As soon as the audience with the Crown Prince ended, General Tan headed straight to the training yard he leased to Knight-Master Lei. He was surprised to find it nearly empty but his nephew soon arrived with a couple of prospects for Scout Jia to assess.

"Still recruiting?" The General frowned at Scout Jia.

"We picked up some private contracts. Mostly short-term but they are letting us vet candidates with a bit more experience under their belts." He answered and with a nod took the others on a tour of the stable to give San Jin time with his uncle.

"I'm sorry I could not make the finals," General Tan said.

San Jin showed him the prized sword and scabbard then said, "I'm sorry you have been carrying so much on your own. It must be difficult rooting the bad actors in the provinces."

General Tan shrugged off the comment and asked about how the team was shaping up.

"It has its ups and downs." San Jin admitted before giving the kind of report he knew his uncle was expecting. "There has been some trouble in the prefecture so Lord Lei sent half the trainees there with Manager Doak and Journeyman Yang. We miss them, especially Bon Xuiyang's practical approach in the forge. Pange In-Yeon just set out for the Temple of the Dawn but left us letters to open each week. Bother Kuin scolded him for scrying so much and went along to keep him out of trouble. Kim Hae-sung is still recovering from the crash at the championship. It's funny when Park Chenhui tries to mother him especially when he has his own worries. Im Song-hee keeps to himself but can be amazing in the workshop. When he and Junseo get going on a project together it's hard for the rest of us to keep up."

"The gangs backed off. No more attacks" The general asked.

"None we know of, but we've lots of extra palace protections with our commission work with Rainbow-maker Mein," San Jin said and looked away uncertain how much more it was prudent to say.

"Yes. I just got a preview of the project. So, tell me why night messengers?"

"That was Junseo and Hae-sung brainstorming. During the day it is easy enough to use flags for basic messages across a battlefield but if you are moving at night and don't want to signal your position with fires or flares its hard to communicate between divisions." San Jin paused waiting for a nod from his uncle before continuing. "We tested different shades to make them harder to see against a night sky. I suppose we could experiment with different colors for daytime use but they seemed more likely to be intercepted. Otherwise, proper tuning and practice makes them pretty reliable."

"It's safe to say the Crown-Prince was very taken with the idea of anything overcoming the dissonance and being able to better map all the zones. I think your little fliers may just have a wider application. Tell me, how much training and practice would it take for an ordinary soldier to be able to use these in the field?"

San Jin blushed and stuttered while he tried to frame an answer. "It would really depend on the soldiers. Our team members are all at least fourth dan, and follow temple rituals with special stone mantras. Even then it took a long time to get the tuning right for different pairs and we still rely on Junseo's experience as a kite racer. You should ask him about it after the commission gets cleared. Honestly. I'm not sure how much we are allowed to share."

"You're right. I shouldn't have put you on the spot. Still, I would like to see a field trial after your presentation at the palace." The general nodded.

"What presentation is that?" Scout Jia interrupted from behind. His face twisted into a regretful smirk when he heard the general's short explanation. "Wen-Hou is not going to like it. He would rather keep the team well clear of palace engagements."

A protocol officer turned up at the forge the next day to drill the boys on proper bows and forms of address in the unlikely event they had to engage with any senior ministers or members of the royal family. San Jin and Junseo were well versed in the expectations and had worked with the others off and on but official advice was still welcome. The man's final point seemed simple enough, "Stay together, follow your master's lead, and keep your eyes down." He frowned at the team then turned to Knight-Master Lei. "Are you certain they are all needed for the presentation? Wouldn't one or two of the more polished be enough?"

"My cousin is taking the opportunity to check in on the progress of our training-yard. He is bound to be disappointed most of our regulars are not in town." He said glancing over the small group.

"So, it is not just about winding up your contracts," the officer said with a satisfied nod to himself.

