Second of all, Kati was bored.

"The troopers' sons ride all the time; I can see them from my window. You could get someone to watch me, to be sure I don't hurt myself, and then you'll see how well I can ride. You can ask anyone to do it; you are First Wife!"

This ploy usually worked, and today was no exception, when she saw Weimeng stiffen.

"I will make inquiries," said Weimeng, "but it must be a small horse. The big ones are far too dangerous for a child." Her brows were knitted with concern.

"Oh, thank you!" Kati hugged Weimeng fiercely, looked up at her. "It's only that I'm bored. I want to be outside more. I want to feel the wind and smell the trees. I don't want to be inside all the time, working with the teachers. There are no children for me to play with here."

Weimeng stroked her hair, held her close. "It is so easy to forget you're not a palace child, Kati. First Lady brought you to me from the mountains, and your life was different there. Go back to your studies, now, and I will see what I can do to solve these problems of yours."

Kati went back to her rooms with a reasonable expectation of receiving a horse for her birthday, because Weimeng would find someone to ride with her. Weimeng was a gentle woman. Too gentle. She was first wife of the Emperor, but had surrendered to her own shame. She did not take advantage of her status, or the deep respect the Moshuguang and members of the palace staff had for her. She accepted the rejection of a husband, and did nothing to oppose it.

If I were first wife, he would have reason to fear me.

It had been a shock when Kati had learned who Weimeng really was. It was only two weeks after she'd come here, and they were eating lunch in Weimeng's suite. The doors opened, without a knock, and The Son of Heaven marched in rudely, interrupting their meal.

"So this is the child," he'd said, looking Kati up and down, hands on hips, an arrogant posture.

And how did Weimeng react? Angrily? No, she dropped to her knees before him, kissing his hand, and saying, "Oh, Son of Heaven, I thank you for allowing me the gift of this child."

Son of Heaven. The Emperor of Shanji. Kati could only stand stiffly before him. At that moment, she had wished only pain and slow death for the man.

"I am pleased if she brightens your life, woman," he'd said, "but let there be no misunderstandings here. She is only a foster child, and there will be no adoption. There is only one heir to the throne."

And then he'd paraded haughtily from the suite, a guard on either side of him.

Weimeng had then explained who she really was, and how she'd arrived at her lonely existence before Kati came. And Kati had a new reason to hate the Emperor of Shanji.

Now she went back to her learning machine, and the drudgery of memorizing her characters, one by one.

Huomeng arrived in the early afternoon to check her progress. Mengmoshu had a.s.signed the boy to tutor her as a part of his own training. His purpose within the Moshuguang was to be a scientist and educator. He arrived on time, as usual, and checked the extent of her work.

"Your progress is far greater than I expected," he said, with the condescending tone of voice he used with her. "Your memory is nearly as good as mine."

But much faster.

"Perhaps. But your real learning is about to begin. I brought these for you."

He handed her two disks, and without asking his permission, she immediately inserted one into the machine.

"This one is the geography of Shanji. The other is more about astronomy, and it describes the Tengri-Nayon system that was the home of our ancestors. I think you will find that one more interesting."

He clearly wanted to talk about the second disk, so she booted up the first one instead.

The new lesson appeared on her screen, showing a blue planet with two large continents, one straddling the equator, the other peeking from beneath the edge of a ma.s.s of ice frozen at the south pole. Huomeng pointed at the city's location near the southwestern sh.o.r.e of the equatorial continent. "There are fertile valleys here, and to east and north of the mountains, but then the land becomes arid, nearly a desert. It goes all the way to the northeast quarter, where there is heavy rainforest we haven't even explored yet. First landing was here, on the plateau next to what you call the Three Peaks."

I used to ride Sushua there, and the peaks were my favorite place.

Huomeng smiled. "As you can see, we haven't moved far from the original landing site, but that is the way of the traditionalists. Our population has grown slowly under the dictates of our Emperors, but his influence has not been so visible in the eastern plains. The population there is growing rapidly, and all the fertile lands are now being used. The Emperor doesn't know this yet, because he hasn't cared enough to visit the people there. And we have not told him. Soon, we will have to move people to the northeast, along the coast, even the forest interior. That is over three thousand kilometers from here, Kati. I think the days of a small, feudal kingdom governed by one man will soon be coming to an end."

"He will not allow it," she said.

"He will have no choice," said Huomeng. "It will be a matter of survival."

