The night air hit them as they stepped through the Jade Palace gates — cool, carrying the scent of jasmine and canal water. The capital's lantern-lit streets stretched ahead, emptier now, the feast-goers already dispersed into carriages and palanquins.
Milan walked beside Jolthar, Andrion a step behind rubbing his eyes, Malyani was walking by Milan's side and Sarojina setting a pace that dared any of them to suggest she was tired.
"I need a bath," Andrion said, loosening his collar.
"And a week without hearing the word imperial."
"Come now. He can handle whatever trouble the Emperor throws his way."
"That's precisely what worries me," Milan replied.
"Jolthar's way of dealing with problems would only create more trouble for the future."
Sarojina, who had been listening quietly as they walked, glanced at her sons with an amused expression.
