Chapter 20 #3
Without looking away from me, Tallu raised his voice. “General Saxu, your job is to protect the remaining servants and soldiers that have come with us all this way to Tavornai. I will take my Dogs and Prince Airón into the swamp and we will return with the information we need.”
“The location of General Namati?” General Saxu asked, and it was as close to a challenge as the old warhorse would let himself get.
“Pack a meal. Pack two. We may be gone for the rest of the day.” Tallu glanced at a servant lingering in a doorway and she startled, her cheeks flushing violet as her elven ears went back even further.
She bowed, unable to make herself speak.
Then she was gone and Tallu tugged me back into his rooms, ordering that we both be changed into clothing more appropriate for traversing the swamp.
By the time we had been dressed again, Lady Chaliko was holding a large basket in her arms, Sagam’s sisters on either side of her.
She bowed her head and gestured for us to follow her.
The three remaining Dogs surrounded Tallu and me, and of the three, it was only Gotuye I worried over. Sagam had shown us elven magic yesterday, and Asahi would do nothing to risk his lover’s life. Gotuye was the only one whose reaction to finding out our task I could not predict.
The three of them let Irad?o take position with them, working her into the guard formation as though she was masked and wearing the dark clothing of a Dog.
“What did she ask you for, Your Highness?” Lady Chaliko asked. Her eyes cut to the side, as though she could look behind her, but we were far enough away from the house that even the most sensitive ears couldn’t hear us.
“The Pirate King asked us to regrow more elder trees.” I didn’t stop walking, my eyes fixed on the place in the forest where we had grown one the night before.
Lady Chaliko stumbled, and Riini gasped, reaching out with her hand to grab hold of Joxii’s. She held it tightly. “More?”
“More,” I said. I looked at her, my eyes catching on her frown, as she held her lips tight between her teeth. She looked down.
“Of course.” Her eyelashes fluttered as though she was holding back tears. “They would always need more.”
In daylight, the swamp was wreathed in mist like lace on a woman’s shawl.
The tall trees seemed less threatening, and when I heard a crackle and looked up, I could see a monkey-like creature in the branches, its wide face and dark brown fur blending with the branches.
It cocked its head, then dropped lower, using only its tail to hold it in place.
Next to it, something larger moved, tiny tendrils matching the motions of the monkey’s arms and legs. A small child turned her face away from the bark of the tree, blinking down at us as we walked.
“Sagam,” Tallu said. “You are now my Kennelmaster, and this is when you must make a choice as to whether your loyalty lies with our empire or with me, your emperor. I do not ask you to make that choice lightly, but I hope you understand why I demand your answer.”
Tallu stopped, the rest of us halting with him, as though he was the animating force for all, the rest of us merely pulled along for the ride.
Sagam looked down. “Your Imperial Majesty, Dragon Chosen Emperor Tallu, a Dog’s duty is not to a nation, but to his master. I serve you. We all serve you.”
Tallu glanced over at Gotuye, and the other Dog had the grace not to flinch. Instead, he nodded his head. “I serve you, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Good,” Tallu said.
He began walking, and Lady Chaliko rushed to lead the way. Soon we were back in the stunted elven village. In the daylight, I could see that the houses were so small as to resemble playthings, like the dollhouse mother’s second wife had carved for Eona? on her fifth birthday.
Everything was child-sized, from the doorways and windows to the height of the roofs. Lady Chaliko swallowed, then knocked on one of the nearest trees. It reverberated up the bark, ringing like wind chimes.
A child looked out of their small house, their expression worried.
“Tell the others, we need their help.” Lady Chaliko looked down, and from her expression I could understand her fear.
Was she betraying the children she had promised to protect? Was this the action of one who cared for them, or one who only cared for her own skin?
When all the children had gathered, I counted only two dozen. Combined with the dozen servants left at the elven school, it made me wonder how many elves were left in Tavornai. How many were left in the world?
“We have a task today,” I said.
The children traded glances with each other, before looking at Lady Chaliko. She nodded her head.
“A task?” one of the children asked.
“How many of you know magic?” I asked. The children all shrank into themselves, the hints of tendrils at the edges of their clothing disappearing instantly. One of them curled her hands around her stomach, hunching her shoulders as though to make herself as small as possible.
“We don’t know any magic, Prince Airón. None of us can do electro magic, and any other magic is blasphemy.”
“No.” I kept my voice firm, refusing to let my eyes move to Tallu’s Dogs.
If we were going to reveal ourselves, this was the place to do it. I could feel the whisper of leaves—no, wings—and knew that the forest dragon was nearby, hiding in the canopy. More than that, I could feel Na? nearby, her cold presence offsetting the green warmth of the forest dragon.
“I am Emperor Tallu of the Southern Imperium, chosen by the last dragon in the world, and I declare that, when it serves the Imperium, other forms of magic are acceptable,” Tallu said. “My word is absolute and unquestionable.”
The children gasped, some of them taking a few stumbling steps back while others desperately looked at Lady Chaliko for guidance. She dipped her chin, suddenly looking as young as she was.
“What are you asking the children for?” she finally asked.
“We are going to regrow the elder trees of Tavornai. As many as we can.” The next part curdled in my stomach, and I was glad I hadn’t eaten so there was nothing for me to throw up. “In order to do it, I’m going to ask you for sacrifices.”