What happened next was essentially everyone involved in the hunt converging on my location, courtesy of the light of my anima banner being visible for well over a mile. Each wave of arrivals then turned around and explained what had happened to later arrivals. Sometimes with less than perfect accuracy, since I heard at least one explaining that I'd taken up Elana's daiklave and cut down both the boars.

That's ridiculous, by the way. Daiklaves are inconveniently heavy for grown men, much less a child my size. The only reason anyone can use them is by attuning your essence to them and committing some of that essence indefinitely into 'tricking' Creation into considering it part of your body and much lighter. As its attuned owner, the only person for whom the reaver daiklave was practical was Elana.

(Well, unless she'd broken the attunement and I spent several hours building an attunement of my own to the weapon. There had hardly been the time, even if Elana was likely to do such a thing).

I didn't have any opportunity to do anything to correct these errors because I was busy being praised and interrogated by Demarol, who was… extremely excited. He was, I suppose, seeing a payoff to his investment in adopting me, several years earlier than his best-case scenario.

"Has anyone ever exalted so young?" he exclaimed loudly.

"Wasn't that Ledaal boy about this age when he exalted?" suggested Tepet Serakan.

"He was about to leave for primary school," grunted Arada, who was standing back from the conversation. "Exalted because he didn't want to leave his mother."

"Ledaal Kes," declared my father. "But Alina is even younger. She's not quite seven."

He didn't even remember my age. I was really tempted to correct him but what would be the point.

"Seven?" exclaimed Ejava. "That is remarkable. Your daughter's ancestry must be excellent. Did any of your other children exalt before they were ten?"

I could practically see father struggling to diplomatically explain this. "Is Icole alright?" I asked to distract them.

The boy was in a seated position, with Elana checking on him. "it's just twisted," she declared, not looking up. "Painful and he shouldn't walk on it for a while, but nothing permanent."

Father looked as if he could care less about how an unexalted family member was, given he'd just been blessed with another Dragon-Blood in the household but nonetheless, he turned aside to have servants called to carry Icole back to the chariot.

Elana stood and wiped her hands. "All credit to Alina, but the boy is quick witted and takes instruction well," she added. "I will gladly give him the letter of recommendation that we discussed."

Diplomatically she left it unclear who exactly she had been discussing it with. It took a moment for Demarol to realise what she meant but then he nodded. "I am pleased to have a second opinion. Even if he does not exalt – and there is still plenty of time for him to – I am sure he has the makings of a fine soldier."

Arada grunted approvingly and I suspected Icole's path in life had been secured, as easily as that. Of course, it was also going to put him in terrible danger, but once he decided that was his preferred path, there was no point trying to keep him from being a soldier.

Maybe he wouldn't end up in one of the legions dominated by House Tepet. Ejava had been serving in another legion, after all. Or perhaps, now that I was Exalted, I could do something about the war with the Bull. There were so many new possibilities open to me now that I wasn't sure what I should do next.

I didn't even have to hide supernatural martial arts anymore! The styles of the Five Dragons and Terrestrial Hero would be practically expected of me! That was enough to brighten my day already. And Dragon-Blooded were rather less regulated in what they read…

Although I was still a child, so I probably shouldn't expect too much liberty there, at least for a few more years.

Yrina made her appearance suddenly, towing a pair of the patrician guests by their shirt fronts. Her face was icy-cold. "I believe I have solved the source of the boars' aggression," she declared flatly.

"Do tell." Elana lifted her daiklave from where she had rested it against the tree while she checked on Icole. Pointedly, she did not return the heavy blade to its scabbard.

"I protest!" one of the men exclaimed. "We are your guests; this is no way to treat us."

Demarol nodded solemnly. "You are indeed my guests, but I must ask if you have behaved as such. Please, Yrina, let us all hear what has happened."

My adoptive mother let go of the pair and gestured to what was left of the second boar. "Anyone paying attention to the boar there can see that both the beasts had been hit by arrows, despite the warnings we gave everyone not to provoke any boars by loosing at them."

"That could have been from your last hunt," the other man suggested hastily.

Even I saw the flaw in that but I let Yrina voice it: "And you think the boars were walking around for most of a year with intact and freshly fletched arrows?"

"Er…"

"Yes, you have erred," she agreed. "And every arrow provided for this hunt came from our armoury, in the colours of our estate and differenced for each quiver so that any question of which guest shot what can be easily resolved."

Reaching towards the men, they flinched but she simply removed an arrow from each's quiver, holding them up in illustration. "Would anyone like to compare these to the arrows in the boars?"

"Gladly." Elana stepped up towards them. "I very nearly had to tell my host that two children of his house were wounded or even killed under my care. And he would rightfully have been enraged at me. This… carelessness…" She seemed lost for words.

The men gulped. "It is destiny," one exclaimed. "It was an error but a fated one. Had we not mistakenly loosed at the boars; then little Alana would not have exalted."

Skulking at the back of the crowd, I could see Hunt make a face. Something told me that she could have lived with that. Doreg, on the other hand, was trying to work closer to me, constrained only that so many of the adult guests were pressing close.

"Firstly, my name is Alina," I pointed out. "And secondly, unless I have seriously misunderstood my lessons, those who exalt are destined to do so, as a result of their virtue in their past life leading to being reborn with the proper heritage. Thus, I would have exalted anyway, merely at some later point and without the injury to my cousin and potential embarrassment to the Talonlord."

General Arada folded his arms. "The girl has some wit. Unlike these two," he growled.

"Indeed. Her theology is sound," Serakan confirmed, supporting her daughter I suppose. "What will you do to these fools, Demarol?"

