"I'm going to be a full mage, and 18, next year. When will I be old enough to travel without adult supervision?" grumbles Summer Wind, in an unusually cranky mood because her mare is in foal and won't be able to go east with her.

"When you no longer have to ask that question," answers Smoke Cat.

"When you can welcome a friend to your expedition with joy, especially a shaman with more experience than you have, instead of complaining," adds Springing Doe.

"Blue Turtle Dreaming does have his own personal reasons for going, besides to look after you," points out Wolf Calling, and then, in a loud whisper to her sisters, "When did we become so stodgy?"

This makes Summer Wind laugh, as it was intended to, and she admits that she should perhaps apologize. Smoke Cat Watching smiles approvingly. "I half expected you to come with us," Summer Wind confides to her elder sister.

"I thought about it, too, but since I'm expecting in an entirely different way, dear one, I just can't." Summer Wind is delighted to have her suspicions confirmed regarding Smoke Cat's pregnancy and happily dandles Red Feather and plays with Little Dove until it's time for the babies to nap. Smoke Cat and Jonas share with the girl as much information as they gathered on their caravan trip to the Central Kingdom of the Seo Hán Nì Empire.

The company will consist of Summer Wind, who is 16 1/2-years-old; her older brother Silver Fox, at the moment confined to the form of a literal fox; Blue Turtle Dreaming, the shaman of Rolling Thunder clan; Parakeet, formerly known as Pretty Girl but unable to recall that period of her life; and Kanu, the guardsman assigned, after trading many favors, to supervise Parakeet. Their goal is to reunite Silver Fox with his human body, from which his spirit was sundered by his evil sorcerer father, Mourning Cloak.

Since, however, Summer Wind has inherited the title of Princess through her mother, of the Paleyit hill people to the north of the Central Kingdom, they will leave the caravan before it actually reaches the Celestial City and spend some time exploring those high hills. On the way to the Silver family home, they will detour briefly only, for understandably Silver Fox wants his boy body back as soon as possible, but they plan to wander that country more extensively as they return to the Arcane Academy.

There are no other foreign travelers with this caravan, and the friends, except for Parakeet, pretty much keep to themselves. Parakeet, knowing that she has done horrible things, as a result of which she has lost her memory, now wishes to start anew by becoming an entertainer, and the caravan crew are uncritical.

On the nights when Parakeet chooses to sing and dance for the amusement of the men of the caravan, sometimes Silver Fox will make the effort to inhabit his human shaped doll and become, for a time, basically indistinguishable from his boy self, but this drains his energy, and he wants to keep the ability secret from Parakeet, who tells everyone everything. So, often, three men and a girl gather together in the evening to eat, talk, and make plans. Kanu always keeps an eye on Parakeet, though, regardless of where she wanders.

Blue Turtle Dreaming's motivation in coming is that, finally, he has had dreams and visions of the woman he will marry, and they seem to be leading him north and east. He says he will know when he meets her, and no one doubts him, although a few do entertain questions regarding her reaction upon being told that she is to be his bride. As for Kanu, while his duty is to watch Parakeet, his incentive is also getting to watch Summer Wind, which she is not quite oblivious to, and slightly flustered by.

The time comes to split off from the caravan, which has traveled slowly but without incident, and head in a more northerly direction. Surprisingly, although it has been made very clear to Parakeet that she is free to leave whenever she likes, the woman opts to accompany them. She says, with a glimmer of that canniness for which Pretty Girl was known, that to be a successful entertainer, one must have a wealthy patron, or preferably patroness. Accordingly, Parakeet will seek one out in the walled, octagonal town among the hills.

By chance, they arrive at the Evening Gate, the western entrance to Hogaban, and it is shut! "Who's there?" comes the challenge.

"We are visitors from the southwest; this girl's mother was of your land and would know it better," answers Blue Turtle.

Silver Fox's sharp ears hear more; in the guard tower, the argument is this: "We have our orders. No one in or out!" the first man says.

"This is different. They claim the girl is Paleyit! She may... belong… here," ventures the second male voice.

Then, a door crashes open in the tower room and a female voice berates the men. "Open the Gate instantly. The girl practically glows with power! White magic, sadly, but she may be turned. Not, however, if you keep her standing in the cold! She must be isolated at once and taken to the queen."

"And the others?" asks the hapless guard.

"The man who spoke has power also. Bind him immediately, enslave the other, and do what you will with the stupid woman. And bring those fine, tall, plains horses to the royal stables!" the unknown harridan commands.

Silver Fox makes a split-second decision and leaps into his sister's pack, which is larger on the inside than on the outside so that his addition will not show. He must find a way to warn, or if it is too late for that, rescue and liberate, the others. What sort of place have they come to, anyway?

When the gate opens, however, they find a belligerent eastern Seo Hán Nì woman arguing with a native hill woman of about 28. "I am perfectly capable of conveying our GUESTS to my sister-in-law, Jade Black Rose, without your assistance. Go about your duties now, portress, and thank you," says the Paleyit northerner in clear dismissal. She looks longingly at Blue Turtle, and then holds out a hand to Summer Wind. "Sweet Heavens, child, you resemble your mother so closely. Something must be done about that."

"Oh?" says Summer Wind dangerously.

"You're a fighter, then; that's just what my people need! But for now, you need a disguise so that my sister-in-law, the queen, does not have you slain on sight, power or no power." The elegant woman is urgently hurrying them towards a spacious building at the end of the street. "My house," she says, watching Parakeet look at the valuables with envy and avarice. "You should all be safe here for a time. Not too long, but long enough. I am Madam Jade, or just Moon Shadow."

"You're married?" Under his tan, Blue Turtle Dreaming is paler and more upset than anyone has ever seen him, although his tone is calm.

"I am a widow. Jade Tiger was my late husband. I'm sorry; I'm so rude not to have asked all of you your names earlier, but it was absolutely imperative to get Frost Flower's daughter out of sight," the Paleyit lady explains.

Introductions are made, and then Summer Wind asks, "How do you plan to alter my appearance? It has already been said that my mother was from the northern hills."

"Yes, but it has not been said where your father was from. I think it would be best to have Blue Turtle Dreaming pretend to be your parent. You will, therefore, have darker skin and clearly cannot be the daughter of the princess who married Silver Dagger."

"All right," agrees the shaman.

"If we had time for henna to develop on your skin, we'd use that, but as it is, I think my cabinet contains both bloodroot or madder, and saffron," says Moon Shadow, and they get to work. Parakeet is bored.

Carefully, Kanu professes his ignorance of the politics of the north country. "Why is all of this necessary?" he asks.

"Didn't I tell you? My apologies!" says Jade Moon Shadow. "Hogaban, the only real town in the hills, has four Gates, each with a princess. Then a queen rules over all four, but with their cooperation. Frost Flower was Princess of the Dawn or eastern Gate. Summer Wind is her legitimate heir. But the title has been usurped by Jade Black Rose, the Queen of Paleyit, who now holds all four quarters."

