Min enlisted the help of five cultivators who had reached the Peak of Spiritual Refinement. Three men and two women, all were former Brotherhood members.

  She led them to the largest workroom in the compound, where she'd ordered the freshly-cleaned batch of Morning Mist sect robes laid out. Lux batteries stood against the wall. They were large crystals the size of her fist, wrapped in metal filigree cages, each pulsing with lux.

  "You are going to help me prepare new robes for our juniors for the party that begins tonight," Min said.

  She stifled a yawn, hoping she'd have a chance for a nap. She'd been up until past midnight making arrangements, and then again before dawn to get back to them. She'd only managed to exchange a quick word with Chang-li to let him know of the invitation. He’d been just as busy with his own tasks. So much for them delegating.

  The cultivators sat on stools around the tables, eyeing the robes. "What do you want us to do with this, Elder Sister?" Cultivator Je asked. She picked up a robe by the sleeve, holding it between thumb and forefinger as she stared down at it.

  “We will embed two different techniques in the robe," Min said. "I'll have you three learn the first one. It's not complicated, but it will take time and concentration."

  Min quickly demonstrated the weave, a complicated blue and red technique held together by numerous thin strands of green.

  "This weave will monitor body and mind, watching for any influences that might affect the wearer’s judgment at the party tonight. These will have to be adjusted for the cultivator wearing the robes. We'll distribute the new robes and then tune each one separately. "

  The five exchanged a series of grim nods. Min had already explained to all five of them the danger of a Gem Court affair.

  "So if they drink too much wine and get tipsy, this will let you know?" Acolyte Yoni asked.

  "Among other things," Min agreed.

  Je raised an eyebrow. "Could we add in a way to tell if they're becoming... ah, shall we say, excited?"

  Min had considered just that. Regretfully, she shook her head. She suspected it would be possible with a more talented cultivator, and had briefly considered asking Chang-li for help, but he was buried in his own tasks. And anyway, she was just trying to prevent anyone from drugging or using a lux weave on one of her people to alter their consent. If they heard her warnings and were still determined to get into bed with a Gem Court noble, well, then there wasn't much she could do.

  She was grimly expecting multiple quick marriages to come out of tonight. That was all right. Noren was correct: sooner or later, they would all have to be married off. She just wanted to make sure no one else ended up in front of a marriage tribunal without their enthusiastic consent.

  Min demonstrated the weave again as her three chosen cultivators focused. Then she walked each of them through it. When she was satisfied that they had the basics down, she showed them how to attach that weave to the fabric of the robe. It wasn’t much different from the way a lux scroll was created, and all of the sect had ample practice with that thanks to Chang-li’s tutelage.

  Then she moved on to the other two cultivators. "This one’s a bit more subtle," she said, "so watch carefully."

  She demonstrated. The two leaned in and focused.

  "That's a lot of blue," Cultivator Ona observed. "I don't think I've ever worked with nearly as much."

  In truth, Min’s use of the blue lux was both profligate and inefficient. Were Hiroko here, she was certain the Indigo Princess would be able to improve on her weave considerably.

  "Try it," Min said. Both cultivators followed suit. She nodded. "Good enough. That will work. Now, the trick is, we have to attach it both to the robes and to our focal item. You’ll put it on the right sleeve of the robe and let the other team use the left sleeve. As for your focal item..." She set down a simple wooden ring on the table, the symbol of the Oaken Band Brotherhood that had been on her thumb since the day she turned fourteen. "The other end attaches to this. Don’t worry. The weave is designed to have most of its spiritual weight on the robe."

  The two looked from the pile of robes to the ring and back. "Even so, Elder Sister, are you certain?" Cultivator Toh asked carefully. "That's a great deal of techniques grabbed onto a single item. Will you be wearing it?"

  She nodded. "I will."

  "You're certain you can take the strain?"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "I can," she promised. The technique itself was simple, providing an anchor point for her Thousand Whispers technique that would amplify it, allowing her to focus in on a single of her spider web endpoints. With this on each robe, any of her cultivators could activate it and draw her attention to them. It would rely on them being aware enough of their predicament to call for help, but it was better than nothing. It would also make her Thousand Whispers use considerably less lux, so she might have a reasonable chance of keeping it going all night.

  A handful of hours later, Min stood in front of the assembled Morning Mist cultivators. They looked so vulnerable. Most of them were younger than she was, and though they had already achieved great strides as cultivators, their experience with this world was lacking.

  She and her grandfather had chosen the initial recruits to send to Morning Mist based on their established loyalty to the Brotherhood and and potential, not for their streetwise experiences. Now she was wishing she had a handful of the Brotherhood's more devious members.. Too late for regrets now.

