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The prince shot her a dazzling smile. “We were exchanging old stories from when the First Archer aided us during Governor Renyu’s uprising.”

“Your Majesty.” I bowed to her, concealing my haste. “We are grateful for your hospitality. Unfortunately, my mother and I must depart, as we have pressing news from home.”

“Your home that was attacked?” There was the slightest inflection in her tone.

“The perpetrators have fled,” my mother replied, covering my slip. “The moon has been dark without me.”

The queen leaned back against her throne, her lips pursing. “Will you not stay for the festivities tonight? My guests from the Eastern Sea will be disappointed if you depart so soon. The monarchs of the Northern and Western Seas will also enjoy meeting you, our elusive Moon Goddess.”

“While that is true, matters of home should always take precedence,” Prince Yanxi said smoothly.

The queen nodded. “Very well. If you wish, some of our guards could accompany you there.”

My mother bowed. “Thank you for the kind offer, Your Majesty. However, we have troubled you enough and my daughter is a fine warrior.”

Prince Yanxi smiled. “Indeed, she is.”

Someone tugged at my sleeve, a small hand slipping around the curve of my elbow. I glanced down to find Prince Yanming, his face alight with hope. “Can I come with you? I want to see the moon,” he whispered. “It’s so dull here. Eldest Brother is always in meetings and won’t let me go out without him. And he’s always ordering me to hold my tongue.”

I crouched down to look him in the eyes. “Maybe it’s because you say such outrageous things, Your Highness? My mother often advised me to speak with more care if I wanted my words to be given weight.” How solemn I sounded when all too often my words trampled courtesy in their wake. Yet something about him sparked in me the desire to keep him safe, to counsel him to be better than me.

“Brother, you are being discourteous to our hostess,” Prince Yanxi said pointedly. “Moreover, Xingyin is too busy to entertain you, as she is leaving.”

I released Prince Yanming’s hand gently. “When things settle down, you must come for a visit. I will show you my home with its silver roof. The osmanthus forest, and the thousand lanterns which you can help us light.”

Empty promises to trick children into behaving better, my mind scoffed, even as despair enveloped me. The last I had seen of my home were the flames devouring it. Did any part remain? I did not know … and perhaps, I never would.

Prince Yanming’s smile stretched across his face. “Promise?”

Liar that I was, I nodded.

Footsteps clicked across the tiles, growing louder. An immortal entered the hall, clad in familiar brocade robes, a black hat upon his head adorned with a piece of flat jade. A Celestial messenger. My fingers inched toward my mother’s hand, clutching her in warning.

The messenger knelt before the queen, holding up a scroll between his palms—thick yellow brocade rolled around twin bars of sandalwood—just like the one we had seen before. As an attendant took the scroll and presented it to Queen Suihe, my mouth went dry.

Yet there was still a chance; the messenger did not know us. I forced myself to smile, though I was trembling within. Our only hope lay in a swift exit. “Your Majesty, we thank you again. We will take our leave now.” My voice was low, intended to be overlooked, as my mother and I backed away from the throne.

Queen Suihe nodded, her gaze fixed on the scroll, her attention already shifting to matters of greater importance.

As we turned from the throne, Prince Yanxi engaged the queen in polite conversation. I thanked him silently for the distraction, for delaying the inevitable moment when she read the missive from the Celestial Kingdom. I did not know what was written within, though my instincts prickled in warning. We strode briskly past the rows of courtiers, toward the entrance, as I suppressed the urge to run.

“Halt!” Queen Suihe’s voice rang out, sharp with command.

The guards before us crossed their spears at once, blocking our way. The pit of my stomach folded inward as I swung to the queen.

Bright-red splotches mottled her skin. “To have my kindness repaid with dishonesty is a grave disappointment,” she seethed, crumpling the unraveled scroll in her hands. “Word has been sent across the realm that you and your mother are traitors to the Celestial Kingdom, fugitives from justice. Any who harbor you are threatened with stern reprisal. Do you know all I have done to keep us safe? Only to have it all threatened by a pack of liars who sheltered here under false pretenses.”

Prince Yanming pulled free of his brother’s grasp. “Xingyin is not a liar! The Celestial Emperor is a—”

“I apologize for my brother’s rudeness, Your Majesty,” Prince Yanxi interjected, casting a stern glare at his brother. “Perhaps you might listen to what the Moon Goddess and her daughter have to say?” His tones were carefully modulated to show no partiality.

The slightest dip of Queen Suihe’s head was the only indication that I should speak. From the hard set of her face, she was not inclined to listen, yet I would try.

“We did not lie, but we did not tell you the whole truth—that it was the Celestial Kingdom who attacked us, unprovoked, and drove us from our home. For that, I am sorry. We did not intend for any harm to come to your people and were about to leave to avoid trouble.” Despite her hostile expression, I plowed on. “Strange things are happening in the Celestial Kingdom: unexpected shifts in power, loyal and trusted advisors being sidelined. Change is on the horizon, and not for the better.”

Queen Suihe’s eyes blazed, an enigmatic smile upon her lips. “You are right about one thing—change is on the horizon, and I intend to be on the right side of it.” She turned to the Celestial messenger. “Inform His Celestial Majesty that I have apprehended the Moon Goddess and her daughter upon his request. They will be imprisoned here to await his justice. In return, I ask that he remembers the value of our friendship.”

The messenger bowed, yet he did not leave as I expected. His hand shimmered with a greenish light as he touched the jade on his hat. A soft chime rolled through the silence, the stone glowing brighter, before dulling once more. “His Celestial Majesty commanded us to inform him the moment we had news. He will arrive shortly,” he intoned.