Chapter 4 #2
“You will require more than four Dogs,” the Kennelmaster observed complacently; he was very sure of himself now that his Dogs had been chosen over Saxu’s soldiers. “Your father always traveled with twelve, sometimes sixteen.”
“We are not traveling in the imperial carriage. We will take as few as we can. Make sure Asahi and Sagam are among them. They have shown their loyalty and bravery.” Tallu fixed his gaze on the Kennelmaster and made the other man look away first.
The Dogs in the room shifted slightly in reaction to the confrontation between the man they’d sworn an oath to and the man who trained them. Among them, who was loyal to the Kennelmaster and who to Tallu?
“The King of the Shadow Throne seeks the imperial throne.” Tallu drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, the light catching on his golden rings, casting brilliant sparks of reflected light onto the assembled men. “He will not have it.”
“Your Imperial Majesty,” General Saxu said carefully. “I fear you are walking into a trap of the Shadow King’s design.”
Saxu choked off everything else he wanted to say: he has drawn you to Krustau with the promise of a boy who might not even be House Atobe, a boy who might not even be alive. He has drawn you to your doom.
“Leave us,” Tallu said. He glanced sharply between the stewards and the Kennelmaster. “Have everything prepared. We leave in the morning. If there is even a whisper of my plans…”
The Kennelmaster nodded, a sharp glint of threat in his eyes. “I will make sure there is not, Your Imperial Majesty.”
He hustled the men out, and I glanced at the blood mage. The man sneered at me but followed behind. The Kennelmaster knew what power he was about to wield, with the emperor out of the palace and under the Kennelmaster’s protection alone.
They closed the door behind them, and the room grew painfully quiet. On my shoulder, the dragon woke, her small snout nuzzling behind my ear before she roused enough to fix her eyes on Saxu.
“Are you refusing your emperor?” Tallu’s question was mild, but Saxu straightened.
His hand dropped to the hilt of his blade, worn openly since the other generals’ betrayal.
His fingers skimmed it before he pulled both hands behind his back, his eyes on Tallu.
“You are the last general loyal to me. I trusted that meant you were better than any other. That you, without my support, could defeat any of the others who tried to win against you. Was I mistaken?”
Saxu stiffened, his jaw going so tight that he could have been chewing through the Krustau Mountains we were going to visit. Finally, he nodded jerkily. “You were not.”
Tallu observed him, his russet eyes running over Saxu.
“I know you, Saxu. You say that you would like peace as much as war, but I can see the plans in your head. If Kacha were to attack today, you have five different stratagems for how to defeat him. You are a gamemaster whose opponents have finally joined him on the board. Why are you not willing to take them on?”
“You are my emperor, and I will do as you wish.” Saxu rolled his shoulders once, the crack of his joints loud, one shoulder still weak after Palinev’s assassination attempt.
“You have also read me well. There is a part of me that wishes to see how I fare against Kacha and Bemishu, whose youth leads them to overconfidence.”
“Their disdain bothers you,” I said. If Saxu was to hold the line, we needed more than a mild unhappiness with the other men. “They see you as incompetent.”
Saxu smiled slightly, as though he could see my attempts at provocation, which were childish compared to the way the imperial court manipulated.
“Perhaps. Kacha has long desired my position as high general, and it is not one I think him worthy of. Your Imperial Majesty, I may be hungry for a game of strategy with Bemishu and Kacha, but we cannot play without our emperor. You are not wrong. Krustau having Prince Hallu endangers your rule. But if you are gone, what will become of the Imperium then?”
The question was rhetorical, but there was a fierce steel under it. Tallu answered firmly. “I trust you to lead in my absence. Know that I will return. You might be in charge of the board, but I understand my position on it.”
Saxu bowed, forming a triangle with his fingers. “I trust in your judgment, Emperor Tallu. Must you leave so soon? If we have time, we might be able to find someone to double for you.”
“Tomorrow, we leave. Krustau has my brother, heir to the Imperium. We cannot let them keep him.” Tallu raised his hand, making the appropriate gesture for dismissal. “Go. I am sure you have no time to waste.”
The preparations after that were hurried and desperate. I pulled Nohe into a quiet meeting with the steward of Tallu’s quarters. Both were suitably horrified at Tallu’s decision but were too well trained to show it with more than the slightest twist of their lips.
