Chapter 4
Four
T he room was suddenly very still. No one spoke as the emperor approached. He was taller than me. Unsurprising, given that I took after my mother in height instead of my father.
Tallu had changed his robes, although the rich, imperial purple was the same. The circlet on his brow glinted and his eyes were sharp enough to take in the scene with one glance. His plush lips pulled unhappily, as though the man who had been given everything his entire life had any reason for unhappiness.
I had to look up, raising my chin to see the emperor as he got closer. It gave me more of a defiant look than I thought I should use with him, but I couldn’t look away, not once I saw those red-brown eyes, the sharpness in them similar to a hunting hawk who sighted prey.
The smart move would be to continue to let him see me as a field mouse, nothing more than a small, helpless thing that needed to be cared for. But I wanted to look him in the eye. I wanted to see the man I was going to kill and take his measure.
And I needed for him to see me with desire, to want me. To want me enough to be willing to send away his guards and give me a chance at his throat.
The emperor stopped directly in front of me. He looked me over, his eyes tracing from the mockery of an imperial hairstyle to my plain gray pants. He leaned in close, and I smelled whatever perfume he wore. It was something almost metallic, like lightning on the open ice.
Lightning and blood.
“Well, Your Imperial Majesty?” I asked, holding out my arms. I let my shoulders roll back, the clothes showing off my body more than furs ever would. “Do you approve?”
“At least you no longer reek,” Tallu said, and for a second, I thought maybe I saw something like amusement in his eyes before they chilled. He turned to Lord Sotonam and the servants. “Who did this?”
He gestured to me, his wave encompassing the hair down to my plain jacket. The room was suddenly even more still, and I looked out at a room full of metal statues. They had even seemed to stop breathing, as though Tallu were a lightning strike on the open tundra and they knew they were going to be hit next.
He turned his eyes back to me, and I held my breath, everything in me feeling tight.
“The servants did.” Lord Sotonam finally broke his silence. He gestured at Nuti and the senior seamstress. The elderly seamstress seemed to shrink back, as though her age and experience could no more save her than her silk dress could stop an arrow. “I trusted their guidance.”
“ You trusted their guidance?” Emperor Tallu looked away from me. As his gaze left me, I found myself inhaling sharply, finally able to take a full breath.
Why did I fear him? He was the one who ought to fear me.
“I did,” Lord Sotonam said. “Of course I would. They are members of your household—they know best, do they not?”
He was speaking rapidly now, mostly to the floor, his words becoming desperate. He knelt on the wooden floor, his forehead almost pressed against it and his hands braced in the shape of a triangle.
“I did not send you to trust anyone else. I sent you to use your own judgment.” Tallu’s words were soft, the threat as tangible as a hand on Sotonam’s neck. “So I will take his appearance as a reflection on your judgment.”
Sotonam’s harsh gasp was the only sound.
“No one asked my betrothed his opinions?” Emperor Tallu said.
The silence chilled the air more than the setting of the sun. Nuti exchanged a glance with the seamstress. “We asked him whether he’d prefer paints or powders, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“And he said…” The emperor’s eyes fixed on Lord Sotonam, prostrated in front of him.
“He said he didn’t want paints or powders,” Nuti ended on a whisper. “Prince Tall… I mean, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“I imagine he didn’t. They do not wear paints or powders in the north. Nor is this the style for men’s hair.” Tallu leaned forward, and one of his silken sleeves brushed over my cheek.
I felt a tug on the back of my head.
He pulled back, holding the golden hairpin. His eyes caught on mine, and my heart sped, but I kept my breathing steady, as any hunter would when lining up a shot. Because I was his hunter. I was his assassin. I was?—
Only that smell distracted me, left me breathless. The emperor smirked at me, then stepped back, out of my space.
“You know,” I said, my voice low. Despite our audience, I let myself imagine this man naked and then let it show on my face. “You could also ask me if you’d like to know what they did. I was here the entire time. Fully conscious except for a moment where I may have blacked out when I tasted whatever fried dumpling your chef prepared.”
“You enjoyed it?” Tallu asked, his voice doing very interesting things to my stomach.
“Greatly.” I wondered if licking my bottom lip was too much and decided on a smirk. “What other delicacies do you recommend?”
