The afternoon heat hung heavy and motionless over the mossy backyard garden. Six-year-old Kaguya sat on the damp edge of the polished cedar veranda, her small knees pulled tight against her chest as she watched a bright blue dragonfly hover above the lily pond. Her bare toes brushed the smooth river rocks stacked along the foundation. The estate of the old bamboo cutter was always quiet at this hour of the day. The only sound was the steady, rhythmic *thunk-thunk* of the bamboo water pipe tipping against its stone basin in the corner. "Mistress Kaguya, move back into the shadow of the overhang," Nurse Saisho called from inside the dimly lit room. Her sandals rustled softly against the woven straw tatami mats as she crossed the threshold. "The summer sun will darken your skin before the day turns to evening." Kaguya did not shift her position. She extended one slender arm toward the pond, holding her breath until her ribs hurt from the effort of remaining still. The dragonfly circled twice in the humid air, its thin glass wings glinting under the glare of the noon light. It hovered for a long beat, then landed lightly on her outstretched index finger. "Look, Saisho," Kaguya whispered without moving her chin. She kept her voice as low as the breeze in the bamboo stalks behind the fence. "It stayed." "Insects do not have the good sense to stay out of the heat," Saisho said, stepping up to the wooden frame of the screen. She held a shallow wicker basket of dried persimmons in her hands, her thick fingers sorting through the dark, sugar-dusted fruits. "And neither do you, little mistress." Kaguya tilted her chin up toward the open sky. The sunlight felt thick and warm against her face, like a heavy wool quilt pulled up on a winter morning. She loved the back garden best when the workers were out in the distant hills cutting green bamboo. In the quiet, the fenced courtyard felt vast and full of small secrets. A sudden rustle in the high cedar canopy made the dragonfly spring back into the air. Kaguya let her hand drop to her lap, watching the tiny blue speck disappear over the wooden perimeter fence toward the forest path. "The work crews are returning early today," Saisho observed, her forehead furrowing as she looked past the corner of the house toward the front gate. "Listen to that." Boots crunched against the sharp gravel lane beyond the outer fence. It was not the uneven, heavy tread of the village cutters returning with their bundles. It was the synchronized clink of iron stirrups and the slow, heavy creak of iron-rimmed carriage wheels rolling over dry earth. --- Kaguya pulled her legs up and crawled on her hands and knees along the cool wooden corridor. She stopped near the front sliding screen, where one paper panel had been left slightly open to let in the mountain breeze. A large, black-lacquered carriage pulled by two massive black oxen had come to a halt in front of the gate posts. Surrounding the vehicle were eight horsemen sitting erect in their saddles. They wore formal silk caps and dark green travelling cloaks trimmed with silver thread. "Is it a imperial officer from the capital?" Kaguya asked in a low whisper, peering through the narrow crack. Saisho reached down and gripped Kaguya’s shoulder, pulling the young girl gently back behind her dark sleeve. "Hush, child. Look at the gold crest stamped on the carriage door. That is Lord Genji’s seal. He commands the entire northern province for the imperial court." The heavy silk curtain of the carriage was drawn back by an attendant. A tall man in deep purple robes stepped down onto the wooden mounting block placed by a servant. His dark hair was tied securely beneath a high official cap, and his expression was completely flat and unreadable. He moved without any rush, looking around the humble wooden courtyard with cold, quiet eyes. The old master of the household, Kaguya's foster grandfather, ran out onto the gravel path from his workshop. He dropped to his knees at once, pressing his forehead directly against the sharp stones. "My Lord Genji!" the old man stammered, his voice quavering in the heat. "We had no warning of an imperial inspection! Forgive our humble preparations!" "The mountain pass was clear of mud," Genji said. His voice was low and resonant, carrying easily across the open yard. "We require water for the horses and two hours of shade before we push on to the capital." "At once, my lord! At once!" The old man bowed repeatedly, his hands trembling in the pale dust. Kaguya peeked out from behind Saisho’s broad sleeve. Lord Genji paused at the bottom of the veranda steps. His dark eyes swept across the entry hall, resting for a long beat on a tiny pair of child's red-stitched sandals sitting near the door. He said nothing, but his brow twitched slightly before he stepped inside the reception room. Saisho tightened her grip on Kaguya’s hand. "We must stay in the inner quarters until they depart. Great lords from the capital do not care to be bothered by children." --- Kaguya nodded obediently, but as soon as Saisho hurried toward the kitchen to supervise the tea trays for the guards, the little girl slipped out the side door. She ran silently back to her favorite spot beside the lily pond in the garden. The sun had drifted lower toward the mountains, casting long blue shadows across the mossy rocks. Kaguya knelt at the edge of the water, dipping her fingers into the cool surface to splash her warm cheeks. A small red leaf floated past her pale reflection. "You should not play near open water without a servant," a quiet voice spoke from behind her. Kaguya gasped, her small sandals slipping slightly on the wet river rocks. She turned around quickly, her dark hair splashing against her collarbones. Lord Genji stood under the shade of the maple tree, his hands folded neatly inside his long white inner sleeves. He had removed his heavy purple outer cloak and high official cap. His dark eyes were fixed on her face. Kaguya quickly pressed her palms to her knees and bent her head low toward the ground, just as she had seen the household servants do when noble guests arrived. "I was only watching the leaves, sir." Genji walked closer. His soft cloth boots made no sound against the damp moss. He stopped two paces away and leaned down slightly, studying her features with intense focus. His gaze shifted from her eyes down to the small silk cord wrapped around her neck. Hanging from the cord was a smooth, teardrop-shaped pendant carved from pale green jade. It was a token her foster grandfather had found tucked into her swaddling clothes when he discovered her six years ago. "Where did you get that stone?" Genji asked. His tone was no longer distant; it was sharp and direct. Kaguya reached up, her small thumb covering the cool surface of the mineral. "Grandfather said it was mine before I could walk." Genji sank down onto one knee, bringing himself level with her height. He extended his hand, his long fingers carefully lifting the jade stone by its cord so the back faced the late afternoon light. Engraved into the flat back of the jade was a faint, intricate mark—three lotus leaves entwined around a silver crescent moon. Genji’s eyes narrowed slightly. A sudden, heavy quiet fell over the garden, broken only by the steady drip of the bamboo fountain. "This crest belongs to the inner palace," Genji whispered to himself. He released the pendant and stood up abruptly. The old master of the house came running into the garden a second later, his face pale with panic. He threw himself onto the ground behind Genji. "My lord! Forgive her! She ran off while the nurse was preparing the tea—" "Whose child is this?" Genji interrupted, his voice dropping into a harsh, commanding register. "She... she was left on our doorstep as an infant, my lord!" the old man stammered, shuddering against the moss. "We raised her as our own! She knows nothing of the world outside this valley!" Genji looked down at Kaguya one last time, his dark face turning into carved stone. "Have her belongings packed within the hour," Genji commanded. "She leaves with my retinue for the capital tonight." The old man gasped, lifting his head in terror. "My lord! She is only six years old! She has never left this home!" "She leaves it now," Genji replied, turning his back on the weeping old man as he walked toward the main hall. "The Emperor’s lost branch has finally been found." Kaguya stood frozen beside the pond, clutching her jade pendant in her hand as the deep shadows of the mansion stretched across her feet.

Chapter 1: The Imperial Jade