There were roses everywhere. Xian stared at the gate separating the city of Traverse and the bridge leading to the island of Traverse castle, and the sheer abundance of roses that had been left behind by the citizens of Traverse. It was all the guards could do to keep the roses out of the way of the gate itself, so the surrounding walkway had become a carpet of reds, yellows, peaches, burgundies, and pinks. Where the ground hadn't been enough to satisfy the mourners, even more roses were woven into the gate and the arch leading to the bridge proper. If they had been permitted to, Xian suspected that they would have also covered the bridge itself with roses.

  All in honor of Queen Alexela's funeral.

  The death of a royal was never something trivial, Xian expected that much. He just hadn't expected something so... enthusiastic.

  But as much as Xian might wonder about the mourning practices of Rathanians, he had a job to do.

  First, he had to get into that castle.

  It took Xian a bit of planning to sort out just how to make his entry. The castle was most likely on high alert, given the recent events and the emotional state of the kingdom. But thankfully, Xian had managed to find a supply cart making regular visits. From there, it was just a matter of hanging on to the underbelly while the driver made idle chit-chat with the guards inspecting the goods.

  It was the perfect time to infiltrate the castle. Not because it was particularly vacant, if the number of servants and guards making their way around the ground was any indication, but because where most of the attention would be as far from Xian as possible. With everyone so single mindedly focused on the royal funeral, all Xian really had to do was steer clear of the overly lavish chapel on the castle grounds. If anything, it was the perfect opportunity to map the layout of the castle. Soon, the conversation between the walls of the castle would turn from the funeral, and to the possibility of war.

  Xian needed to find the most likely places for those conversations to happen and make sure he had an entry point for each of those locations.

  By the time Xian had found a secluded enough corner of the castle (it looked like some sort of storage room, and not a very well-trafficked one if the dust was any indication), the first thing Xian had to conclude was that the layout of the castle should have been impossible. Xian had plenty of experience mapping locations mentally, but no matter how he compared his explorations with what he saw on the outside, the two just simply didn't match. Hallways were longer, ceilings taller, rooms that were not visible from the outside had large windows looking out.

  Of course, it was Rathania, after all. It only made sense that the castle itself was just as defiant to the balance of the world. Xian would have to make sure he remained on high alert, the last thing he needed was to become trapped within the castle walls.

  But Xian also managed to pick up another interesting bit of information as well. According to the chatter among the patrolling guards, the next order of business for the Rathanians would not be the discussion of war, as Xian had originally thought.

  Instead, their focus would instead be to hold the coronation of Crown Prince Naes di Alexela. Upon reflection, Xian could understand the Rathanians' reasoning: Rathania was known for the Four Thrones, and they seemed to be at their strongest (or at the very least, at their most dangerous) when all four thrones were filled. If Rathania wanted to go to war with Zilynth, they would wait until they were at full strength.

  If the idle chatter of guards was to be believed. Xian was not about to report back to Jangmi mere gossip; he'd need to find evidence for himself.

  Xian couldn’t find an office worth his time. Or, more specifically, find an office worth his time that didn't also make his skin crawl. There had been one office that Xian was sure would have held everything he wanted to know. With the dark navy painted on the door and the silver four-fold shield, Xian immediately recognized it as the mark of the Guardians, the elite arcanists who dedicated their lives to the protection of the royal family. And if Xian's research, and the reports of the Lotuses before him, were to be believed, then Guardian Nire held perhaps the most power in all of Rathania outside the royal family. If anyone were to know if there was going to be a coronation, it would be her. But the moment Xian reached his hand toward the door to feel for a weak point, he was overcome with a sense of wrongness. HIs hands trembled, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and Xian swore he could see his breath fog before him, every natural instinct screaming at him to back away from the door.

  The instant he took a step back, the feeling evaporated.

  That damned Rathanian mathuat, there was a curse put on the door, and Xian couldn't pick a curse.

  But before Xian could think of an alternative, the sound of bells clamored through the air, signaling the end of the funeral and the end of Xian's borderline free reign in the castle.

  He grit his teeth but retraced his steps back to where he had first entered the castle. The Rathanians might have won this particular battle, but Xian wasn't leaving empty-handed. If anything, he had a more concrete goal for the next day.

  Because if Rathania was about to crown a new king, then Semetra would need to be properly prepared.