"But the Moshuguang does not tell the Emperor what he should hear. You are supposed to serve him."

"We serve First Mother, and are in her hands. The Emperor is not."

There was hardness and finality in the sound of Huomeng's voice. For the first time, Kati saw the huge gap, both political and philosophical, between the Moshuguang and the man who sat on the throne.

There was not one ruler of Shanji, but two. And one of them lived far away from this world, appearing to chosen people only in their minds.

"Now you will read to me," said Huomeng.

She read to him from the text on the screen, pausing only twice for his explanation of a character she hadn't seen before. It was all boring. She yawned.

"My hour is finished," said Huomeng, looking displeased. "Be ready to read the other disk to me in two days. And get more sleep.""I get too much sleep. I'm like the rodents that burrow into the ground.""Then get outside more.""I'm trying to.""Oh. Have you said anything to Mengmoshu?""No."

"Do it. They will find an excuse for you. I must go."

She glared at him, then deliberately yawned again as he left. Her meeting with the teachers of the mind was three days off. Too long.

Mengmoshu, I have a problem.

I'm busy, Kati. Can it wait?

No. You're always busy. I feel trapped in this room. I cannot go on learning this way. I need to get

outside, but Madam fears I will be burned by Tengri-Khan, or breathe a dust mote, or scuff my knee. I want to ride a horse! You said I'm not a captive. I want to get outside more.

Weimeng means well. She is a cautious mother, and we will speak to her. Be patient another day.

One day?

That's what I said. Do your work, now, and I'll do mine. Be patient, and trust me.

Kati felt that peculiar fuzziness in her head, indicating he had tuned her out for the moment, and likely for the rest of the day. Mengmoshu did not like her interruptions, but it was always him she sought out when there was a problem. She was somehow comforted by the knowledge that day, or night, the mind of Mengmoshu hovered just beyond the edge of her consciousness.

She went back to work, inserted the second disk into her machine and discovered that Huomeng had been correct. This was more interesting to her, a short program with many colored pictures of two planetary systems. The first picture showed Tengri-Khan, a yellow star with dark spots, and small tongues of flame issuing from its surface. Eight planets, five of them close in, barren and pockedmarked, lifeless places. Further out was the blue world of Shanji, a planet without a moon, like the other little ones. But much further out were two giant b.a.l.l.s of gas, with swirling storms and many moons of ice and frozen gases.

The second system was most interesting. Tengri-Nayon, the red star of Empress Mandughai; seen up-close, it was really more orange than red. A very young star, the text said, only recently born, with a planetary system not yet fully formed. It was a violent looking place, jets of matter streaming from the poles of a sphere whose surface boiled with protuberances, fans, and great bridges of fire. Of the inner four planets, two were inhabited, one covered with streams of white clouds. The other, an orange ball with wisps of clouds, and large patches of green on its surface was called Meng-shi-jie. The home of Mandughai.

She had not always lived there, the text said. The first palace had been a city floating in the atmosphere of the hot, gaseous giant Lan-Sui, a planet that had nearly become a star. People still lived in those floating cities, but a gradual, inward migration was taking place as Lan-Sui cooled. Each year there were fewer and fewer people to mine the nine moons for water-ice and metals, and to scoop gases from Lan-Sui for use in the Empress's new technologies, whatever they were. The text did not describe them.

A new question arose in Kati's mind. The time for light to travel between Tengri-Nayon and Tengri-Khan ranged from four years to six months as the two stars followed wobbly, parallel courses, the younger star strongly influenced by some ma.s.sive, unseen companion. Huomeng had already informed her that nothing could travel faster than light. So then how could Mandughai communicate as if she were quite near, with no time taken between a question and an answer? Was a part of her always in their minds? Or was she, in fact, living nearby, hiding herself?

A new question for Huomeng, but when she asked it, the following day, he told her that Mengmoshu must answer the question for her.

She decided she had found a question he could not answer, and was pleased with herself.

There was only testing again. Mengmoshu put the helmet over her head. At first there was darkness, then a matrix of stars before her eyes, flickering, then strobing slowly, and a tone in her ear.

"Relax," said Mengyao, "and watch the lights. Try to make them brighter. Imagine each point becoming larger, and focus on one of them. Let yourself move towards it."

The tone was meant to soothe her, but didn't. She felt apprehensive, unusually alert, the strobing lights not getting brighter, but closing in on her.

"You're not relaxing, Kati," said Mengyao.

"I'm trying," she said petulantly. "Nothing's happening."