"They are, as they point out, my guests." Demarol glanced around the gathering, reading the mood. "Or rather, they were. Gentlemen, and I use the word loosely, I will be corresponding with the heads of your families. In the meantime, you have my leave to depart. Today. It is early enough for you to reach Juche or some other destination without spending another night on my lands."

The look in his eyes suggested that he was eager for them to argue but neither of the men was so foolish as to miss that Demarol was exalted and they were not.

"Very well, sir," the taller conceded.

"Oh, and do not expect invitations to future hunting parties," the Exalted lord added quietly. "I think the word of how… poorly you have behaved will be in circulation for some time and others who host such affairs may think you ill-suited for them. It is my thought that the reputation may outlive you yourselves. We Exalted have long memories."

For the first time I my life I had been brought into my father's study in the manse and even allowed to sit at the long table there. On the other hand, I really wasn't expected to actually say anything. Silence was golden for a child in these circumstances.

Also at the table were my parents, and their other daughters: Hunt's mother Erasa and the twins' mother Awyne. The Exalted of the first branch of the household weren't present for both Icole's father and grandfather were serving with the Tepet Legions at the moment. It was perhaps part of the status battle within the Household that neither had been able to marry Exalted spouses and thus the prospects of Icole or Opiha exalting were considered lesser. But as men, their spouses would only join the household if they were of a patrician background and the comparatively rare patrician Exalted rarely married dynastic houses where their families would lose the benefit of their presence.

In the absence of these close relatives however, we were graced by other Tepet. Elana had made her way in; arguing that, as she had been present at my Exaltation, she felt some responsibility for me, which in turn had brought her mother Serakan. And Tepet Arada… well, the general had not explained his reasons for being there, but no one had the nerve to question him, much less ask him to leave.

At least the Roseblack had not elected to involve herself, perhaps thinking it unnecessary. She did not strike me as a maternal woman and she was as yet unmarried. I wasn't sure why – perhaps her status as a glamourous and rising military officer meant that the elders of the main Tepet household still hadn't received an offer they felt to be worthy of her.

"I had not finalized plans for Alina's schooling," admitted my father without any embarrassment, "As we have another year to consider… but Awyne has made a point that our tutors may not be ideal to bring along an Exalt."

Serakan nodded decisively. "I must agree with her. Meaning no disrespect to those you employ in the role but it seems to me that those best prepared to handle an Exalt new to their enlightenment will almost always be employed at a school already. Either you should hire someone away from them -"

Yrina cut that idea dead. "I doubt it would be practical at this stage in the school year. They will be in contract, it's not as if this is the end of a year and they are looking for prospects to advance themselves."

"Quite my point, my dear." Elana's mother was unabashed. "So, I do feel you should look to send Alina to a school this year, even if she is a little young."

Well that was a turn up for the books and not what I'd expected at all. Then again, I admitted that I had little enough notion what happened in terms of planning for the future of someone who'd just Exalted. Most often they were away at school and the decisions were made at leisure by parents who might not see them for months anyway.

Demarol folded his hands. "The question then becomes: which school is the best choice for her?"

Elana nodded. "What sort of studies do you think that she might gravitate to?" She looked at me a little sympathetically, the only one so far to spare me a look other than Yrina. And my step-mother had only done so with her usual cool assessment before returning her gaze to Serakan's intrusion into her domain.

It occurred to me that by Dragon-Blooded standards there weren't all that many years between Serakan and Yrina. They might have known each other for quite some time and if so, I doubted that they had amicable feelings for each other.

"Excellent at reading, writing and mathematics," the matriarch of the household replied calmly. "She keeps pace with children a year or so older than her in these basics, which is why I have not dismissed the idea of sending her early."

"It is hardly unusual for schools to take someone a little before the normal age." Serakan smiled without any real sincerity. "I realise you may not have encountered such a precocious child before."

Yrina's gaze hardened. "Not so artistically inclined," she continued as if she had not been interrupted. "At least no more than most children her age. But some potential for the martial arts according to the sifu we employ."

"A competent woman?" asked Serakan aggressively.

Awyne spoke up sharply. "If not, we would hardly employ him."

That didn't seem to impress Serakan, which was more or less the point she was making, I guess. Elana spoke up before then. "So, do you have aspirations to join the Immaculate Order, Alina?"

I looked to my father for permission to speak. It would be impolite not to, since I'd been addressed. He gave me not a nod, which might have been taken to mean I should say yes, but just an arched eyebrow that implied he was also curious.

"I don't think I'm in a position to make an informed decision," I responded. "I wouldn't rule it out, but I should learn more of the options that are before me rather than committing to anything. And of course, my parents' advice will be my main guide."

Arada grunted and all eyes snapped to him. "Sensible," he allowed. "I always recommend taking a year or two before committing to a career when I speak to younger Exalted."

"But for schooling purposes, one that has a strong Immaculate presence might be wise." Serakan seemed intrigued by this notion. "None of your children have committed to the Immaculate Order, have they, Yrina?"

There was a cold silence and then the lady of the household answered tersely: "One did, as you know."

"Oh!" Serakan covered her mouth as if shocked. "My goodness, I had almost forgotten him. But he was only mortal, after all."

I had no idea who they meant specifically, but it was easy enough to guess that this was a part of the family history not usually shared with the children. Perhaps, for the simple reason that Yrina was not keen to have it discussed. As for the specifics… well, if it was relevant then I could probably find out with the clues that I had been provided.

"We are discussing Alina, not her siblings." Demarol leaned forwards. "I would not stand in the way of a genuine religious vocation, but it would be far too early to discuss that. If Alina's talents even blossom in that direction. It must also be considered that she has exalted in the Earth-aspect which is less than common within our House… and unique so far within my household. I would be glad of any counsel as to what schools might be best suited to such aptitudes as are common to her aspect."

"Ah." Elana noted that point and sat back. "A fair point and one that I don't believe any of us here are precisely suited to address. Unless I'm mistaken about someone's aspect here?"

