The Lychee Grove Earth Court had the wisdom and discerning taste to adopt my recommendation of firefly performances: That was the first thing I noticed. Firefly spirits were blinking on and off in stylized lychee patterns along the walkways, guiding guests to the main courtyard where the banquet to honor Jullia would be held.

(Technically, it was more what I’d call a “garden party” than a “banquet” proper, but that seemed fitting given that the entire Earth Court was one giant garden.)

Whoever organized the event had also had the wisdom and discerning taste to schedule it for twilight, when the lotuses that bloomed in profusion smelled the sweetest. Round lanterns, painted with sprays of flowers or landscapes or historical scenes, hung from the trees, trailing long silk tassels that swayed in the evening breeze. Small square or lotus-shaped lanterns bobbed on the surface of the water, forming glowing clusters like constellations.

(I spared a moment to wonder how Flicker was doing – but only a moment. He was just doing fine, I was sure, harrying souls on to their next lives.)

I was surveying the scene from Floridiana’s shoulder, in my guise as spoiled pet sparrow. Although all the high-ranking Earth Court officials, Anthea, and probably Jullia by now too, since the raccoon dog had never been able to keep her mouth shut, knew what I was, that was still no reason to broadcast it. After all, I didn’t want to catch the attention of any bored gods or goddesses, and no one else wanted to be on the receiving end of Heaven’s wrath when it decided to punish anyone who’d harbored me.

A carved rosewood chair had been set up, throne-like, in a gazebo for Jullia. Towering overhead was a ginormous eight-sided story lantern that rotated slowly, telling the tale of Lychee Grove’s salvation. Three panels showed the city being attacked from all sides by an army of surpassing strength (although it omitted the Black Crag banners, presumably for when the queen’s uncle returned to royal good graces). Only two panels depicted the lychee eating contest, with hordes of awed onlookers and the Earl of Yellow Flame looking much more dashing than he did in real life. The final three panels were devoted to the queen’s majestic arrival to save the city from certain destruction.

Even if this lantern hadn’t been my idea, or even something we used to do at Cassius’ court, it was a nice touch. It was good to see that modern-day Sericans could innovate too.

The herald positioned at the edge of the courtyard saw our retinue and banged his staff on the paving stones. “Koh Rohanus, Master of the Mint of Lychee Grove, and his daughter, Miss Koh Lodia!”

Lodia looked sicker than if she’d just been called up for her own beheading.

“Chin up, shoulders back, just like we practiced,” Floridiana murmured.

“You’ve got this!” Bobo added, loud enough for the herald to hear.

The man’s face didn’t twitch. I was watching.

“Come, Lodia,” urged her father and, with a gulp, she shuffled after him. She kept her head up, although I would have bet that she didn’t register a thing she saw. Both Kohs dropped to their knees before the queen.

“You may raise your heads,” came Jullia’s cool voice.

They obeyed, and she regarded Rohanus first. “Master Koh. You look well. It has been a while since I saw you and your late wife, has it not?”

At the mention of her erstwhile friend, a stir ran through the courtiers present.

Rohanus dipped his head. “I am grateful that Your Majesty remembers us.”

“And little Lodia. How you have grown. I hear you have cultivated quite the talent for needlework.” A hint of warmth entered Jullia’s voice as she studied the girl from the top of her silver headdress to the knees of her gown. (Kneeling on the paving stones wasn’t doing anything for the silk.)

The length of time that it took Lodia to collect herself enough to respond nearly made my heart stop beating. Then, at last, she stammered, “Than–than–thank you, Your Majesty.”

“We, too, enjoy needlework when our duties permit. Let us discuss it later, in a more informal setting.”

As another stir ran through the courtiers, Jullia lifted her gaze from the pair and returned to staring into the middle distance, the signal that she was done. The Kohs rose, bowed, and moved to a side, Lodia as floppy as a skein of silk.

Next to me, Floridiana heaved a long sigh of relief, and Bobo grinned her widest snake grin. “Ssshe did it!”

Of course she did. I never doubted her for an instant.

The mage and her horse humphed in unison.

The herald banged his staff on the paving stones again, knocking a few loose. “Mage Floridiana, Headmistress of the East Serican Royal Academy, of the Claymouth Barony of East Serica! His Highness the Valiant Prince of the Victorious Whirlwind, of the Claymouth Barony of East Serica! Bobo, bamboo viper spirit, also of the Claymouth Barony of East Serica!”

As the courtyard exploded into cheers and applause, Dusty tossed his head and swished his tail. He nearly swept the hairs into the herald’s face, but for once, Floridiana didn’t scold him. Maybe she was a little nervous herself.

We really should have given you a better title, I whispered to Bobo.

“Nope, it’s fine!” She sounded cheerful as ever, eyes sparkling as she slithered across the courtyard. “Hey, do you sssee that? They made patterns with the ssstones!”

Indeed, the courtyard was paved with stones of different colors and pieces of porcelain to form a pattern of stylized blossoms. If I had to guess, they were lychee flowers. I’d seen this form of decoration before, of course, but not in Claymouth, meaning that it was completely new to Bobo.

At the foot of the steps leading up into the gazebo, we halted. Floridiana knelt, Dusty carefully lowered himself to his front knees, and Bobo coiled up and curved her long neck down. I stayed perched upright on Floridiana’s shoulder. Hey, I hadn’t been announced. I was “only” a pet sparrow. And unless Anthea had blabbed, Jullia should have no idea that I was anything more.