Soon, the companions and Moon Shadow can delay no longer; they must present the girl who was spotted at the gate to the queen. Blue Turtle, who wasn't immediately bound as it was discovered that he is the girl's father and such an action would surely alienate her, accompanies Summer Wind, called, this time, Butterfly.

Kanu prudently elects to keep Parakeet with him while he remains with their horses. The excuse for his continuing freedom is that he must translate for Parakeet, who has a special affinity for steppe-bred horses and serves as their informal trainer. She doesn't, of course, but any sort of flattery instantly goes to her head, and she winds up believing it in very short order. Silver Fox is still nestled in Summer Wind's pack, alert to anything helpful anyone might say. He doubts that this is only about politics, as dark magic moves here.

Sure enough, while the humans are at the other end of the barn, Silver Fox hears a pair of young women admiring the plains horses. "So fine, they are, clean limbed and proud of head. I wish we of the cabal had these to ride instead of the hill ponies."

"Learn to fly, little Sister; then you won't worry about the beauty of your mount," her apparent elder and superior taunts the malcontent.

"Even you can't fly forever," says the first with a hint of petulance. "I suppose our acquisition of these steeds all depends on the recruitment... or elimination... of the new girl."

Meanwhile, ‘Butterfly’ is meeting the queen, certainly older than her sister-in-law, but still very youthful looking, almost ageless, and white as cream. In the back of her mind, Summer Wind wonders about arsenic. Her Majesty Black Rose is definitely regal, and showy, yet welcoming enough to Butterfly, and gracious even to Blue Turtle Dreaming. Jade Black Rose tells them that here in the north she has established a center of learning for girls, above and beyond that available in their homelands.

"Oh?" inquires Blue Turtle, as if mildly interested in sending his daughter here. "What do your instructors teach? Your Majesty…" he belatedly tacks on the title.

Jade Black Rose laughs and does not quite manage to be as mellifluous as her speaking voice. "Most of our students come from the Central Kingdom, so first we teach them our Paleyit Hill tongue. Reading and writing if they have not learned it. Mathematics and logic. Alchemy or a bit of magic if they possess both the aptitude and desire."

"How enlightened!" says Butterfly, "High Queen."

"Then you must stay with us for a short time, at least! Your father can spare you while he conducts his business in the Central Kingdom. You did express a wish to know your mother's country better," says the queen in a manner that is not to be contested. "You will all be Our guests for dinner, and then you may bid goodbye to your father and companions, as they will no doubt want to leave very early in the morning tomorrow."

"Regardless, I would prefer to walk them to the Dawn Gate," insists Butterfly.

During the stately dinner, the queen continually extols the virtues of her educational system, stressing how extensive her libraries are compared to the few books that might get carried from camp to camp through the steppes. Butterfly is to have her very own room, plenty of privacy in which to study.

Tuition is free for those of northern hill descent, and Butterfly will have almost no chores to interfere with her learning. What could be better? Summer Wind, not being a fool, senses a trap, or, at the least, a cover up of major flaws, but she is not sure now how to get out of paying a brief visit with any grace at all. The situation doesn't seem, so far, to warrant sneaking out of windows in the dead of night. Hence, as long as her mother's identity is not known, she will play along as she goes.

Silver Fox, of course, is not invited to dinner. In fact, he suspects that if his presence were known, he would be regarded as vermin. Curiously, since the episode at the gate, he has heard nothing but women's voices, some obviously of greater rank than others, but always feminine. He considers one of the few true pieces of information told to his elder sister Smoke Cat by his sorcerer father: female magic workers in the Central Kingdom are shunned as witches and cast out. Where do they go? North, perhaps?

Somehow Moon Shadow has managed to arrange for the others to become guests in her home for the night, but Butterfly is to be shown her new room and the services provided by the queen's school, then meet the others again to say goodbye in the morning. And indeed, Jade Black Rose did not brag at dinner; the library is wonderful. Poetry and history and mathematics and philosophy, in addition to the many of the magic books she had seen at the Arcane Academy, especially in the "Forbidden" section.

Summer Wind, again due to not being a fool, has not mentioned the Arcane Academy to her royal hostess. She insists on checking on her horse, actually Smoke Cat's horse, and bringing her own pack up to her room. When she sees that the dormatory is embedded into the side of a sharp hill overlooking the valley in which Hogaban dwells, she does not need to fake hysteria. NOT ANOTHER TOWER! This sense of panic is easily explained by her supposed plains upbringing, so she is provided, instead, with a low room almost entirely illuminated by windows.

It is up to Silver Fox's sharp senses to choose a safe time for the siblings to talk as people, and due to the nature of the crafts practiced here, it is well after midnight and nearing dawn when he puts a human finger to her lips to awaken and shush her. "What's going on?" breathes Summer.

"The queen has a cabal, an elite corps of black magic witches who were either attracted by her wickedness or simply hurt and bitter girls who were turned to the dark gradually, seduced by books and freedoms as they plan to do with you."

Summer Wind's mind is full of questions. The most pressing is for her brother: "If you leave this place, do you think you can get back in again, barred gates or not?" Silver Fox is certain that he can. "Good, you must go with the others in the morning, then, and warn them about the situation here."

"You're staying?" he inquires softly.

"We need more information. We need a source on the inside whom we can trust. Since Moon Shadow failed to bring up the subject of the witches, I don't know how involved she is. Maybe she just felt there was no time. But... since her motives aren’t completely clear…” Summer Wind shrugs eloquently. “Well, I believe my own eyes and ears. So, I’ll be the spy behind the lines, or walls, in this case."

"Do you intend to overthrow the government and remove the cabal, then?" her brother says, trying to point out the enormity of this plan.

"I don't know exactly what I intend. But that’s one possibility. I feel a need to dance on it," says Summer.

Silver Fox does not understand this affinity for dancing in his sisters but, shifting to animal form, sits back on his haunches and waits. Summer Wind is very lovely, and she moves well. In almost no time the moths, since butterflies do not fly at night, appear. One lands on her outstretched hand and seems to be communicating with his little sister. As she later tells him, what it said is this: "A shaman trial is seven days alone. Here, you face a trial of seven days alone, yet among enemies."

The grey fox cocks his head at her. His younger sibling elucidates, "I interpret it to mean that this is a trial I must undergo, as dangerous in the civilized world as the shaman trial is in the wild, and that if I'm not successfully out of this place in that time, I will have failed beyond redemption." Summer Wind sees the concern in her brother's eyes. "So please, if I have not emerged on my own before that, come and rescue me on the sixth day and no later!" She scratches his furry ears in the way he likes. "I'll miss you."

Happily, she is already up, dressed, her pack reorganized with the silver figurine of the fox hidden in her glove, and on the way to the Dawn Gate at the appointed time. Summer Wind wonders if her new 'friends' would have conveniently forgotten to wake Butterfly, and how far beyond the gate her companions would have gotten without being imprisoned, or worse, had she and Madam Jade not watched them pass away out of sight. All sorts of things can happen when there are no witnesses, and the men were not popular with the cabal sisters.