  Xian decided that the cover of the early morning would be the best option for him to make reentry into the castle. It gave Xian the time to restock on supplies, eat, and get an hour or two of sleep, but also to properly prepare for the stealth assignment. While he had been perfectly adequate for the previous day's scouting mission, he knew that the castle would have more of their usual traffic, which meant he could take no risks of being detected.

  The cloak Xian had packed had cost him more favors and "special tasks" for Akita than he wanted to think about, but a cloak woven with the wool of the Meinai goats should have cost him a small fortune. The goats were famous for their ability to seemingly vanish, due to their wool mimicking the world around it. When woven into a fabric, the wool made any garment nearly invisible if the wearer remained still.

  And Xian knew how to be still.

  Which was how he found himself nestled quite nicely amid the rafters of the cabinet room he had scouted out the previous day. He couldn't help but feel a bit pleased with himself, thanks to his foresight, he had managed to pick out the perfect spot in the rafters: away from most direct sunlight, but still within reach of a window should the worst happen, not to mention at the perfect cross joint between rafters. Xian felt a bit like a bird coming home to roost, but if it meant he wouldn't get stiff by holding an awkward position, he was more than content with that.

  Not worrying about his comfort meant that he could focus more on the eight figures below.

  Xian made quick work of sorting out the three women in the room; even if he hadn't studied the Rathanian royal family extensively, it was rather obvious that he was looking down at Queen Maelee of the Throne of Air, Elreina of the Throne of Water, and Jessaia of the Throne of Earth. Of the sisters, Xian noted that only Elreina shared Alexela's fairer hair, though her skin looked tanned from too much time in the sun.

  The Queen General, Xian's mind supplied. If Rathania went to war, then Queen Elreina would be the one making decisions. And there were already reports of the Crown of Water flying off the handle when provoked, if her hasty accusation toward Zilynth was any indication. That could prove to be a dangerous factor… though not entirely unmanageable, once the proper triggers were discovered.

  The three queens each had a man seated to her right, which Xian took to mean he was looking at the King Consorts.

  Xian mentally recited, looking over each of them in turn to commit their faces to memory.

  From what he read, Dniw di Ria was completely mute from a wound during the war Rathania had during their time shut off from the realm. If he relied solely on written communication, that could give Xian a plethora of potential information.

  Which left the remaining two men. Both of them had vibrant red curls, and both wore especially somber expressions. Based on process of elimination, Xian could determine that the older of the two was Emalf...of the Star Clan. Apparently from the nomadic people, it was his marriage to Queen Alexela that caused quite a stir in Rathania, which was understandable. To marry someone so far beneath one's station...how Queen Alexela had not been affected with such dishonor, Xian hadn't figured out yet.

  But that meant the remaining man had to be Crown Prince Naes di Alexela.

  , Xian thought idly, taking stock of the prince's slender build, the dark circles under his eyes, and the tired slope of his shoulders. Clearly, the crown prince was not in the most stable of conditions.

  Something to ponder, clearly.

  "We have to invite representatives from every nation, no exception," Queen Maeleen's voice was soft, and Xian thanked the gods for the acoustics of the cabinet hall, or else the words might not have reached him.

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  Queen Elreina leaned back in her chair, displeasure written on her face, "We would have to be monumentally stupid to invite people who intentionally want to cause us harm. And since we're not monumentally stupid, there's no way we can invite Semetra or Zylinth to Naes' coronation."

  Xian raised an eyebrow at that. Did Rathania harbor ill will towards Semetra, to the point that the General of their army held them in the same regard as the kingdom that had murdered one of their own?

  If that was the case, then Semetra would need to be prepared. If Rathania went to war with Zylinth...would they turn their attention to Semetra? The thought made Xian's blood run cold.

  Below, the topic of conversation turned to the proposed guest lists some ambassadors had already sent forth to Rathania (did other kingdoms already know about the coronation, had Semetra been left out of the conversation?). There were some attempts at jokes when it was clear that there was an abundance of women among the envoys, an obvious attempt to catch the still-unmarried king-to-be's eye.

  Prince Naes, however, took no delight in the attention given to him, "Do we have to accept all these attendees? Couldn't we just have a small coronation, given the circumstances?"

  A reluctant prince. Was it the spectacle he wanted to avoid, or was he reluctant to accept the throne at all? Would he be likely to abdicate if given the correct pressure?

