“She had the right of it, in some ways. You must see that.” Taisiya’s silence was as good as admittance. Vanya nodded before taking her hand in his, running his thumb over her bony knuckles in a comforting way. “I’ve let Joelle play her games long enough. I amdoneletting the fallout from the Conclave stay my hand.”
“You act on whispers.”
“We as a House have acted on less. The whisper of a truth will always be stronger than brittle lies to stand on. I haven’t set the Legion upon those who took Soren because I didn’t know where he’d been taken. I know now.”
“Do you?”
“I will order the Legion to work with E’ridia’s air force to help break through the defenses around Bellingham. We both know Daijal is behind Joelle’s deep reserves there, even if many of the Houses refuse to see it.”
“And will you be leading that charge?”
Vanya worked his jaw a bit. “As much as I would like to, no, I will not go to Bellingham.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I will head south instead to join the Legion there.”
Taisiya jerked her hand free of his, eyes widening. “Outside the walls?”
As much as Vanya wanted to find Soren and bring him home, he had to ensure there was a home left for the warden to come back to. Vanya turned his hand over, calling forth a flicker of starfire, the heat of the aether at its most powerful distillation burning between them. “I am one of the few with strength enough to summon starfire like a firestorm, and we all know the dead must be burned.”
That lesson had been reinforced quite adamantly at the end of the Conclave last year. He would not make the same mistake as his ancestors this time.
“Not by you,” Taisiya protested.
“I won’t be going alone. I will ask those of the Houses who can still wield starfire and are capable of fighting to join me.”
“You are our emperor. You should not be anywhere beyond the walls while Solaria fights a war.”
“What sort of emperor would I be if I won’t fight to save us?”
Taisiya made a tiny throwing-away motion with her hand. “Alive.”
Vanya snorted, reaching out to stroke his hand over Raiah’s hair, thinking of how happy and relieved they would both be once Soren was returned to them. “I have much to come back to.”
“So you will burn the dead at the same time you allow a city to fall?”
“Joelle condemned Bellingham to its fate, not I. And the House of Aetos will pay for their betrayal, both to Solaria and our House.”
Taisiya narrowed her eyes, but before she could argue that statement, Caelum let himself back into the office with a faintly harried look on his face. “The operator has the general on the telephone for you.”
Vanya reached around Raiah to pull the telephone on the desk closer to him. “I’ll take it here.”
Caelum nodded and ducked back out. Moments later, the telephone rang, and Vanya picked it up, glad to hear Chu Hua’s voice on the other end.
“You wished to speak with me, Your Imperial Majesty?” Chu Hua said over a line that crackled from the distance between them.
“I have it on good authority Joelle kidnapped the Ashion prince and lady with the help of Lady Vesper. The House of Aetos has picked their side, and it is not Solaria’s,” Vanya said.
“I see.”
“Do you?” Vanya couldn’t help but turn and meet Taisiya’s gaze. “I want E’ridian air support to back up the Legion ranks attempting to break through the defenses around Bellingham. Send extra battalions if you must, but I want Soren brought home.”
“You will not be leading the charge?”
“I will be fighting revenants in the south.”
The sharp inhalation broke across the line. “Your Imperial Majesty, is that wise?”
