The Hour of Gentle Water

Having ascended the throne, the young king known as the Winged Dragon proclaims a course of action called "Healing the Wellsprings" and sends the old guard of master craftsmen into retirement. The changes also affect his tutor, Taié the Falcon: he is forced to leave the capital and return to his native Dalé, where he becomes the victim of a mysterious attack and, by some miracle, remains alive.

To find out who was behind the assassination attempt, two people are tasked with the investigation: the capital’s detective-aristocrat Nayu Vyun and the captain of the guard, Shan, nicknamed the Temple Dog—men from different worlds who can’t stand each other. Who wanted the advisor dead? How is this connected to the "case of the royal porcelain"? And what secret is their assistant, Tié the Sparrow, keeping hidden?