Chapter 10 #2
The bath maid sniffed, her breath so sharp that I knew I had hit on something. When I opened my eyes, she had paled, her hands fisted tightly on the towel she held ready for me.
I raised both of my eyebrows, pretending at innocence. “Is that not true?”
The bath maid opened her mouth and let loose an incomprehensible warble. I frowned, sitting up and turning to face her properly. She shut her mouth, face paling, drawing one hand up over her lips.
At her throat, a band of reddened flesh stood out starkly. I had taken it for a birthmark, but with her skin so pale, the wrinkled flesh was obviously a scar. Was that the mark of a collar?
“Is everything all right?” I asked, all pretense gone. Something was clearly wrong; she couldn’t speak even when she wanted to.
“I wouldn’t expect her to answer,” Quuri said from the door.
Turning away from the maid, I let my gaze linger on the steward.
“And why is that?” I asked.
“Her tongue has been removed.” Quuri stepped forward, taking the towel from the bath maid and gesturing her away.
The other woman fled quickly, leaving me with the steward, whose expression was severe.
I stood, the water dripping off me to splash back into the bath.
When I climbed out of the bath, I gripped one of the stones tightly, feeling the pressure of the rock, the sharp angles.
It would not take much to turn it into a blade.
Quuri began drying my skin and leaving a chill in her wake. How long had she been listening to our conversation before interrupting? Why hadn’t Asahi stopped her?
“Why was her tongue removed?” I asked. “I’ve not heard of that punishment before.”
Quuri busied herself with drying my back, so I could not see her face when she said, “It was a better fate than the Dogs who served Emperor Millu suffered. She was a personal servant of Empress Koque.”
“And for that, she had to be permanently maimed?” I asked.
“She should have been with the empress when she died. She should have been able to summon help before the empress took her last breath.” As she dried my chest, Quuri’s nostrils went narrow.
As harsh as her words were, her hands were gentle, and when Quuri finished, she moved to the side of the room, selecting a small glass vial of scented oil and beginning to rub me down. Her hands were professional, using long strokes that massaged the relaxed muscles.
Whoever she had been in a past life, she knew how to do this. What had she risen from to become steward of the Lakeshore Palace?
“You know,” I said quietly as she began to work on my legs, “the king of Krustau has sent Emperor Tallu messages. He said that Empress Koque and Prince Hallu did not die with Emperor Millu. The Shadow King claims he has the prince and that Empress Koque went to Krustau willingly on the night of her husband’s death. ”
Quuri’s hands stilled on my ankle, and she slowly drew back before shaking her head once and beginning to work on the opposite leg. Her fingers dug into my calf painfully, and she said, “I saw the empress’s body myself. She was dead. The Shadow King could not have her or the prince.”
I said nothing, letting her finish her task before asking again, “Why was the empress’s personal maid robbed of the ability to speak?”
Quuri put the stopper in the glass bottle, the click of it loud in the quiet between us. “His Imperial Majesty has requested your presence at the evening meal.”
I nodded in agreement. I would get no more out of her. Heading out into the room, I was surprised to see some of my own clothing already set out for me. When I raised my eyebrows at Asahi, I saw the slightest smile in the crinkle of his eyes.
“Nohe knew you would need clothing when you arrived here. Unlike His Imperial Majesty, you don’t fit into your predecessor’s attire.”
I laughed at that, the sound making Na? turn her head from where she was gorging herself on what looked like most of a pig. They had set it out on a platter for her, as though she were receiving a private dinner.
“You have to admit, I would look good showing a little more ankle than usual.” But Asahi had already turned away, scanning the room again, his eyes lingering on any servant who moved.
Two servants helped dress me, both young men, and when they spoke, I was relieved that neither of them had suffered the same fate as the bath maid.
Dressed, clean, and missing Tallu as though he was the air I breathed, I stepped out into the quiet palace. Quuri had disappeared with a respectful bow, saying that she needed to check on dinner.
Asahi shadowed me, and both of the men who helped me dress hesitated, clearly unsure if they were supposed to lead me around the palace.
I saved us all by making the decision myself. Turning, I strode in the opposite direction from Tallu’s quarters. When we were out of earshot of the servants, I asked Asahi, “Have you ever been to the Lakeshore Palace?”