  She was flanked by Brother Stone on one side and Joshi on the other. Chang-li had promised to be here. She had no doubt he would arrive soon, clutching a satchel full of important documents he was still working on finishing up, and with that glassy-eyed look he'd worn too much lately, as he remembered dozens more tasks he still needed to accomplish. They might as well get started without him.

  Some of the disciples were fingering their new robes. They wouldn't be able to harm the weaves now that they were integrated into the sleeves of the robes. It would take a more advanced cultivator seriously concentrating on it to undo what Min and her helpers had done.

  Brother Stone addressed them first. "Acolytes," he said, his voice booming, "for most of you, this will be your first encounter with the Gem Court. This Moonlight Revel is a great honor for our sect. I want each and every one of you to take pride in the fact that you are cultivated notable enough for the Gem Court to look upon you and wish to bring you into their fold."

  The acolytes stood a little straighter. She saw a handful of smiles on faces. Word of this event had spread throughout the sect. Everyone looked fresh and clean, as though they'd all spent time today washing behind their ears and grooming their hair. The female cultivators had put on face paint and tucked flowers behind their ears. The men were fresh-shaven.

  "Remember that tonight you represent Morning Mist," Brother Stone continued. "Let that thought guide you. There will be those who seek to make our sect look foolish by causing you to act without thinking. If anyone tries to insult you or seduce you, ask yourself, what does this person want with me? Think carefully as you eat and drink the weaves. If you have doubts, find a superior sect member and ask.

  “Each of you is part of a practice trio." Heads nodded everywhere. Min had seen Brother Stone organizing the juniors into groups of three for practicing their patterns and sparring. It was a favored technique of the Brotherhood, where one could watch the other two and offer pointers. "You will stick with your trio tonight. Keep an eye on the other two. If you feel something is amiss with one of your trio, one of you stay with that person while the other goes for help. Understood?"

  Heads nodded all over the place.

  Now Min spoke up. "Each of you has two weaves bound into your new robes," she said. She tapped her left shoulder. "The weave on this side will turn red if there's something affecting your mind, either something you ate or a technique being used on you by another cultivator. Watch the other members of your trio, and if you see it turn red, seek help immediately. The weave on your other sleeve is a way to alert us if something is wrong."

  She tapped her right shoulder. "Wherever you are at the party, activate this weave, and I will know. The senior disciples will now be attuning each weave to you personally. Everyone remain still while we do that."

  She and some of the more senior disciples moved forward. They were about halfway done when Chang-li came puffing into the courtyard. Sure enough, he had a satchel over one shoulder. His own robes were wrinkled, and his long hair was trying to escape from its queue. She thought he looked adorable as he plucked her sleeve and drew her aside. "Sorry I'm late," he whispered. "What's all this?"

  "Some precautions." She quickly explained.

  He beamed at her. "Excellent thought. I should have come up with it myself."

  "No, you shouldn't have," Min said. "We've been talking about delegation. This is an area for me to handle while you take care of yours. Did you speak to Noren before he left?"

  "Yes, I guess." Chang-li looked a bit frazzled. “He asked me to file something and then left me a strange document. I'm not sure, it's in the old script, but I think it’s a marriage license.”

  “What?!” Min stared at him. “A what?”

  “That was my reaction, but he just dropped it on my desk and breezed out again. If it's genuine, it has to be older than Noren himself, so I don't see how it makes sense. It’s under his old name, of course, and it doesn't have the seal of the Office of Cultivation. It’s witnessed by the Council of Stars. I've never even heard of them. Have you?"

  She shook her head. "No. Do you think it’s real? I mean, it’s hard to picture Noren, married."

  Chang-li’s brows drew together. “Do you think it’s a forgery? Why would he have such a thing?”

  “Maybe he’s just trying to get out of being forced into a marriage”

  “But why would we he already have the document? And why use something foreign? Besides, can’t the Gem Court dissolve marriages if they’re not proving useful?” Chang-li ran a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated noise.

  The whole topic was making her head hurt. “I think he’s just trying to get out from under the Gem Court’s hammer. He isn’t planning to be at the party at all.”

  "Yes, that is rather convenient timing, isn't it?" Chang-li said grimly. " He didn’t tell me where he was going, just that it was pressing sect business. It means Joshi and I are the highest ranked Morning Mist representatives here.”

  Min's head was bursting with etiquette. "Since Joshi is unmarried, he'll have to come in with the disciples. We'll be required to lead them in and introduce them all," she said.

  Chang-li frowned. "Are you all right? You didn't look this nervous going up against Eri's disciples."

  "That's because I knew what we were in for there," Min said.

  "At least we're not likely to be fighting for our lives," Chang-li said.

  "You want to bet?"