  There were more words effectively telling Prince Naes that the coronation would have to continue as planned, even if Queen Elreina had some choice words about the new Sultan of Zylinth and his request to attend the coronation. Xian reluctantly found himself agreeing. Asking to attend the coronation of a prince whose mother they effectively murdered was shameless at best; a challenge at worst.

  But then Revir di Ocard spoke, gently contradicting his wife's wishes. While that in itself seemed like a brave decision, it was the last few words that caught Xian's attention.

  "We have Princess Samiya attend as a representative from her nation."

  So the Rathanians did have a Zylinthian princess in the castle somewhere. And now the major argument was whether or not she should be used as a pawn in the political game that was unfolding. It seemed this was a major point of contention between the Four Thrones and their spouses, one that ultimately ended in a stalemate, with Fael di Kao calling for a break.

  The cabinet room slowly emptied, each royal and their spouse going their separate way, until it was just the widowed consort and the crown prince left in the cabinet room. Unwilling to leave until he was sure he had heard everything he needed to in this room, Xian settled deeper in his perch.

  Emalf of the Star Clan looked at his son, "How are you doing? I know this is...a lot."

  Prince Naes was quick to vocalize his doubts and concerns to his father, about the coronation, about taking the throne, about everything. And the King Consort seemingly commiserated with his son, first by joking, then with soft words of encouragement.

  Something in Xian twisted, and it became difficult to continue watching the exchange. When the conversation shifted to the shared morning of both wife and mother, Xian could feel gooseflesh prickling under his stealth garments and cloak.

  It's just like with the Guardian's office door, Xian reminded himself. He hadn't seen Guardian Nire enter the cabinet at all, but that didn't mean she hadn't cursed the place. Perhaps additional protection to deter would-be eavesdroppers?

  If that was the case, then Xian would simply have to endure. He had trained for this, after all; he could deal with the consequences after he had secured the intel he needed to send to Jangmi.

  By Jabidanche's mercy, the conversation didn't last much longer. Crown Prince reminded his father that he was an adult, to which the father reminded him that he would always be his son (Xian felt bile bubbling in his stomach at that point), before both men laughed and shared a tight embrace.

  "Now," Emalf of the Star Clan began as they released from their embrace, "I'm not hungry yet, but I could go for stretching my legs. Want to join me on some rounds around the castle?"

  A clear invitation for both of them to take their leave, which would also signal Xian's exit.

  Sure enough, Prince Naes stood from his chair with a small laugh, "I could go for that. Who knows, maybe we'll run into Lamaj and he'll want to join us."

  Xian went through the list of names he had memorized regarding Rathanian politics, and by Xuewen, he remembered quickly. Lamaj di Alexela, second prince of the Throne of Fire, so even younger than the crown prince, though still a good number of years older than the third prince.

  The King Consort smiled, "I would like that, but who knows where your brother runs off to on a day-to-day basis?"

  The two made their way to the door, but as Xian followed their movement with his eyes, he saw Prince Naes look back over his shoulder.

  Directly up into the rafters.

  Xian's heart leapt up into his throat. Had he been spotted? No, that was impossible, between his hiding spot and his cloak, no one should be able to see him.

  But since when did Rathanians care about what was possible and impossible? There was a very real chance that Rathanians could see through the camouflaging abilities of his cloak, or perhaps whatever curse was lingering in the chamber could undo any mathuat.

  But then, Xian realized that Prince Naes’s gaze was directed toward a completely different part of the ceiling, nowhere close to where Xian had hidden himself. And as quickly as the gaze had started, the prince had turned back to join his father in exiting the cabinet room.

  Xian allowed himself the luxury of a sigh of relief, sagging as the tension he had been holding suddenly left his body and offered his prayers to the goddess of mercy. The prince hadn’t seen him at all; though that begged the question of just what—

  There was the barest glint of light, and Xian’s hand moved quicker than his mind, reaching out and snatching the small blade that had been sent his way.

  A blade. Xian glanced at the blade. Small, designed to be thrown short distances, but obviously Rathanian make.

  So Xian been made! Had the prince been signaling his man to take Xian out? How could Xian have been so careless as to miss another presence? But he couldn’t allow his anger at his own incompetence get the better of him now, as he followed the trajectory of the knife back to its source.

  The Rathanian was young, younger than Xian for certain, and while he wasn’t wearing all black as Xian was, he was dressed in far plainer clothes than was casual Rathanian fare. The hand that was still outstretched from throwing the knife was a golden amber, as was the rest of his skin. The dark shadows of the ceiling made the dark red of his hair almost oxblood in color.