“Yes,” Asahi said, not even hesitating.
“Am I going anywhere near the dining room?” I asked.
“No,” Asahi said.
“Were you here when the emperor and the empress were in residence?” I asked quietly as we passed beside a tapestry covering a Krustavian carving in the wall.
I paused, drawing the tapestry back. According to Lord Fuyii, the Krustavians did not enjoy paintings or tapestries. Instead, they carved into their walls and created statues from the rocks that they mined.
This carving looked as though it was an entire set of dollhouses intricately carved into the shape of the town. In the foreground, I saw small children playing with each other, while in the background, their mothers hung laundry up to dry.
From their pointed ears and shape, they were dwarves.
“All of the Dogs who were here when the emperor and the empress were assassinated are dead themselves,” Asahi said. “They took their own lives.”
I let the tapestry fall back into place, covering the delicate art behind it with an image of the Imperium’s capital city.
“So I’ve been told,” I said slowly. “But what does that mean if the empress and the prince are alive? Is it possible one of the Dogs is as well?”
“This way,” Asahi said, sidestepping the question and motioning with his hand toward the left.
I followed his directions. “Is it a common punishment to cut out the tongue?”
“I have not heard of it being done since Emperor Rellu,” Asahi said. “Emperor Rellu had a great many enemies, and many of them he needed to keep alive—whether because they were important or because they served as a warning to others.”
“So which is the bath maid?” I asked, only partially rhetorical. “A warning or a necessity?”
If she was a warning, she was a good one. The servants here all fell into line with Quuri at even her slightest glance.
But if she wasn’t a warning—if she was necessary—what did that mean? Who would it benefit to keep a servant of such low station alive?
I shook my head at the question.
Two footmen stood outside a set of double doors, each holding a long spear. I didn’t even need to ask what the room was—the scent of delicious food twisted my stomach with hunger. Behind me, Asahi swallowed audibly.
“His Imperial Majesty will have Dogs,” I observed. “You may have had a chance to change your clothes, but I know you have not bathed or eaten. Go change, clean yourself. I will probably still be eating by the time you are done.”
We were at the doorway, and I could already see Tallu seated at the table, a glass of wine held casually in one hand as he observed a feast of dishes spread across the table.
Golden rings adorned his fingers, the swoop of them arcing like waves across his knuckles.
On his head, he wore a crown of glinting gemstones, the blue color fading to translucency at the tip of each spike.
He looked up when he saw me speaking with Asahi, his eyes moving back and forth between us before his expression darkened. Asahi didn’t seem to notice, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he bowed, exactly as proper as he always was.
“I cannot leave you unattended.” His voice was rough.
I huffed a slight laugh, glancing back at Tallu, whose expression had turned possessive. “Asahi, I can promise you there’s not a single moment I will be unattended in this room.”
With his face covered by his mask, Asahi’s expression was a mystery, but after a long pause, he bowed once again and turned to go down the hall.
I entered the room, the servants straightening and bowing as I passed, their fingers forming triangles. Along the wall, two rows of servants stood waiting, and one rushed forward to pull out the seat at Tallu’s right.
Sitting in the chair, I was aware of all the empty seats at the table, the number of people that this palace was meant to host, and the number of servants who occupied it, keeping it maintained, ready for an emperor that might never come visit.
In the hallway, there was a snapping voice, a few hissed words, and then Topi Bemishu strode into the dining room, her chin held high.
She wore a set of imperial clothes, although they looked well beneath her station, and I wondered which servant had given up her best outfit so that Lady Topi would not be shamed in front of the emperor.
Coyome stepped in behind her, taking his position with the other Dogs arrayed around the room. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the food.
Tallu continued to swirl the wine in his glass, and he said nothing, glancing at Topi with something approaching disinterest. Lerolian strode in, talking quickly with another one of the blood monks.
He stepped close to Tallu, bending to whisper into his ear before shaking his head and smiling at me.
“You’ll forgive me. I still forget sometimes that these whispers are not for Tallu alone anymore.
” The blood monk straightened, looking around the room.
“The servants are terrified, so terrified that they aren’t saying anything.
Not to each other, unless it’s to relay a direct order from the steward of the palace or either of you. ”