Book 8: Chapter 53: Mutual Benefit
“I’m leaving,” announced Sen. “When I’m done making examples and fixing the problem with the defenses, I’m leaving.”
He was standing at the window and staring down at the damaged spot in the courtyard. It was something he’d found himself doing more and more often. He found it was a good reminder to himself never to be too confident that he’d thought of everything. He’d assumed that he’d made them safe here. That assumption had cost people their lives, and that was something he couldn’t make right. It had only been dumb luck that Grandmother Lu wasn’t in the courtyard when that explosion happened. While it probably wouldn’t have hurt him at all, and just left Lo Meifeng in a foul temper, he had no such confidence that Grandmother Lu would have survived it or come away unscathed. That business with the people he’d helped to heal swearing allegiance to him had been the final sign that he’d been in the capital for too long. He drew too much attention here. Not that he could say with any certainty that his presence caused the attack, but it seemed all too likely that it had been a message directed at him.
“That might be a hasty decision,” ventured Lo Meifeng, although she sounded very tentative about it.
“Perhaps, but I have other responsibilities and obligations. I’ve been away from my daughter for too long. I never planned to be here more than a few days. It’s been weeks and weeks. I’ve sent a letter to Auntie Caihong explaining things. Not everything, but the broad strokes. Besides, are you honestly telling me that you think having me here is more of a help than a harm?”
Lo Meifeng was quiet for longer than necessary before she let out a breath and said, “No.”
Grandmother Lu chimed in then.
“Well, at least both of your brains are still working. I’ll be the first to admit that having Sen here provides benefits. He’s scary. That solves some problems before they ever start. The issue with scary is that it provokes extreme responses. If we want to get things in order here, we need things to stabilize.”
“And I don’t stabilize things,” said Sen. “Not here, at any rate. I’m too unpredictable for the capital. I don’t answer to anyone. No one knows how to react to me.”
“Don’t answer to anyone, boy?” asked Grandmother Lu.