Chapter 1 #2
The corpse sat up, and the only reason I didn’t scream like a child told a frightening story around a campfire was because of my training. Instead, I leapt to my feet, crouching low and holding out my dagger.
Two more of the creatures crept from under the soldier’s armor, as though they were flames breathed by the dragon emblazoned on his chest plate.
One darted down to the floor, while the other fell off the table, landing on my thigh.
I dropped and rolled, trying to use my weight to kill it, but I only managed to crush part of it, and the creature tore itself free, continuing to move up my pelvis with only half a body, dark fluid streaking my silken clothes.
I used my dagger to pry it off of my pants, slamming my hand down on the flat of the blade to crush it entirely.
In my distraction, I lost track of the other one, and I stood, looking around, searching the dark corners, trying to find a hint of movement. A chittering sound echoed, and I spun, realizing too late the creature was already next to my ear, its head pushing inside.
A hand grabbed the insect and pulled it free from my skin, flicking it to the floor. Asahi stood close to me and raised his boot to slam it down on top of the insect.
“What took you so long?” I asked.
“I was speaking with the Kennelmaster in the hall,” he said, his serious voice quiet. “And you made no sound indicating distress.”
“You expect me to scream like an actress in a stage play? Shall I practice my vibrato?” I turned my attention to the body, still sitting up, its limbs trembling.
“Prince Airón, are there more of the creatures?” Asahi asked, his gaze in the same direction.
“What are they?” I asked. I’d never heard of the things, never seen them before.
Asahi shook his head, and I couldn’t see his face with his black wolf mask on, but from the set of his shoulders, he was tense. I doubted he knew what they were either.
Three more creatures crawled out of the armor, one coming straight from inside the throat of the dead man, crawling out of the stump where his head used to be.
A shiver quivered up my spine, and I bit down hard on my lip. I could take them. They were simply insects, even as I heard the voice in the back of my head again, insidious as though it was whispering in my brain.
Yesssssss. You.
This time, it thrummed with importance, an echoing rumble that vibrated my entire skull.
I winced away, and Asahi turned his head just slightly to look at me as though trying to hear what I did.
In that slight hesitation, they attacked.
They moved so fast that even as I crushed one under my foot, I could feel the other crawling up the back of my boot, feel it reach the top and slither inside, already searching for a way underneath my clothes.
I stomped my foot but couldn’t dislodge it. Asahi used his blade to fling the creature aside, but it scuttled into the darkness. He stomped his foot down, taking off half the body of another, but the torso of the insect kept crawling, hiding itself under the table.
With his mask on, I couldn’t see anything of Asahi’s expression, but his movements were jerky. He had faced down worse enemies, but something about the skittering, sinuous movement of these insects set us both on edge.
I heard a chittering sound, a moment before I saw another, and raised my foot, slamming it down on the creature’s head, feeling the carapace give. It oozed dark liquid, and I lifted my foot again, feeling the ichor stretch between the bottom of my foot and the floor.
Something dropped onto my shoulder, and I reached up, trying to drag it off.
Sharp pain spiked on my hand. Grunting, I pulled back, but it was too late.
The creature had bitten me. It scuttled again, trying for my ear, and when I raised one hand to cover it, it moved over my face, its small legs pricking my lips.
I grabbed the body, ignoring the sting of pain as it bit my hand again. Throwing it to the ground, I threw my dagger at it, slicing it in half. In one swift motion, I drew another dagger.
Asahi stomped down hard, the squelch of the creature dying loud in the room.
“Was that all of them?” I asked.
The soldier’s corpse shuddered again, and I jerked to stare at it, a sting of bile rising up my esophagus.
The corpse tried to stand, more of the insects coming out from the vacant throat, crawling out from beneath the armor as though the entire body were made of the creatures, and it was only an illusion that he had flesh at all.
From the doorway, an enormous bolt of lightning arced across the room, hitting the corpse and making it shudder and smoke.
The creatures screamed, and I winced away from the piercing sound, frowning when Asahi didn’t move in response to the noise.
One creature tried to crawl out from its hiding place in the man’s boot, but another bolt hit the body.
The insect screamed for a moment, its body convulsing before the lightning reduced it to smoking char.