From the slight arch of the queen’s eyebrows, I inferred that the raccoon dog had indeed blabbed. Sigh.

“Raise your heads,” came the cool command.

I could read her royal displeasure, but I couldn’t tell if Floridiana were sensitive enough to courtly ways to pick up on it, and Bobo and Dusty certainly didn’t notice. But the courtiers’ beaming smiles evaporated.

Hmm, maybe I should have bowed.

“Be welcome to our kingdom, travelers,” said Jullia, her voice holding about as much hospitality as a pineapple that an imperial courtier displayed on their dining table. “We appreciate the role that you played in deescalating the earlier, unfortunate situation.”

Well, that was certainly lukewarm thanks. Had Anthea also blabbed about how lychee-eating contests were not a form of dueling back in the Empire? I supposed that royalty didn’t like outsiders making fools of their uncles, even recalcitrant, wayward uncles who were in need of a good beheading.

Floridiana ducked her own head. Sounding as if she were quoting a line from a play, she recited, “It is our honor that we might have been of some service to Your Majesty.”

“Now, we wish to reward you for your services,” began the queen, just as I had predicted. She had to reward us, if only to assert her status as the giver, rather than receiver, of favors.

One of her retainers stepped forward, bearing a casket draped in crimson silk that was embroidered with a golden dragon. It probably contained crude gemstones and debased coinage, none of which would be particularly valuable.

I nudged Floridiana’s neck with my beak. Library. Ask to use her library.

The mage twitched, just a bit, but the queen’s eyebrows raised again. “Yes, Mage Floridiana? Is there something you wished to say?”

Intimidated, Floridiana was about to demur, but I poked her harder with my beak.

Normally, I wouldn’t have been so persistent over a matter of some books – theoretical academic study wasn’t really my thing, I was more of an applied person – but if I were going to set up a kingdom-wide system of temples to the Kitchen God, I needed her to do some research for me. Plus she could update her teaching materials, which would benefit all her students.

Plus it was something that she desperately wanted for herself.

Her dream was within reach. All she had to do was speak up and ask for it.

Think of all the books, I whispered, giving her the final push she needed.

Face taut with the strain of composing her own sentences rather than quoting from old plays, Floridiana stammered, “Ye–es, Your Majesty. If it so please Your Majesty, I was hoping that, perhaps, I might be allowed…access to…the royal…library?”

“The royal library?” From Jullia’s tone, I couldn’t read her opinion.

“Yes, if it so please Your Majesty.” Floridiana swallowed hard. “I am the headmistress of a school – I mean, an academy – but the texts that I have to teach from are outdated, and I was hoping that I might update them.”

Some of the courtiers were hiding smiles, as if to say, Running a school! How prosaic! Off on the side, Lodia squeezed her hands in front of her and stared with all her might at Floridiana, willing her stay strong.

As for Anthea, she just looked bored. She wasn’t one for much reading either.

“Access to our library. Rather than gold or silver or jewels, that is the reward you desire?”

Not for nothing had Floridiana spent decades as an impoverished traveling mage. At the mention of treasure, her eyes lit up, and I could see her calculating how to get both.

I jabbed her in the neck again. Don’t get greedy. Focus. On the books.

South Serican finances were enough of a mess already. There was no point in straining them further to provide her with debased coins that weren’t worth melting down for the metal and jewelry that a schoolmistress could never wear, not unless she wanted to make the Baroness very, very jealous. Which would not be good for her or anyone associated with her.

A tiny sigh escaped Floridiana, but she surrendered to my better judgement. “Yes, Your Majesty. For myself and my companions, that would be the best reward in the world.”

Jullia’s lifted finger signaled the retainer to step back again. “Fiat. Let it be done.”

Dusty whickered in distress as his dreams of jeweled breastplates evaporated, but Bobo just gave Floridiana a grin, happy that she’d succeeded.

Ours had been the final audience.

In the gathering dark, firefly spirits swept out swirls of light to escort guests to the long banquet tables, indicating their seats with dramatic starbursts.

Jullia, Anthea, the Earl of Yellow Flame, the Lady of the Lychee Tree, Missa, and assorted dignitaries whom the queen couldn’t afford to snub were seated at the head table. Due to Floridiana’s, Bobo’s, and Dusty’s commoner status, we were relegated to the second table, which irked me, but not as much as I would have imagined, because we were seated next to Rohanus and Lodia. Goodness knew the girl needed all the moral support she could get.

Breathe, I advised, hopping down into her lap so she’d use her hands to pet me instead of pick at her nails.

She gulped and ducked her head, but a fingertip traced along my back.

Smiling at the guest across from her, Floridiana murmured, “You can look around the garden too, Lodia. No one’s going to get mad if you admire the scenery. They expect it.”

Obediently, Lodia lifted her eyes from me to the fireflies over the lake, who were now spelling out riddles involving classical allusions to entertain us while we waited for dinner. As she did so, her line of sight passed the head table. She accidentally met Anthea’s eyes, flinched, and ducked her head again.

You don’t need to be afraid of her. She was very impressed by your embroidery.

Anthea lifted a languid hand. A servant instantly appeared behind her, and she gave him some instructions without glancing at him.

“Was she? Impressed? Truly?”

Yes.

I was getting really tired of repeating myself, but I forced myself to be patient. Lodia was going to get proof of it soon enough anyway.

“What did she like about it?”

Why don’t you ask her yourself?

Right on cue, the servant’s voice said behind us, “Miss Koh Lodia, the Lady Anthea requests your presence.”