“I’m sure I can have the chef prepare some of my favorites .” The crown gleamed on his brow, a circle of gold that shone in the light. His eyes were just as sharp, just as precise, and I wondered how much he saw when he looked at me. I wondered if he was implying that I was one of his favorites already.
Well, I hadn’t expected my work of seduction to be quite this easy. Perhaps too easy? Before my suspicions could coalesce, Emperor Tallu spoke.
“Asahi.” He held out a hand.
One of his guards stepped forward. With the black mask on his face, I had no way to distinguish him from his three peers. He wore a sword at his waist, and I didn’t need Yor?mu’s eyes to see the knives he had hidden.
Asahi handed the emperor something, and Tallu held it out to me. For a long second, I stared at the limp piece of leather draped over Tallu’s golden rings before recognizing it as my hair tie, discarded in the bath.
I tilted my head, then asked quietly, “Do you not wish for me to fit in with your court?”
“You are my Northern Prince.” As fast as a viper, Emperor Tallu reached out, grabbing hold of my hand and placing the leather tie in it.
I considered the leather band. It had been decorated with some beads, a shimmer of blues and silver dotting the back of it. “You know, Your Imperial Majesty, in the north, our beloveds braid our hair.”
Tallu’s eyes narrowed, and although his lips stayed flat, I could see a slight crinkle in the corner of his eyes. “After we are wed, you will have to teach me the art.”
Unable to take my eyes off him, I pulled my hair back into a traditional tail. I wished I had a mirror to make sure it was even. With my fingers, it was impossible to tell if it looked smooth. Tallu nodded at me as though this was exactly what he had wanted.
“Who dressed him in these colors?” Tallu asked mildly. He looked me over, and I raised an eyebrow, turning slightly to show off my profile to its advantage.
“I am still right here.” I swept aside the coat to test the fall of the fabric, and Tallu’s eyes watched as it moved. I definitely wasn’t imagining the way his eyes lingered on my waist, on the way the jacket settled back at mid-thigh.
“We thought it best to show his skin to its advantage. He has no gleam, no shine naturally. We thought perhaps if we used muted colors, matte fabric, he would not have to use paints,” the seamstress said. She bowed low, fingers forming a triangle above her forehead, although she didn’t prostrate herself like Lord Sotonam did.
“No. He is a northerner, used to furs and skins. But more than that, he is my future consort. I will not have him dressing like a beggar or a monk.” He turned to look at her, and she continued to stare at the ground, although I saw a shiver of apprehension trail up her spine. Her fingers twitched reflexively.
“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty,” she spoke to the ground. “It was my error. Please give me a chance to correct it.”
“Find colors that suit his skin. Blue, if I’m not mistaken. Sea green, to contrast his eyes. He should have the same quality of clothing as me. I wear no powders, and no one comments on my silks.” His voice was so mild, so flat that it was easy to believe he was just commenting on the clothes and that no one was being reprimanded, no one feared their own death or banishment over a mistake.
Emperor Tallu was staring at me again. He looked down at where I’d placed my few precious belongings as the seamstresses had been dressing me. Raising an eyebrow, he ran a finger over the rabbit skin pouch. I held myself calm. He wouldn’t look inside. He wouldn’t look inside. He wouldn’t?—
Tallu said, “We found some of your furs. I know they are heirlooms in the north and wanted to return them to you before we ruined them with our attempt at laundering.”
He lifted his hand away from the pouch and gestured another of his Dogs forward. He stepped forward, carrying an armful of my clothes, and knelt to place them down. I felt my eyebrows go up. The Dog would have felt the extra weight of knives, would have noticed the small pouches sewn into the seams. Unless he hadn’t?
My heart raced, but I kept my breathing steady. If anyone had noticed anything wrong, my head would already be on the floor with the mewling Lord Sotonam. He definitely wouldn’t be flirting with me. “You are too kind. Did you go into the shower hoping to catch me there? I would be more than happy to take another so you can see how much I enjoyed it after our long voyage.”
“I have heard that bathing is more communal in the Northern Kingdom. Did you miss the company?” Tallu leaned in, his next words for me alone. “Would you like company the next time?”
