Snowblind {complete}

Dry - Flowers

'Why do I have to apologise again?' Lanna asked as Chowa matched her up the hall. 'We all know I won't mean it.'

Chowa poked her in the back and Lanna almost dropped her burden. 'If you are going to play this game, child, you have to know when to be on the offensive and when to be defensive,' Chowa snapped. 'A formal apology is expected if you have caused insult to one who outranks you. If you deny her that then her vengeance will be considered justified. We need to declaw her.'

It made sense. She would conform – if only to annoy the concubine further.

'Ceseed has just finished entertaining the Emperor,' Chowa said, pulling a disgusted face. 'She will be in a good mood. Palace attendants will be present; not all will be loyal to her. We will have neutral witnesses.'

Lanna nodded and clenched her burden.

They bustled through the oppressive corridors until they reached the outer rooms. In times of war, the women would be housed within the building. In peaceful times, the women had more freedom and lived in rooms that opened onto the gardens. Lanna had not yet seen those. Though being Southern had helped her adjust to living indoors. For two months during the freeze in the south the sun did not shine.

Chowa ushered Lanna to the double doors of the Ninth's apartment, which had traditionally belonged to the First. They were fashioned from huge dark wooden planks, carved with roses and chrysanthemums. Love and precious in flower talk. Many women would give limbs for a chance to be the Emperor's favourite but was Ceseed precious to him? Were any of the women in the hall?

Two sword maidens, the female guards of the palace, opened the doors and a waft of hot, moist air blew over the visitors. The Ninth Concubine sat in a bath so large Lanna was sure the woman could swim in it – a deep basin, sunk into the white marble floor. Water lapped at her neck and shoulders.

Where did the hot water come from to fill it?

Chowa's shower was based on ancient plans from the archive. The hot water was heated in a tank behind the furnace, which burnt most of the day, but Lanna could see no copper pipes that indicated the concubine had a similar system. Then she realised there were a dozen palace slaves in the room and a neat stack of copper buckets in the corner.

The slaves filled the bath. The waste of time and resources made Lanna's blood stir. The concubine probably didn't consider the slaves in her bathing habits. There were communal baths – why not use them?

The concubine moved towards them and rested her forearms and chin on the rim of the bath.

'Well, Chowa-hem,' she said in her breathy tones. 'It's good to see you again.'

Lanna would like to see less of the concubine. The water left little to the imagination.

'It has been long since you've been in the suite of the First. Do you like what I've done to the place?' She gestured to the dark wooden ceiling, painted with a blue sky so realistic Lanna fancied she saw the clouds move. This contrasted with dark wood furnishing and gold silk upholstery. Cut into the pale pink stone walls was a recess curtained with opaque muslin. Light poured in from large circular windows.

'It is an improvement on the décor your predecessor chose,' Chowa agreed, giving the room a cursory glance. 'Then again, she held the previous first concubine in high esteem and didn't want to taint her memory by removing all traces of her.' Chowa cocked her head and regarded the woman in the bath, all wet skin, gleaming hair and lovely face. 'The Imperial consort was, after all, beloved of the people, even though she only gave the Emperor daughters.'

Lanna still didn't fully understand the way the concubines were ranked. To think, having so many women that you needed a numbering system to keep them straight! She would have asked Chowa, but she really didn't care. Consort, first, second, twentieth – they were all just pairs of legs to spread when told.