‘Wait,’ she added. ‘I know you … Don’t tell me.’ A number of names skipped through her mind. ‘It can’t be? Ami? Is it you?’

The woman clapped her hands. ‘Yes, my lady.’

They embraced, carefully so as not to upset Pari’s outfit. ‘My dear Ami, it is a delight to see you again. Look how you’ve grown! You were a slip of a girl the last I saw you.’

‘The cook and I are the best of friends,’ she replied with a smile.

‘It is always wise to be on the cook’s good side. I take it you’ve come to enjoy our food.’

‘Oh yes. So much better than what I had before. The Sapphire don’t know what they’re missing!’

‘Spoken like a true Tanzanite.’

Ami lifted her chin. ‘Thank you, my lady.’

‘Inform the High Lord that I will be with her shortly. And send Sho to me, I need to know what I’ve missed.’

‘I …’ Ami’s face folded in sadness. ‘Forgive me, my lady, but Sho is no longer with us. I have taken on his duties in accordance with your wishes.’

Pari looked again at Ami’s uniform, taking it in truly this time. So strange to see someone else in it. She had had many majordomos over her lifecycles, but for the last three, they had all been Sho or Sho’s mother. ‘Of course you have, I remember now. Tell me, did he die well?’

‘Oh yes. He was surrounded by family. They sang him on his way at the end, and we all took part. Even the crystals in the castle joined in.’

Pari closed her eyes, imagining what it must have been like. Tanzanite crystals grew throughout her castle, most of them clustered at its base but some wound through the upper floors and laced the walls. It was their power that kept her castle in the sky, and her people had long ago learned to sing and play music that resonated. It was seen as a good omen when the crystal sang back. ‘I wish I could have been here.’

‘Sho wished this too. He has left you some final words.’

‘Where did Sho get his hands on a message crystal?’

‘I don’t know, my lady.’

Pari smiled. ‘He always was a crafty one. Bring it to—no, it had better wait until after the meeting. Do I look ready to face High Lord Tanzanite? Be honest.’

‘Yes, my lady.’

Pari nodded, feeling the statement to be true. In the Unbroken Age, it was said that there were those that could read the soul inside the body and know another’s intent even before they did. Pari had spent lifetimes trying to master the art, with limited success. She had developed instincts, senses for what another person might feel or do, but they were vague, and often hard to interpret.

‘How long have I been between lives?’

‘Sixteen years, my lady.’