However, Silver Fox's statuette vessel has been transferred without mishap, and now Butterfly is alone with Moon Shadow. "Is it permissible that I visit your home today?" Butterfly asks formally as though she had never been there.

"Certainly, my child," says the widow, "I am ever glad of company. I'll let them know at the school that you are breakfasting with me this morning. If that suits you?"

"That would be delightful," enthuses Butterfly/Summer Wind.

"How do you like the Dawn Gate?" inquires Moon Shadow, leading Summer through busy streets towards her grand townhouse, as though the eastward-facing gate to the octagonal walled city were merely a subject of idle banter and not her rightful inheritance.

"I love it," the girl replies warmly. "It reminds me of springtime, and of hope." Plus, of course, the legitimate princess has just finished touring her approach to Hogaban, and has acquired a working knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses, which will come in handy if she does decide to liberate the city from Jade Black Rose.

"Well, my dear Butterfly, what is it that you would like to discuss?" says Moon Shadow, after they both have tea and plenty of food, generously opening the conversation to anything her young visitor desires. "Several things, actually." Summer Wind replies. "Firstly, how well did you know my mother?"

"Ah, I was one of her junior handmaidens. I think we all wanted to be just like her when we grew up." Moon Shadow sighs. "Instead, I wound up marrying the brother of the Princess of the Evening Gate, who later became the High Queen."

"It was very lucky for us that you happened to be in the vicinity to outrank the portress," commented Summer Wind.

"You heard that? It wasn't intended for your ears, but I suppose it's better that you know the whole truth than snippets that you glean accidentally," Madam Jade philosophizes.

"The queen usurped the Dawn Gate first, then assassinated the holder and the heirs of the northern Winter Gate; the daughters of the southern Summer Gate fled and hid, although there are rumors that some of the Winter Gate descendants survive in exile with them... somewhere. You are the last legitimate heir to the Dawn Gate. Jade Black Rose has no daughters or nieces, so there is no one to succeed her." Jade Moon Shadow pauses. "Her grand education scheme is ostensibly to help her find a worthy candidate."

"But instead, it attracts cynical, nihilistic, and disenfranchised potential witches?" surmises Butterfly/Summer Wind.

"Oh, some are wicked enough, already; those go straight into the cabal if their talents are sufficiently powerful. The others are coached and trained and tested in various ways. My own magic just barely qualifies me for the cabal, and if it wasn't for my familial relationship to the queen, I would never outrank the portress." Moon Shadow sets down her cup as though afraid her hands might shake and spill it. "I was there... you'll think it odd... or perhaps you won't... but I was there because of a dream I'd had the night before..."

Summer Wind reaches out her hand to the nervous older woman. "His name is Blue Turtle Dreaming, and there's a reason for that," the girl says reassuringly.

"Yes, I suppose... I dreamed that I would meet my husband... the father of my children... me, at my age, and barren as I am... but I knew him right away." Moon Shadow is at a loss for words. “I can’t even begin to describe how that felt, just… knowing, beyond a single doubt.”

"He is a fine man, and my good friend; I'm very pleased for you both." Summer Wind smiles encouragingly.

"You know him. You don't think... I'm too old... or he'll want children?" the widow frets.

"I think he'll want you, exactly as you are. I also think I wouldn't set too much store by your own barrenness if having no nieces served the queen's interests," the young girl replies, wishing she had Smoke Cat's soothing ways.

Jade Moon Shadow's eyes fly open wide, then narrow, as she considers. "She plans to use the cabal to reign over the entirety of eastern Visharvé, from Paleyit to the archipelago of Thedhis T’al," the older woman volunteers.

Blue Turtle's orange necklace is itchy, often a sign that someone is talking about him. He hopes that it is Summer Wind and Moon Shadow, and that they are saying good things. The other option, within range, would be that Queen Black Rose suspects something, and that is a thought to be banished.

The party has ridden out of sight of the modest hill town of Hogaban, now, slowly so that it didn't seem as though they were running from the crossbows that they knew were aimed at their backs. Kanu has only had to use his new "choke cherry" spell that renders the victim temporarily mute, on Parakeet twice. Not unforeseeably, Parakeet’s hatred of Kanu has increased drastically, but less so than it might have when it was explained to her that betraying them all to the northerners was likely to get her imprisoned, too, or at least made a scrub maid as a reward.

When the silver fox statuette is removed from Blue Turtle Dreaming's belt and the lad tells them all that his keen ears picked up during their time there, the companions are doubly glad to be outside the gates but greatly dismayed by Summer Wind's decision to stay.

Blue Turtle speaks first: "She is not meant to be a shaman, but neither will she be a standard mage. I suppose it is not to be expected that her trial be a normal one of either kind."

Kanu vows, "We will rescue her." And that is all he feels it necessary to say on the matter.

"Let us see, first, if she requires a rescue, but certainly we will not fail to aid her in every way that we can," temporizes Blue Turtle. "How quickly can we travel to the Capital City to regain your body, Silver Fox?"

"Very quickly... if you are willing to cross a few streams instead of taking the regular roads. I promise I know these trails and I will not get us lost," is Silver Fox's response. And for the most part, he is as good as his word, only overestimating what a horse could be convinced to do twice.

They are met at the door to the imposing Celestial City house by the boy's body in a forbidding suit of armor, but since Silver Fox helped to forge and fit that armor, he knows exactly where to bite to make contact with his own body's flesh. And with almost no external difference except that the armored man seems to become very dizzy suddenly and fall down, and the fox is absorbed into the whole, it is done. Silver Fox can still change shape, human to fox and back, but now he no longer needs to rely on figurines.

Parakeet does not think it is fair to be treated like you will automatically become a criminal, just because you were one once, when you can't even remember what you did. They say that it's for her own good, to save her from being used or abused by old associates who wouldn't believe her claims of amnesia.

She still wants to be an entertainer, but only if that is the best option available to her. Parakeet's true desire, naturally, is to become a princess. And she doesn't understand why she shouldn't be one; that Summer Wind girl is one. Of course, Summer Wind would have to fight the queen in order to keep her life and her title, and the queen, according to the men, has a cabal of witches. Parakeet is not sure what a cabal is, but it sounds very nasty and unpleasant to get on the wrong side of.

However, it stands to reason that if the sister is a princess, then the brother must be a prince. Therefore, whoever marries Silver Fox will become a princess as well. Parakeet has always felt a vaguely proprietary regard for Silver Fox, although she does not know why, yet now that he's a young man rather than a statue or a furry creature, he's really gotten much more interesting. And she knows she's a pretty girl, and that Silver Fox hasn't had much experience with those. Winning his affection should be easy.

