Chapter 11 #3
I couldn’t hear what Kacha’s men said, but their panic was obvious. They ran across the decks of their boats, small and insignificant pawns being dragged across the gameboard. There was no hope for them, but they didn’t know it yet.
“The dragon grows restless,” the Kennelmaster said. “Almost as if she’s waiting for something.”
I turned away from the water, resting my elbows on the railing, closing my eyes briefly to focus my desire. I pushed my support toward Na?, ice cutting under the waterline, melding with hers. She roared again in approval.
“I have told you of Sagam’s upbringing,” the Kennelmaster said. “His mother was from Tavornai, elven blood in her veins. He alone escaped looking like a half-blood. His sisters were not so lucky. They say the elves in Tavornai can grow a forest overnight. They can turn men—entire armies—into wood.”
“Can they?” I asked. I continued helping Na? but it was harder when I was focusing on two things at once. The conversation with the Kennelmaster also took my attention.
“That is what they say. Tavornai was conquered long ago. I’m not even sure the elves know what their magic used to be, before we burned their elder trees.
” The Kennelmaster grabbed hold of the railing, leaning heavily on it.
“Emperor Millu demanded to know every traitor in his empire. If his own council was corrupt, surely the rest of the Imperium would be as well. And with the traitors, we killed off anyone who could practice foreign magic. We murdered them all. I have often wondered, had she not died so mysteriously, what sort of magic Sagam’s mother could have taught him. ”
I narrowed my eyes at the Kennelmaster. “He practices electro magic.”
The Kennelmaster coughed, the sound rattling in his chest. He spit over the railing.
“He does. But what proof do we have that half-breeds can only practice one form of magic? Perhaps that is the greatest question now that the throne has become more flexible in its understanding of what a traitor is.”
“I would say that Emperor Tallu has become more rigid in his understanding of what a traitor looks like,” I said. “Innocent mothers and their children no longer qualify.”
The Kennelmaster smiled, leaning forward to spit over the edge of the railing again. “I suppose it becomes very clear what a traitor truly is when the men who command your military turn on you.”
“Shall we speak bluntly?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet so that the rush of river water nearly silenced it. “You believe Sagam might be able to practice elven magic.”
“I believe that Emperor Tallu has, time and again, proven that he is willing to use the resources at his disposal. Whether or not others in court might be as open-minded about the form of that help.” The Kennelmaster coughed, and this time I caught sight of red when he spit. “At least, that is what I believe.”
“Is there a reason you don’t bring this to His Imperial Majesty yourself?” I asked. Na? finished her work, spiraling up in the air and breathing out a long plume of snow that drifted down onto our ships. Sailors cheered and soldiers bowed respectfully.
“His Imperial Majesty should be listening to one Kennelmaster. Sagam. I am old. Soon, I will die.” He tried to smile, but the expression pulled at his face like a grimace.
“No one would chase you if you left. You must have somewhere you could go and enjoy the last weeks of your life.”
“Must I?” the Kennelmaster asked. “Little northern prince, you still know so very little about the Imperium.”
The Kennelmaster looked up to where Na? was circling our boat, shrinking in size until she was no bigger than a large dog, landing in the middle of the deck to the cheers of the crew. One of the sailors had even gone below deck and raided the stores of food to present her with dried meat and fruit.
With a shallow bow, the Kennelmaster returned below deck, leaning heavily on the railing as he walked.
I turned my eyes to Kacha’s ships. They had slowed, but they had no idea where the trap was. The first one hit Na?’s netting, setting off an explosion from one of the canisters she had swept with her.
I heard men shouting, warning off the other ship, but it was too late. I could practically feel the vibrations in my bones where their hull was pierced through by an icicle. The cracking of wood and the panicked yells faded as we slowly drifted downstream.
I watched as Kacha’s men fell into the water, their ships splitting apart underneath their feet. I couldn’t feel sorry for them. We didn’t have time, and I couldn’t afford it, not when it could cost me my true goal.
Our boats rounded a bend in the river, and then the men were out of sight, the carnage that Na? and I had brought upon them audible, even if it wasn’t visible.
The sailors and soldiers on our ships were alight with joy, cheering Na?, who enjoyed their praise. Her scales gleamed icy white.
