I ducked into a small alley between two wooden stalls and changed into my new ‘footman of the emperor’ cosplay.

  The fabric was nicer, smoother than my street kid outfit. Close to 18 ends per inch as opposed to barely 8 ends per inch. Both were linsey woolsy, the particular mix of linen warp and woolen weft which was quite common in this climate.

  The street kid outfit had more of a sheep smell, which was actually good for the use. Street kids are more likely to need the water shedding properties of cloth with more natural lanolin.

  I tied all the laces, buckled all the buckles. I recognized the makers mark on the buckles as made in one of the spring palaces on the way from the winter court to the summer court.

  I combed out my hair and arranged it in a clumsy recreation of how the princes in the crèche were styled.

  I put five gold in a purse on my belt. I had a lot more gold coins than smaller ones. It would be great to break a few. I eased back into the flow of traffic, apparently unobserved.

  I strolled down the market path. I paused at a spice and seasoning booth, one of the permanent ones, and one with stronger than average walls. I smelled and picked, gathering six silver in pleasant smelling substances, each in their pencil marked paper screwed into cones. My prepared foods were reaching a middle and the unprepared foods did not include spices.

  At another stall, a temporary one much closer to the docks, I spent a whole gold on a smaller than I expected bag of salt. It wasn’t even fine ground. It was coarse rock salt which had obviously been passed through a few sieves.

  My leisurely stroll ended at the tentatively identified pirate ship’s open air offerings. They hadn’t even set up a tent or awning. The wood was still there.

  I made a point of examining everything.

  They had a lot of dross to go with their treasures. Quite a few barely stained pieces of clothing with small or mended holes. Shoes that had way too much wear to be new, and not even good enough quality for resale, really.

  There were a whole row of books, I examined those closely. Nothing worth my coin.

  There were three crates full of various fruits from the Rye Islands, including some I recognized as crèche favorites.

  I totally should have picked the girl’s clothes if I was buying for the kitchen. I would when I delivered the fruit. In fact, I had juice from most of these fruits in my ring. A snack was always a good in for a servant wanting to speak with a family member.

  “What are you asking for the fruit?” I asked in my best not terribly interested tone.

  “Five silver per crate.” The sailor said, looking unimpressed by my likelihood of buying anything at all. Ten copper per silver, ten silver per gold. That was way overpriced, except I hadn’t seen many fruits of the same variety in the market.

  “And the firewood?” I didn’t turn my head toward the wood.

  “That’s not firewood! That is fine Ebony from the Rye Islands.”

  “It may have been, at one point, but it is dinged, splintered and some of the boards are broken. Might as well call it firewood now.”

  I was exaggerating the damage, but I also could see the lowest boards, which would be the most damaged if I had stacked them for sale as a pirate. Those lowest boards fit my description.

  “Bing. Tread lightly. That’s one of the Empress Mother’s boys. What were you eyeing, sir?”

  “How about I’ll give you two gold for the bruised fruit and you throw in the firewood free.” I tried to channel every haughty servant I had ever observed.

  “Do it, Bing.” The second pirate hissed. “And here, take this for your patroness. A gift from the Pearl of the Sky. ” He handed me a delicate little broach made to look like a flower, with little pink gems for the petals.

  It was beautiful and I mourned for whatever woman had it stolen off her collar.

  However, that didn’t show on my face. I pulled two gold coins from my purse and handed them to Bing. I stored what I bought in my ring and accepted the brooch. I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

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  I walked away, letting my purse clink at least once. I sensed the sailor trailing me before I saw him. He could have been the brother of the first one who had spoken to me.

  I don’t recall if she ever phrased it directly, but some of the games Sir Amelia had us play as convent orphans included trying to follow each other unseen and trying to spot your tail.

  It was one of many ‘games’ she drilled us in. I’m quite sure she meant most of the girls to eventually become guards or knights like her. I was just collaterally educated.

  I walked straight to the mansion not leaving crowded streets and casually strolled into the building past the guards.

  The men leaning against the wall in imperial guard uniforms actually nodded at me as if they recognized me. I smiled like I belonged and waved slightly.

  Oh the power of the correct clothing.

  I walked into a privy room, where the usual enchanted chamber pot sat in an old fashioned outhouse style shaft into some disused sewer. It didn’t even smell terribly unpleasant.

  I changed into the female costume, remembering to slip on the promise ring like the ones on the fingers of the girls who actually belonged.