Parakeet can even afford to be generous and wish Summer Wind, whom she doesn't like much, luck in fighting the queen with the vicious witches' cabal-thing. If Silver Fox's sister wins, maybe they will live there in the northern town, perhaps even in the beautiful house they went to before. This is not to say that Silver Fox's mansion in the Central Kingdom isn’t also quite nice, but it makes her vaguely nervous to be stared at so much by the servants. Haven't these strangely pale people ever seen a pretty girl before?

Accordingly, Parakeet begins to gently woo Silver Fox: touches that last a little too long, demure entertainment during dinner, shy smiles and coy glances, but nothing too overt that might frighten him, as he still seems to have a bit of wild animal nature. Kanu, of course, frowns. But Kanu is always frowning when watching Parakeet, so that's not new and she won't worry about it. Mostly Silver Fox talks about his sister and how concerned he is for her safety. Parakeet sees that she must be sympathetic, no matter how dull the girl actually is.

Butterfly/Summer Wind is now determined that something must be done to prevent Queen Black Rose from ruling large portions of the world. What is it with ruling the world, anyway? It sounds like an enormous pain. However, the task at hand is to stay free and under cover to gather data and then escape.

Therefore, Butterfly takes all the opportunities offered to explore the city and the countryside, spending the rest of her time immersed in books. Some are histories of the region, but mostly she chooses magic books, at first as "white" as she can find, and then, curious as well as ‘in character’, she begins to devour tomes of "grey" magic as well. Sometimes called "clear" or "red" magic, these spells are neither black nor white in and of themselves, but depend on the intent of the caster, and the application in which they are utilized.

Of course, there are "black" spells intermingled with the "grey" and even the "white", and Summer Wind knows these to be traps for the casual page-flipper. Care must be exercised. Also, she eats as little of the food provided in the main dining hall as she can, as she suspects it of being tainted. Water, she conjures for herself. Butterfly is discreet about building too obvious a friendship with Moon Shadow, but she visits her sporadically and when she can, although they no longer discuss secrets.

What Butterfly perceives of the countryside is this: the hills are lovely, and the homes are charming eight-sided houses, with wide windows but thick shutters in case of inclement weather. The people, however, are afraid. Even though she is not yet wearing the purple sash or armband of the cabal, folk are wary of her and hurry their children back inside when they see her. A few to the east of the city seem to recognize something in her, and smile at her if she is alone, but do not dare speak.

The climate is remarkably temperate to be so far north, and fruit trees are in abundance. More than once, Summer Wind is so strongly reminded of her mother that she must blink away tears. On the morning of the fourth day, the girl faces her first test: the queen’s officials demand, “What was your mother's name, so that we might reunite you with her family if they still dwell here?” Moon Shadow has prepared her with a suitable answer, however; an orphan servant of hers who went south to seek her fortune. Butterfly passes.

On the fifth evening, Butterfly is again summoned to dine with the queen, but it is to be a large affair with both the cabal Sisters and the prospective members in attendance. Summer Wind hopes that she can pick up some useful information here, since she feels that so far she has failed to do anything but hide successfully. The young princess, however, is in luck. Talk is all about "when!" Apparently, now that Mourning Cloak is dead, they plan to inhabit all of the land up to and beyond his mountain.

It seems that "when" is going to be within the next fortnight, depending on drills and readiness, but no later. Feeling that this is enough data to go on, Summer Wind plans to leave the town in the wee hours of the morning of the sixth day. She has since learned that all of the Gates are kept locked.

However, there is always the "High Gate", or in short, the sky. This is guarded, too, but there is a lot of town area to patrol in the air over Hogaban, and Summer Wind hopes to slip past the cabal portresses. Instinctively she veers towards the east, towards the Dawn Gate, her domain, feeling that its magic may yet protect her. And whether that is the reason or not, it works; Butterfly is not intercepted or challenged. The unfortunate thing is that she will not be out of sight of the Gate by dawn.

Therefore, knowing that she is taking a terrible risk, and yet seeing no other option open to her, Summer Wind abandons the road to cruise through the small villages within reach. The young princess remembers an old woman who not only smiled, but nodded, which was as close to a bow as was possible under the circumstances. She decides to ask this elderly lady for whatever help she is willing to give, at least sanctuary for a few hours while the hue and cry for the missing "new girl" dies down.

The elderly woman is quite helpful, perhaps even more so because she has memory problems that let her see the past clearly, but she can only focus on the present with difficulty. Summer Wind hopes that if the old lady is caught, the cabal will neither be too harsh with her nor be able to make much sense out of her. The beldame seems to think Butterfly is Princess Frost Flower escaping from a tedious day of politics and lessons, so she asks the girl why she doesn't use the hidden "fey" barn?

There's nothing supernatural except for the door mirage about a "fey" barn; it is simply a storage area dug back into the side of a hill to be relied on in hard times, or if marauders come. It sounds ideal in that it both looks ordinary and is challenging to find without local help. The only problem is that there is only one door in and out of the hillside. Summer Wind is nearly out of energy from staying too long awake and doing too much magic, and so she elects to try it, at least for a few hours of rest. The old lady is a seamstress, and Butterfly buys a few items.

Before she allows herself to sleep, Summer Wind arranges her purchases, and a few other objects common to barns everywhere, and says a cunning spell over these. Then she retires not quite to the very back, burrows into the hay, and falls asleep. The young princess is not betrayed, nor is the old woman even questioned as the cabal dismiss her as too senile to count for much. However, one or two of the junior members of the cabal are local and know of the "fey" barn, which is duly checked over.

Parakeet has been watching with displeasure the growing influence that Kanu the dour has over HER Silver Fox. But there can be no doubt that the two have made friends, and not just over worry for that foolish girl Summer Wind. Every ploy which she designs to break them up, however, is disastrous.

Blue Turtle Dreaming is sleepier and more contemplative than ever, lately, which Parakeet understands happens to the elderly. That he might be in love never even crosses the thresholds of her mind. When they were in the Capital, Celestial City of the Central Kingdom, Parakeet did notice that people of darker complexions tended to have more menial jobs, but clearly that does not apply to her, as she is unique and sublime. She will be an original. People will stand in line to be amused by her... somehow.

Of course, none of this will matter once she marries Silver Fox and becomes princess of whatever. People will have to treat her with respect and pay attention to her then, oh, yes, they will. Parakeet is a girl with a plan. Sadly, Silver Fox is not entirely ignorant of her rather transparent plan and does NOT endorse it. He will find his own bride at a time of his own choosing, or so Silver Fox believes. He knows, however, that any woman with whom he shares his life will not be a vapid twit.

It is on the morning of the sixth day, just as Silver Fox promised, that the companions arrive outside the walled northern town's eastern gate. They have formed no better strategy, so Blue Turtle Dreaming advances and demands, politely, to speak to his daughter, Butterfly. He is wreathed in defensive magic... just in case. Then, however, something unexpected happens; he is allowed inside. Only him, the others must wait patiently outside while Blue Turtle Dreaming converses with Jade Moon Shadow.

