It was a nice, sunny day, the kind of day Katarina liked to go out to her garden and muck around in the dirt like a commoner. In fact, she was mucking around in the dirt like a commoner. Now that she owned the estate, Keith had thought Maria would forbid Katarina her extended farm, or possibly charge her rent and a tithe (it seemed a distinct possibility, if not a serious one), but Maria had merely insisted Katarina wear a hat and that she teach the children how to look after the crops for when she wasn't there. Keith had watched the children intently, but so far there didn't seem to be anyone developing a crush on his sister, so it was all good. Katarina was too old for someone like that to be a serious rival, right?

Right?

…

Best not to think about it!

He and the princes were sitting around a medium-sized round table made of finely carved wood in one of the rooms of the the still-unused Dieke manor house (Maria didn't seem in any hurry to occupy it). It was clear only this room and the direct path in and out of it had been cleaned. There was a pot of tea and a plate of cookies for them. Next to it was a bigger plate with more cookies that were likely for Katarina. On the end nearest Maria was a plain wooden box

"Thank you for coming," Maria said. She was wearing her usual trousered outfit, but with Sophia's broach at the neck. Keith supposed this was her way of seeming extra formal, since she usually wear jewelry to school. She probably didn't have much beyond those pieces. "For the past several months, after a fortuitous discovery in Alchemy class, I have been working on a means of finding a practical application for the properties of this alchemical mixture. I believe I have found one that can be used to entertain our classmates on the occasion of the school festival. I apologize for my temerity in extending my invitation for this venture to your distinguished selves. Should you wish to refuse after my presentation, I understand, and request only you remain quiet about what you see until after its presentation at the festival, to preserve the surprise. "

"Apology accepted," the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said dryly. "Given the precedent of your previous creations, it's not going to be blood-related, is it? Perhaps an alchemical substitute for blood?"

"Sadly not your highness, useful as such a substance would be," Maria said. She reached over and opened the box retrieving a small, sealed glass bottle of the sort a lady might carry perfumes for the day. Instead of perfume, it contained a substance like black powder.

"This is the alchemical substance in question, composed of… well, I wish to keep that secret for now, though the Third Prince could likely deduce it after some examination," Maria said. It was said as a simple statement of fact, unlike the usual praising and toadying when it came to the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance's abilities. The sun shone, and the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance was talented. They were facts of life. Keith knew it was one of the reasons the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance liked Maria. Unlike others, she just accepted how good he was instead of constantly fawning over him about it. "It is intensely flammable, and reacts violently with flame, converting its entire mass to smoke within fractions of a heartbeat upon igniting on even just a spark. This creates an explosion of great force, as if with fire or wind magic. fortunately, getting it wet with water prevents the reaction."

"So, what does it do?" Alan said.

The three nobles stared at the vivid purple explosion in the sky.

It wasn't as simple as that, of course. Maria had shown them a bronze tube secured to the ground and pointed straight up that she filled with the powder and some kind of ball wrapped in paper. Then she'd had them stand very far back, as the noise was supposedly intense, before she had done something that smoked to the base of the tube before running towards them as if the accursed Knight of the Fume himself were after her before disappearing into a hole in the ground that they had noticed in passing on the way to the tube.

Damn the Knight of the Fume.

There had been a clap like thunder, which had admittedly been quite loud given how far they were from the tube. And then purple sparks exploded in the sky.

Behind them, the children had stopped to watch, as had Katarina, Sophia and Mary, who of course were also there. For some reason, Katarina had her arms up and was yelling something.

They watched as Maria returned to the tube at a more sedate pace, thrust a stick into the tube of a few minutes, then again poured in powder and a paper-wrapped ball. Again she ran for the hole, and again there had been the thunder. Another explosion of purple sparks erupted in the sky.

She did this thrice more, producing sparks of different colors after each clap.

By the end of it, the children were cheering, their arms also raised and seemed to yelling in time with Katarina. Sophia had joined in as well, as had Mary, though the latter with confusion and a bit less enthusiasm.