Yrina shook her head thoughtfully. "I have reviewed all the schools in the area around Juche recently, with three children enrolling. While I would like to send Alina somewhere that she has family to support her, I would not recommend sending her with Hunt or Doreg. Childish frictions are best left at home, not taken to such public venues."

"There will be quite enough friction there, after all," agreed Demarol. Both he and Yrina gave Serakan telling looks.

"What of the other boy their age – what's his name. The one who sang the ballad about General Arada?"

"Nalan is enrolled in a school noted for its musical programme," Awyne informed her. "It's suited to him but not really to Alina's talents."

"Ah."

Erasa steepled her fingers. "I am aware that I have not always been entirely supportive of the decision to adopt Alina. I realise that may make my next suggestion suspicious but I assure you that I'm basing it on her best interests, not in a position that I now see was incorrect: perhaps it would be best to look at schools further away from Juche if there's one that meets her needs better."

"Do you have a school in mind?" Demarol gave his oldest daughter – or oldest remaining daughter, I corrected myself – a curious look.

She shook her head. "Not specifically, but it occurs to me that now that the household is better established it may be time to reconsider our policy of schooling all our children in the immediate area. It does not do well for us to be too far removed from the rest of the House."

Demarol narrowed his eyes but Erasa didn't quail before him. "Perhaps," he said, his tone suggesting that only the company made him bend even that far. "However…"

"A worthwhile line of thinking." Arada made a face. "I'm not going to try to dictate to you, but the elders do like to keep us under their thumbs."

"I did not think that you were in the habit of bowing to them."

The old general humphed irascibly. "I throw them a bone every now and then. Enough to show that I'm at least still loyal to the house."

My father stiffened. "As we all are."

Serakan smiled victoriously. "No one here doubts that, Demarol. But you are here, far from the heartlands of Tepet power. And there is some question about how much you follow the traditions of our house. I do not doubt that you do much for us by maintaining relations here with the other Great Houses, but the core strength of House Tepet has always been the legions and there your household's participation has been… well, it would be surprisingly active for some houses."

But not for House Tepet. Looked at that way, the possibility that Demarol's status among the leaders of House Tepet was wavering was very real. As the head of an independent household he was second only to the elders – the remaining children of Tepet himself, all of them semi-retired now. Arada was a grandson, nephew and cousin to the heads of most of the other households while I knew that I was growing up inside the youngest and thus the smallest such branch of the House.

Until now I had not seriously considered how vulnerable that should make us.

"I do not hold back my children from military service. I myself served for forty years and with distinction."

"Aye." Arada said no more, but he met Demarol's gaze evenly.

"There is no question that we are Tepet, first and last." Yrina took her husband's forearm in her hand, restraining him slightly. "If some of the elders need a reminder, sending one of our children to a school their own fledglings attend is not a bad way to remind them. If it is suitable, of course."

"I am sure Elana has some memory of Fourth Scion Academy," offered Serakan, "She was a student there for a while…"

Elana rolled her eyes. "Yes, a century or so ago. And I was hardly minded to take its merits and flaws into account at the time, even if they are the same."

"I know very little of it," admitted Awyne. "And we must decide quickly. If we're to send Alina halfway across the Blessed Isle, we have to communicate with them in the next few days and goodness knows how we can get her there in time for term. It's in Lord's Crossing Dominion, I assume?"

"A day or so south of the city by coach," Arada informed her. "I cannot say I know much of the place, but I have heard nothing to its discredit which is something."

That was an awfully weak testimony for it, but Awyne wasn't wrong that this would have to be arranged very quickly. Now that I thought about it, they might need to pay a sorcerer to send word to the school, and find one who knew someone at the school to do that. It was quite a logistical challenge.

"Perhaps we should wait a year and look at sending Opiha to school in Lord's Crossing," murmured Yrina thoughtfully.

"That's entirely reasonable," admitted Demarol, "But we still have to consider where to school Alina. If there's somewhere suitable around Juche then I have no issues passing this to Opiha, but the only place I can think of is the Blood of Heroes Academy and if you remember how much trouble they gave us over admitting Icole."

"Yes, did you ever find out why that was a problem?"

Demarol sighed. "I believe one of the Ragara has more influence there than I was aware and there was that banking legislation before the Deliberative at the time."

Yrina looked irritated. "But you were supporting the Ragara on that?"

"Yes, but only so I could gather information for their opposition which he suspected – and now of course he knows it."

I blinked. That sounded like it could make life hard for Icole if the staff had it in for him. Although maybe it was just the admissions that were under Ragara influence, it would depend and…

Also, there was not a thing that I could do about it, I reminded myself. So, there was literally no point in getting involved in that situation. I'd just have to trust the adults of the household to look out for his interests.

They were doing a wonderful job of it so far, leaving him to sort out his own letter of recommendation to the House of Bells. But maybe that was just a test. I hoped it was just a test.

"Given how little time there is," Elana mused. "Perhaps explore two options. Whichever school around Juche seems best given the constraints but also, one of my comrades attended Root and Reed School which is also near Lord's Crossing. He went on to the Cloister of Wisdom, a year or so after I did and I know he's still on good terms with the staff because one of his children went there. I wouldn't say they're the best school for martial arts, but they're better than most."

"How wonderful that you're considering children's education dear." Serakan's voice was snide but Demarol was nodding.

"It's a practical position to take," he agreed. "Blood of Heroes would be impractical but there's that newer school west of Juche that's been looking for potential dynastic admissions. If Root and Reed falls through, I'm fairly sure they'd take a late admission."

And just like that, the plan was decided. All that was needed now was to get an exchange of messages with Root and Reed School, a place I'd never heard of, and my future was in motion.