It was hard to forget that, to her, all human life was expendable. The men who had fallen in the river were no more than toys she knocked over.
Then again we must seem plentiful in her eyes, a colony of ants. What care did she have to have for us as individuals, when there were so many of us? She could stomp on as many of us as she liked, and there would always be more.
Saxu finally turned away from the merriment, joining me against the railing.
“You are not enjoying the fruits of the dragon’s success?” Saxu asked.
“I was considering what we must look like to her. She chose Tallu from among any number of men, but the truth is, I am not sure she sees the rest of us.” I was lying and telling the truth at the same time.
She hadn’t chosen Tallu, she had chosen me, and I had seen in her deepest desire that of all the people she cared about, it was only the two of us—her and me—that she truly desired to keep from harm.
“It is a strange thing to once again understand what it means to be expendable. When I served Emperor Wollu, I was a young soldier. In my first taste of battle, I knew that my purpose was to keep the Ariphadi goblins from the electro mages. My entire life up until that moment, I had let myself believe that I was more than a common man.” The corners of his eyes crinkled.
“There is nothing like watching those around you get cut down for you to realize that there is nothing uncommon about you. Your blood still runs red. Your flesh is still just as easy for their blades to slice.”
I watched him for a moment, wondering if I should ask. Instead, I chose the safer question. “What will we do if Kacha has put a trap at the delta?”
“Depending on the trap, we may be teaching many of these men how expendable they are.” He looked over the deck, Na? still enjoying her moment of attention, the cheers from the other boats.
By dinnertime, we had our answer. The scouting ships were back, two of the three we had sent returning safely.
One of the soldiers knelt in front of Tallu. “He has mined the waters. There are ropes which stretch from one side of the river to the other, and he has attached explosive devices along them.”
“How deep?” General Saxu asked.
We had chosen Tallu’s quarters aboard the ship to meet, and Sagam guarded the door, with Saxu and me standing behind Tallu. Irad?o had joined us in the corner, and, as neither Tallu nor I had said anything, General Saxu had pointedly ignored her presence as well.
“Just below the waterline,” the soldier answered. “They are invisible with the current. We cannot tell how many he set across the delta, but I counted at least three different ropes dragging the water. We dared not go any further, or we might not be able to return.”
“There’s no hope of crossing that,” Saxu said thoughtfully.
Silence reigned in the room until Tallu spoke. “Is our other option to go overland?”
Saxu considered, reaching a hand up and stroking his beard. He shook his head, then glanced at the soldier. “Did you see any evidence of Kacha or his men?”
The soldier dropped his head, shaking it back and forth once in the politest physical form of the word no, then hesitated. “We saw no evidence of General Kacha or his men. But someone had to have put up the trawling line.”
“Do you have anything else to report?” Tallu asked.
The soldier politely shook his head once, his eyes still on the ground where he knelt. Tallu dismissed him with a single gesture, and Sagam closed the door behind him.
“To go overland is extremely dangerous. We have no horses, no electro carriages. We have no idea if Kacha has conquered the towns around the delta.” Saxu dropped his hand to his sheathed sword, gripping the hilt once before releasing it, clasping his hands behind his back.
“We need someone to cut the lines,” I said.
“Who could we count on?” Tallu asked General Saxu.
Saxu considered, his frown etched on his face for a moment. “I’m sure some of my men can swim. I’m hesitant to trust the sailors. They appear loyal, but first and foremost they belong to House Jolushi.”
Lady Jolushi owed Tallu for backing her power-play, but there had to be plenty of men who had supported her husband before his untimely demise.
“I’ll lead them,” I said.
There was an explosion of sound, General Saxu and Irad?o both talking on top of each other. Tallu raised a hand, and General Saxu quieted. Irad?o glared at me.
In Northern, she said, “I have no intention of letting you throw yourself onto a bomb.”
“I can swim. I’m trained in hunting and fishing.
I have some idea where he would put his traps to catch his prey.
Also, we need a plan for what we do after we pass the delta.
” I looked around the room, and only Tallu seemed to understand my meaning, his russet eyes widening for a second before narrowing in thought.
“You mean as we head for Tavornai?” General Saxu asked.