“Your Highness. Please let me tend to your injuries.”

I tore my gaze away from the bodies. Was a mistake looking in the first place, I idly noted, now I can’t forget the sight. But I focused on the situation. San Hashar was still kneeling, her brows furrowed and her gaze turned downwards.

I patted my side, feeling the dried blood in my clothing. “I’ve got it.” With a thought, I took a medicinal pill from my storage ring and swallowed. Since my injuries were light, they should be healed in a few minutes.

I finally turned around, gesturing for San Hashar to get up. But after a step, I had to look at her again, my face set in a scowl. “Why did you have to kill them?”

“They assaulted the Radiant Princess. They committed treason, and thus forfeit their lives. My duty is Your Highness’ protection. I saw no compelling reason to take the risk of leaving them alive, even if it was small.”

I sighed, shaking my head. In the end, I supposed it didn’t matter. They’d explicitly tried to kill me, they would have been executed anyway.

We started walking. But I moved slowly, still trying to wrap my head around everything. Even if seeing her kill the bullies didn’t affect me as much as I might have thought, there was a lot to deal with.

San Hashar hadn’t left my side for a moment, but I’d felt her using her qi and heard her communicate with her soldiers. I could feel them moving in around me. After a look around, I commanded, “Take me to a more secure place.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

A moment later, air qi enveloped me. We lifted into the air, and for a few seconds, I could feel the wind whistling by me, until we slowed and touched down again. Now we stood behind the gates of the main sect entrance. A group of soldiers set up what I realized was a defensive position here, building onto the gate with constructs of qi.

I went into the earthen hut one of them had raised for me and pulled off my bloodstained clothes. The pill designed to ‘flush out impurities’ in the wounds had made them bleed again. But I didn’t bathe, simply taking a new set of clothing, this one an ornamental blue robe, from my storage ring, and putting it on. Red stains quickly spread across them, but I could feel the gashes closing slowly.

I could have looked pristine, but I didn’t need to appear invincible. No, sect disciples had attacked me — that was the fact I needed to showcase.

I exited the hut again and ran into the waiting gaze of San Hashar. Frowning, I averted my eyes and started to pace, hoping the reinforcements would come quickly.

They didn’t really deserve to die.

The thought wormed its way through my mind, itching under my skin. I knew the people here wouldn’t understand. But even if I’d been a fan of the death penalty, which I wasn’t, they really had fought for their lives in a very real sense.

But now they are dead. San Hashar only did her job. A job I knew she did. So where did I go wrong? Could I have kept them from trying to cover their actions up? I sighed, pacing harder. Probably not.

To be fair, I could see two options if they had been taken alive. In the first, someone would have ordered their deaths without consulting me, or convinced me to do it. In the second, if I decided to spare them, there’d still be a good chance that Mother would have overruled me. Of course, they’d still stood a better chance if they’d simply thrown themselves on my mercy, but they didn’t know that.

I don’t think that’s the answer. But I should have revealed myself earlier. Before this could have escalated so much. Of course, that’s hindsight. … And maybe this is better in the grand scheme of things, anyway.

Even in my own head, the words felt hollow. Because this wasn’t the plan.

“Wait.” I stopped and turned to look at San Hashar. “What happened with the bear?”

“Everything went according to plan, my lady,” she reported. “We suffered a few casualties, but no fatalities. We were just about to take it down for good when I saw your signal. The team is on its way back and should arrive momentarily.”

I tried to calculate her speed if she’d made it here from the forest in little more than a second, and shook my head. The seventh stage is no joke.

“You could have disabled them,” I stated, no doubt in my mind about it.

The soldier bowed her head, but met my eyes without the slightest twitch.

After a moment, I snorted and looked away. At least they died quickly, I guess. I get the feeling my guards don’t like the sect.

After a pause, I switched tracks. “I assume you reported this to Mother. What’s she going to do?”

San Hashar straightened to stand at attention again. “There were no new orders, Your Highness.” Her eyes narrowed. “Although, Lady Kariva let me know, unofficially, that Her Majesty will see justice done in any case.”

“So, she wants to see what I’ll do,” I interpreted. And it’s on me to dispense punishment. Well, don’t mind if I do.

I focused on my breathing and started circulating qi, pulling more in. I had a bit of light affinity qi left, and complemented that with a bit of darkness now.

We waited in silence for a bit longer, until the team returned. They blurred up the path almost too fast for me to track, then came to a stop in front of me and their commander. A few dark stains marked their clothing, but no one had trouble moving. They stood in orderly rows, saluting us.

“Great work,” I said, then looked to San Hashar.

She nodded and started giving them orders, having them link up with the rest of the group.