  But the shadows could not disguise the bright jade of his eyes. Jade green eyes that were wide with surprise. Petal pink lips parted as his jaw grew slack.

  . Xian realized. And, after a moment passed, and nothing happened, Xian’s heart skipped a beat.

  The Rathanian had frozen. Xian was convinced that the other man was much younger than he was, this might even be the first enemy had ever faced. It might even be his last, if his master was as stern as the Gardener had been.

  Xian couldn’t help it, he felt the corner of his mouth turn up. He would get out of this after all.

  Without dropping the knife, Xian retraced his steps to the open window leading out of the cabinet room. His cloak was fluttering behind him, useless for its intended purpose with the movement Xian was making, but Xian could rely on his own skills from here.

  “Wait!”

  If Xian hadn’t been running along the steep gables of the castle, he might have laughed. How naive was the Rathanian, to think he would wait just because he asked?

  But over the sound of his own breathing and footsteps, Xian could hear a second set of footsteps following his path.

  Xian mused, leaping to the next building with minor effort. He could have sworn it was closer the first time he had cleared that jump.

  It seemed the Rathanian didn’t have any trouble clearing the jump either, but Xian was not about to allow him to gain any ground. The moment Xian saw his opening, he took it. Reaching with his free hand, Xian grabbed the spire of one of the lower towers, allowing his body’s momentum to swing around to abruptly change directions. From there, Xian took one step, two steps, and then a large leap.

  Xian barely allowed his foot to make contact with the outer wall around the castle before he was making one last large leap over the side. He had to fight a grimace at the no doubt frigid water that lay below him, but better the water than potential capture.

  Hours later, after Xian had extricated himself from the moat and dried himself (and more importantly, his cloak) off enough to not appear suspicious to any casual observer, Xian returned to the inn where he was staying. Though to call it an inn would have been generous, considering it was little more than a tavern with an attic and an owner who wouldn’t ask questions as long as money was exchanged.

  Xian stripped out of his wet clothes and laid them out to dry, and quickly took stock of his current situation.

  He now had confirmation, directly from royal lips, that not only was a royal coronation on the horizon, but that Rathania was considering shunning Semetra from the event. Even if the invitation did get sent, the fact it was done reluctantly would no doubt be important information for those more politically savvy than him.

  He also had confirmation that the Rathanians did in fact have a Zylinthian princess in their custody, and intended to use her as a stand-in for the Zylinthian delegation at the coronation. What they would do with her after the fact, Xian had yet to determine. He would need to return to the castle to try and get eyes on the captive princess to determine her wellbeing.

  Xian looked down at his right hand. A small dash of dark red showed where the blood had already begun to clot and scab, but the fact remained that his blood had been drawn at all, let alone by an enemy blade. If Xian had been a less experienced Lotus, or perhaps still in training, the knife could have easily found purchase in his throat or his heart. But because Xian had little familiarity with Rathanian blades, he had to remain cautious. The blade could still do damage even from such a minor wound.

  After all, Xian had a few vials of various toxins tucked away in his belongings specifically for the purpose of coating the edge of his blade, so even the smallest cut could cause paralysis, disorientation, or, if necessary, death. But during his time waiting to dry off, Xian had felt no lingering side effects outside the normal warm throb of flesh attempting to close an open wound. And while there was still the possibility of some form of Rathanian curse on the blade (there would always be the possibility of curses, it was impossible to predict what or how Rathanian magic worked), Xian also couldn't allow himself to be paralyzed with fear.

  He had a job to do, and he intended to be the best at his job. So Xian retrieved his writing supplies from his pack, and went about preparing his report for Jangmi.

  When Xian received Jangmi's hawk, he had to admit that he was somewhat surprised.

  Of all the things he could have received in Jangmi's message, he was most befuddled by the order to grow his hair. He didn't think he had provided information so crucial as to warrant the respect of growing his hair out. But then again, growing it to servant length...

  Ah, Xian understood now. He was to join the Semetran delegation. It made perfect sense: by becoming an aide or servant within the delegation, Xian would essentially have open access to Traverse castle. Not that it was terribly hard to make entry into the castle, but it was always prudent to eliminate as many risks as possible.

  Xian ran a hand over his short hair, wondering just how long he could get it to grow in the time it would take the Semetran delegation to arrive.