How tempting to turn my back on him, but it would be like kicking myself in the shin. “Why did you not come sooner?” I asked instead, which was what I truly wanted to know.

His expression turned grave. “An urgent matter arose at court; the appointment of a new general to share command over the army with General Jianyun. My father’s relationship with him has grown tense of late.”

Guilt burrowed in my chest. Did Their Celestial Majesties bear a grudge against General Jianyun for defending me a year ago, the day I won my mother’s freedom? They rewarded those who served them well, but insults were repaid in full.

“Who is this new general?” I asked.

“Minister Wu,” he said grimly.

A shudder coursed through me at the recollection of the courtier who had argued so vehemently against mercy for us. If he had his way, the emperor would have clapped my mother into chains and sentenced me to death that day. Had I offended the minister without knowing it? Or did he really believe us a threat to the emperor, to whom he was undoubtedly loyal? Whatever it was, my stomach churned at the thought of him wielding such influence over the Celestial Army.

“I did not realize the minister harbored these aspirations,” I remarked. “Is he qualified for the position?”

“Few would refuse so illustrious an appointment whether they are capable or not,” Liwei said. “I stayed to lend General Jianyun my support in hopes of changing my father’s mind, but he is adamant. While Minister Wu is a loyal subject of my father’s, I have always felt uneasy around him, even before he spoke against you.”

“Unclouded by emotion, instinct can be a powerful guide.” As I spoke, my insides knotted at the memory of Wenzhi’s betrayal. Who was I to preach such things when I had stifled my own instincts, seeing only what I wanted to believe?

Something pulsed through my mind like a soundless drumbeat; someone had come through the wards. I probed the stillness, sensing the unfamiliar flickers of energy. Immortal auras, several of them, yet none familiar to me. As I stiffened, Liwei’s eyes narrowed. He had sensed it, too, these strangers who had come to my home.

Since the moon was no longer a place of exile, many immortals visited us. An unfortunate outcome of the emperor’s pardon was having to suffer their curious stares and callous remarks like I was some object to be paraded for their amusement.

How did it feel to be struck by Sky-fire? a Celestial courtier had asked breathlessly.

A miracle that you survived. A face alight with anticipation.

While another had wondered in a too-loud voice, What of the scars? Do they still hurt? I hear those will never heal.