It was a pity I still didn't know which way that coin would fall though. I'd better give Opiha some warning though, it looked as if she'd be on her own as the only child out of diapers in the courtyard. And sole recipient of all the tutors' attention, the poor girl.

Of course, she might enjoy that. Was I overestimating her fondness for me? She'd be the centre of attention…

On balance, I decided I'd rather she was happy about it. After all, I'd still be sharing a room with her for the next few days.

The verdict came back astonishingly fast: on terms that I wasn't informed of but that I suspected included a substantial financial endowment, Root and Reed School was delighted to welcome an underage student from the Tepet Demarol household.

And with that I was swept up in a veritable whirlwind of preparations.

My feet hardly seemed to touch the ground as Yrina and several of her servants practically moved into the children's courtyard and started working through what I'd need to take and what they'd need to acquire. Meanwhile, Shoku and Nolly were trying to cram as much extra knowledge as they could into my head before I left.

I can only hide behind that to excuse the fact that I only found out I was leaving with about five minute's warning.

"Opiha!" I called out, breaking away before Yrina could almost drag me away. "I'm off to school."

The white-haired girl grabbed me in a fierce hug. "I'm going to be so lonely without you."

"I'll miss you too. I'll write as often as I can."

"Come along, we're on a tight schedule." Yrina caught my arm and pulled me along. "You'll get used to separations like this. And you'll be back for next summer."

Opiha waved as I followed Yrina obediently out of the courtyard and to the stables. Within moments, without so much as a goodbye from my father, I was helped aboard a chariot and it clattered out of the estate and onto the high road down to Juche.

I had never been to the city before. In this life I'd barely ever left the estate and in my previous life there had been no real reason to. It was a large and vibrant city but it had no particular strategic value.

Juche Prefecture, from which the city took its name (or vice versa, I honestly don't know), was one of several in the basin of the Imperial River and the geomancy was far too important for heavy development or a large population. As a result, we saw very few people as the chariot, followed by a second carrying Yrina's maids, reached the road and my lawful-mother shook out the reins and pushed the horses into a trot.

Not a canter or a gallop, that would wear the horses out before we got anywhere useful, but a trot that made it clear that she was entirely serious about getting to Juche as fast as was practically possible.

"It almost seems yesterday that Demarol brought you in," she noted to me as we went past a stone marker that indicated the edge of the estate. "I can't say I am given to sentiment, but I did not expect that you would be leaving in such a fashion."

I said nothing and she looked down at me. "You are allowed to speak. This may be your last chance to ask questions of anyone in the household, so take it."

Looking over the side of the chariot I tried to put my mind in order. What to ask… "How will I get to Lord's Crossing? It's quite a distance."

"It is indeed. Fortunately, I know a man who has business there and he has agreed to take you."

I arched an eyebrow and then, since I'd been given free license to enquire, pointed out: "I'm sorry, but that doesn't answer my question."

"He's a sorcerer and he'll fly you there." She didn't seem impatient with the query.

"Does he live in Juche?"

"No, he'll meet us there. We have to buy your uniforms and a few other items, so it makes sense to get that done on the way." Yrina cracked a thin smile. "Demarol isn't fond of Mako so I see no need for their paths to cross."

The name meant nothing to me so I guessed that this sorcerer had never been a guest. In fact, I could think of few sorcerers who had been guests. Whether that was Demarol's general preference or his bowing to the popular perception of sorcerers as dangerous and potentially unstable, I really couldn't guess.

"Do you have any other questions?"

Nothing sprang to mind, but I got the impression that she wanted me to ask something so I turned it around on her: "What advice would you feel best to give me, going away to school for the first time."

"You were always clever. Nolly calls you bright, but I don't think that that's exactly the word." Yrina snapped the reins at some – perceived or accurate – slowing by the horses. "Case in point, dropping Doreg into trouble over those sweets, years ago."

She remembered that? And she'd noticed?

My concern must have shown and that crease of a smile became a smirk. "Little Alina… no, you're going to school now. Alina, I'm more than a hundred years old and I have raised children before. It was a good ploy, well executed and if Doreg couldn't cope with it then he deserved to carry the consequences of failure. But compared to a school that was child's play. Don't expect to get away with such things when the authorities have less reason to be sympathetic. Remember, any quarrels that get out of hand there can spread to the families of those involved so the teachers will want to resolve them quickly. And that will matter far more to them than the lessons that can be taught from the situations."

I hung my head. And I'd thought I was passing clever. Hopefully she didn't also know of last year's escapade sneaking into the Manse.

"You'll meet children from other house and households at school," she continued after a moment. "The Great Houses of the Dynasty and lesser patrician houses, but they all have families and if you are wise you won't make any issues that need to come home to any of them. A short-term gain at the expense of bringing outside interest is never wise at school. Better to manage situations such that they can be handled within the school."

"Some of my classmates will take issues out of school though," I pointed out. "How do I handle them?"

"Just remember that you can always repay them later when you've graduated. You have an advantage," Yrina reminded me, "Of already being Exalted. Any that don't exalt will be easily dealt with later. The luckier few will be your peers and rivals anyway. The key point is not to draw the wrath of their more powerful elders until you're well established. Everyone will want to tear you down for exalting so early anyway."

I shook my head. "So, I'm going into a battlefield with few allies and every hand against me."

"Does that frighten you?"

I considered that and shook my head. "Only a little. It's what the rest of my life's going to be like, isn't it?"

"Exactly!" Yrina pulled the reins lightly as we reached a corner and turned on to the larger highway to Juche. Reflecting the sparse population, even this wide road wasn't very heavily trafficked – mostly it was just carts carrying produce to feed the city.

