Dhaka, at the river port on the Meghana tributary.

  Zalir acted on Do?an’s warning without hesitation. Knowing the danger was immediate and pervasive, he quickly gathered the three royals and their small security detail. The Gascari were sharing bowls of porridge when Zalir hurried them to gather their belongings and move back to the docks.

  They slipped away from the noisy inn and down to the riverbank. Zalir did not attempt to cross in the balangay, as that would be too slow and conspicuous. Instead, he commandeered a smaller, faster local ferry, paying the ferryman handsomely. Under the shroud of a moonless night, the royal party crossed the river and headed into the marshy trails leading toward Bogura.

  Moments after the Gascari party vanished into the night fog clinging to the river, a sleek riverboat glided silently into the Dhaka dock where Zalir’s balangay was moored. Twelve figures, clad in dark, travel-stained leather, disembarked. They were Durjana’s assassins—professionals who had tracked the Gascari across the sea to the mainland.

  Simultaneously, the barge carrying the two princes arrived. Huaizong and Tan Po spotted the Austronesian balangay and led their horses onto the docks. They noticed others were inspecting the outrigger with a suspicious intensity. They watched, frozen, as several armed men jumped aboard without the captain's permission. After a few minutes, these men leaped back onto the dock.

  Their leader, a sharp-eyed man known only as The Viper, immediately recognized the Gascari outrigger that Zalir and the Madjapahit Royals had used to escape Madjajanga. He boarded stealthily, only to find the royal quarters empty. His temper was ice-cold. He signaled his men to kill everyone left on board—a quick, silent operation.

  Viper sent his men fanning out to the nearest inns and the market, determined to find the trail. They moved with the practiced menace of hunters.

  Huaizong and Tan Po followed. Viper and his lieutenant, Dog-Face, took a room at the Santai Teahouse. The princes reserved a room there, too, after seeing to their horses. In the Asian mainland, stables were sacred ground, and all mounts were looked after with reverence. Inside the teahouse, Tan Po, a trained spy with ears like a fox, heard Viper speaking to the proprietress.

  "Old woman, who owns the balangay at the docks?" Viper asked under his breath.

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  Huaizong and Tan Po slipped past the counter, making themselves as small as possible.

  "Belongs to three rich ladies and their manservant," the innkeeper replied. "They reserved rooms but left immediately after they paid. Flew out of here like the Khan himself was at their heels."

  "You know where they were headed?"

  "To Bogura, most likely. It's getting dark, and they're Austronesian—they can navigate open sea even at night."

  "I'll go back to the docks to check the balangay," Tan Po whispered to Huaizong. "Keep an eye on Viper."

  Tan Po walked briskly back to the docks. He approached Zalir’s balangay and knocked on the hull. "Permission to come on board?" he asked aloud. No answer. He repeated the request. Silence. He jumped aboard, only to find that every man on the balangay had been slaughtered.

  Back at the teahouse, Huaizong continued to eavesdrop.

  Assassin 1: (Frustrated) "They are gone, Viper. The boat is there. We killed everyone on board. Maybe we can go home now and get paid."

  The Viper: (Low and deadly) "No, you idiot! Durjana wants the Queen, her sister, and mother alive. And he wants Zalir dead. Better aluve so he can be tortured. Search the locals who were on the river tonight. Find who took them across. They are heading North for the Imperial Highway. They didn't take their outrigger; they haven't gone far."

  The assassins left to sleep in the stables, leaving only Viper and Dog-Face in the inn. Later, when Tan Po returned as they retired to their three-mat room, he shared the grim news.

  "They killed everyone on board," Tan Po whispered. But a rare, sharp smile touched his lips. "Zalir is a bird-man and a famous falconer—a member of the Brotherhood. What do two falconers talk about?"

  "He met Do?an, who told him to leave for Bogura," Huaizong realized. "How can we be sure?"

  "We aren't. But as long as we trail Viper and his men they can't kill Zalir or the Madjapahits without us interfering. We must be small and inconspicuous."

  "Small and inconspicuous," Huaizong repeated, looking at his clean silk.

  The next day, disguised as fishermen, Huaizong and Tan Po crossed the Meghana, following Viper’s men toward Bogura.

  "They've never seen such a handsome fisherman as this," Huaizong said smugly, casting a net with the grace of a dancer.

  "Nor such a stupid one. There’s no fish to catch by the port. Roll the net. Stop playing with that" Tan Po scolds Huaizong. "We’re going into the water. We’ll swim to shore using reeds as breathing tubes, like the Tawalesi taught us. Here goes."

  The princes abandoned their rowboat and submerged. They reached the far bank, changed into the dry clothes of rice farmers from their goastskin pack and kept their eyes on the shoreline.

  "There’s Viper and his men finally," Huaizong noted, crouched in the paddies. "Let’s get to Bogura."