'Do you remember the ceremony, my lord?' she asked, the pearl trembling as she spoke.
I fell a Hash of remembered heat and pain, a sudden image of my hands clawed across the pearl and the dragon curved over me.
'I remember the dragon coming to me across the sand.'
She nodded. 'The lost dragon. You are the new Mirror Dragoneye. The first in five hundred years. His Imperial Majesty has proclaimed the dragon's return as a most auspicious sign.'
'Mirror Dragoneye?' I repeated. 'But I'm just a candidate.'
'Yes, there was some resistance in the Dragoneye Council due to your youth and inexperience, but after much debate they have recognised your position.' She paused, the wide mouth quirking up lor a second. 'You are now Co-Ascendant Dragoneye with Lord ldo.'
I stared at her.
'Co Ascendant Dragoneye? But I'm just a candidate, I can't be a Dragoneye.' I pushed back against the pillow, coming up hard against the lacquered headboard.
'My lord, you have been chosen by the Mirror Dragon. There is no incumbent Dragoneye to apprentice you, therefore you are the Dragoneye.' Again, the slight smile. 'The Council used Lord Ido's own precedent of early status to come to a decision.'
I looked around the room. 'Where is my master?'
'Heuris Brannon is in conference with His Imperial Majesty and the Dragoneye Council,'
Lady Dela said slowly 'My lord, I know this is a Jot to take in, but you must now realise that Heuris Brannon is no longer your master. You are Lord Eon. Co-Ascendant Dragoneye. The highest rank in the land except for the Imperial family. Do you understand?'
'No,' I said, feeling all the air leave my body. 'No. I want my master.' I felt my throat close, my eyes hazing with red panic.
Lady Dela was beside me in a moment, snatching up my hand. 'Lord Eon, take a deep breath.
Breathe. Just breathe.' Her soft hand cupped my cheek as I struggled to force air past the rigid block in my chest. 'You over there,' she called. 'Help me.'
I heard a voice yelp in protest. The pad of running feet. Then Rilla holding something over my nose and mouth. The Beseecher's paper lantern. It smelled of the discarded wax candle. I gulped like a stranded fish and felt air force its way into my lungs.
'He will be here soon,' Rilla whispered in my ear. 'It will be all right.'
I took a deep, shaking breath and she pulled the paper lantern away.
Lady Dela patted my hand. 'That's right, take deep breaths.' Her shoulders lifted in a deep inhale, showing me the way. 'And out again.' She nodded as I exhaled. 'You are doing very well, my lord.'
She looked around the room. 'You, Ryko,' she said sharply, flicking her fingers at the Shadow Man, 'don't just stand there like a man mountain. Go and get the physician.'
'I am sorry, my lady,' the Shadow Man said, his voice unexpectedly soft and light, 'I cannot leave you unguarded.'
She glared at him. 'I'm hardly going to be attacked here.'
'No, because I am guarding you,' he said patiently
'I'm all right,' I said hoarsely.
Are you sure?' She peered at my face. 'I know how it is to rise from humble beginnings. Such sudden elevation can be…disorientating.' She gave my hand one last pat then let it rest on the silk cover. 'But I'm afraid you will not have much time to adjust to your new position. Now that you have recovered, His Imperial Majesty will expect you to attend this evening's banquet. It will be in your honour. You must bathe and dress. And then I will instruct you on proper court etiquette.'
A banquet with the Emperor? I felt my breath harden again.
Lady Dela looked over at Rilla. 'You seem able,' she said. 'I will send my girl over to assist you with your master's preparations. She'll help you bathe and dress him for court. His Majesty has given Lord Eon permission to draw what he needs from the Imperial stores.'
I pulled the cover up further. Bathed and dressed? I had to find a way to refuse the lady's offer.
Rilla turned to me, wincing as she folded her hands together and bowed.
'My lord, may I speak of your requirements?' she asked me solemnly.
My requirements? I stared at her deferential pose, then realised she was waiting for me to give permission.
'Yes, of course,' I said hurriedly
'Your generosity is greatly appreciated, my lady,' Rilla said. 'I Iowever, only I am able to bathe and dress Lord Eon.' She leaned forwards and whispered loudly, 'My master is Moon Shadow I have been purified and sanctioned to serve him.'
Lady Dela's slim body stiffened with shock. 'Forgive me, my lord, I was not informed,' she said, dropping into a low bow in
front of me. The skin of her unpainted nape was red. 'I humbly apologise for intruding upon your arrangements. I will have your girl shown the stores and baths, and instruct the Imperial staff to enter your rooms only upon your order. When you are ready, send a messenger and I will come to you.'
'Thank you.'
The Shadow Man was watching me, his expression strangely tender. He must think me a brother. I looked away from the undeserved fellowship.
What was I supposed to do now?
Lady Dela was still crouched beside the bed. She lifted her head slightly. 'My lord, may I offer you the first lesson,' she said gently 'You must give permission for those lower in rank to leave your presence.'
'Oh.' Heat prickled across my face. 'Yes, of course. You may go.'
She bowed and gracefully stood, the Shadow Man ducking from the waist in a brief courtesy then taking his position behind her shoulder. Rilla and I watched her leave, dwarfed by the massive guard, the clink of her hair ornaments matching the sway of her walk.
'You may go too,' I said to the Beseecher, trying to sound more lordly. 'Thank you,' I added.
Best not to offend an intermediary of the gods.
He bowed and scuttled out into the passageway, giving Rilla a cold glare as he passed; wax candles were expensive.
'Rilla-,'I said.
She held up her hand for silence as she checked the passage. I heard the fading sounds of retreating steps and murmured conversation. Finally, she closed the door and pressed her back against it, as though stopping it from bursting back open.
We stared at one another for a second.
'Lord Eon?' she said, lifting her eyebrows. This is a deadly path the master has set you on, girl.' She sighed. 'Has set us on.'
'Did you always know the truth about me?' I asked, meeting her steady gaze.
'Perhaps. But it is easier and safer not to know some things too clearly' She walked over to the bed and smiled wryly 'How are you feeling, my lord?'
'My head aches.' I rubbed my temple and felt the lump where Ranne had hit me. 'And all of my skin feels like it is bruised. How did I get undressed?'
'Me.' She held out her burned hands. 'No one else would touch you. Not even the physicians.
The Dragoneyes said it was the Mirror Dragon's power sparking from your skin because you were not properly released from the pearl.'
I looked down at my arms and hands, free of the thick cover. 'I don't think I'm sparking any more. Do you think it might start again?'
Rilla shook her head. 'I'm no expert.'
Neither was I. Was sparking skin a good or a bad sign? I couldn't even tell if the dragon was still with me. I tried to focus inwards, but a new fear was dimming my mind's-eye. What if the dragon was gone? What if he had made a mistake choosing me? I took a deep breath and concentrated again. My mind's-eye slowly found the energy lines of my body. There was something different. A change in my Hua — it was faster, stronger — and an echo of another presence, like a shadow heartbeat. But it was very faint. I opened my eyes and fell back against the pillows, exhausted.