I swept my senses over the surroundings. There were a little more soldiers here than I’d seen with San Hashar, and some wore different uniforms. Probably local forces from the town of Pecasa or the forest. I could still feel some of the elites moving through the sect grounds.

I waved my chief guard over and whispered, “Should we wait?”

San Hashar hesitated for a moment. “It might be best if we move now, before the elders of the sect have time to prepare. We can take the outer sect easily, then wait for reinforcements. They’ll be here soon.”

“Alright. Make it happen.”

I listened to her orders closely and watched as the majority of the soldiers departed. They spread out, moving forward as a wave sweeping across the sect. San Hashar herself stayed close to me, along with two of the Imperial Guards.

After I judged it was safe, I started walking up the path. San Hashar sighed audibly, then moved to put herself diagonally in front of me. At least she didn’t try to force me to stay put.

We walked by the residences, which were empty of life. I slowed down to look at the buildings, then shook my head and kept going. Occasionally, I’d catch a glimpse of a soldier moving quickly across the sect grounds, herding disciples towards the center. I couldn’t see or sense an elder anywhere.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the gathering. I could feel them before I saw them, the presence of so many cultivators prickling like static electricity against my skin. The feeling guided me to the large courtyard in the center.

That’s when I did see an elder, Zun, the one who’d welcomed the new disciples. He stood quietly at the head of the group, hands clasped before him, posture relaxed. But the way his eyes darted to the soldiers betrayed his calm. The rest of them were disciples of various stages. They huddled in groups in the center of the courtyard, whispering to each other and eyeing the soldiers encircling them. I could practically smell the unease. No, wait, some of them are sweating pretty badly, that’s what I can smell.

When I turned up, the soldiers all went to attention and saluted, their qi spreading out heavier, suppressing the disciples even more. Once I came to a stop facing the crowd, San Hashar stepped forward.

“On your knees for the Imperial Princess!” she bellowed, her voice echoing around the courtyard.

They complied. Zun apparently didn’t move quickly enough, so the soldier next to him pushed him down. A few of the disciples sprawled forward under the guards’ qi, as well.

I could see the way their gazes fixed on me, stopping on the blood staining my robe. More than one of them gulped. Being reminded of it, the spots itched.

I channeled the grossness into an unpleasant expression. After letting the silence build for a few seconds, I spoke. “Today, I was attacked.” I paused for effect. “A group of this sect’s inner disciples assaulted me. They even stated that they aimed to kill me. I do not know if they acted alone or if the sect put them up to it.”

Well, that’s true. I can’t be sure the sect isn’t behind this.

“We never —”

A guard slapped the elder to silence him.

I raised a hand. “Let’s hear it.”

The elder stopped rubbing his face and raised his head. “Thank you, Your Highness! The Carmine Cloud Sect would never do something like this. The very thought is abhorrent! It pains this lowly one greatly that such a vile act could have happened within this sect. These vermin acted alone, or perhaps they were coopted by foreign interests. Where are they? This one is sure we can wring the truth from them, before we send them to the wretched death they deserve!”

I managed not to cringe through this speech, staring at the elder coldly. “They’re dead, of course.”

That shut him up for the moment.

I shook my head, watching the disciples. “The sect is already under heavy suspicion of breaking Imperial law. Given what happened, I am taking control here until further notice. Rest assured that the eventual fate of the sect will be … just.”

The soldiers seemed content to follow my command. Technically, I could probably have it razed to the ground and everyone put to the sword. Until Mother stopped me. But I wasn’t that upset or stupid. Well, or evil. Instead, a picture of what I wanted had been percolating through the back of my mind. At least it stopped me from dwelling on the disciples who’d tried to kill me.

I stepped away and told San Hashar to raise a shield. She made a bubble of air qi that would prevent our conversation from being overheard, and blurred our features enough lipreading wouldn’t work. Then I told her what I’d seen in the sect’s restricted area. I should have done that earlier, but I’d been preoccupied.

She simply nodded, and started passing it on by forming a qi construct, probably to Kariva or one of her agents. I paced up and down, sending glances at the gathered sect members. They stayed on their knees, although hushed conversations resumed.

After a bit, I forced myself to stillness and tried cultivating. It didn’t go as well as usual. By the time I really immersed myself, the arrival of new presences broke me out of it. Maybe fifteen minutes had passed.

The reinforcements came from an airship hovering over the square. Another group of soldiers flew down, some on their own, some by standing on pieces of metal I recognized as flying swords. All of them wore the silver-and-blue with phoenix insignia, and were at least in the fifth stage. More elite soldiers.

My attention was drawn to the leader, an old man whose face was framed by a gray mane and decorated with a scar across his left cheek. His presence weighed on me a little bit more than San Hashar’s. The soldiers went to one knee and saluted, but right away, he started barking orders at them and they scattered.