"Well?" Maria said after she had dumped a bucket of water down the bronze tube. "Do you think it will entertain during the school festival? There will need to me more, of course. Much more. Not merely one at a time, but simultaneously, as if the sky were blooming with flowers."

"Does this have anything to do with why the Astrologers of the Ministry and the capital are at each other's throats about a red star appearing or not?" the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said.

"Are they?" Maria said, face smooth. "How most unfortunate."

"Well, it's not my paperwork, so I don't really care," the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said with blunt and sadistic cheer. "I think I'm very interested in putting my name on a presentation like this. How much money will it need?" he said bluntly.

"For the event itself, surprisingly little," Maria said. "I am in greater need of help in actually producing the powder and packing the charges for the display. My main limitation is a lack of lofting mortars. I only commissioned the one to see if it would be able to handle the stresses of use, but commissioning more at this point is likely to beggar me, not to mention unlikely to be completed in time for the festival."

"I presume you have a solution?" the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said.

"Yes," Maria said. "It would be possible to use more expendable tubes. The bronze mortar is meant to be sturdy and reusable. However, a tube of packed earth or stone, if made to the correct specifications, would also suffice."

Keith realized the princes were looking at him. "What?" he said. "Me?"

"I apologize for my presumption, Lord Claes," Maria said, bowing low. "But I find you are the only Earth Magic wielder of my acquaintance of the relevant ability. If you wish to refuse, I completely understand."

Keith hesitated.

"Lady Maria, Lady Maria!"

The children, with the usual question of whether Katarina was part of that group, ran up to them, chattering excitedly.

"That was amazing!"

"That was scary!"

"They were so pretty!"

"Can you do that again?"

"Tamaya! Tamaya!"

That last was something the children were yelling while throwing up their hands. Keith would bet all the money in the kingdom Katarina had made up that word.

Keith looked at the cheering children clustered around Maria. Then at the starry look on his sister's face.

He imagined what she'd look like at a second, longer, more grand display.

"All right," he said, once the children and Katarina had been placated and gone back to working the fields. For some reason, Sophia hadn't returned with them, instead lingering nearby, far enough away not to overhear but close enough to be obvious she was directing an intense, thoughtful gaze at Maria. "I'll do it."

Anything for her smile.

"You sure you're not asking for money?" the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said. "Not that I'd be willing to spend much on this. Well, perhaps on special occasions. I can think of one or two."

"If it helps, a few alterations such as a lighter charge would result in less noise, allowing for them to be used as a color-based signaling system," Maria said.

"That's… interesting…" the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said slowly, and Keith frowned. The prince suddenly was looking at Maria very intently. "But hardly worth that much. Certainly not in the coin of lives and power."

"No," Maria agreed. "These little flowers, pretty as they are, have little worth in such coin."

They stared at the well-made if decorative cuirass hanging from a pole like some sort of scarecrow, likely dragged from the front hall of the Dieke manor. It had two round holes in front, around which the metal was caved in like someone had struck it dead on with a warhammer or a mace.

Keith, the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance, Alan, and Sophia (who had joined them at some point, not saying anything, just falling into step by their side) all turned towards Maria, cradling the long device of metal and wood she'd used. It had a stock like some crossbows did and had been held like one. Maria had introduced it as the prototype alchemy-fueled weapon 'Gehrman', version 1. She had put powder in it, but instead of a paper-wrapped object, she had put in a small piece of metal and had aimed it at the armor.

The armor had been sixty yards away.

It was only now that they were closer did they see that on the ground next to it was another, less pristine piece of the same sort of armor. It was riddled with holes.

"This, however, is worth much of such coin," Maria said quietly. "Do you not think so?"

Sophia reached up and stuck her fingers in the hole. They were noticeably wider.

The silence continued some more.

"I want one," Sophia said with a burning intensity usually reserved for new books or plotting to wed her brother to Katarina.

For some reason, that sent a chill of dread up Keith's spine.