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The officers yelled so, and the warriors shouted in tiyon Three ti It took her alive the emperor!"

When they stopped, the emperor left his throne and walked down to the foot of the dais, where those soldiers ere fairly close could see hies moved forward to stand each at one of his elbows Then he raised his hands and began to speak

Stones at the es’ necks blazed The emperor’s voice rolled across the field like thunder He praised their strength; he praised their obedience to hixe He prorandchildren Last of all he cried, "Death to the ene!"

All of the people who stood before him -- even the riders had dismounted by then -- dropped to their hands and knees Nine tiround The last ti to hate that ceremony," Briar es walked away around the far side of the dais Other es and nobles streamed off the dais after him

"Are we supposed to follow?" Rosethorn asked Parahan

"I have been placed in charge of escorting you to the Hall of I for the crowd to ease Then we can go"

"Why didn’t he greet us here?" Evvy wanted to know

"I would iine because he wanted you to admire one of his armies," Parahan replied blandly "He likes to show the at all Evvy ondering if she was the only one left breathless by Parahan’s words when Rosethorn said, "This is just one of his armies?"

"Oh, yes," Parahan said quietly "Specifically it is the one for Center Yanjing I have also seen the arer I aht three of his neighbors at once"

"Why does he show you all his armies?" Briar asked

Parahan shook his head "Oh, it’s nothing to do with me He likes to show them off to everyone He reets word to his enemies that it would be better if they surrendered"

"And his guests?" Rosethorn asked "Our home in Emelan is neither friend nor enemy Why show them to us?"

Parahan replied, "So you will tell those you meet what you have seen"

THE HALL OF IMPERIAL GREETINGS

THE WINTER PALACE

DOHAN IN YANJING

They were not presented iuest pavilion, where a Yanjingyi meal waited for them Before they could eat, however, the ly called their "ar clothes" These were replaced with loose robes so they could eat without fear of spoiling any silks or linens

Rosethorn wasn’t sure what arments or the food She had been afraid she would have to face the official presentation with no more in her belly than coconut water Now, as she settled on crossed legs before the low table, she realized that Parahanroom servants "Join us, please," she said "I won’t be able to touch a bite if you loouests would ask a captive to eat with theht their eyes, they fell silent Parahan didn’t need to be invited twice Immediately he sat on his heels next to Briar and helped hioose, cherries preserved in honey, and baked lamb Rosethorn had only taken a few mouthfuls before she noticed that the servants were all too willing to give Evvy rolled fried cakes, sugared jujube berries, and nunored Parahan

If the euests, as they had done since the newcoht as well take advantage of it She looked at the servants and raised a single eyebrow They were so well trained that they froze instantly Once she had their attention, she looked at Parahan -- since he had not been supplied with eating sticks, he was using his fingers -- then looked at the servants again I man could wash his hands Another placed a fresh pair of eating sticks in a proper stone holder before him A third maid waited for hi Parahan blinked up at her, then began to point Satisfied, Rosethorn whisked three small dishes of sweets away from Evvy and showed her own server that Evvy could have twice-cooked fish, water-reed shoots, and sliced turnips in sauce If she let the child eat according to her own taste, Evvy’s teeth would rot out, lared at her new irl would eat, or not

Briar at least wasout his choices to the maids They had almost started an incident on their arrival when Rosethorn had tried to insist that they would serve theust Mistress of the Guest Pavilions herself to explain that things were done in a certain hen one was a guest of the eet one’s servants’ heads cut off After that Rosethorn had ground her teeth and borne it As a dedicate, she was farthe servant, or at the very least, to doing her part of the chores Being waited on itched in all of the places where her vows had become part of her