"Pick one light. Focus on it."

"I am. It doesn't work. I'm tired. I don't want to do this today." Kati felt agitated, even angry. She began

to squirm in the soft chair where they'd placed her.

"Kati, you have to concentrate," said Mengmoshu softly.

I don't want to do this today! Let me up! NOW!

She scrabbled at the helmet with her hands, pulling at it. She touched something sharp, and the lights flicked off, leaving only darkness.

"This is hopeless," said Juimoshu. "She's too agitated today."

Mengmoshu pulled off the helmet, and looked at her closely.

"What is wrong with you today? You're behaving very badly."Kati glared at him. "I'm tired of tests, and tricks. That's all we do. You said I could go outside. You said you'd talk to someone. We work and work, and at night I work more with the learning machine. I'm BORED! I want to do something ELSE!"

"You are becoming quite demanding, child," said Mengmoshu, returning her hard look with one of his

own. "I asked you to be patient. You are here for work, not play, and you can wait a while for-"

"Enough, Mengmoshu; we waste our time," said Juimoshu. "Tell Kati what you've arranged, then take her there. Allow her some fun, and then we can do something useful here."

"What have you arranged?" asked Kati. Mengmoshu was scowling at all of them.

You've lost control of the situation here. Say something! I will not be forced by her.

"Forced? No. Look, I will do a trick for you," said Kati. She picked up a metal fire-tube from the low table before her. A little flame appeared. She only glanced at it, and the flame shot upwards by a meter, roaring, then sputtering and going out, the fuel in the tube spent.

"I've done my trick. What have you arranged?"

Mengmoshu sighed. "Not now. We have work to do."

"This is silly, both of you," said Juimoshu. "He has found someone to ride with you, Kati. It was to be right after we were finished here."

"She must learn patience first," said Mengmoshu.

Mengyao shook his head. "If she goes riding now, perhaps we can get something done."

"I agree," said Juimoshu. "A child must have fun, as well as work."

"I can go riding?" said Kati, suddenly excited. "You found a horse for me! Oh, thank you, Mengmoshu. You did keep your promise!" She slid off the chair, hugged his legs, looked up at him. "Can we go now? I promise to be good. When we come back, I will work very hard for you. Please?"

His hand rested lightly on her head, and his face was soft again. "Very well, but then we work."

Juimoshu and Mengyao were smiling at her, and suddenly Mengmoshu took her by the hand, softly, in a new way for him. He led her back to her rooms, where there was another surprise. A new set of riding leathers had been laid out on her bed, leathers identical to the old ones which no longer fit her.

Weimeng came in with Tanchun, and they helped her dress, while Mengmoshu waited outside in the hall. Weimeng was very frightened for her, and said so.

"I'm a good rider," said Kati. "Come and watch me."

"I cannot," said Weimeng, wringing her hands together. "I would be too terrified to open my eyes. But they tell me you must do this, that it's a part of your training. Oh, do be careful, darling." Weimeng hugged her hard.

It was only the second time Kati had been outside the palace dome in nearly a year. The first time had been when Weimeng took her to a beautiful garden just below the golden dome, a place with flowers and a waterfall splashing into a little pool. Kati had waded in the pool, and the little carp there had nibbled on her toes. She'd laughed, and said "they're tickling me," and suddenly Weimeng had burst into tears. Weimeng had soaked her own, beautiful robe wading in to grab Kati, had carried her away from the garden and back to her rooms, crying all the way.

Kati had not been outside since that day-until now. And she was thrilled.

Mengmoshu himself was suddenly not so serious, even seemed to share her delight. She ran ahead of him to the rail car taking them to the lower edge of the city. A few people in their white uniforms looked at her curiously in her leathers, but said nothing. There was a wariness about them when they saw her escort.

Only the two of them rode the car down with the driver, Kati's nosed pressed to the window.

The people fear you.

No. They are cautious, so I won't hear a bad thought about the Emperor.

But they live in his city! Don't they like him?

There are many new things they wish to do, but the Emperor will not allow it. He keeps to the traditional ways. He is not progressive in using the technology we've developed. I will show you these things, Kati. There's much you haven't seen yet.

They reached the station near the dome's gate, and walked to it past buildings in green and yellow. Faces peered from the windows there, and some were those of children. There was a cl.u.s.ter of troopers by the gate, and several horses. Kati squealed, and pulled on Mengmoshu's hand when she saw them. He let her lead him, and even smiled.