Dr. Jafopo was brought in to see me, checking the bite wounds on my hand and the cut on my cheek. The doctor looked at me sharply and refused to answer any of my questions about Asahi, but did clean the wounds again and provide a salve for both.
“Watch them,” he’d said, checking the bites again after applying the salve.
Then he’d left, and I had been absorbed into the chaos of leaving.
Nohe magicked up several outfits in my size appropriate for a merchant. She hand stitched House Vakuri onto them herself, the cover that the Kennelmaster had provided. Then she handed me two large purses, filled with money. Some silvers, some coppers, only a handful of gold coins.
“Anything higher than that would be too suspicious,” she said quietly as she personally helped dress me in the early hours of the morning. I felt guilty about the smears of shadow under her eyes.
Homisu checked her work, straightening a seam here and there, his expression dour. “Your Highness…”
I glanced at him in surprise, hearing that the unhappiness in his voice was more than disapproval. “Speak.”
“I would not seek to question the emperor’s directives, but may I not join you?” He was fixing the knot Nohe had tied at my waist, and when he finished, he stepped back. “I know the inner Imperium well.”
I examined Homisu, truly seeing him. He looked worried and upset. I had no idea he cared for me that deeply. Unless there was some other emotion at play, some other reason he wanted to follow me and Tallu.
“You will need someone to make sure that you are dressed appropriately. You may be able to pass as someone from Dragon’s Rest Mountains, but you still look strange.” Homisu’s lips went flat, and he stepped back.
“It is supposed to be a small party. Fighters who can protect the emperor and make sure we arrive at the Lakeshore Palace.” I wasn’t saying no, my mind spinning too quickly. He wasn’t wrong either.
My skin didn’t shine the way the imperials’ did. I knew that my coloring and appearance were going to set me apart more than anything else.
Homisu reached into a pocket, drawing out a small tin of powder. He opened it, then raised his eyes to me. I nodded once, and he took out a small brush. Closing my eyes, I felt him stroke the brush across my forehead and down my nose, adding extra to my cheekbones.
“You must be sure to apply it twice a day at least. If you will not take me with you.” His voice was rough.
I blinked open my eyes. He still looked upset.
“I will be careful,” I said.
“Piivu trained under me,” Homisu said, and the words seemed as though they came out of nowhere, but I inherently understood the connection.
I watched him carefully. Was he another Boro, ready to murder me for something I had done to a friend?
“He was very relieved to see his sister again.” Homisu’s dark eyes held words he didn’t say. He was thanking me for something I had done. He might not know for certain what happened with Piivu and Seka, but he was grateful for it anyway.
I opened my hand, and Homisu placed the jar in my palm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another.
“Do not wait until you are low on supply to purchase more,” he said.
I nodded, accepting the warning. Nohe handed me my bag, the coins settling in the bottom. It was too heavy, and I opened the flap to find my dragon asleep on the coins.
“You have to stay here,” I said, reaching down.
As soon as my hand was close enough, she opened her mouth, snapping at my fingers. Her sharp teeth drew blood.
“I go with you. I already told her.” The dragon turned to look at Nohe, her prismatic eyes shimmering. “Didn’t I?”
I looked up, blinking in surprise at Nohe. The servant stared back at me before saying slowly, “She said she would burn down the palace in your absence.”
There was too much in the sentence, and we didn’t have time for any of it. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “You can understand her?”
“Some.” Nohe glanced at Homisu, who nodded in agreement. “It is not foreign magic, if it is a dragon. It cannot be.”
The words were so weighted and heavy that I nearly sidestepped them to avoid answering, but that would be childish. Instead, I nodded. “They say the One Dragon spoke to many.”
The myths of the One Dragon were so common: the One Dragon had taught blood mages their magic; the One Dragon had taught people the names of the stars and then fixed them in the sky so that they could always find their way home; the One Dragon had whispered in the dark and taught the Krustavians how to build fires.
I flipped the bag closed, then drew up my hood. Nohe led the way through Turtle House. Everyone was asleep, although how Nohe and Homisu had kept preparations quiet was beyond me. The shuttered windows let in pale streaks of moonlight.
Outside, the darkness was all-encompassing. The east didn’t even show a hint of sunrise, dawn more than an hour away. I tilted my head. Nohe turned a small lantern in her hand, revealing a dim electric glow. I heard the flap of wings and looked up. Three ravens circled above us, ready to follow.