Even in human form, Silver Fox's hearing and sense of smell are preternaturally keen, and he is able to glean the news that there's an upset in the guardhouse of the Dawn Gate. The girl's father has come at just exactly the wrong time; she has disappeared. Or maybe he has come at the most conveniently right time, in order to be a hostage to lure her back inside the town. No one knows which direction she took, but the queen is most furious with the eastern guards. Often, she strolled that way.

Silver Fox is elated by the news that his sister has escaped, apparently with information worth recovering, but as time goes by begins to worry a bit that he has heard nothing from either her or Blue Turtle. Around midday, that changes. A limp girl, the image of Butterfly, is carried from behind a small village and inside the gates. Kanu immediately reacts and would have gone after her had Silver Fox not restrained him. "That is NOT my sister. It looks like her. But it does not smell like her."

"Oh, Blue Turtle, I'm so glad you've come," says Moon Shadow in a low voice once they're beyond earshot of the guard tower. "I did my best to keep her safe, but Butterfly has disappeared. It is my hope that she has escaped from this place, from the cabal, from my sister-in-law and her schemes...”

"And what of yourself, Moon Shadow?" he asks. "If it is discovered that Summer Wind has... using the terms of war... successfully spied and retreated, then what will you do?"

"I..." the woman knew she was being too tentative when events left no time for equivocation. "Before the Princess of the Dawn Gate came, I thought I had no choices, but her spirit is like a flame, and I was ashamed to have done nothing to stop the cabal or sabotage its goals. Just a girl, only 17, but to me she seemed to be a sign."

"So... you would choose to remain behind enemy lines as a saboteur?" Blue Turtle inquires, trying to keep his feelings out of his voice.

"No, I fear I would be caught and... eliminated... almost immediately. No, if Butterfly/Summer Wind is all right and has escaped, then that is what I wish to do also, to leave Hogaban and never come back until it is washed clean of evil." The widow blinks back tears; this is very hard for her, leaving everything behind. "Could I come with you, please?"

"I would like very much that you come with me always and forever," he says. For a time, they talk about small, but very important things: for example, what is it like to live on the steppes and would Moon Shadow like that? Has she always lived in the eight-walled town and what does she think of northern village life? Has Madam Jade been to the Seo Hán Nì Empire to the east? It is vital to Blue Turtle that his new bride be happy, and he is not conceited enough to think his presence would erase or compensate for all other flaws. Soon it is almost noon.

Just as the lovers sit down to luncheon, two groups of officials come banging on the door. The first, by arrival, is the cabal, and they have come to question Madam Jade. The second, who actually set out first, are the Dawn Gate guardsman, who have come to take Blue Turtle into custody. Through this maelstrom glides the queen, managing to be fully in control of both wrangling factions at once. "Sister," says Jade Black Rose, "the best and worst of news; the girl is found; but she is dead!"

Silver Fox, after the commotion of people tromping back and forth ebbs, is able to lead Kanu back to the barn where the simulacrum of Summer Wind was found, the ‘body’ that smelled too much like sawdust to be a girl. Parakeet is bored, AGAIN! The two young men thoroughly search the barn, but Summer's not there, now.

Eventually they find Butterfly up a tree in a small copse nearby, no part of her visible except the shine of her eyes and the gloss of her hair. It is an excellent disguise spell that relies less on the spell than on actually hiding. Summer Wind is delighted to see her brother and Kanu, and perhaps even Parakeet, but the length of time Blue Turtle has been gone is beginning to seem ominous to her. Instinctively, Silver Fox assumes his animal form, and Kanu fidgets with one weapon after another, testing the sharpness of each.

The companions do not have long to wait; even as they are stealthily approaching the Dawn Gate, Blue Turtle Dreaming is being shown the "corpse" of his “daughter”: in reality, a clever synthesis of a sewing mannequin torso, a slightly reconfigured sawhorse for legs, grass sickle arms, and a nest of angry hornets for a head. Many of those who tried unsuccessfully to wake the girl, both amongst the guard and of the cabal, have very nasty welts from multiple stings. Blue Turtle is commanded to use his own magic to find Butterfly instantly.

Jade Moon Shadow is not technically threatened or abused by the queen, but every word is calculated to bring out pangs of guilt and inadequacy in her. She is not told that the portions of what was believed to be the girl were all inanimate objects, except the hornets; so far as she knows, Summer Wind is truly dead. She is shocked into tears and then, discovering that incoherency works for her, resorts frequently to that tactic. No one expects a poor relation of the queen, low in magic, to have much intelligence or fortitude.

"We will have to get back inside somehow and rescue them. I suspect that both Blue Turtle and Moon Shadow will be surrounded by traps, and kept apart," muses Summer Wind. Silver Fox and Kanu nod their assent.

"Furthermore, we need a distraction..." Kanu looks over at Parakeet making daisy chains.

Silver Fox surreptitiously shifts back long enough to say, "But how do we convince her that betraying me advances her fantasies?"

"My brother, it is not your soul, but a princess-hood she craves." The fox just stares at his sibling for stating the blatantly obvious. "All right, it's a stretch, but the whole point in the cabal was supposed to be to find a suitable inheritor for Jade Black Rose's Evening Gate. Could we cause her to think she is a long-lost heir or that she would be chosen as a reward for my death?" asks Summer Wind.

"I don't like it," Kanu says, "too many "ifs" and "maybes"; something will go wrong." Frankly, he has been severely disturbed by the false dead Butterfly, and is again distraught, now, hearing the real one speak so blithely of her own death.

"You could dance on it," Kanu offers. "You never know; you might even get useful advice."

"You just like to watch me dance," teases Summer Wind, but prepares to dance anyway, as it seems to be a good time. Her sister can tell when storms are "wrong", a skill she lacks, but she knows that one brews.

This time Summer Wind is afraid her legs will turn to jelly before she gets a response, when suddenly the air around her is full of butterflies. She is getting better at interpreting their messages, as well. "Fight at not fighting."

"She is nothing without her cabal, as you are nothing without us."

And especially, "Lives are the stake." Summer Wind takes this to mean that she must challenge Queen Black Rose to some sort of ritual magic combat, for the lives of her friends. But not in town!

Magician's Duels were not just frowned upon but actively illegal at the Arcane Academy, therefore Summer Wind has no experience. She hopes Jade Black Rose has none either, at least with formal matches for points instead of to the death. While the girl cudgels her brain for what she has read or heard about such bouts, Blue Turtle appears at the Dawn Gate. He looks somewhat the worse for wear but not beaten too badly. "My Butterfly," he announces, "I am a hostage, as you see. Do not come."

Blue Turtle Dreaming has, of course, refused to use his shamanic skills to locate the girl, and for that he was beaten. But he can be, and is still being, used as a regular hostage. He has not seen Moon Shadow and worries for her greatly. The children, as he thinks of his younger companions, will do something, probably something rash, and possibly even something successful. It is for him to be alert and ready to help them in the best ways he can, and to figure out how to free Jade Moon Shadow.

