"Halt, traitors!" one of the guards bellowed at Den and Yulus. "How dare you bring an army against Heaven!"

There was a pause, brief, but still long enough to make me wince, as Yulus glanced at Den and Den raised his eye knobs to urge him on. In the end, it was Yulus' prime minister Nagi who slithered forward.

"Impudent lanternfly! How dare you address Their Majesties the Dragon Kings of Black Sand Creek and Caltrop Pond without permission!"

Uncowed by a snake spirit from a minor river, the guard shouted back, "All gates of Heaven are barred until further notice! Return to your fiefs at once or you will be guilty of rebellion against the Jade Emperor!"

They're already guilty of treason by bringing the army here without permission, I observed. What's a bit of rebellion on top of that?

"Shh!" Floridiana flapped a hand at me, straining to hear.

Again there was a cringe-inducing delay in the dragon kings' response. Yulus might have gained the confidence to confront demons in his own river, but it clearly didn't translate to facing down Heavenly authority. Meanwhile, Den was perfectly happy to defy Heaven but ranked below Yulus in the draconic hierarchy and technically had to defer to him.

As the dragons sorted out their chain of command, dark blobs lumbered forward between the shrimp and frogs, spacing themselves in regular pattern. Moonlight glinted off round carapaces.

"Are those turtles?" asked White Night. "What in the skies...?"

Den's claws unclasped from Dusty's ribcage. The horse spirit clip-clopped across the turtles' backs, using them as a cobblestone path through the sky.

That's brilliant! Now he can fight too!

With a toss of his mane, Dusty proclaimed, "I am the Valiant Prince of the Victorious Whirlwind, Vanquisher of Invaders, Inquisitor of Vassals, Vainglorious Subjugator of Insubordinate Insurgents, Vaunted Savior of Imperial Order! None stand in my path! Out of the way, bug spirits!"

I sucked in a sharp breath. That is not winning allies.

"No," agreed White Night. "If he continues to antagonize them, I estimate a seven percent drop in the number of guards siding with us."

"Wait!" called Den, tossing protocol to the winds. "Everybody just hang on a sec! The Directors – "

Floridiana's scream pierced the night. "Watch out!"

A volley of arrows punched through the sky.

"Shields!" roared Captains Carpio and Carpa.

Dusty bounded onto the next set of turtles, the force of his push shoving the first ones sideways. Ponderously, they swam back into formation. Arrows clattered off shields and carapaces and tumbled harmlessly down towards the Earth.

But one kept going, straight at Den's throat.

"Den!" shrieked Floridiana.

The dragon curved his body and the arrow whistled past, severing strands of his mane.

With a roar, the guards charged. The sky swarmed with grey bodies, stabbing spears, and hacking swords. Dusty kicked a guard halfway across the sky, then seized another by the tunic, shook him, and hurled him aside.

"I have to – but I can't jump that high – " Floridiana's fists clenched and unclenched, and her throat worked as she willed herself to soar up to them.

Lightning crackled. A bolt struck a group of guards: Yulus frying them as he had the catfish demon.

Ha! Take that! I crowed.

"Wait!" yelled Den again. "Everybody just listen to me! The Directors have changed! You should check – "

Another volley of arrows. He flung out his hands, raising a wind that whirled around him and knocked the arrows away.

"They're not listening to him! Why aren't they listening to him?" cried Floridiana.

"What reason do they have to believe him?" White Night pointed out. "Directors don't change overnight." He glanced at me. "Until now."

"Isn't there something we can do? Issue a proclamation? Call an audit?"

"You could go up there with a Director's seal and order them to stop fighting."

"Yes! Oh…." Floridiana's face fell. "But I can't leave Piri."

Awww. How much it said that her first thought was whether I'd be okay – not whether I'd let her have a seal!

Go. The word came out on a surge of gratitude, before I had time to think it through.

Her eyes popped out, like the ex-Director of Wealth's had earlier. "Really?!"

Next to us, White Night ticked his invisible abacus beads, but I didn't have time to wonder what he was calculating now – our chance of success, or my karma for this life.

I can handle Lady Fate. Take the seal for the Director of Wealth and go.

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"I...."

For once, I had rendered her speechless. While she sorted herself out, I turned to White Night. Can you fly her up?

The Accountant's face turned more stony than glow-y. "I am a star sprite."

I took that as a "yes." Here. Take the seal. Just don't lose it. I thrust my neck at Floridiana.

With shaking fingers, she removed the Wealth seal and tied it at her waist, where it clinked against her personal name seal. "Piri, I – stay safe, okay? No heroics."

A snort ripped out of my throat. Me? Heroics? You've got the wrong fox.

"No impulsive hijinks then."

Ha. That was more my style. You're the one flying into the middle of a literal battle. White Night, take her straight to Den. Don't let anyone shoot her or stab her or otherwise harm her.

"Do you doubt my ability to calculate something so trivial as a trajectory?"

So long as you're sure.

White Night placed a hand on Floridiana's shoulder. Light poured from his skin and enveloped both of them in a glow so bright I could barely make out their figures. They shot up into the sky – or at least, they did until they hit the fringes of the battle. Then the golden light began to weave and dodge, always swooping around or over or under spears, arrows, swords, and fists.

I watched long enough to satisfy myself that White Night would indeed carry Floridiana through the battlefield unscathed. Then I trotted for the orange walls in the distance.

Ministry of Fate, here I came!

In the sky:

White Night grabbed Floridiana's waist and swung her around. They went spinning away from a spear, leaving cursing in their wake.

"Wheeee!"