The room was silent, so quiet that even my heartbeat thrumming in my ears sounded thunderous. Asahi and I both turned to the door. Tallu stood, hands still outstretched, eyes searching the room.
“What is going on?” Tallu’s voice was low, but it had the thrum of power I was used to when he was angry, behind him, soldiers rushed through the hallway and murmured questions. “I thought the body was examined before it was brought into the palace.”
“It was,” Saxu said, clearing his throat. “Your Imperial Majesty, I have no explanation. Bring me the doctor who examined the body.” As Commander Rede jogged away, Saxu gestured formally. “Perhaps we should all retire upstairs. My men will check that all of the creatures are dead.”
Tallu stalked into the room, bending low to pick up my discarded jacket and drape it over my shoulders, then he turned, striding back down the hall, his cloak swirling behind him, four Dogs shadowing him.
I turned to Asahi, but he was holding his neck, a black vein tracing up from a bite mark. His eyes closed in pain for a moment before he straightened.
“Asahi,” I said, and some of my concern must have seeped into my voice because Sagam spun back to us. His eyes were wide, taking in the situation in one glance.
“My lord,” I said, louder. Tallu stopped, his shoulders still pulled back. When he turned, his expression was blank, but his eyes traced over Asahi, then glanced at Sagam. I gestured at Asahi, saying, “This Dog has been hurt in the attack.”
“Take him to the Minister of Medicine,” Tallu ordered Sagam.
The Dog bowed, striding down the hall as fast as he could, grabbing hold of Asahi and practically dragging him up the stairs to ground level.
I felt worry curl in my stomach but couldn’t let it show.
None of us could afford for anyone to think I was too close to the Dog guarding me.
Tallu hesitated only a second before he crossed the same distance to me, putting a hand at my throat. “Are you hurt?”
He spoke so softly I wasn’t even sure his Dogs could hear him, his tone gentle, not matching the glower on his face. I started to shake my head but remembered the bites on my hand. Raising it, I offered it to my hovering husband. “One of the creatures bit me.”
Tallu took my hand in both of his, his thumb exploring the raised bites. I hissed in pain, my breath catching in my throat. Unlike Asahi’s injury, mine extruded no black poison.
Raising my hand to his lips, Tallu pressed a kiss to the bite, and my breath caught for a whole different reason. His lips on my skin should have been painful, but instead, I was hyperaware of the warm breath against my flesh, a shiver going up my spine.
“We will call Dr. Jafopo,” Tallu said against my skin.
“I’m fine. It hurts, but there was no harm done,” I said.
Tallu looked into my eyes, his brows pulled tighter, lips still frowning. “The doctor.”
“Later. Let’s hear from the man who examined the body first. I’d like to know how anyone missed that the poor corpse was more insect than flesh.” I wrapped my fingers around Tallu’s. “After that, Dr. Jafopo can poke, prod, and drill as many holes as he likes in me.”
“No holes,” Tallu said. “Or he will not be a doctor for long.”
Gently, Tallu pulled my arm through his, leading me upstairs. My hand fit in the crook of his elbow, and I took some comfort from how warm his skin was, even through layers of silk and the robe he wore. The bites stung and my hand throbbed, but the walk to Saxu’s office felt too short.
Dominating Saxu’s office was a massive table that took up nearly half the room, enough for every general and several commanders to sit. On the other side of the room was a war table, the pieces and markers indicating where the other four generals had last been seen.
One of General Saxu’s aides had set out tea and some snacks. Tallu took a seat at the head of the table, the massive chair turning into a throne as soon as he sat in it.
I could feel the anger rolling off him. The silence stretched as the rest of us took our seats, and no one dared speak. Even General Saxu frowned, his eyes turning to the door when footsteps sounded in the hall.
Commander Rede opened the door, and a man wearing a military coat followed him into the room.
The stitching indicated a senior military doctor, and I could see evidence where someone had painstakingly removed the old stitching.
Based on the fading of the jacket, he’d been on General Maki’s campaign before his assignment in the capital.
“Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor bowed. “Lieutenant Wituno.”
“You nearly caused the death of my husband,” Tallu said. “Explain yourself.”
Wituno jerked, his eyes going to me, wide. “What?”
“Some insects this long”—I held out my hands—“were inside the body you examined earlier. Tell us what you saw when you looked at the corpse.”