Chapter 11 #2
I had thought this to be a mercy, a way of avoiding unnecessary pain.
But now, I realized that this was perhaps crueler.
As we moved slowly through the dishes, the servants each wondering if they were going to suffer the same fate as the corpse on the floor, the tension in the room increased, even Topi Bemishu watching the decreasing number of dishes with horror.
Some servants had to try multiple dishes if they had prepared ingredients for each or stirred multiple ones on the stove.
There were still a handful left when one of the cooks screamed out, “No!”
The room stilled. He was backing away from the table, his eyes fixed on the next dish: a plate of fried vegetables, covered in a dark sauce. Having eaten a similar dish before, I knew that the sauce was salty and spicy, the soft vegetables covered in a crispy fried shell.
Yes, something with such strong flavors would cover any subtle poison.
Tallu had remained silent during the entire ordeal, his presence an additional pressure on the already nervous servants.
Now, he spoke.
“You won’t try this dish?” Tallu asked quietly.
“I won’t. I won’t!” The servant backed away, holding up both hands, his eyes turning to one of the Dogs that approached.
“Is there something wrong with it?” Tallu asked, his tone just slightly intrigued. “Perhaps it is not up to your standards.”
“You cannot make me!” the man screamed.
“I’m afraid you’re going to find out that we can make you do a great many things,” Kennelmaster said. “Bring him here.”
Two Dogs pounced, each grabbing one of the servant’s arms, pressing the other hand to his shoulder, forcing him to the table. He dug his heels into the ground but stumbled forward at the pressure against his back.
“There are a great many questions I have,” Tallu said mildly. “But the first is the most important, so I require your full attention. Truly think on your answer. Who was your victim?”
The question was so surprising that the servant turned to look at Tallu, his mouth falling open.
“There were three of us who might eat the dish, more if it was returned to the kitchen and servants given permission to eat what remained. Not to forget the Dogs who might taste my food.” Tallu picked up his wineglass again, swirling the red liquid.
Droplets of it dripped down the side of the glass when the wine settled, and he examined the servant through the traces of wine. “So, who was your intended victim?”
The man panted, struggling again against the implacable arms of Tallu’s Dogs. Finally, he spat, “You.”
“I am not sure I can believe you,” Tallu said quietly. “What is his name?”
Tallu’s eyes didn’t leave the man, but the chef answered anyway. “Susipo.”
Tallu nodded. “Susipo.”
The name sounded like a threat, and Susipo thrashed again in the Dogs’ arms. “You will get nothing from me!”
“That, I doubt,” Tallu said. “I think you greatly underestimate my Dogs. I think you greatly underestimate my desire to understand who would put my beloved husband in danger.”
Tallu didn’t look at me, his rage palpable. He was outwardly calm, as though that could hide the anger simmering under his skin.
“It must have been a very great weight to carry with you,” I said quietly. “The murder of an emperor is heavy.”
Susipo’s eyes fixed on me, and I saw the burn of hatred in them. “He is no emperor.”
“No, he is more than that, isn’t he? He is the first Dragon Chosen Emperor.
With such credentials, he should sit at the head of the Animalia Court.
With that title, he will make history.” I let my words go soft, let the patter of them become rhythmic.
It was an old storytelling technique, one my mother employed on dark nights in the winter.
It calmed the room, soothed racing hearts, made everyone breathe in synchronicity with my words.
“His Imperial Majesty, Dragon Chosen Emperor Tallu.”
“No,” Susipo said, but his voice was weaker, and he swallowed. “No. He is no rightful emperor of the Imperium. He is the destruction of our empire. He will end us all by fracturing our nation.”
“Will he?” I let my voice go even quieter.
Susipo’s eyes went wide. “Already, he has torn apart the work of his father and grandfather. He let a northerner into his bed. He trusts an old man whose mind was warped by the blood mages to lead his military.”
“So your master believes. So do many traitors. But Dragon Chosen Emperor Tallu is generous. He is kind to those who betray him. That is why he will not let you suffer. He will not require it of you as long as you give him the answers he needs.” I waited a long beat. “Who sent you?”
But Susipo was stronger than I gave him credit for. “I sent myself. Your reign will end in your death.”
Susipo yanked hard, falling to the ground. One of the Dogs was dragged with him, but the other had loosened his grip enough that Susipo was free, and he got hold of a dagger on the Dog’s leg.
