SilverSidhe

  Lianhua y face down on the floor, the pressure of the Emperor’s power surrounding her. She had never felt such strength from a human being before, not even her grandfather, and some traitorous part of her mind wondered if it was possible that the Emperor had a dragon’s core. Her grandmother was only distantly reted to the Imperial family, and she had had a core, so how likely was it that the Emperor himself - the product of people who were perhaps slightly too closely-reted - really was entirely human? It would expin why no Emperor had ever ascended, in spite of their great power.

  “You may rise,” a smooth voice said, and Lianhua managed to lift her upper body enough to peer at the Emperor through her shes. Strings of heavy beads hung from the front and back of his hat, obscuring his face, but she could see that his skin and hair were as pale as her own. His robes were of rich, brocaded fun silk, and he sat in the eborate golden throne pictured in every official painting of every emperor. Power rolled off the throne, making Lianhua wonder what, exactly, had gone into making it, and what powers it might have.

  She pced her hands in front of her on the floor, bowing over them and trying to pretend that her arms weren’t shaking. “I am at your service, Your Imperial Majesty, Son of Heaven.” She dropped her gaze to the long sheaths extending from her pinky and ring fingers. She wore them not to protect her long fingernails, but to hide her ck of them. Her grandmother had been shocked at the state of Lianhua’s hands, but she found that she was somewhat proud of the short nails and small calluses she was developing.

  The Emperor reached to the table beside his throne and id his hand on the bound tome that rested there. It was the first thing Lianhua had noticed when she entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Not just because it was a book, but because it was her book. The one she had written and presented to the elders of the Zhe Sect in order to show that she was worthy of being decred a Schor. Not that she even needed the title any more, now that her grandmother had recovered, and her grandfather acknowledged her retionship with Yingtao, but still, becoming a Schor had been her ambition since she discovered there were people whose only job was to learn and teach.

  “Is this book a full and accurate account of all you have learned about the Diushi and the past emperors?” the Emperor asked, the beads covering his face swaying so she could make out one cold amethyst eye staring down at her.

  She swallowed. Accurate, yes, but most definitely not full. She had written about Qiangde and his search for a path to ascension, but omitted the fact that he was a dragon. Mentioning that would lead to questions about, yes, the humanity of the current Emperor, and that was most certainly not a good idea. Of course, she’d never expected to be here, in front of the Emperor himself, desperately trying not to spill any secrets while also trying not to commit the unforgivable breach of lying.

  Bowing forward again, she let her hair spill around her, swirling around her hands and across the polished wooden floor. “The tale of the Diushi is complex, and I believe there is yet much to be discovered,” she said carefully. “This lowly one can only speak of that which is certain.”

  The Emperor made a thoughtful noise, and Lianhua gnced to the side, seeing her grandfather sitting on his pillow, expression neutral. He didn’t meet her eyes or attempt to reassure her in any way, yet somehow she felt reassured by his mere presence. He would attempt to defend her from the Emperor himself if need be, if only because if he did not, her grandmother would never forgive him.

  “And what will you do now, Schor Lianhua Long?” the Emperor asked, folding his hands together so his sleeves draped into his p.

  Lianhua thought quickly. She knew what she wanted to do, but what did this very, very dangerous man want to hear? Drawing in a deep breath, she decided on the truth. “As I said, I believe there is much yet to be discovered in Shensheng Mountain, Your Imperial Majesty. The duty of a Schor is to seek truth and teach truth. There are secrets yet unexplored, and many bright minds to teach. The kobolds of Shensheng are,” family, she thought, pushing down a slightly hysterical giggle, “far more intelligent than anyone has given them credit for. I would like to teach any who wish to learn.”

  “And what will you teach them?” the Emperor asked, no hint of his thoughts in his voice.

  “The great Sage Jiang Song said, ‘Teach the truth they are ready for’, and Xiong Yijun said, ‘Show them the way, but do not walk it for them’. In the spirit of this wisdom, I will let my students show me what they are prepared to learn.” In other words, I know when to keep my mouth shut, Oh Lord of the Heavens. She did, too, though sometimes knowing and doing were two different things.