The rest of the conversation was trivialities, Yrina quizzing me on the other Tepet Households that I might encounter at Root and Reed School. Besides those from the main palace in Lord's Crossing, Marek and Vergus were the oldest and most powerful, established by Tepet's daughters. As such despite not residing in the palace their leaders were counted among the elders of the house.

The other households were founded by Arada's generation and thus far more senior and populous than the Demarol household. However, they were also further away in location so it wasn't all that likely that scions of their lineages would be attending a school near Lord's Crossing. Manses weren't that easy to come by.

Yrina touched the hearthstone in her tiara as if in reminder of the trophy that she held. I was tempted to ask how Demarol had managed to obtain control of the manse and thus the ability to form a household away from the main Tepet household but it probably wasn't immediately relevant to my school experience and was probably best left to ask my father sometime that I wanted to sweeten him up by encouraging him to boast.

Before the sun was fully high in the sky, we reached the edge of Juche. There was a wall despite the fact that I was sure no one had seriously threatened the city with military action in the lifetime of… well, of the Scarlet Empress. The Blessed Isle had been subdued largely by her control of the Imperial Manse and a willingness to use its First Age weapons against any aggressor trying to cross the Blessed Isle.

Perhaps House Manosque's rebellion had threatened it? Only a suicidal moron would have tried to use major war machines near the essence flows that linked the Imperial Manse to the Imperial Mountain. But he had possessed, or so it was said, the Eye of Autochthon. I'd encountered that ancient treasure once and I could fully believe that a sorcerer with that at hand might have been able to somehow divert the flows to prevent the use of the Imperial Manse against him.

Of course, it would also have explained why his army suddenly fell upwards into the sky and perished to the last man. It would have been just as easy for him to accidentally turn half the Blessed Isle into an oceanic grave so we might have escaped lightly there.

The city resembled others of the Realm – roughly circular with the government palace and other administrative buildings in the centre. Rather than going there, Yrina brought the chariot to a comparatively modest mansion in what seemed to be a wealthy suburb. I saw the mon of the Tepet Demarol household carved into the gateposts and realised that this must be the townhouse maintained for when one of the family was staying in Juche.

Rather than entering, Yrina waited only long enough for her chariot and that of the servants to be handed over to the stable hands before we were off again, this time on foot.

"I would prefer a palanquin," she confided. "If only for appearances' sake. But we don't have time to arrange them and I think you're sturdy enough to manage a walk even in the noon heat."

Until she'd mentioned it, I hadn't realised how warm it was. The mention though reminded me that the sun was high in a clear sky and it wasn't late enough for the shadow of the Meru to be cast over the city.

I had some hopes of a meal and perhaps something cool to drink, but Yrina had other things in mind and we crossed the shopping district around the palace at a quick march before entering the shade of a boutique. We were at least out of the crowds (they might have parted around Yrina but I was far less imposing and if I'd lost my grip on her hand, I could have been easily lost) and the dressmaker's shop had awnings over an inner courtyard, along with a fountain that looked refreshingly cool. I would have loved to sit on the edge and cool my feet in it.

"My lady, how may I serve you," the mistress of the establishment greeted us with formality and no mention at all of how unexpected our presence must have been.

The dynast looked down at her – the dressmaker was a rather small woman, even if she towered over me – and favoured her with a smile. "My daughter Alina will be flown to Lord's Crossing tonight to spend Calibration there before starting her new school. We have essentially this afternoon for you to make her uniforms. I have the specifications."

The mortal's eyes went wide. "In one afternoon? My lady, I am…"

Yrina gestured sharply. "Lotus Stem, how long have you been making dresses for me?"

"May I assume that it is a rhetorical question, my lady? We mortals do not age as gracefully." The woman bit her lip nervously. "May I see the uniform requirements?"

One of the servants handed over a folded parchment and Lotus Stem whistled sharply, a number of younger women emerging from workshops around the courtyard. "Take the young lady's measurements," she ordered absently.

Two of them produced measuring tapes and descended on me like vultures. Polite but insistent demands had me stretch in whatever ways they instructed so they could explore my dimensions. I haven't felt so exposed since I was old enough to wipe my own backside – and I was still fully clad.

Lotus Stem was holding the parchment in one hand, the other drumming fingers against that forearm. "I must be honest, my lady," she said at last. "I can run up tunics and jackets in time for you, but the pants and – I assume you want a slightly larger set to allow for growth over the year?"

"Correct. They are slightly less urgent so long as we can have them sent before Ascending Air is out. Lord's Crossing is not the coldest of cities but it is too high to be warm."

The dressmaker nodded. "Then I am glad that we shall be able to accommodate you, so long as your daughter doesn't mind having them pinned up on her as we measure. There will be no time for mannequins."

"Of course."

I was naturally not consulted. On the other hand, there was something to having a first-hand look at how they worked. Clearly these were dedicated professionals and I might learn something new. Unlikely, but not unknown. No one can be good at everything, not even the Exalted.

Yrina paused after assenting to that request. "The surcoats cannot wait though."

"The surcoats… for Exalted students?" Lotus Stem paled. "My highest congratulations, my Exalted lady!" She was not addressing Yrina.

The two girls measuring me froze in apparent terror. "Please continue, we're in some haste," I ordered them.

"May I enquire as to the Immaculate Dragon that has blessed you," enquired Lotus Stem respectfully.

"Pasiap," I answered. The Immaculate Dragon of Earth may or may not have existed, but far more mortals knew of his name than of Urwl or the other great elementals that had once given their powers to the Terrestrial Exalted.

The dressmaker sighed in relief. "White silk then, I was afraid… well, we can manage."

Yrina smiled and waved. "I will collect the other items needed and return before the evening meal."

The mortals all bowed deeply towards her and I realised as my mother and one of the servants left that I probably wasn't going to get any lunch. I was a growing girl! Didn't she know that?