A moment later, he turned to me, bowing. “Imperial Princess Inaris. San Hashar. I hear this sect needs some tough attention.”

I smiled and gestured for him to straighten up, but stayed quiet to let San Hashar do the talking.

“It’s good to see you, Ru. We’ve secured the outer sect, but the elders in their compound will be a tougher match. With you aboard, though, it’ll be easy.”

“I hope you two can handle the sect patriarch,” I said.

“Certainly, Your Highness. He might be in the seventh stage, but combined, Ru and I will have no trouble taking him down. Although I doubt it will come to a fight. He’s old but not stupid.”

“Well, I can promise that I won’t kill him. Shall we?”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. The two seventh-stagers gathered the troops that would come, then took off for the compound. I trailed behind, left in their dust and settled with half a dozen bodyguards. When I reached the gate to the compound, it stood open, but I had no idea if the elders had opened it, or my soldiers.

We moved quickly, and soon came to the mansion at the top. One elder lay crumpled on the ground beside the gate. His chest was rising and falling slightly, though. I gave him a wide berth and entered the building. It teemed with marble columns, statues, paintings, silk draperies, and everything else you might expect. After a short hallway, double doors of some dark wood with intricate carvings led into a foyer.

I paused, the weight of the gathered presences making my steps hitch. But I powered on, scanning the scene. San Hashar and the other commander, Ru, stood facing a group of old people in robes that wouldn’t have looked odd in the palace. The sect leadership, I assumed. The old man in the center stopped, his head barely reaching Ru’s chest, his gnarled hand gripping a cane. But I could feel the strongest presence in the room emanating from him.

When I entered, the soldiers bowed to me. The sect elders followed suit after a moment. I could hear the old man’s joints creaking.

“Let me cut to the chase,” I said. “If you cooperate, no one else needs to die. You have my word.”

The sect leadership exchanged looks. For a moment, silence lingered. Then the patriarch stomped his cane on the floor and bowed his head.

“We truly are innocent in the matter of that sacrilegious attack, Your Highness,” he said. “But of course, this sect would not dare think of defying the Empire.”

I inclined my head in response. “Thank you, Patriarch.” I walked closer, coming to a stop between the commanders. “Where are the rest?”

“In their dwellings, Your Highness,” San Hashar answered. “Graciously showing our men and women around.”

Uh huh. I hid a smile and looked back at the elders. “What about the secret laboratory beneath our feet? What does the Carmine Cloud Sect have to say for itself?”

They shifted and whispered among themselves for a moment, until the patriarch shook his head. “We have, in fact, conducted experiments there,” he stated. “However, all subjects are volunteers, and we have the documentation to prove it.” He stepped forward, grabbed a sheaf of documents from thin air and handed it to San Hashar.

She flicked through it, snorting once.

I raised an eyebrow. “Be that as it may. We will have to ask the people themselves once they have been retrieved. It doesn’t change the fact that you injected foreign qi into people of a much lower stage, causing detrimental effects. A clear violation of my esteemed Mother’s laws, for which this sect will face the consequences.”

“None of them died!” another elder protested.

“Enough!”

They fell silent, and I took a deep breath. Then I squared my shoulders and raised my chin. “From this day forth, the Carmine Cloud Sect is dissolved. So I decree in the name of my Mother, the glorious Empress Acura. Let all bear witness.”

Their eyes widened and for a moment, silence reigned. Then the elders started speaking. A few gathered qi. Others simply raised their voices.

“You can’t do that!” the patriarch cried.

A shining polearm appeared in San Hashar’s hands, forward spike facing the elders. Ru gathered qi into his fists. The rest of the soldiers let their power swell, too.

“I just did,” I replied. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

The tension built until any first-stager would have been killed just from standing in the room. The hairs on my body stood on end, and I had to lock my knees to keep standing straight.

Finally, the elder sighed, and the will seemed to seep out of the former sect’s leaders. “What is going to happen?” he asked.

I smiled and relaxed my tense muscles. “The Carmine Cloud sect is no more. The sect’s grounds will be confiscated by the Empire. The victims of the experiments will be compensated after the investigation. As restitution, a portion of the sect’s lands will be given to its tenants. All of the sect’s resources — excluding personal property, of course — will be seized as well, and part of them distributed among the sect members to help them in the transition.”

I paused and continued in a less formal tone. “I’m sure many of the disciples will be picked up by other sects. Those from noble families can return home. We’ll make sure everyone finds a place that fits them.” Except the elders, I imagine. “Of course, punishments for the illegal experimentation will be decided in court after a trial, for whoever is found guilty.”

And it was a guarantee that some of them would be.

The elders bowed their heads, but I didn’t miss the sideways glances they shot each other.

I sighed to myself. This isn’t over yet, even if my part is done. Now all I need to do is face the music back home.