“Only very specific company,” I said. “Your company.”
Tallu looked me over once more, the small smirk in the corner of his lips enough to make me feel as though I’d won. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as hard as I’d thought. The emperor was already doing half the work; now, I just needed to find the right timing. Maybe I could even kill him before our wedding.
“I’ll have to consider,” Tallu said. “We are more private in the south.”
He turned, and I thought he was going to leave, the heavy pressure of his presence going with him. Instead, he looked around the room, raising an eyebrow, and Nuti and Tilo both jumped at the same time, rushing over to a corner of the room where a set of chairs was positioned around a matching dining room table. They carried over the one from the head of the table, a heavy piece of furniture that it took them both to balance.
As gently as they could, they lowered the chair, and Tallu swept his long robe aside in order to sit. The tension increased, and Tallu said, “Well?”
His gentle tone made me worry about the future of everyone in the room. Gone was the teasing, gone was the flirting. His gaze swept over the seamstresses and servants and Lord Sotonam still prone on the ground. His guards moved into position like shadows, silently disappearing in their nearly black outfits.
The seamstress seemed to wake first, approaching me with an unsteady totter she hadn’t had when she’d first come in.
“Get him out of that,” the seamstress whispered, pulling at the ties so desperately that she failed to loosen them, tightening the knots instead. “Blue. Find all the blues we have.”
One of her assistants pawed through the stack of jackets and pants, pulling out every shade of blue imaginable. Tallu continued to watch, entirely still as I put my hands over the seamstress’s shaking ones. Her wrinkled skin was cold under my palms.
I waited until she caught my eyes and then let her go, undoing the ties myself. The jacket came off my shoulders and fell into a silken puddle on the ground. Pulling the tie of the pants, I had to work at the strips of fabric briefly to undo the knot the seamstress had made in her struggles to undo it. When it finally came loose, the strips of fabric hung loosely on my hips, and I pulled off the shirt.
I turned to Tallu, one hand resting on my hip. I could feel the cold already on my skin, making goose bumps rise, turning my nipples hard. His eyes trailed over me, the russet brown focused on what I had just exposed.
“Is changing not also private in the Southern Imperium?” I raised both my eyebrows. Nuti came forward, holding a robe similar to the one she had given me after the bath.
She slipped it over my arms, and I let it hang open as the seamstress sorted through the clothing they’d brought. Lord Sotonam slowly sat up, clearing his throat and wiping at his brow with a handkerchief.
It came away stained with his makeup, the sweat smearing the rest across his face. He pushed himself up to his feet, walking over to the seamstress.
“We’ll stay away from electro mage colors. Does the emperor mean he wants Prince Airón in imperial blue?” Her voice was so quiet that I wasn’t sure anyone else even heard.
Lord Sotonam glanced over his shoulder at Emperor Tallu, then straightened his back, raising his chin. He bowed formally, asking Emperor Tallu’s feet, “Would you like Prince Airón in imperial colors?”
“I have already made my preferences clear.” Tallu looked to the side, and Tilo immediately crossed the room. “Ask the chef to make more of that dish Prince Airón enjoyed. I would like to taste the food that almost sent him into unconsciousness.”
Tilo bowed, rushing out of the room. The seamstress came close, offering me three different colors of jacket. One was sky-blue, so pale that it looked almost like ice. Another was the color of seafoam, green and frothy. When I looked at it closely, I could see that the weaver had changed the direction of the thread as they worked, giving a spiral appearance to the pattern. The last was a dark blue, just a shade bluer than the imperial purple.
“Do you have a preference?” the seamstress asked.
“You have excellent taste,” I said finally. “I would look good in any one of these.”
She looked up at me, her eyes shrewd. Then, she nodded. “You would.”
“Given my skin tone, which do you think would look best?” I kept hold of her eyes, not letting her look at Tallu with nervousness, not letting her feel the fear that clearly knotted her stomach.
Her shoulders relaxed. After a moment, I saw her breathing begin to match mine. “Given your build, the darker color would show all that work hunting has done on your body. But, given your coloring, I think we’re best with the green.”
She held it up to me again and then nodded. Her two assistants rushed to help me, one to put it on, the other finding pants that were a few shades darker. With both on, I looked down before looking over to Tallu.