"If my Exalted lady will come with me and do me the favour of…"

I held one hand up to Lotus Stem. "You want me in a workshop and stripped so you can dress me up?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Fine. Can someone get me something to nibble on between my being stitched up?"

If I'm going to have to deal with the problems of being Exalted, I may as well enjoy some of the benefits.

Flying across Creation had been somewhat less exciting you might think, given that the sun was already setting by the time Yrina handed me off to Mako, clutching a case that wasn't quite as large as me but felt as if it was.

To my relief the sorcerer was not proposing to carry me by using the most known spell for long distance flight, Stormwind Rider, which would have left me essentially clinging to him for the entire ride. The bald sorcerer was all bones and long limbs, looking emaciated beneath robes that had clearly been expensive once.

Nor did he use a demon to transport us, a common practise but one that left me feeling queasy. To my great relief, he was able to cast a spell that summoned a cloud to carry us the distance to Lord's Crossing in only six hours.

There was little but blackness beneath us for the early part of the flight and Mako largely ignored me, save for terse instructions not to test exactly where the edge of the 'cirrus skiff' was. I accepted this as good advice and sat down on my case to meditate. The last thing I wanted to do was distract the man – he might steer us into a mountain by accident. (I know now that the Cirrus Skiff is a self-navigating spell that has no risk of that, but it's not one I had made much use of before, having never learned it myself).

Lord's Crossing Dominion was more populated than Juche Prefecture. More towns and small farmsteads. I tried not to dwell on the fact that the sprawling plantations around my family's estate are mostly tended by slaves. As with so many evils, there was nothing I could do about it yet. Even if I joined the anti-slavery party who advocated ending the practise and more concretely freed every slave they legally could, it would accomplish very little.

Graduate first, I reminded myself. Social engineering and economic revolution can come later. Slavery on plantations and mines weren't the worst of it, but at least in the Realm slaves could only be owned by the Exalted so there was some constraint and regulation to work with.

The few days in the Tepet Palace in Lord's Crossing weren't all that eventful. The other children had all either left already for their schools or were in the final stages of packing. Most of the elders were also absent, attending various celebrations of Calibration. The decision to have a summer gathering at my father's hosting had pulled most of the more sociable Tepet away from the palace and thus the party there was relatively reserved.

And being too young to participate in most of it, I delved into the library while I had the chance.

Tepet Jita, the oldest son of Tepet, saw me off on a coach to Root and Reed School. I was not, as it happened, the only student being sent but each of us was sent in a coach of our own. It was an important matter of prestige, or so it seemed. The old dynast was wizened and white of hair. I suspected that he was still a tough nut, but most Dragon-Blooded only live for two or three centuries. If he was of an age with his siblings then I had to suspect that the House might see a rapid change in its leadership before very much longer.

I read as we travelled, reminded as I did so of how little I enjoyed poorly sprung coaches on even the relatively decent roads of the Blessed Isle. The book I'd been allowed to take out of the family library was a history of House Tepet, starting with the great deeds of Tepet himself that had elevated the general to the point that the Scarlet Empress herself chose him as a consort. And then he died mysteriously within a few years of her actual husband. Hmm. 'Mysterious' indeed.

Still, being well versed in Tepet history would serve well if I was supposed to be evidence that Demarol was indeed a true and loyal son of the Great House.

The entrance to the school was a bit chaotic, with over a hundred students all arriving at once, many with servants. It was a pleasant looking building – no manse, but practically built with five wings radiating out from a domed central building. Ivy had been allowed to climb the walls facing the triangular space between the two wings framing the entrance. I had noted, however, that the other wings didn't have that garnishment.

Disembarking at last, I checked I hadn't forgotten anything. Not that it would have been easy to leave anything behind, given that my case was all I had brought besides the school uniform I wore. Presumably the other clothes Lotus Stem was making for me would catch up at some point.

All around me were taller children wearing basically the same uniform that I was. Root and Reed students wore calf-length white tunics under green bolero jackets marked with the mon of our respective families. Quite a number of the students I saw were wearing the green pants permitted for colder weather, but they were a minority.

Even more of a minority were those who wore surcoats over their tunics and beneath their jackets, the way that I did. Four of the five elemental colours were represented, only the black of water being absent. Not a hard feat when there weren't even ten students wearing that mark of exaltation.

As I disembarked, I was jostled heavily by a larger girl pulling a much larger case. I would go so far as to call it a trunk in fact.

"Do watch where you're going," the girl snorted. "Are you sure you're old enough to be here?"

I picked up my case from where I'd had to let go of it to keep my balance. "I don't recall being given a say in the matter. Were you?"

She turned and examined me as if I'd crawled out from under a rock. The mon on her jacket looked like the fletching of an arrow. House Sesus, one of the other great martial Houses and a particular rival of House Tepet. Her eyes widened. "Oh, you poor girl, get that surcoat off before someone sees it," she declared in a carrying voice. "Only Exalted students are supposed to wear them. Did you think just because it was white that no one would see it against your tunic?"

I folded my arms. "Couldn't see me a moment ago, now you can't hear a question. Are you subject to some disabilities? If you need assistance in your daily life, surely a servant should have been assigned."

Her eyes snapped but we were interrupted before it could go any further by a girl wearing a blue surcoat. "Ah, you're both new, aren't you? Do move along so that other coaches can unload. If you're not sure where to go, the first-year dorms are through the left entrance."

The Sesus girl forced a smile. "Of course, and thank you. Come along little one, I'll see you taken care of."

"That won't be necessary." The Air-aspect – at least according to the surcoat she wore – smiled in a pro forma fashion. "Alina is of my house and Tepet care for their own."

"Well clearly not if someone let her dress up as if she was Exalted."