"When is a summons by the prince ever just about one thing?" Knight-Master Lei shook his head. The look the protocol officer gave him confirmed his suspicions so he decided to spend the evening at his palace apartments to gather any intelligence his servants might have. The shocking attack on Sister Hye-Su was all they wanted to talk about as it confirmed their low opinion of both gang members and Rainbow-makers. He was grateful they had the good sense not to reveal their feelings when Rainbow-maker Mein arrived.

"Thank you for seeing me," the thin man wrung his hands as he bowed three times.

Knight-Master Lei responded with a gracious welcome but puzzled over the Rainbow-maker's unexpected humility. "After all these weeks at the forge, you don't need to be so formal," he said.

"I am sorry to bring trouble your way. The prince was adamant that he wanted the team here. It's possible my superiors made their own request. They are less trusting of my reports after I bungled things with our newest prospect."

"Do they know about the resonance mapping?" The Knight-Master studied his guest closely.

"Not as such but even the fliers point to wide spectrum abilities making your boy a possible candidate for the brotherhood here. Does he have a dragon's kiss?" Rainbow-maker Mein tugged back a wide pantleg to reveal a flame shaped birthmark just above his ankle.

"He has scars. New and old the healers noted in a special report to the protocol office." Knight-Master Lei did not offer more details. "You hinted at something else prompting the Temple's interest."

"Yes, well now the crystal pavilion is gone, the conclave may call on the north to test him." The Rainbow-maker shook his head.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"They will bring a star-stone. If it lights in his presence, he will be taken to one of the northern temples for training as a stone master."

"He has no say in this?" Knight-Master Lei was clearly offended.

"If he has the potential, it is fate. He would have more say with his northern cousins than if my brotherhood claims him for the palace." Rainbow-maker Mein looked around and lowered his voice. "They will be watching closely. I just wanted you to know even if your team needs to be formally dressed, they don't have to bring all their crystals to the palace, just what they need for the demonstration."

The next morning Scout Jia fussed over the boys like a mother hen. Before they left the forge he double checked they carried only their most essential stones. His anxiety made Song-hee even more grateful for the clarity his newly tuned moonstones offered. When he mentioned this new sensation to Junseo, he got a smiling nod.

"Good idea. I should wear mine to help with the demonstration, and my nerves." He went over to the row of jade jars and extracted a pair of stones designed to pin to the side of his headband. He groomed his bracelets of quartz and obsidian again, selecting only the most recent stones to reduce the chances of a trace harmonic showing up. Reluctantly he also stowed his tiger's eyes and prayer beads. He checked his dragon armband rested far enough above his elbow to stay mostly out of sight. His ruby ring got tucked into a silk bag he asked San Jin to hold onto, explaining, "It will be a good counter for your emeralds."

"Now before we head out, no matter what you might hear at the palace, I want to say you should be proud of the work you have done. With luck it will have earned us more allies." They had plenty of warnings about potential jealousies and attempts to sway their loyalties. San Jin told them some cautionary tales the night before, and now Scout Jia reinforced his message. "Trust me, you don't want to be taken in as somebody's new toy only to get locked away when the novelty wears off." He took Junseo aside, reminding they boy, "You know different factions will be eyeing you closely. Don't get tricked into showing off."

"I'd never," Junseo started to bluster but stopped. He knew there were times he plunged in without thinking ahead. He turned to offer the team his own reminder, "Stick together as much as you can. The guards don't take kindly to guests straying into the wrong places."

"He's got the right of it," the senior palace guard said before guiding them to the waiting carriages.

The boys stayed silent the whole trip to the palace gates. Song-hee could not help shuddering when the portcullis slammed behind them. Chenhui paled and whispered "Courage."

Song-hee nodded and rubbed the moonstones in his bracelet. He glanced over to the waiting Rainbow-maker, disappointed the prince's man had not come to meet them. Looking up he noticed the pairs of archers lining the palace's external ramparts at regular intervals. One archer faced outward to answer any threats coming from the city, the other kept watch over those who may have made it through the gates.

"Don't stare," San Jin warned. "You are here on the invitation of the Crown Prince."