In one swift motion, he drew it across his own neck. It was shallow, but not shallow enough to save his life. Choking on his own blood, he collapsed onto the floor. Tallu stared, lips pressed together, and I was the only one who noticed how tightly his jaw was clenched.
When the gasping, choking sounds faded to silence, Tallu asked, “Was he here when my father died?”
“No, Your Imperial Majesty. No. He was only recently employed in the kitchens.” The cook bowed, then seemed to realize that was not enough. He fell to the ground, prostrating himself, and behind him, the other servants all did the same.
“Who hired him?” Tallu asked.
“He—” The cook spoke to the floor, hesitating only a moment before saying, “I am not sure.”
“Where is Quuri?” Tallu asked.
The door opened, a single Dog slipping out and returning a moment later.
The steward of the Lakeshore Palace must have been lingering in the hallway, and whether it was because of worry for the servants under her or anxiety because she had played some part in the attempt on Tallu’s life was unclear.
She took in the room with a glance, her eyes pausing on Susipo’s corpse before trailing over the servants still prostrated on the ground. “How can I serve Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Who hired this man?” Tallu asked.
Quuri blinked. “Your Imperial Majesty.”
Tallu frowned. “Answer the question.”
Quuri bowed. “I apologize. I meant no offense. But, to my understanding, Your Imperial Majesty hired him. He arrived with General Maki and stayed after you sent the general elsewhere.”
Tallu went so still that I looked around, trying to decide if Na? had frozen time again. When he finally spoke, it was with such mild confusion that Quuri’s shoulders relaxed, clearly convinced that he was not angry.
“When I sent General Maki elsewhere?”
“Yes. He received your message from the envoy being sent to Krustau and left with him to facilitate peace talks with the Shadow King.” Quuri looked down at the cook on the floor. “This was one of the men he brought with him.”
“And when did General Maki arrive?” Tallu asked.
“Several weeks ago.” Quuri’s voice took on a hesitancy. She had finally realized that something was amiss and things were not about to go her way. “He arrived with the first envoy you sent to Krustau.”
Tallu looked at Topi. “We sent the first envoy to Krustau six weeks ago.”
She nodded slowly. “General Maki sent me away nearly two moons ago. He must’ve come across the envoy just after I left.”
“Surely even at the Lakeshore Palace, you heard how all of the emperor’s generals turned traitor against him?” I asked.
Quuri nodded, glancing down at the head chef, but with his face pressed into the floor, he was no help.
“Yes. We had heard. But General Maki appeared with a letter bearing your seal that told us he alone had your complete trust. He was the one who first sent an envoy to Krustau. He told us it was on your orders.”
“He had a letter bearing my seal.” Tallu glanced at the Dogs standing next to Quuri. “Do you have this letter?”
“Of course.” Quuri turned, clearly about to go fetch it, but hesitated, glancing at the Dog next to her, suddenly seeming to become aware of the lethal situation she was in. “Shall I fetch it?”
“Go with her.” Tallu made a gesture with one hand, his palm up, directing her to leave. Quuri nearly ran, a Dog trailing her, leaving the room eerily silent.
I glanced down at Coyome’s dead body. “Husband, shall we have the Dogs remove Coyome?”
Tallu followed my gaze and dipped his chin in a nod. “Kennelmaster, give him all the respect he deserves. This man saved my life and, more importantly, the life of my beloved consort.”
The Kennelmaster looked down at the body before raising his chin and glancing around the room. With one hand, he gestured at two of the Dogs. They moved silently across the room, carefully positioning Coyome’s body and lifting it between them.
As they moved out of the room, I looked down at the mess of blood and vomit, the stomach lining Coyome had coughed up onto the floor. It smelled acidic, the scent rising into my nostrils, covering any remaining scent from the food on the table.
I had never seriously considered poisoning the emperor. I had always known that poisoning him would be a last resort, if I couldn’t gain access to him alone. There was too much that could go wrong with a poisoning, too many variables.
In order to make a poisoning successful, I would likely have had to sacrifice Eona? as well as anyone else who tried the dish.
“Airón,” Tallu said.
I looked up, catching the tilt of Tallu’s head. Walking around the mess on the floor, I retook my seat at his right, although I couldn’t quite manage the calm composure he had. I couldn’t quite pick up my drink as though nothing was wrong.
Footsteps ran up the hallway, and Quuri reappeared in the room, slowing to a walk. A scroll was clutched in her hands, and she bowed, handing it to the Dog next to her. He approached Tallu, handing it over.