Wei Song, Tai's female Kanlin bodyguard is pretty cool (she keeps teasing him about how he'll feel better once he can visit one of the city's pleasure houses and she's a skilled fighter), but Li-Mei, Tai's sister, is awesome. She manages to act all cool among barbarians even though she's obviously freaking out inside.
Whenever I start thinking that the book is starting to flag, Kay kicks it up a notch. Now we have the threat of wolves!