Moon Shadow is still in her house. It is heavily guarded, of course, but at least she is not imprisoned somewhere that was meant to be a jail and would not, therefore, have over a dozen entrances and exits alone, not counting windows, as the late Jade Tiger’s estate possesses. Finally satisfied that the widow knew nothing about the girl's recent disappearance, her questioners failed to ask her anything else that might upset her further, since it’s unlikely that this bucket of tears could be trusted with secrets, right? And so, she hasn't had to lie.

"But what shall we do for an objective observer to keep score?" thinks Summer Wind by touch telepathy into Silver Fox's fur. They, and Kanu the invisible, have managed to infiltrate the town through the Summer or south Gate, which Butterfly feels is the next friendliest to her. Unfortunately, a sleep had to be laid over Parakeet while they reconnoiter. They discover the widow's whereabouts immediately; her house is being swarmed over by guards and witches. But Blue Turtle is not with her.

Parakeet feels odd, since she's grown out of the habit of sleeping at midday, but refreshed and ready to implement her plans. No one is around! They've all left her to go talk secrets, but she has keener ears than they think. They want to set up a magical combat challenge with the queen. Fools!

Well, Parakeet will be on the winning side, there. The girl, Summer Wind, can't possibly win, and the queen will reward her richly for divulging the identity of her true foe. Maybe even with the girl's old title: Princess of Sunrise, or something. Well, that's not Parakeet's favorite time of day, but perhaps something can be negotiated there. Accordingly, Parakeet slinks off to the eastern gate and demands entrance, as she has valuable intelligence for Queen Jade Black Rose. And it opens.

While Parakeet is repeating her story to supervisor after commander, after supervisor, etc., Butterfly, disguised as one of the junior members of the cabal, walks boldly through Moon Shadow's front door. Her brother is leaping through a back window into an empty room, and Kanu is hanging back invisibly to rescue them if needed. It is very taxing to do anything useful while invisible. Summer Wind has given herself a horrible mock case of acne with rouge and lip dye, so no one wants to stare.

When Summer Wind finds Moon Shadow, it seems that luck is with her. They are on the second floor alone, and Silver Fox guards the stairway. It is so easy that both siblings are wary of tricks and traps, but so far have not detected any. "Moon Shadow?" she whispers.

The woman looks up and turns even paler than before; it is clear that she has been crying but the tears don't restart now. "I tried to help..." the widow says with defeat. Butterfly didn't anticipate this blind, utter dejection.

"It's me, Summer Wind," the girl says, "and we've come to get you out of here."

"Summer Wind?" and the clouds in the older woman's face lift a little. "Not Butterfly? They told me Butterfly was dead." Moon Shadow shows a bit more animation, but only a bit. "They took Blue Turtle Dreaming away; I don't know where. You should be helping him. I'm not important."

"Well," Summer Wind says brightly but softly, "Butterfly may be dead, unless I have need of that name again, but I'm quite alive!"

"You look awful," remarks Moon Shadow, and then she does cry a little, but silently.

"I know," says Summer Wind. "But we can't stay. I don't know where Blue Turtle is either, but he'd be happier knowing you're safe." Handing her the bag that is bigger on the inside than the outside, Summer Wind tells Moon Shadow, "Gather everything you can't bear to live without; this will hold it, I promise. However, we haven't got much time, so choose quickly. We can discuss plans later when we're free."

As Summer Wind judges that she is far enough beyond the southern Gate to strip off her cabal Sister disguise, Silver Fox resumes his human form, and Kanu finally becomes visible again. The siblings would have had a couple of close calls had it not been for Kanu creating a distraction down the lane.

Moon Shadow simply sinks to the ground from pure nervous exhaustion; she has had a terrible day and there are many miles yet to cover before she can consider herself safe. Silver Fox's sharp ears hear this announcement, made from at least two Gates: "Her Royal Majesty Queen Black Rose of the family Jade will answer a challenge to a magicians' duel made by Her presumed Highness Princess Summer Wind of the family Silver. This event will take place in precisely seven days in the "fey" barn..."

At first the widow was dubious that her sister-in-law would accept such a bargain, but the genius of sending it by way of Parakeet's "gleaned" information ensured that at least half of her hierarchy would have heard of it before Jade Black Rose. The queen wouldn't dare decline for fear of seeming weak. Therefore, she would be in that "fey" barn at noon next week. She would of course have set traps everywhere to try to cheat, but the companions had a means of dealing with that, they hoped.

Stakes were not publicly mentioned, but obviously a win for Summer Wind meant Blue Turtle Dreaming's release, in reasonably good condition. Everyone had balked when Silver Fox suggested that he was the only thing, short of Summer Wind herself, that Queen Black Rose might want: an heir of Princess Frost Flower. "But... but it's death!" Summer had sobbed.

"Then I strongly recommend that you do NOT lose," he said. Then, more comfortingly, "You won't, sister mine; I KNOW you won't. Trust me!"

So, again they are off to the Capital City of the Seo Hán Nì Empire: Silver Fox on his highly bred Central Kingdom horse, Kanu on the best horse owned by the Arcane Academy, both of which are slightly finer than the placid Tishat plains pack creature formerly ridden by Parakeet and now offered to the novice Moon Shadow, who has only ridden hill ponies. Summer Wind, of course, still has Smoke Cat's horse, and for the moment, no one is riding Blue Turtle's horse. The company is praying that they find their chosen referee at home.

The man in question was, until recently, Silver Fox's elite maestro, a tutor and performer in both magical and musical arts. Unfortunately, Silver Fox was a late bloomer in both areas, so his time of instruction with this paragon was limited, but he is known for being eccentric, rude, and unflinchingly fair, always.

What the four have not considered is how they will induce Master Son of the Sun to accompany them and participate in a duel between sorceresses. They are cordially admitted into his house, and just as cordially refused, as Sun Son dislikes travel and does not condone witches. Exasperated, Silver Fox asks what would motivate him, as money is not an issue for the maestro. Apparently, the man has a passion for flowers, from all over the world, but he lacks the venturesome nature to gather them.

Perhaps... if he were willing to swear to scrupulously honest secrecy... he might be interested in knowing about the magical portal technology? And, indeed, this is the perfect incentive for the maestro. He is a magician, and so, with the help of another on the opposite end, he can operate it; the flowers still have to come to the hub of the Arcane Academy, but this is a vast improvement. Master Son of the Sun will referee, but no preference will, of course, be given to Princess Summer Wind.

Master Sun Son arrives on the morning of the seventh day, since the companions have had to take the roads to accommodate his rather skittish horse, but this is plenty of time. The maestro is in his element, checking to see that light, terrain, etc. is fair to both parties... and in the process dismantling over a dozen antagonistic spells directed at Summer Wind or her friends. Obviously, word of his agreement to officiate spread rapidly, because there were even two nasty spells designed for him.