  Within the swaying beads, the purple gaze grew slightly warmer. “I was greatly impressed by your work, Schor Lianhua. Thus, I have decided to make you a Court Schor.” Her heart almost stopped in her chest, but then began to pound at his next words. “As My Schor, you will return to Shensheng and discover its secrets. You will also be empowered to determine who is allowed to enter the Diushi ruins. Of course, you will send your reports directly to me, to be pced in the Imperial archives, alongside that of the previous Court Schors.”

  That was…not optimal, since she would never be able to publish her work without passing it by the Emperor first. But she understood that he didn’t want his family’s secrets revealed to the world. She stared at her hands, and the crossed bdes of the fingernail sheaths, and struggled not to gnaw on her lip. What she should do was bow, thank him, and back out of his presence, and only a few months ago, she would have done exactly that. Now though?

  Leaning forward until her forehead brushed the backs of her fingers, she said, “The Emperor offers this one too great an honor. In the words of Yinyou Wu, ‘The river flows calmly, but does not welcome the stone that seeks to block its course’.” Now, which of them was the river, and which the stone?

  Pale lips twitched. “I believe Yinyou Wu also said, ‘The river does not seek to push the stone away, for in time, the stone will learn the river’s path’. You are young, but I see great promise in you. Still, a sapling cannot know what the cypress sees from its greater vantage. Instead, the sapling is sheltered by the cypress until it grows strong enough to stand against the storm alone.”

  Protection, then, not threat. Lianhua snuck another gnce at her grandfather, and this time she caught the barest flicker of his dark eyes. She should agree.

  “The humble tree does not seek the sun, yet it reaches for the light when it is given,” she said. “This one thanks the Son of Heaven for the honor offered to her.”

  The bck curtain of beads rattled together as he nodded. “Then I give you leave to return to your duties, as I return to mine.” For the barest moment, she thought she caught a glimpse of a real smile, but then it was gone, and his attention had turned from her. She felt it shift, as if she had only just become accustomed to the weight of rocks, pressing her into the earth, before they were abruptly lifted. She rose to her feet, holding her deep bow, and backed toward the door that was so far behind her. Someone else passed her going the other way, their own body bent in a bow that became a full kowtow when they reached the pce where Lianhua had just been kneeling.

  Only when she felt the sun on her back did she dare to lift her head, quickly turning and making her way down the nine high steps to the wide walkway fnked by soldiers. Each of them was dressed in identical armor, bearing the same long spears, and with their eyes fixed straight ahead, so while she was surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, she felt very alone until the moment her slippered feet went down nine more steps and she fell into her grandmother’s arms.

  “Shhh,” Baihe said gently, pushing Lianhua’s hair back into pce. Her eyes flickered around, and she shook her head, reminding Lianhua that they were not yet safe. No ki could be used on Imperial grounds without permission, and that included Lianhua’s rune of silence. Anything they said would be overheard. Still, she snuck a gnce at Yingtao, who drifted along in their wake, and gave a tiny smile.

  The ride home was filled with banalities, since the carriage and driver had been sent by the Imperial pace. Lianhua’s one consotion was that she was able to sit next to Yingtao, and their fingers brushed within the concealment of their sleeves. It was well known that some people chose to take lovers of their own gender, but for a woman to take a lover who was of a lower caste was almost unthinkable, so they must remain circumspect until they reached home.

  Only when the gate to the Long family siheyuan closed behind them did Lianhua finally allow her shoulders to slump and her exhaustion to show. She had spent hours being prepared for her audience with the emperor, then waited two more hours before it was her turn to speak to him. The actual conversation probably took less than ten minutes, but it had felt like an eternity, during which she was utterly drained of energy.

  Baihe gave her a quick hug, patting her shoulder, then passed her over to Yingtao, who guided Lianhua up to their - their! - bedroom to remove the yers of makeup and clothing she was wearing. A hot bath was waiting for her, and an hour ter she thought she might actually feel human again. As human as she ever was, at least, given the dragon in her ancestry.

  That night at dinner, with her grandparents, Yingtao, and Chi Yincang around her, Lianhua expined what had happened, and what she hoped to do now. They had all heard it before - including Chi Yincang, who was always somewhere nearby - but no one interrupted her.