I was tempted to demonstrate but it occurred to me that she might be trying to provoke just such a display. An unrestrained anima banner would be disruptive to everyone else arriving and not the sort of impression that I wanted to make.

"Perhaps you are uninformed," the older student said, then turned abruptly towards me, her long dark hair almost but not quite flicking into the face of the Sesus. "My apologies for not greeting you in Lord's Crossing, Alina. My name is Tepet Iyuki and I am the only Exalted daughter of Tepet already attending the Root and Reed School. Your father wrote to mine, asking that I provide guidance to you while we are both students."

"Please don't worry about not meeting me at the palace," I assured her. "Calibration is an inconvenient time for me to have arrived, particularly with so little notice."

"Nonetheless, no Tepet should ever feel that they have not been made welcome." Iyuki bowed again. "It's wonderful to meet the newest Dragon-Blood to rise from our House."

The other girl made a choking sound. "You mean you really are Exalted?"

I gave her a very bland look and curtseyed slightly. "Tepet Demarol Alina, Child of Pasiap. And you might be…?"

The same deportment I'd been taught had clearly been hammered into her, for she returned the gesture. "Sesus Lyta." She looked me over again. "You're so young to receive the dragon's blessing, I thought it almost unheard of for an eight-year-old."

"That is indeed true," agreed Iyuki with an almost malicious cheer. "But Alina has received early admission due to her age, Lyta. She turned seven in the summer, while hunting boar in Juche."

"We were hunting deer," I corrected as Lyta flushed dangerously. "The boar merely… intruded. It would be rather reckless for someone my age to hunt boar intentionally."

Iyuki rested one hand possessively on my shoulder. "I should show you to the Exalted dorms, Alina. They're through the entrance on the right."

Most of the students were moving through the entrance into the central building but I noted that what Iyuki had said was holding up so far. Of the exceptions, it was those children closest to my own age that were taking the turn into the wing on our left while a boy wearing a red surcoat had entered the building on our right.

The older girl ushered me through the door and into the interior, which seemed unreasonably dark compared to the bright sunlight outside. "Welcome to the Root and Reed School," she added once we were inside. "And thank you for staying calm as she goaded you. One of the first things we're taught as Exalted is to control our anima. Home may be different, but flaring it in public is aggressive at best and rude at worst. Particularly around other children who may not know better than to try to touch it."

I winced at the thought. Preventing an active banner from wounding everyone who came into contact with it was possible but well outside the typical levels of control. Exaltation had pushed me into the third mortal plateau of essence mastery but that was as far as most Exalted ever went and it would take until the fifth and final plateau short of the immortal courts before I could reliably choose to exclude someone from the injury done by my anima banner when it activated. "Does that happen often?"

"Not really, but there's always a chance that someone has got it into her head that all that it takes to awaken their inheritance of Exaltation is close contact." Iyuki shook her head disdainfully. "Do not accept any requests that you're even slightly unsure of about touching you. The teachers will warn the other first years but you can only easily lead a mortal to water, making them listen is much harder."

"I'll try not to hurt anyone. Not even Sesus Lyta."

The older Tepet gave me an approving look. "Her parents are both Exalted, so it would be problematic if you did. She's also one of the oldest of this year's students – she'll turn nine in a week or so. If she does exalt soon, you could be sharing the wing with her for years."

So almost two full years my elder. Joy.

Iyuki and I weren't the only Tepet studying at Root and Reed, we were just the only other Exalted from our family, I discovered.

After breakfast in the dining hall of the rooms set aside for Exalted, Iyuki handed me off to a short-haired girl with very contained body-language. I had some admiration for her control – with the way I was growing, my arms and legs seemed to be different lengths almost every practise. But never by increments enough to change that I was almost certainly the smallest student in the school.

"Ayama, this is our newest Exalted relative," Iyuki greeted the girl with a sweeping gesture. "I need to get to literature class, so can you show her to the dojo? You're in that wing this morning."

The girl bobbed her head in silent acceptance.

"Alina, this is Tepet Berel Ayama. She's the shining star of the second-year class for martial arts."

"Haven't started second year classes yet," Ayama clarified quietly. "Someone might have improved or Exalted."

"Until that happens, then. If you don't first." Iyuki reached over and casually brushed the other girl's fringe into slightly neater order before departing.

Ayama gave me a thoughtful look and then raised her hand very slightly to indicate we should descend the stairs of the main building. "Has Iyuki orientated you?"

"A little. Three wings are classrooms at the far end, dorms at the near end. The other two are classrooms at the near end with stables or the dojo at the far end respectively." I pointed to indicate which was which.

She bobbed her head as she had before. "Older students' room are in the Fire Wing, while Exalted and senior staff rooms are in the Air Wing. First years and any other students who there isn't room for are in Earth. The dojo is Water and the stables in Wood."

That made sense. "Are you going to the dojo as well?"

"No." She paused and then, with almost visible effort added: "Mathematics."

"Ah, so two of my preferred subjects are in the Water Wing. Good to know."

Ayama gave me a look. "It's harder than you're used to."

"Hopefully." At a guess the classes were generally taught in whichever wing matched the elements they were considered to be philosophically aligned with, thus Iyuki moving towards the far end of Air Wing for literature while the two of us were going the other way.

On the ground floor it was easy enough to find the passageway leading into Water Wing, carvings in the walls indicating the appropriate element.

Ayama stopped at a classroom near the end, the door open and other students evidently within. "The door at the end," she directed and turned back towards the door. Then she paused as if a thought had just hit her, turned and bowed to me. "Good fortune."

"And to you."

There was a hint of hot cheeks as she withdrew into the classroom. I wondered why. It couldn't be that I was Exalted, she seemed quite alright with Iyuki.

