When its life begins, the snapdragon flower is brightly colored and beautiful...

Prologue

It had been barely three minutes since Ren Gyokuen first felt the great surge of rukh from the east that she had long waited for, and just over two since she had given the order that the source of that surge was to be collected immediately. Though she was the very picture of calm decorum, taking delicate sips of black tea as she waited on one of her chambers' best cushions, her heart was beating fast as a hummingbird's wings as excitement buzzed in her blood. There was finally a new Magi born into this world, one that would be raised solely according to her will, one that would learn to obey without question and enjoy it. She had been so patient, for so long, and now -

And now her wait was over. As Ithnan and the half-dozen priests she'd sent with him returned, a white flash of light from their transportation magic filled the room, followed by the high, startled wailing of an infant. Gyokuen smiled, setting down her teacup and rising to greet her friend. "Everything went smoothly, then?"

"Yes. We left not a single trace of that village left, as instructed. It looks as if nothing ever lived there at all - not that anyone took notice of it before, anyway. It won't be missed."

"Lucky us." She glanced at the blanket-wrapped child he held, and frowned. "Ithnan, you're holding him all wrong."

"I'm what?"

"You have to support his head or he could hurt himself, don't you even know that much?"

"I don't - "

"Oh, father above, give him to me, or you'll end up breaking his neck before we've had him five minutes," Gyokuen cut him off, reaching out and taking the baby into her arms.

Ithnan's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "So you think I'm completely incompetent now, is that it?"

"I've had three children so far, and you've had none. I think that says very clearly which of us is more competent," she pointed out, rolling her eyes. "Now, unless there was anything else you wanted to do here, would you mind leaving for a little while? I think he'll calm down more easily if there aren't so many people in here."

"Good luck with that, then. You'll let me know if there's anything else you need me for. Oh, one thing you might like to know - I heard the mother call him 'Judal.'"

With that, Ithnan and the rest of the priests disappeared again, leaving Gyokuen alone with the crying baby in her arms. Just as she'd done with the rest of her children, she started to rock him gently to quiet him, as she got her first good look at the world's newest Magi. He appeared healthy enough, not much different than Hakuyuu, Hakuren, and Hakuei had looked at birth, though he did seem to have a lot more hair than the average newborn. More importantly, she could see the rukh gathering around him the same way it gathered around her - already, he was unconditionally loved by it.

"Hush, now, little one...my little Judal." So his mother had given him a name already, then? Well, it saved her the trouble of thinking of one herself. She wondered how many members of his family they had slaughtered in order to obtain him: his mother and father, for certain, perhaps brothers, sisters, grandparents, cousins...Who knew? And after tonight, who cared?

"There, there...You don't need your mother any more," she cooed, lightly brushing the tears from his face with one slender finger. "I have you now."