“I will certainly stand out now.” I tried for a smirk, but he stood, and I had to force myself not to take a step backward at the sudden movement. As he approached me, I could feel the lack of a shirt, the way the expensive silk fit on my body.
“Much better.” Tallu prowled around me, stopping when we were face-to-face. His fingers traced over one of the spirals in the fabric, and I realized it wasn’t simply a spiral pattern; the weaver had managed to create a shape out of silver thread nearly invisibly woven into the fabric. “Now you look worthy of the title I am about to bestow on you. Consort.”
“Do I?” I should have let my voice turn flirtatious, let myself become something he wanted, but the deepest part of me felt some loyalty to my mother raise its head. She had given me my name and purpose. Claiming the title of consort was just one step toward my final goal.
“He will need more than one outfit,” Tallu said as he turned away, almost as though he could read the defiance on my face, even as I worked hard to keep my expression neutral. He sat back on his chair, the simple act turning it into a throne.
The seamstress presented me with more options, and I chose again, and soon, I had a wardrobe of five outfits: two green, two blue, and one gold.
Her assistants helped me into a shirt as the seamstress made some quick alterations to the gold jacket. When they put it on, I held out an arm, wishing again for a mirror.
“You look good,” the seamstress said, giving me a professional examination.
Tilo had returned with the platter of food, placing it next to Emperor Tallu on a small table that Nuti had fetched. When she looked up at me, her eyes went wide, one hand going to her mouth.
“You look like the sun,” she said.
Tallu’s face tightened, and I wasn’t sure if he was insulted or not. He reached over, spearing one of the dumplings on a fork. He bit into it, and I watched him catch a drip of oil with his thumb, sucking it from his fingertips.
He finished swallowing. Turning to the seamstress, he said, “Competent work.”
The words were so clearly trailed by the implication of what would have happened if she hadn’t been able to meet with his approval. Even her age and position couldn’t save her from Tallu’s power.
“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” She bowed low, one of her assistants catching her before she toppled over. She patted the girl’s hand and said, “We can have a wardrobe made for him and be ready by the end of the month.”
“By the end of the week.” Tallu stood. “I would hate for anyone else to make assumptions about the power of my affection for my new consort. Wouldn’t you, Sotonam?”
“Of course.” Lord Sotonam swallowed, clearing his throat. “Of course no one would dare think anything poorly about a spouse chosen by Your Imperial Majesty…”
He trailed off as Tallu continued to stare. Without another word, Tallu turned, his robe trailing behind him as he descended the stairs. We all stood in silence, and even I couldn’t think of a joke to ease the tension.
“Let me guide you to your quarters,” Lord Sotonam said, his voice clear of any spark of rebellion.
I paused to scoop up my furs, hiding the dragon egg and coin purse in them before following him.
The next morning, I woke in a soft, unfamiliar bed, without even distant whale song to ground me. I blinked open my eyes, staring at the white ceiling and the play of warm, morning light across it.
Turning my head, I watched a tree in the window, yellow flowers attracting buzzing insects that danced between the blooms. Small birds hopped along the branches, pecking at the insects, catching a few in sharp beaks. I needed to get up. I needed to begin mapping the emperor’s schedule, his routines, find a way around the four guards that were as much shadow as protection.
But this was a morning that never could have happened in the Silver City, where my bedroom overlooked the bay, and the only birds who came to my bedroom window were ravens bearing gossip and information for a price.
“Hello,” I said to the birds in the tree. Using animal speak was dangerous, and I was all too aware of the Imperium’s opinion on any magic that wasn’t electro magic. Still, in the north, animals were the best spies we had.
“Food,” one said back. “Food food food.”
“Food?” another asked, hopping up to my windowsill.
“I don’t have any food,” I said. “I was wondering what you’ve seen?”
“Food,” the bird said, annoyed, turning back to catching the flying insects.
I sighed. The problem with most animals was that they were too dumb to have more than instinct in their head. Some were able to speak a word or two, but Eona? claimed they weren’t even speaking, not really. Our mind was translating their instincts into words.
It was rare to find any animal with enough mental capacity to express real language. Wolves and whales spoke their own language with their own kind, and ravens were smart enough to even learn different human languages once they realized the possibility of reward.