The quintet huddled together trying to keep up with the twists and turns their guide took. As they rounded a corner, Junseo stumbled, shaken by the force of the dissonance. None of the others seemed to notice but the Rainbow-maker offered a slight nod. Junseo spotted brief flashes coming from the base of one of the stones but had to hurry along to stay with the group. Before they entered the courtyard, a protocol officer inspected them one more time. He handed a card to another officer inside the gate, and they could hear their names being announced.

Knight-Master Lei stood first in line to welcome them. With permission from the Crown-Prince the team launched into their demonstration, first with the clockwork and crystal powered blooms, then with the flyers. Within minutes they showed the southeast corner of the courtyard as having the strongest dissonance but also uncovered a patch along the western wall. The senior Rainbow-makers muttered among themselves while the Captain of the Guard came forward with a map for the team to annotate with their most recent discoveries.

The team then tried the new test Song-hee dreamed up the day before. They set the crystal charged blossoms in the zones where they would not function properly before guiding their flyers around them. The flyer's approach reanimated the artificial flowers proving they had overcome the dissonance. Junseo grinned at the surprise on Rainbow-maker Mein's face but then blushed at Knight-Master Lei slight frown over the boys chancing an unproven test before such an important audience.

"How do we know these boys aren't manipulating things another way?" an old army engineer grumbled.

"As if my nephew, or General Min's grandson would be so foolish," General Tan stepped in before Knight-Master Lei could say something more intemperate. His uncle's intervention distracted Jin and he nearly lost control of the pass he was making. Junseo sent an energy boost over and the flyer did a couple of flips before they could bring it safely to ground.

"We are not dealing with challenging conditions. I am confident any of Rainbow-makers here could pair up to send a flyer back and forth even if we can't adjust the specific tuning. With your permission, of course." Knight-Master Lei bowed to the Crown-Prince. The boys took the hint, caught the remaining flyers, formed up, and bowed first to the prince then to the Chief Rainbow-maker who directed two members forward.

San Jin and Junseo offered their flyer and some brief instructions before filing back to their places. It took the Rainbow-makers a minute to grasp the distinct resonances of the device before they could send it up and away. Their struggles were evident in the wobbles and sudden jerks in the first circuit, but their control quickly improved, at least until they let their device brush up a dissonance zone and crashed to the ground. Hae-sung and Chenhui stepped forward with another flyer, supplying more instruction, while Song-hee retrieved the grounded flyer and went to work straightening its wings and realigning the crystals.

The pair of Rainbow-makers resumed their task with the new flyer and managed to make a full circuit while their concentration clear to all the observers. Rainbow-maker Mein cleared his throat and stepped forward. "The flyers respond better when they can be tuned to the specific affinity of their operators. Of course, harmonious pairings are more desirable," he said with an almost apologetic tone.

"Yet, if I am not mistaken, there are members of the design team without proven affinities." The Chief Rainbow-Maker's comment more of an accusation than question.

"Their training opens other harmonies," Knight-Master Lei said.

"Yes, and their talents. Don't forget three of these young men earned places in my championships, and one took his event." The Crown-Prince smiled over at their group. The boys bowed in unison at this acknowledgement. "Congratulations again and congratulations to you, cousin, on fulfilling your first commission for me." He signaled the bursar and notary to come forward and insisted Rainbow-maker Mein serve as the witness on the documents. As soon as these formalities were complete the servants appeared with refreshments.

The boys gathered the demonstration pieces onto one table standing by to answer questions. San Jin took the lead on responding to the court officials redirecting technical concerns about clockworks to Song-hee, and crystal mechanisms to Junseo. They kept their answers general, and directed at least two of the curious to Rainbow-maker Mein for more detailed answers. Some of the brotherhood tried to intercept the questions about harmonics but soon found themselves out of their depth. This earned their group hard looks from both sides, so the team were relieved when Knight-Master Lei suggested it was time they all returned to the forge.