both won the prize. And I wanted to see his face when he saw me in a Story Robe.
'He is at his Dragon Hall, my lord. But you will see him tonight at the banquet. It is as much a welcome to him as it is to you, and he will be officially third guest of honour. In fact, I may be able to arrange the places so that you can speak to one another during the feast. Would that be agreeable?'
'Yes. Very agreeable.'
'That is settled then,' she said, and I sensed I had entered a bargain without knowing the price.
'Now, let us continue. When you leave the presence of the Emperor or one of his family, you must never turn your back. It is an Insult of Death. 'You must learn the way of backing out of a room. Come, we will practise.'
It was a long lesson. We stopped for the tea and moon-cakes that Rilla brought in, and Lady Dela made the refreshment part of my instruction. She showed me how to kneel in the Story Robe and take tea in the formal manner of the nobles; which guest drank from their porcelain bowl first, when to eat the tiny festival cakes, and what was said at each stage of the ritual.
Although I only ate two of the delicious cinnamon pastries as prescribed by the ceremony, they added their weight to my unsettled stomach.
Finally, after I had mastered the formal and informal greetings and the backward kowtow out of the Emperor's presence, Lady Dela nodded her approval.
'Enough for now, I think,' she said. 'You have done very well.'
I bowed slightly, relieved that the session was over. But I could foresee a very large problem ahead of me.
'Lady, you will think me very stupid,' I said, 'but I have only ever seen the Imperial family and the Dragoneye lords from a distance. I will not know which bow goes with which person.'
She shook her head, the gold hair ornaments chiming. 'Not stupid at all, my lord. When I first came to the court, I also did not know. It took a long time and many mistakes before I found my footing.' She smiled, leaning towards me, and I smelled the sweetness of frangipani. 'Don't worry, I will accompany you to the court banquets and gatherings for a while and whisper names in your ear. And also some pertinent information that will help you through the maze of personalities.'
There was a small grunt from Ryko at the doorway
Lady Dela unfurled the fan and hid us behind it. 'Ryko thinks my mouth runs as fast as a rickshaw's wheels,' she said in a loud whisper that easily carried to the guard.
'No, lady. I think that if Lord Eon is under your instruction in matters of court intrigue, he could not have a better teacher.'
She widened her eyes at me. 'Now he thinks I am an intriguer.'
'I certainly find you intriguing, lady,' I said, attempting to match their banter.
Lady Dela nodded her approval. 'A deft deflection, my lord.' She shut the fan. 'I think you will do well at court. Now, would you like to hear the history of your robe? It is something you should probably know before you enter the banquet room tonight.'
She took my hand and held it out so that the wide-cut sleeve fell freely.
'This robe was designed and woven by Master Wulan. It was commissioned as a gift for the Emperor by the family of Lord Ido when he was chosen as apprentice.'
I flinched at the Dragoneye's name. Lady Dela nodded at my reaction, tracing her finger along an emblem woven into the sleeve.
'See here, this is the family device and under it is the character for ambition, the Rat Dragoneye's area of special influence. The robe tells the story of the bountiful summer, but if you look closely you will see that worked into the waterfall and peacock is a hint of winter — the Lin and Gan encompassed in —'
'Lady Dela,' I said tightly, breaking into her obvious digression. 'Why does the Emperor give me a gift he received from Lord Ido's family?'
She glanced at Ryko.
'Tell him everything,' the guard said flatly 'This is not a time to play games.'
'It is the most important time,' she snapped.
He glared across the space between them. 'No. Even a leaf in the wind settles sometime. You knew this choice was coming.'
She opened her fan and closed it, fingering the polished bamboo ribs as she watched Ryko walk the length of the open doorway, surveying the garden.
'Well?' she asked.
He nodded. 'We are alone. Tell him.'
All right, all right,' she said, holding up her hands. 'The robe is the Emperor's way of sending a message to Lord Ido and, through him, to High Lord Sethon, his royal brother.'
'Lord Ido serves High Lord Sethon,' I said, remembering the snatch of conversation between my master and the official at the arena.
'Yes, you are very quick,' she said, lowering her voice. 'Together they have built a base of power that, in all truth, exceeds the Emperor's. It is no secret that Sethon covets the throne and now, through Ido, he owns the Dragoneye Council as well as the armies. With the Emperor ill and Prince Kygo of age but still living within the protection of the harem, Sethon was near making his move. That is, until you came along.' She touched my shoulder. 'The awakener of the Mirror Dragon. A Co-Ascendant Dragoneye. But more importantly, a potential split in the Dragoneye Council. And the Emperor is not wasting any time claiming you and your dragon as his own.'
The horror of her words rolled down over me. Without having even seen High Lord Sethon, I had made an enemy of the most powerful man in the land. And the Emperor saw me as his way back to supremacy. I was the rabbit caught between two ravenous wolves.
'It is why the Emperor is keeping you close,' Lady Dela said. 'Why you were brought to the palace. Granted, there is no Mirror Dragon Hall at the moment, but you could have gone to one of the other halls. And tonight, when you walk into the banquet room in the Harmony Robe, the Emperor will have made his intentions very clear to his brother and to the I) ragoneye Council.'
I pressed my fingers over my mouth, trying to keep the terror from screaming out of me. My master had not reckoned on me becoming the focus of royal attention — I was only supposed to be an apprentice. Ryko crossed the floor and laid his hand on my shoulder, the heavy weight of it keeping me from gathering up
the misnamed robe and running as far away from this deadly struggle as I could.
'Courage, my lord,' he said gruffly. 'There is nowhere to go. You are locked in this game until its end play'
'Do you know where my master has gone?' I asked urgently 'I need to see my master.'
He would know what to do. How to tread softly between these two mighty forces.
'Heuris Brannon,' Lady Dela corrected gently, 'has returned to his home to dress for the banquet.'
A cold realisation washed over me. From now on, my master would not always be there to protect and counsel me.
'This is too big. Too big,' I said. 'What do I do?'
'You follow your destiny' Ryko said. As we all do. With honour and courage.'
Lady Dela rolled her eyes. 'What kind of piddling answer is that to give the boy?' She grabbed my arm, her long fingernails digging through the silk. I felt the man's strength in her grip.
'Listen to me. You are no longer a penniless candidate. You are a Dragoneye lord. The court is abuzz with the sight of the other dragons bowing to you. You have power that frightens even Lord Ido. So use it.'
I could barely sense my dragon, let alone use his power. Lord Ido had nothing to fear from me. But even if he knew that, it would not stop him. I remembered the look on his face as he watched the dragons bow to me. That was what he wanted: all of the dragons bowing to him.
And I was in the way
I pulled my arm from Lady Dela's grasp. She was a man living as a woman; a survivor. She would not align herself with a hopeless cause.
Who do you think will win this struggle, Lady Dela?' I asked. 'Who do you follow?'
She sat back, eyeing me silently. I stayed very still, not even blinking under her scrutiny
'The Emperor,' she finally said.
'Why?'