  “-but Ija and Avli both said I could build a school in their sections of the city, and they would send both males and females to learn from me. In a few years, I should be able to find a few kobolds who can start teaching others. Meanwhile, Kaz said he would show me some parts of the mountain that no one else has seen since the xiyi left. And of course there’s the mosui city - Bronze City, I think he said - and all of Zhangwo’s records. And I’d still like to investigate the cavern where we ran from that enormous lopo. Besides the rumor that there might be Diushi relics there, I’m curious about the lopo and the other creatures that seem to be unique to Shensheng. Are they all native animals that evolved because of the dense mana and the closed system, or are some of them also relics of-”

  “But first,” Baihe interrupted, pcing her chopsticks neatly on her delicate porcein chopstick rest. “You must give me the pleasure of overseeing your wedding.”

  Lianhua’s mouth dropped open. “Wedding?” From the time she’d realized that what she felt for Yingtao wasn’t simple friendship, she’d known there would be no wedding for her. No red and gold fengguan xiapei, no red wedding procession, no tea ceremony to honor her grandparents. For a little while, she’d believed that she might be forced to marry someone of her grandfather’s choosing, and her only consotion was the possibility of a wedding. One day of celebration was nothing when weighed against a lifetime of joy, however, so she hadn’t even thought to regret the loss when her grandfather acknowledged Yingtao.

  Baihe’s lips curved. “Of course. My granddaughter is in love, and Yufei has found that her choice is acceptable. The next step is a wedding. I have been working on your hanfu for years. It would sadden me greatly if I never got to see you wear it.”

  Something slipped down Lianhua’s cheek and dropped onto the golden tablecloth. She stared from her grandmother to Yingtao, more tears falling silently to join the first, until Chi Yincang dropped from the shadows and handed her a handkerchief. Usually, that was Yingtao’s job, but Yingtao seemed frozen, for once unsure what to do.

  “Do you…not wish to marry me?” Yingtao finally asked, then bowed her head quickly, hiding her beautiful green eyes. “I understand, of course.”

  Lianhua scrubbed at her eyes, blew her nose with a honk that undoubtedly horrified her grandmother, and flung herself at Yingtao. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes. Yes, please. Let me be your wife. Or you can be mine. I don’t-”

  “You will be each others’,” Baihe said, removing a scroll from her storage ring. “The Emperor himself approved the wedding license for Lianhua Long and Yingtao Yincang, and if no one thought to mention that you’re both women, well, the Emperor is a busy man, with no time for unimportant details.” She opened the scroll to reveal the imperial crest, which pulsed with ki to Lianhua’s senses.

  Lianhua bit her lip. “But the Emperor basically told me to leave. We don’t have time to arrange-”

  “The wedding will be tomorrow,” Baihe said, rolling the scroll up again. “I have invited a few of your friends from school, and your grandfather will perform the ceremony. It is, of course, less than you deserve, but as you say, the Emperor expects you to take up your new position as soon as possible. You will be away from the Empire…a great deal.”

  Possibly for the rest of her life, given that she now knew secrets the Emperor did not want shared with, well, anyone. She could see from Baihe’s expression that her grandmother understood what this meant for their future, but Lianhua was certain no mere Imperial order would keep Baihe away.

  Lianhua leaned forward, her simple braid falling over her shoulder. “You honor me, Grandmother. Grandfather. Thank you for this gift.”

  Her grandfather huffed, but his eyes were suspiciously bright. “Thank us with a proper tea ceremony tomorrow. And be happy.”

  Lianhua reached over and took Yingtao’s hand. “I will be. I am.” Turning to her wife-to-be, she smiled, feeling like her face might shatter and have to be pieced back together like kintsugi. “Yingtao, I-”

  Ignoring their audience, Yingtao leaned forward and pressed a kiss between Lianhua’s brows, causing her face to burn. “Tell me tomorrow, xing-an.”

  Tomorrow. Lianhua nodded, quoting one of her favorite poets.

  “The sun may set now,

  Its warmth waits, soft, for tomorrow—

  A quiet return.”

  Somewhere behind them, Chi Yincang choked, and Yingtao’s green eyes sparkled with ughter.