  I was correct that there would be a pile of baskets in an alcove outside the kitchen. It was right under a chalkboard that listed a dozen hard to find items. Apparently I could get triple for my grocery run if I just brought in specific items.

  Of course, the price was in merit tokens not coins, so it might be useless to me.

  I took one and my handwritten list out of the same door, past the same guards. The maid cap and my quick updo hid my ragged hair.

  The pirate was waiting for me, but he didn’t look twice at a little girl. He was hoping to rob a boy.

  I filled my basket with the items from my purloined list, plus eight mostly unblemished ripe Evglaz fruits. I waited until a gaggle of girls returned and I just walked in behind them.

  “Look what I found!” I held up one of the fruits just as I entered, bypassing the little line that formed. I’d come up with this plan, even though it would burn my girl character quicker than just walking in with a basket, because I wanted to gather what information I could and trade it to the Duke for a ride to wherever the First Prince was holding my mother. I didn’t want the beloved little emperor to give me away too quickly and I wanted a believable reason to intrude on him.

  “Get in line.” One of the girls hissed.

  “Don’t stretch your neck out for favors, new girl.” Another growled.

  “Let me see that.” One of the cooks, the one who had been standing back with his arms crossed, strode forward. He tore into the citrus peel and sniffed, then tasted the juice. “This is the initiative I’ve been telling you to seek.” He said. “This is on the reward board.” He brandished the fruit.

  “I think I bought them from a pirate.” I said smugly.

  “Quit trying to talk like the upstairs ladies. You aren’t there yet, migirl.” She was the woman examining baskets and lists.

  I was amused. I was trying to match the local accent, not the palace one. The effect was good.

  “Lay off Para. She’s only doing what’s expected.” Another cook ordered.

  The man took my whole basket and handed me three round tokens. “Good work, girl. Less talk of pirates.”

  I bobbed correctly and went to stand with the other girls who were clutching their single token. Lucky for me it was a free time block. I followed them to the ladies solar where they played with a ball and pretended to do embroidery.

  I was easily able to slip away. My goal that day was to explore the house.

  Luckily, like any house intended to house any imperial family members, even as guests, the house had an elaborate set of back corridors and stairs.

  The imperials were quite literally never alone. That was why it seemed ridiculous to me that the emperor’s rooms and courtyards were some of the least attended I had ever seen. I expected to be dodging guards all day. I didn’t see one until I wandered too close to the empress mother regent’s bedchamber. Even her study- which was cluttered with open letters and other papers- was completely ignored. I didn’t enter. I was just casing the joint at the moment.

  The former princess consort had only four adult guards. They worked in shifts to protect her. The little footmen in training like I had pretended to be, stood guard in corridors with toothpick thin halberds that probably couldn’t swat a fly. They did follow the prince/emperor and his mother in the corridors, but didn’t guard the back halls.

  Maybe they thought they did a good enough job guarding the approaches? Maybe they were low on funds? Did all the Imperial Knights leave them?

  That lack of security in and of itself telegraphed the weakness of her cause. I found the little prince alone in his schoolroom. He wasn’t alone long.

  My old nemesis Tutor Trina walked in fifteen past the bell. I fully expected her to torture him the way she had done to me, but she was loving, cloying. It felt more like she was auditioning for princess consort than working as his tutor.

  Doubtless his afternoon lessons were exactly why his maids were at liberty. I needed information about his schedule, and it was easy to find, just by easing around the room. There was a chalk board on the wall, easily within view from the guard post.

  I was working fast, I should have been more careful, but I was going to move in on him, and quickly. He had free time after Trina left him and I was going to make contact, but not today.

  I left him to her clutches and continued exploring the house. As huge as it was, only a small portion was inhabited. There were levels in the cliffs that seemed old construction. The walls had been shored up instead of being deconstructed for new construction.

  I even found a garden exit which led straight to the same cliffside street where I had arrived.

  To be fair to the Earl and his people, the connection to the lower level was a single missed secret stair which was flush to the wall. Without the faint scratching on the floor I might have missed it too.

  I set up a likely home in the bowels of the house and changed clothes again. I had wood to deliver.

  Why? Why buy and deliver the wood? It just felt karmic. It felt like I’d been given a quest by an NPC, as cold and awful as that sounds.

  However, it seemed wrong to be delivered such an obviously fortuitous encounter and not act on it. Who knows. Maybe he would be a leader of the resistance or something. If the regent pretender actually warranted a resistance.