A dark black bird landed on the branch closest to my window, his large form bending the limb and scattering the smaller birds. He screeched so loud I sat up, jerking my head back.
“You are the one everyone is in a flurry about? Pah. You aren’t worth even a second look. Why is everyone so consumed with you?” The raven made a shrieking noise again, and I gaped. “If you give me two fish, I won’t tell anyone your secret!”
A servant rushed into the room, his face alarmed, and he quickly closed the window shutters.
“A million apologies, Prince Airón. We should have shut the window last night…” The servant trailed off, wincing before swallowing whatever else he was going to say.
I waved my hand. On the other side of the window, the bird screeched, and I heard the loud pecking of a beak against wood.
“Do you need help dressing?” the servant asked. He’d been introduced last night. I recognized his hairstyle, but in the light of day, I couldn’t remember his name for all the fish in the ocean.
“Of course he does.” Nohe came into the room and smiled at me cheerfully, holding a fresh set of clothes. It was one the seamstress had chosen last night.
I stood, trying to keep my eyes away from the closed window, where the raven on the other side was yelling, “Two fish! Fine, one fish! But if I do not get my fish, I will tell someone!”
“Get one of the gardeners to deal with that bird!” Nohe said through her teeth, glancing at the serving boy significantly. He jumped into motion, running out the door as though she’d used a cane to emphasize her words. “Our deepest apologies, Your Highness.”
From her expression, she couldn’t understand the bird, and I wondered if this was what it was like for the rest of them. They spoke a secret language of movements that I only vaguely understood while I spoke the language of animals. So I might miss out on someone at court slighting me by refusing the right hand gesture, but I definitely knew that the raven was being a dick .
Standing, I approached her and let her strip me of my sleeping garments and help me into the new clothing before the serving boy returned, saying a gardener would take care of the bird.
“Good.” She looked me over, then pulled out a few different containers, offering one over. I carefully picked it up and realized it was a shimmery powder like what Fuyii had brought with him. Only this was full to overflowing, not the meager amount Fuyii had left after twelve years away from court. Either no one from the night before had informed Nohe of the emperor’s preferences, or this was a test.
“No, thank you. My intended has made his preferences clear.” I needed to make him like me. Emperor Tallu didn’t wear powders, so I wouldn’t either. Even if it made me look even more out of place in this glittering capital.
“Of course, Your Highness.” She made the container disappear into her pocket. “Would you prefer breakfast now, or do you have any morning practices first? Turtle House has a room specifically for morning meditation or prayer? We have heard that in the north, you practice your martial skills before breaking fast?”
“Food is fine,” I said. No sense in showing off exactly how lethal my martial skills were. “Everything prepared so far has been delicious.”
I followed her to the receiving room, where a dozen small dishes of food were set on a table near the window. The serving boy was sent for a forgotten tea service, and after filling my plate, Nohe stood silently on the wall. I was hyperaware of her presence.
From the open door to my room, I could hear the raven screaming at some poor gardener. “You dare lay hands on me.”
When the gardener made a grunting noise and I was sure the raven was going to send him falling off his ladder, I stood up, grabbing one of the dishes of food.
“I’ll see if I can’t deal with it,” I said. Nohe started to protest, but I waved her off. “We have inquisitive birds in the north, too. It likely just saw something shiny it wants.”
“Your Highness?—”
“The bird reminds me of home,” I said honestly. “Let me handle the creature before it gets hurt.”
Striding back into my bedroom and shutting the door behind me, I threw open the window. The raven swooped inside, even as the gardener gawked at me, his yellow tunic sticking to his chest with sweat.
Closing the shutters again, I turned to regard the raven who had perched on my dresser. “What do you think you know?”
“Are you an idiot? They said you weren’t.” The raven clucked and tilted its head. “I won’t talk before fish.”
“I promise that blackmailing me isn’t the way to get it.” I crossed my arms, trying to look serious, but loneliness hit me like an avalanche. It had been so long since I’d dared use animal speak, and it was a painful reminder of home.
It was also a risk. One I was doing for a bird. Not even a good bird. A raven .
“It is,” the raven said. “Now, are you going to give me fish?”