She'd never felt anything so exhilarating in her life! Together, she and White Night swerved and charged, over and under and through, like children playing tag in a blackberry bramble. It seemed to last both forever and a split second before White Night brought them to a stop. The soles of her boots touched something hard and unmoving and slightly curved. One of the turtle spirits Den and Yulus had brought.

White Night kept his hand on her shoulder until she had found her footing. Then he dimmed his glow, and she found herself face-to-snout with a startled Den.

"Hi!" She waved, still giddy from the flight.

White Night bowed deeply. "Your Majesty. At her request, I have brought the Director of Wealth."

"The – ?" Den caught sight of the seal at her waist and dipped his head. "Thank you, Accountant." Raising his voice, he bellowed, "Halt this fighting! We are in the presence of the Director of Wealth!"

A stir ran across the battlefield, spirits on both sides craning their necks and searching for a palanquin. Here was Floridiana's cue.

Stamping her throat with her name seal, she held the Wealth one aloft so moonlight illuminated it. "Do you know what this is!"

The guards flew closer, but to see, not to attack. The Black Sand Creek soldiers muttered in confusion.

"This is the seal of the Director of the Ministry of Wealth!" she shouted.

"Is it?" "Can't be." "Too far to see." Muttering rose from the guards as they thronged closer. Red-lined cloaks flapped.

"Keep your distance from the Director of Wealth!" Den snapped at them.

"Looks like it – " "Can't be – " "But it is!" "Can't you feel it – ?" "How?!"

Seizing on their befuddlement, Floridiana continued, "Guards! As Director of Wealth, I command you to stand down! Let the Dragon Kings and their vassals through! Open the gates and welcome them in!"

More mumbling and arguing. "Is she really the Director?" "What happened to the God of Wealth?" "Who cares? She has the seal." "What if she stole it? What if the God of Wealth takes it back? What happens to us then?"

And finally, what she'd been waiting for: "What happens to us then? What happens to us now if we defy her?!"

Floridiana nodded at White Night, who unfurled a blank scroll with a snap and started taking notes. "Direct defiance of a Director: a crime punishable by being chopped into ten thousand pieces." He produced a scroll of names from his sleeve. "Here it is. The duty roster for the East Gate." He scanned the assembled guards. "It looks like everyone is present? Good. Then all of you whose names are inscribed on this duty roster for the East Gate are hereby charged with the crime of defying a Director – "

"Wait!" "We're not defying anyone!" "It was the Third Prince! The Third Prince ordered us to shut the East Gate and not let anyone in!"

"Oh?" inquired Den. "The Third Prince ordered you to defy the Director?"

"Yes!" "He did! He did!"

"I am officially countermanding the Third Prince's order!" Floridiana flourished the seal once more. "Now make haste to open the gate for the Dragon Kings!"

As one, the guards withdrew. Captains Carpa and Carpio began bellowing the Black Sand Creek soldiers back into their ranks. Floridiana finally let herself believe that they'd actually gotten away with it.

"That was amazing, Flori!" Den swept her into a hug. "How'd you end up Director of Wealth?!"

"Piri gave me the seal, can you believe it? I'm a Director of a Bureau in Heaven! Me!"

"I always thought you'd make a great – "

"Watch out!" shouted White Night.

A burning wheel hurtled past them. All around them, clouds burst into flame.

"Director?" sneered the Third Prince's voice. "Traitorous thief is more like it."

He thrust his spear at Floridiana's heart.

On the paths of Heaven:

Down the street I trotted, making for the orange walls. Not that I had any idea how to get past them, but I figured I'd reconnoiter first. Marching boots sounded in the distance, and I ducked under a camellia bush. Wilted pink flowers flopped in the dirt. I supposed the imps were too distracted to do much gardening tonight.

Once the patrol had passed, I poked my nose out from under the leaves and made sure no more guards were coming. It wasn't that I didn't believe in my ability to intimidate any guards I ran into, using my five seals of Reincarnation, but it would waste time. To save our necks, we needed to take over Heaven, and to take over Heaven, we needed all the seals.

I jogged over a small arched bridge and found myself across a pond from the Ministry of Fate. Wait. Hadn't the walls looked closer before I crossed the bridge?

I skirted the pond. My footsteps led me around a stand of wild rushes and sweet lilies onto a path that pointed away from the Ministry of Fate.

What was going on?

Setting my jaw, I pointed my nose at the orange walls and ran for them in a straight line, through planters and over decorative rocks. But somehow, even though I ran as straight as I could, I started veering to the right. Every step took me just the tiniest bit off track, but all the bits added up until I was far to the side of the Ministry of Fate.

No! I refused to accept this! I refused to let Lady Fate warp my path!

Setting my nose, I charged for the walls again, keeping a close eye on my paws. Every time I felt them drift off course, I corrected for it. I ran and ran and ran – and somehow, I wound up to the left of the Ministry of Fate. The orange walls were even further than they had been.

Growling, I snapped my jaws and tried to plan a different approach. What if I didn't intend to go to the Ministry of Fate? What if I intended to go to a different place? Would I "accidentally" end up at the Ministry of Fate then?

I studied the nearest Bureau. It was obviously a wealthy one. Yellow light from countless paper lanterns illuminated its eaves. The red and gold and teal paint on its wooden beams was so new that it glistened. The openwork carvings of bulbul birds and plum blossoms on the grey stone columns were delicate and clean.

Something about the columns tugged at my memory. Bulbul birds and plum blossoms. I'd seen that design before…. And since I couldn't fathom any god settling for the same design as another's, this could only be –

Slowly, my eyes moved up the columns and across the wooden beams to the sign that hung overhead. It proclaimed: "The Bureau of Human Lives."

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