Summer Wind has been desperately studying and reinforcing what she has learned. Periodically during the stops to stretch the legs and rest the horses, she dances: women's dances, shaman's dances, warrior's dances. She feels that anything that might make her even a little stronger is encouraging.

Before she works herself into exhaustion however, Kanu intervenes. "My mother is witch-woman in my tribe, so I know much of dancing and a lot about magic, lady-girl. And I tell you now that so much worry and frenetic energy will sap you and make you sick. So, I have come to distract you," he says. "Let us be clear. This is not a kiss. You are too young. You are not ready. Perhaps I am not ready, either. Certainly, now is not the time. So, this is not a kiss. It is merely a distraction."

For a non-kiss, it is very satisfactory. Summer Wind finds herself wondering if she wishes for more true kisses, or at the very least more distractions. However, it also has the desired effect, in that it shocks the girl into slowing down a tiny bit, pausing to reflect and consolidating what she knows into a coherent whole, possibly even concocting a strategy for this duel on which so much depends. Using Jade Black Rose's own library against her seems foolish, but she can't have read every book, can she?

Also, presumably by now Parakeet will have told the queen that Summer Wind attends the Arcane Academy, and "Butterfly" already knew enough steppe shamanic magic to seem to be plausibly a native. Still, these charms and incantations cannot help but be alien to the queen, and as such are probably Summer Wind's best arsenal. Mix in some of the "white" and "grey" magic she learned in the more obscure tomes she read while masquerading, and that mélange appears to offer the best combination of enchantments.

The "fey" barn is duly reached and inspected. Kanu stables the horses inside in the safety zone of his team, so that he can guard them and watch the match at the same time. Moon Shadow has been leading Summer Wind in guided meditation, a new technique for the girl, but one which will hopefully open reserves of strength and patience to her. As stakes/prizes, Silver Fox and Blue Turtle Dreaming are both seated at the side of the combat square, immobilized by Sun Son's spell, but otherwise fine.

Everyone expects Jade Black Rose, Hill Queen of the North, to make a grand entrance, and she does not disappoint. The double doors to the barn fly open and storm clouds swirl the ranks of her airborne cabal behind her. Master Sun Son calmly requests that she either close the doors or abate the wind. Her witchy cabal may spectate if they wish, but their interference in even the tiniest way is strictly forbidden. Only those named in the challenge may participate; otherwise, the bout is voided.

The only person Queen Black Rose allows to enter the arena with her is, surprisingly enough, Parakeet. Her cabal is left outside to scry as best they can through Son of the Sun's obstructive enchantments. "This will be a fight to the death," says the queen. "Either yours, and both hostages', or hers."

"That was not agreed upon," objects Summer Wind calmly.

"What I do with my creatures is my business," retorts Jade Black Rose, "and no one shall witness my defeat and live to return to my country with the news."

"Please, please help me," sobs Parakeet before she is magically muted. It is a most effective ploy; in spite of detesting the stupid woman, the princess has no wish to watch her inevitably painful death at the hands of an enraged queen. The girl sighs. "What do you want for her?"

"For such a worthless little Parakeet? Nothing too drastic, I hope. I want your horses," the queen says sweetly. "If you win, then, the horses, too," agrees Summer Wind, wondering what she will do with Parakeet when she wins, because she absolutely cannot afford to lose. Parakeet and the horses are now, having been made part of the match, subjected to Sun Son's scrutiny, and pass except for the memory and mute spells on Parakeet. Since these are expected and not traps, they are exempted.

A truly magnificent wizard's duel is somewhat boring to watch for the non-magical, because neither opponent can let their rival's spell come to fruition, and every enchantment must be checked prior to full materialization. So, what you experience if, like Parakeet, you have no magic at all, is a lot of swirling lights and flashes of color, and half-formed sounds. For Moon Shadow and Kanu, with plenty of magic to perceive what was going on, it was terrifying in the sheer, awful magnitude of phenomena.

To Summer Wind's friends, the opening thunderstorm was only a prelude to bigger and better enchantments: some purely physical, like blizzards or lava; some emotionally draining, like famine or violence; some purely mental, like puzzles meant to confuse the mind; and some combining more than one facet of these. At first it really looked like Summer Wind, with her tenderer heart, would become dejected, and lose to despair, but the girl's love for her dear ones was deeper still, and indefatigable.

Of course, in order to keep score and tally points, Master Sun Son had to see and understand every nuance of what went on. And he changed his mind about female magicians that day, because for him, the duel was like watching a favorite sport played to perfection. Sometimes he would frown, but he only called "foul" once, and by the time Jade Black Rose had endured her penalty, she was so nearly spent that Summer Wind was able to finish the fight standing victorious over a dazed and trembling queen.

The cabal witches, of course, attempt to riot when they discover their leader's loss, but Master Son of the Sun has brought his magical doorway, and threatens to unleash the full power of the Arcane Academy upon them if they prove to be oath-breakers. No one is sure whether he is bluffing; no one tests it.

Queen Black Rose is returned, though just barely under her own power, to her Paleyit hill town, and mutinous mutterings about joining the stronger and more righteous Princess of the Dawn Gate arise, although not immediately. Silver Fox is unharmed, and Blue Turtle Dreaming and Parakeet are nearly as good as new after a little first aid. Summer Wind, afraid of jinxing the occasion, but prepared in case, pulls out of her magic pack a northern hill wedding dress, in green for fertility and freshness of hopes.

It fits Moon Shadow to perfection, of course, and Blue Turtle sees no need to wait for anything else; they can always have a customary steppe wedding later if desired. The widow is a little leery of the color but recalls Butterfly's words and her own dream. Also, she is only 28 and he is 37: NOT old! So, they are married by Maestro Sun Son, which is a rare request for him, but intriguing in its novelty, and which he is officially sanctioned to perform due to his exalted rank in the Central Kingdom.

The bridal couple plan to visit the Capital City once again, as Moon Shadow has only been there briefly on business, this time spending more time exploring and appreciating the Central Kingdom, before traveling home via magic doorway to the Tishat grassland. Silver Fox will stay a few days at the family residence, but his true desire is to establish a colony of villagers, town citizens, former guardsmen, and erstwhile cabal Sisters, who are disillusioned with Queen Black Rose and would prefer to join with the Princess of the Dawn Gate, in the vast greenwood.

Summer Wind, while endorsing her brother's aspirations, does not feel she can join them right away. First, she needs a real vacation, for which she will use the portal like Blue Turtle and Moon Shadow and tease her pregnant sister gently about missing all the adventure, before she has to return to the Arcane Academy in a few weeks. Kanu, also, has Guard and Academy duties to resume, however he is still stuck with Parakeet. The northern Paleyit hills are now among the places she's forbidden to enter.

