The stretch of grassland prairie that made up the borderlands was depicted with a golden yellow and a collection of delicately carved chess pieces that represented the individual tribes and the permanent and semi-permanent villages that occupied it.
"The pieces are carved from prairie pearl." Chenzhou explained, picking up one and handing it to her to examine. "They're produced by a breed of muscle only found in the freshwater streams in the borderlands."
The pearl was smooth to the touch and a pale, pale pink that Eirian had never seen before. It practically sparkled in the light when she held it up. The one Chenzhou had handed her was carved in the shape of an eagle. "Which tribe is this?"
"The Bandri," Chenzhou answered, looking like he'd sucked on a lemon. "The largest northern tribe. They control almost twenty percent of the borderlands."
Impressed, Eirian put the piece back in its place and studied the others.
"There are thirteen major tribes and two dozen minor ones." Chenzhou explained. "The Court of the Camelia has the same number."
"On purpose?"
Chenzhou nodded. "Yes, generations ago individual members of the court were tasked with defeating certain tribes. Back then the Crimson Army was not the single established force it is now, but a group of loosely aligned forces under individual commands. Even though we've gone away from that, the Court has always upheld the tradition of matching their numbers to the tribes in the borderlands."
Eirian picked up a pearl carved into the shape of an ox.
"That's the Raebun tribe. Moderately large. They're known for breeding oxen as opposed to horses, which many of the other tribes do. They're allied to the Bandri through marriage."
"Do you have all the tribes memorized?"
"Of course." Chenzhou looked offended by the idea that he didn't.
"I've just been studying the Camelia's history to figure out the miasma, but I should start learning the current events too."
Chenzhou brightened and stepped closer, so close Eirian could feel the heat radiating off him. "I'll teach you." He started pointing at the pieces arranged across the borderlands and explaining what they represented.
Eirian had a basic understanding the situation in the borderlands and the Camelia's role in preserving the border, but she'd never really dug into it before. Chenzhou clearly had a wide breadth of knowledge, reciting detailed facts about each tribe from memory and reporting the previous war blow by blow.
It was a fascinating tangle of bloodlines and seasonal migrations, all of which had been preserved for longer than the Camelia had even existed. In their heyday, during the Age of Warfare, the borderlands had been twice the size they were now, but the Lands of Sorrow and Song and Snow had been chipping away at it since. The tribes refused to recognize any authority but their own and their own authority seemed to change with the seasons as leaders came and went. "The tribes fight one another just as much as they fight us. Otherwise, it's likely the Bandri or the Raebun would have taken control of the entire area." Chenzhou explained.
Chenzhou even spiraled off into a few tangents about events that had occurred decades before but had effects that were still being felt. He was several minutes into an explanation of the marriage practices of the tribes, which were oddly interesting, when Zhao Mingzhe entered.
He stopped in the doorway, flushing when both Chenzhou and Eirian stared at him, and they flushed in turn when he flushed.
They were all still standing there, staring at each and blushing when Yuze walked in a few moments later.
He took one look at the room and sighed. It was enough to spur Chenzhou into movement. He put back the pieces he'd been showing Eirian and waved Zhao inside. "Close the door, Lord Zhao. There's something we need to discus in private."
Panic flashed across Zhao's face, just for a second before he schooled it back into something bland and impossible to read.
It made Chenzhou pause, but Zhao joined them at the atlas and Yuze slapped down a stack of reports that immediately had Eirian's attention.
"Is that what came in last night?"
Yuze shook his head. "These are the weekly reports. You should start reviewing them, though."
Yuze and Chenzhou shared a look, some silent communication that Eirian and Mingzhe, even standing right next to them, didn't understand.
So Eirian gave Mingzhe an exaggerated look of confusion that made him snort and reminded the other two they were also in the room.
Apologetic, Chenzhou gestured at Yuze to start. "A Bandri made it inside the Camelia's Walls."
Eirian's expression didn't change, mainly because she had no idea what he was talking about.
Mingzhe's expression darkened dangerously. "What?"
Chenzhou, expression similarly dark nodded. "Emmy saw him."
"Who the hell is Emmy?" Mingzhe demanded.
"Finn's friend." Eirian said, happy to know something.
Mingzhe faltered, trying to put the name to a face. "And he's reliable."
"She's the most reliable of the three of them." Chenzhou muttered. Yuze and Eirian couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"She saw him in one of the family estates." Yuze added. "Meeting with several others.'
"Who?"
"We don't know." Yuze admitted. "She'd recognize anyone."
"The walls of the Camelia are supposed to be impenetrable." Mingzhe whispered, anger giving way to concern.
"I'll know more tonight." Yuze added. "Reports are due and there should be something useful coming in."
"We need to find out how they got in." Mingzhe insisted. "We should alert the Court."
Chenzhou and Yuze immediately shook their heads. "He was seen on one of the family estates. Until we know more, we need to keep this quiet."
Mingzhe stiffened. "And yet you're telling me." Chenzhou took a deep breath, preparing for a fight. "That must mean it was not the Zhao estate."
"It was not."
Mingzhe's eyes narrowed. "You are making a very big assumption that the family is involved."
"We're not assuming that." Chenzhou assured him. "But we're also not assuming the entire household is unaware."
Mingzhe scowled. "Then by that argument, someone in the Zhao house could still be involved."
Eirian sighed, this was spiraling. "He's not trusting the Zhao family, he's trusting you."
~ tbc