Back in his room, Yeijiro ate. He showered. He brushed and braided his hair. He dressed again—the first time in weeks he’d been able to dress as a marshal. He stood before the mirror, smoothing and straightening the dark charcoal and pale blue jacket. He pinned the bright blue and silver Imperial crest to its place on the right side of his collar, but when he tried to do the same on the other side with the Miyōshi crest, his fingers fumbled and he dropped it to the floor.

So much for pretending he’d been completely unaffected by his audience with Tōru.

So many feelings Yeijiro had thought he’d moved past, until he was kneeling before the man who represented everything Yeijiro had turned his back on. Yeijiro didn’t have the time—or interest—in examining what that meant. Fortunately there was no rush, as it was unlikely Tōru would be speaking to him again any time soon.

Yeijiro retrieved the pin and was able to successfully attach it. Properly attired, he went in search of the Lord Marshal.

The Dragon fortress was a maze. It was the oldest building on Pax, but it had started much smaller. Over time, it had grown, and had become more than just a fortress, taking in the Parliament, the akashic school, and the expanding number of people required to keep these institutions functioning.

This growth, along with its evolving purpose, had led to additions that didn’t always make sense from the inside. Corridors that should have connected, but didn’t. Buildings that had been half torn down to make way for new construction, leaving doors in places that went nowhere. Yeijiro had been exploring and memorizing for nearly four months, and he still got lost. Thank the ancestors Corinne had shown up to help him yesterday.

The atmosphere today was completely different from what he and Corinne had moved through. Gone was the languid air. Gone were the courtiers lingering in nooks and shadows. If anything, it was back to the way Yeijiro remembered the first couple weeks of Shadow Court had gone. Uniformed soldiers were everywhere. Both the Dragon Flame Guard and the Imperial Legionnaires had resumed their alert, attentive posture. In addition, Yeijiro spotted armed and obviously on-duty Griffons, Swans, and Wolves. The court had been shaken up by the last-minute attack, and no one looked like they were going to relax again until they were home.

Yeijiro still didn’t know what had actually happened. But it wasn’t as though he could just grab people and start asking questions. Actions against the conspirators could still be in process. One careless word and he might reveal the wrong thing to the wrong person. Hopefully someone would think to debrief him soon. Hopefully someone would remember he existed.

When Yeijiro reached the Lord Marshal’s office, Yeijiro was informed that Roderich was still occupied with the aftermath of the attack. He was turned away by an overly impatient clerk. “The Lord Marshal is occupied with important business.”

Yeijiro bowed an apology, but pressed ahead. “Could you please check? Tell him Marshal Miyōshi—”

“Hold on.” The clerk held up a hand, dug through a pile of papers. “Miyōshi…Miyōshi…yes. This is for you.” The clerk handed him a sealed envelope. “Your new orders,” he said briskly, then waved Yeijiro on.

Out in the hall, Yeijiro tore the envelope open. He wouldn’t be returning to Tacitus. He’d be reassigned to Terris—to the Golden Palace. He’d be stationed at the Imperial Court, reporting directly to Dahle Roderich.

Yeijiro reread the orders. Then again. Realized he was grinning like a fool. He folded the papers and slipped them into his jacket, schooling his expression into something less ridiculous.

“Yeijiro!” Coming out of an office further down the hall was Corinne. She wasn’t in her flight suit today, but in the Phoenix Guard dress uniform, all brilliant reds and golds, with wide bell sleeves that hinted at wings. She jogged over to him, and only when she was close did he notice the bruises peeking up from her collar—bruises that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Where have you been?” she asked. “I’ve been looking for you.”

The truthful answer was, in this case, also the best. “Asleep.”

“Well, you missed…” she paused and glanced around. “A lot,” she finished, but Yeijiro was pretty sure that wasn’t what she’d been about to say.

Another woman came out of the office down the hall—another Phoenix, but this one was dressed for flight. She saw Corinne and paused, watching.

“I’ve gotta go,” Corinne said. She hadn’t looked back, but her face had tightened with frustration. “But we should…we should grab a drink. Tonight. If you’re free.”

“As it happens, I’m at loose ends.”

“Great. Meet me at eight? Down in Tapti? The Golden Moon?”

Which gave him something to look forward to. In the meantime, he returned to his room to go through his notes and make sure he was ready to give a thorough and organized report to Roderich.