Happily, Kanu has a few weeks left before he must report for assignment, so he had been planning to journey by portal to the Arcane Academy and then forge onward south to visit his family. The young man isn't thrilled with the idea of yet more of Parakeet's companionship, but perhaps his mother will have an idea of what to do with the obnoxious girl. Before leaving to do this, however, he gives Summer Wind a real and true kiss. Not a goodbye forever kiss, but a promissory kiss of more later.

Summer Wind returns to the plains and generally loses her cares in playing with her mare and the little filly she foaled. She feels a strange mixture of very grown up one minute, talking with her sister and step-cousins, and extremely young the next, tearing off across the meadows with her horses.

This time, when she celebrates her seventeenth birthday, Summer Wind receives a book. It is blank except for her extended family tree: her very own book to fill with her favorite magic spells, incantations, charms, and enchantments. Also, Blue Turtle Dreaming speaks of how she passed a shaman-like test, which everyone knew because her sister Smoke Cat scried her often, but some tales never tire in the telling, and now she has official adult magic-worker status within the Tishatayo clans of the steppes.

Often, too, she thinks of her most recent adventure, the first one she feels was more hers than Smoke Cat Watching's. Not that she minded that, but, well, more responsibility feels different. As for her companions, Moon Shadow is ecstatically pregnant and has been practically since her wedding night. Silver Fox seems, from frequent scrying, to be doing well in the forest; a few folks have even joined him. Blue Turtle Dreaming is more joyful and a little less sleepy, but otherwise unchanged.

And Kanu... well Kanu still travels with Parakeet, although both completely loathe each other. He has not quite yet reached his home village. Yes, the Academy student scries him almost as regularly as she checks in on her brother. Summer Wind thinks that he should feel free to "distract" her whenever he likes, but regarding that real kiss, she is not as sure. It confuses her, and although the girl lies awake at nights contemplating the true kiss with longing, occasionally it bothers her that he was in Pretty Girl's diary.

Summer Wind's logical mind tells her that what Kanu did before he met her shouldn't matter, just as it makes no difference to Blue Turtle that Moon Shadow was a widow. It isn't jealousy, not really, just a vague wish that she could trust his kisses to mean what she would like to believe that they mean... whatever that is, exactly. And the young woman's heart doesn't have an answer ready for that question. Yet, she still cannot help scrying for him, wanting to know how he is and what he is doing now.

Just before she must once again begin attending classes, Jonas and Smoke Cat Watching's baby is due. However the child has a schedule independent of the outside world, so Summer Wind must apply for an extension of leave to be present when the infant girl, Willow, is born almost ten days late. Her blended heritage has combined to make her very beautiful. Moon Shadow vows that she will name her daughter Butterfly after her savior Summer Wind, or if it is a son, perhaps Foxfire for her brother.

At about the same time that Summer Wind should have been returning to the Arcane Academy, Kanu, with Parakeet in tow, reaches his home village. His mother Syura, whose name means "energy", immediately sees his problem. "Alas, my son, that I named you "intelligent" and not "wise"," and she laughs.

"You have brought me the wrong girl! This female weighs heavily on your heart, whereas the other makes your heart light," continues the witch-woman.

"Ma Ayah, my mother, I am duty bound as a guardsman to find this one, this Parakeet, a place to live where she cannot, or will not, cause trouble. And she excels at causing trouble," replies Kanu wearily.

So, you have come to me for wisdom? It is not the worst idea you have ever had," she says, and smooths his hair-tail. "I will consider this."

"First, I must test this embodied dilemma to see what she might be good for." The mother ignores her son's deep blush, continuing, "And I may even dance on the matter."

Something in Kanu's eyes sparks, and Syura smiles. "She dances, does she, that other, right girl? I like her already." To this, Kanu will only grin and say that although she moves quite well, she is still too young in many ways. "Nonetheless you will wait patiently for her?" asks the witch-woman.

"Yes... well, perhaps not entirely patiently." Kanu cannot slip any dishonesty past his mother, not even self-delusion.

"Good," replies his mother. "Too much patience can be unwise," and she grins back. "We will speak more of this special girl, later, however. The problem at hand is what to do with the one you have now."

Kanu explains to Syura the magic door invention, and why, now that Parakeet knows about it again, she cannot just be left to her own devices.

"That is awkward," agrees the witch-woman. "Could you make your mute spell specific to that topic?"

"I think so,” Kanu considers carefully, “but it would need renewal often."

Several days go by while Syura studies Parakeet's character and capabilities. Oddly enough, the witch-woman is not discouraged. "She is entirely self-serving, I think," Kanu's mother says of the former courtesan. "She would be happiest in a gilded cage."

I thought at first she might do as a flower collector for Master Sun Son of the Central Kingdom, but that isn't glamorous enough," says Kanu. "However, it would keep her coming back to mages who could refresh the mute charm," he muses.

"She might require a reminder of what the plant looked like, but I believe she is canny enough to avoid most predators." Syura thinks for a moment. "I would need the collaboration of everyone who has a magical portal to maintain the illusion that I have in mind. Can you arrange this, my son?"

Indeed, Kanu does, and with full Academy sanction. Smoke Cat Watching especially relishes the witch-woman's idea, and the two look forward to becoming friends... And perhaps, in time, yet more closely related.

Parakeet is told the following truths: the flowers she must seek will appear by magic on the backs of her hands; when she brings the correct plant to Master Sun Son, she will be paid richly enough to live well for a time; then the cycle will begin again; her life depends on completing these tasks.

It is, of course, a magical variant on tattooing or mehndi, and it will appear brightest and clearest when she is nearest the desired flora. When the mute enchantment on Parakeet begins to weaken, a new plant will bloom on her hands, just in case she might be tempted to forget. And it is true that her life and lifestyle depend on fulfilling these commissions, both for the wealth she loves and for the inability to sell secrets that would get her killed if only she had the sense to realize that.

Happily, Parakeet likes her decorated hands, finding them beautiful and exotic as well as instructive. Unable to find a noble patroness to guide her erratic singing and dancing career, Parakeet decides to become a professional artists' model instead, deeming it no hardship to remain absolutely motionless for hours at a time. If only posing for a painting or a sculpture granted her some power over others, she would be entirely content. Soon, however, she attracts a flock of young admirers.

The thoughts that Master Son of the Sun will not live forever and that she cannot count on always being a pretty girl do disturb Parakeet somewhat. She would much prefer to be a noble patroness than be obliged to live at the whim of one, which was one good reason for choosing not to be an entertainer. What she needs, thinks Parakeet, is a rich and foolish husband. Serendipitously, she mentions this to Smoke Cat at one of their meetings at the magic door. The shaman knows just the man.

Broaching the subject of the identity of "Honorable Sir" and his current marital status to her brother Silver Fox is far enough in the past to be a source of hilarity to both siblings. However, once the arrangement is explained to the prospective bride and groom, Parakeet and Honorable Sir, otherwise known as Lord Ginger Thrush, are delighted with each other and their matchmakers. He could wish she were a little fairer skinned; she could wish that having children would do no damage to her figure. But overall, it is almost perfect.