you not?”
“I did,” replied Emperor Khanujin, “but paper jackets and glass shoes are not indicative of either tailor’s true talent.” He waited, as if daring Lady Sarnai to object. When she didn’t, he addressed Norbu and me: “No rules this time. Simply craft something for Lady Sarnai to the best of your ability. Something meaningful to you, that captures her beauty. Have it ready in a week’s time.”
I bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Norbu echoed my words, smiling.
For the first time in my life, I wanted to spit at someone. If only the emperor hadn’t been around, I really might have.
“What shall we do with the jackets?” Minister Lorsa asked once Emperor Khanujin had left.
“Ask Master Norbu,” Lady Sarnai said.
Norbu bared his teeth, his smile widening. “It would greatly honor me if mine was burned at the temple.”
“Very well,” Lady Sarnai said. “Since the emperor is so dedicated to visiting the temple and praying to his heavenly ancestors, I’m sure they will welcome the gift.”
Bile rose in my throat. Edan had to be right about Norbu using magic; no tailor in his right mind would offer to destroy such a jacket unless he had something to hide. Much as it pained me, I bowed. “Please burn mine, too, Your Highness.”
My voice nearly came out as a whisper. All my hard work, burned! And to think I’d risked my life to save this jacket from the fire. I couldn’t bear the irony of it.
I watched the servants take away my jacket, and after Lady Sarnai exited the room, Lorsa approached me. His tone was dismissive, as if I’d already lost. “Her Highness wishes you to take her measurements. Meet her in the Orchid Pavilion.”
Now? Dread unfolded in the pit of my stomach, but I nodded.
* * *
• • •
The Orchid Pavilion was in the heart of the Summer Palace, surrounded by shady willow trees, a medley of birds in gilded cages, a spectacular garden, and a courtyard of royal apartments where the shansen’s daughter resided.
I was sweating by the time I reached it. Lady Sarnai’s head maid cast me a disapproving look. “You’re late,” she said. “Her Highness hates it when her visitors are late.”
Late? I had come as soon as Lorsa told me.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
The head maid thrust a handkerchief in front of my face, and I dabbed my sweat with it. Then the doors, tended by a guard on each side, slid open.
Lady Sarnai’s chambers were the grandest I’d seen yet. A rosewood table accompanied every silk-cushioned chair, and a square table in the front overflowed with ivory gambling tiles and hand-painted cards. In the corner were trunks that I imagined must be filled with gifts from His Majesty: the finest silks, jade combs, pearl hairpins, bronze cosmetic boxes, and sashes in every color.
Lady Sarnai was waiting for me by the largest window, seated before an embroidery frame. I couldn’t see her work from where I stood, but she seemed skilled with the needle—more skilled than I’d expected from a lady of her rank.
“Come closer,” she said. “You cannot take my measurements standing at the door.”
I also couldn’t take her measurements when she was fully clothed, but I said nothing about this. Lady Sarnai stood so a maid could remove her outer robe, and I unrolled my marked string. As Edan had noticed, Lady Sarnai’s proportions were not so different from my own.
Knowing the maids watched me closely, I took her measurements, noting her girth and height but averting my eyes from her bare neck and arms. One misconstrued glance was all it would take to send me into the dungeons. How terrible it would be if I, a girl, were jailed for staring lewdly at Lady Sarnai!
But not looking made my task difficult, and when my fingers brushed against the lady’s arm as I measured for sleeve length, she spoke: “You’ve a gentle touch for a man, Master Tamarin.”
I immediately panicked and bowed, as if the comment were a death sentence. “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Relax. For one so timid, you’re curiously on edge.”
I bit my lip. “This trial means much to my family, Your Highness.”
“Ah,” she said. “You have considerable skill for your age, Master Tamarin. I would say the gods must smile on you, but I noticed no shrine or amulets for luck on your table. Are you not superstitious?”
“I believe in hard work, Your Highness. Hard work and honesty.”
She laughed at that. “I see they’ve forgotten demon lore in the South, but