony to wait. Before he could prepare for his journey, he had to speak with Teal first. Only moments before, he had sent one of his servants to summon Teal to his quarters. This was going to be the hard part.

Jale's hand swayed ever so slightly, but he otherwise believed he was doing a good job at disguising just how many glasses of wine he had already polished off. He topped up his glass intending to head for his chaise lounge on his balcony. He stopped, second thoughts getting the better of him, and he turned back and picked up the jug of wine as well.

Two steps out onto the balcony and Jale wished he had left the jug on the table for it was at that moment, Teal stepped out of the shadows to stand before him.

The jug jolted out of Jale's hands and smashed to the floor. It must have been his drunk imagination. From the corner of his vision, Teal had appeared as a predator stepping out of the darkness ready to attack.

"For all the Gods of Eternity!" Jale cursed.

Teal didn't respond. He stood squarely in front of Jale while another of Jale's servants scuttled forward to clean up the mess.

"How did you get here?" Jale asked, wiping his now free hand over his clothes to ensure they were clean. Jale paused and rolled his eyes. "Don't even bother. Why am I even asking? I bet you climbed up the side of the tower and over my balcony."

A smile reached Teal's lips, and Jale's eyes widened. "I was joking!" He tapped his servant on the shoulder. "Leave it. Go and inform the other servant that Teal is already here."

Without any argument, the servant darted out the door leaving Teal and Jale alone. They faced each other silently, an obvious unease between them. Since Teal had leapt out of the tree to save Lana and shifted, they had not had a chance to talk. The horrible truth was that they would only get this chance before everything changed the next day.

"They say that tigers are meant to be able to sneak up on their prey. Is that what you were planning?" Jale asked, his voice quiet with warning.

A loud peal of laughter erupted deep from Teal's chest.

"I originally came here intending to be angry with you for not telling me what you and the Emperor know about the Lombock and myself." He stepped towards Jale with such sudden stealth and sharpness that Jale nearly took a step back. His body certainly swayed in the direction before his mind could prevent him from doing so.

Teal quirked an eyebrow. "Surely you're not scared of me now, are you?" He reached down and took Jale's hand in a playful manner, humor dancing in his eyes while he brought the back of Jale's hand to his lips.

Jale snatched his hand away. "Don't mock me!" He turned away and moved towards his originally intended destination, his long lounge chaise. "You've had an eventful couple of days," Jale began, successfully moving the conversation in the direction he wanted. He sat down and made himself comfortable. "I thought you would still be with Lana."

Teal sat on the end of the lounge. "I saw Lana earlier this evening with Ralen. You've never questioned his fighting abilities before, especially considering his past?"