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When I come down the stairs for lunch, the house is spotless, my gifts untouched on the table. Shenming is sitting with my father and Dian. As I move toward the chair farthest from the captain, my father points at another one. “Sit there, with Shenming.”

I do as he says, ignoring Dian’s grin and Ruilin’s sympathetic glance. The captain sits stiffly, his shoulders pushed back. He dislikes this as much as I do.

Father lays dishes on the table: braised eggplant with chilies, small fried fish, sliced beef with spring onion, pork rib soup. My mouth waters as I pick up my chopsticks and begin filling my plate.

“Yining, serve Shenming some food,” my father instructs me.

I pause, surprised at the request. “Father, the captain has many talents—one of which, I’m certain, is feeding himself.”

The captain grins, picking up his chopsticks. “I assure you, I have more talents than that.”

“Your parents spoke to me at the ceremony, Shenming,” Father says. “It’s been a while since I had the chance to see them. They are keen to get you settled. They suggested you and Yining spend more time together.”

As Shenming frowns, I say dismissively, “We can decide that ourselves.”

Dian clears her throat. “Was Lord Hairong angry yesterday?” she asks Shenming, a clumsy attempt to divert our father.

“Not at your family,” he assures us. “He was more concerned than angry. No creature from Thorn Valley would travel all this way without purpose. It must be a spy.”

I stuff a slice of beef into my mouth, unable to savor the flavor, thinking of Jin’s firefly in my room right now. “The firefly appeared harmless enough,” I say carefully.

“It seemed aware, possessing the consciousness that allows it to communicate with others in Thorn Valley. Lord Hairong has studied these creatures extensively. Another might have missed it, but not him.” Shenming turns to Ruilin. “Has the firefly returned to you?”

She shakes her head adamantly. “Maybe it’s gone home.”

Dian ladles soup into her bowl, the spice wafting in the air. “How is the search for the waterfall progressing?”

“Nothing yet. The stars remain unmoving,” he replies grimly. “With every day, the Sun Dragon weakens.”

While our enemies strengthen.

“Is there news of the Iron Mountains?” I ask.

“Since the coronation, security has been tightened along the border of our realms. Queen Chunlei has been placing those loyal to her in positions of power. We’ve heard that she often locks herself away for long periods, during which none are allowed to disturb her.”

My spirits sink. “The queen must be training her magic. She could already wield some with two pieces of starfire merged. By now, she will have added the third to the crown.”

“Fortunately, one piece of starfire is now safely with the Elders,” Shenming says.

I recall their pavilion, perched on the hill—countless ways for a thief to enter and flee by ground or sea. “Is the starfire really safe there?”

“Yes. It is locked within the treasury in the Elders’ private quarters. No one else is allowed there, only the Elders possessing the keys,” he assures me.

What need is there for locks when we trust our neighbors? It appears the Elders aren’t that trusting, after all.

“It will be more difficult for Queen Chunlei to obtain the other pieces of starfire,” Ruilin adds, taking a mouthful of soup. “One is here, another with the Lady of the Pearl Ocean. The last remains lost.”

“Won’t the Pearl Ocean defer to the queen, as the Amber Forest did?” I glance at Ruilin, afraid of her taking offense. But she grew up among the nobles, knowing more about them than any of us.

“Lady Shufang and Queen Chunlei do not get along,” she shares readily. “Both are proud, ambitious, and capable. Lady Shufang was raised as the heir to the Pearl Ocean, assured of her place in life—just as Queen Chunlei was often overlooked. Back then, Lady Shufang always followed Prince Zixin around, enamored of him, which must have annoyed his sister immensely.”

“Any discord in the Three Kingdoms could be to our advantage,” I observe.

“Yet the Lady of the Pearl Ocean will eventually concede to the Queen of the Iron Mountains, else she risks being isolated. It depends how long she can hold out, or if she can find another ally—an unlikely circumstance,” Ruilin says. “My father will have thrown his support behind Queen Chunlei. He always positions himself close to the beating heart of power—in this way, keeping our people safe.”

Shenming frowns. “If the Three Kingdoms unite against us, our danger is greater.”

“Which is why we cannot afford discordance within our own realm,” I say pointedly. “Compared to the menace of the Iron Mountains, Thorn Valley is not our enemy. They are a vital ally, our greatest defense. As you said before, if they weaken, so do we.”