Well, it might become clear later. Or not, depending on how well we get on. But it would be nice to make some more friends here. As I'd learned with Nalan and Doreg, having a friend was much better than an enemy. And I seemed to have at least one enemy here already.

Yrina had predicted that but hopefully it wouldn't just be the Tepet that I got along with. That was a very small group out of the student body.

I opened the dojo door and entered. A dozen or so students were already waiting at the near end.

"That's her," a voice I knew identified.

Was Lyta gossiping about me? Watch me exhibit my surprised face.

I glanced casually in that direction and only barely saw a hand heading for my face.

Yikes! I folded my legs and dropped under it. The boy throwing the punch had way more momentum than he should have put into it so I was elbowing him below the ribs before he tumbled over me.

"What was -"

He was up again though, face set and determined. "You're not getting away!"

"I'm not -" I backed away as he launched a flurry of swings, his arms far longer than mine. "- trying to get away."

"Liar!" He raised his hands, wrapped one hand around the other fist and tried to bring it down like a sledgehammer on my head.

I caught his blow with one hand, tapping my essence to block it. Ouch, that took more effort than I wanted, but against someone this much bigger than me I needed the support.

Then I jabbed him again, more or less where I'd tagged him earlier. He barely flinched, which was distressing. Just what was this fellow made of?

Pulling back, he threw a clumsy spin-kick, trying to catch me off-guard by switching tactics. I rode the charm I'd already used to block it with my forearm. Should I go harder?

No, bad idea. It would be far too easy to kill him and I wasn't feeling very threatened, more curious about why he was doing this…

He used the brace of my arm to kick off and brought his other knee around into my back. Blocking something from that angle wasn't going to happen.

Okay, I thought as I skidded across the polished wood. Maybe feeling a little more threatened now.

He didn't seem angry as much as desperate. "Do you want - ?"

"Face justice!" He tried a leg sweep as I turned. If that hit me then I... okay, go with it!

I let him kick me and it sent me flying across the dojo. The more this played out, the more chance there was that I had to tap enough essence to ignite my anima banner. And at that point the teachers would likely take a hand.

Just because I let him get the kick in didn't mean I was out of control. The lack of resistance on my part had surprised him and given me enough distance to look the room over. No one else seemed inclined to get involved, most of the kids as shocked as I had been. And I was the only Exalt in the room, unless someone had forgotten their surcoat.

"What are you -" Another block and I kicked his knee. It might as well have been solid wood! "- doing this for?"

He locked onto my arms, bearing down on me with his height and weight. "I heard what you did."

"I kind of doubt that."

I swan kicked up into his upper thigh. Not his groin, partly because I didn't want to do permanent damage (if I could!) but also because I wasn't sure I had the range. He flinched, which was understandable and something of a relief. I was wondering if I was doing something massively wrong, but I suppose he was just that tough.

Then I collapsed my other leg and rolled backwards, pinwheeling him back and into the wall of the dojo. There was quite a crash.

"What is going on here?" demanded a burly man in an immaculate style robe.

I grabbed my assailant's shoulder and helped him up, making sure he saw that there was an adult present. Huh, Tepet mon on the boy's jacket… "I'm sorry, sifu. My cousin and I were roughhousing and we got a little too enthusiastic."

The man scowled at us and then almost seemed to teleport across the room, securing a firm grip on each of us. Good grief, he had to be either enlightened or Exalted from the way he pulled us back to the others and then gave us a push that put both of us up against the wall.

"As it's your first day, I'll call this a warning," the sifu growled. "There is no roughhousing, horseplay or unsupervised sparring in my dojo. I am here to teach the right and proper ways to use your hands, your feet and the rest of your bodies. It is not playtime."

I bowed. "I apologise, sir. It will not happen again."

The boy next to me did the same.

For a long moment the sifu stared down at us and then he turned away. "I will hold you to that. Now, we will begin with a warm-up. Spread out and adopt the crab stance."

As we obeyed, I stayed next to the boy and murmured, "Tepet Demarol Alina," when the sifu was at the far end of the group. "And you?"

"Tepet Vergus Udano." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Why did you cover for me?"

"We're both Tepet. As upright soldiers, we should stand shoulder to shoulder."

He frowned, an expression that seemed to come naturally to him. But it was more one of thought than disagreement. We both watched the sifu circle the class, barking instructions as we slowly moved from warm-ups to some basic kata.

"I… you were adopted, I heard."

"I was born to Lord Demarol's secretary. He claims I am his daughter; I assume he knows." Well, actually it seemed damned unlikely I was his unless mother had been lying. But I had no justifiable way of knowing it.

Hmm. Now that I thought about it, my mother was probably in Juche. I wonder if I'd been anywhere near her. Was that one reason Yrina didn't stop at the townhouse?

"Lady Yrina agreed to the adoption and she's the only mother I know," I finished.

Udano studied the floor. "I see. I… apologise. I had…" His face twisted. "It was suggested that you had entered the household and laid claim to the proper exaltation of a Tepet born there."

If the kata had allowed for it, I'd have pinched the bridge of my nose to deal with the building stress. "Politely, Udano, you're a dumbass. Exaltation is fated. No one can take the exaltation of someone else."

"I apologise," he said again, not looking up.

I glanced at him as the kata next naturally directed our attention in the right direction. "Apology accepted. You may be a dumbass but you're a Tepet dumbass and we look after our own."

The boy started, getting a snapped reprimand from the sifu but when he looked back at me, he smiled shyly. It really looked wrong on his face, I suspected he was naturally solemn. "Thank you. Cousin."

"It's fine. Want to spar when he lets us? Sifu only said there was no unsupervised sparring."

"Really?"

"Sure, it's not as if there are any Exalted. You're pretty good."

I wasn't sure, but I thought I might have made a friend. Now if I could do so outside my own House, I might actually get somewhere.