For now, he was trying to give the people caught in the crossfire a choice to leave, but finding safety outside a city’s walls was never easy. The war machines Joelle deployed into the poison fields weren’t commanded by humans but by magic. Paired with the frightening numbers of revenants in the battlefield, and the Legion was fighting for every mile while trying to keep legionnaires alive and uninfected by spores. It made Joelle’s losses less than Vanya’s, and that was an imbalance his military advisors worried about.
“Our countries have a long relationship when it comes to trade. I am here to see if your people would be amenable to expanding that into an alliance. Your ship-cities would be of great help monitoring our coasts,” Vanya said.
Akeheni shifted on her seat, frowning slightly. “You ask for something I can’t commit to without further discussion with theUri. An alliance of any kind always makes rough seas that take time to settle.”
Vanya had expected nothing less, for he knew the governing body of the Tovan Isles never made any decision without long deliberation. Somehow, he doubted Eimarille would wait for them to do so. “Daijal already allies itself with Urova. If you think Eimarille will stop her war at the shores, then you are wrong. I would not see either of our nations have their sovereignty weakened.”
“I will carry your request to Port Avi, but I make no promises to what you ask,” Akeheni warned.
For now, it would have to be enough.
“I will send a delegation west with you. They will speak for me about what transpires here so theUriknows time is of the essence.”
Akeheni nodded at that, gaze flicking to the military officers ranged down the table. “I hope your people have strong stomachs. The spring waters are never as calm as the stories say.”
“We are Solarian. We will persist.”
Vanya settled back into his seat, ready to talk about more than just war.
Three
VANYA
The airship flight east from Oeiras to Calhames was choppier than usual due to a spring storm the captain had to navigate through. Vanya landed midmorning with a headache that only grew in size by the time he disembarked, went through the physical checks forrionetkas, and was driven through the city walls all the way to the Imperial Senate. The route took his motor carriage and its escort vehicles past the walled-off construction site that was the Imperial palace grounds.
Vanya stared through the golden gates that once led to the Imperial palace as he was driven down the street. Architects, engineers, and construction crews had been hard at work since autumn of last year to design and build the next Imperial palace that would see the Houses through future Ages. But it had fallen under his rulership, and that was an ignominy he could not escape.
He got a glimpse of the ongoing work as the motor carriage sped past: construction vehicles, workers, and automatons scattered around what once used to be the massive forecourt. He’d presided over a ceremony last year when the first foundation piece had been laid. That moment had been different from the one where he’d used starfire to melt metal and stone and seal off the entrance to the royal crypt.
Despite all the ongoing work, the palace wouldn’t be fully ready for years, and some small part of him wondered if he would ever even set foot in the new Imperial residence in the future. But that was something he couldn’t dwell on, as the present needed all his attention these days. So Vanya faced forward and let the palace disappear behind them.
When he arrived at the Senate building, Vanya was greeted by a woman who had become an unlikely ally during the Conclave of the Houses and someone who wasn’t afraid to be blunt with him. Her presence was most likely why Taisiya had opted to remain in Oeiras to watch over Raiah.VezirCybele Balaskas, head of the House of Balaskas, was never one to mince words these days and had made a friend of hisvalideafter the attack on the palace.
“Your Imperial Majesty,” Cybele said with a bow where she waited just past the grand Senate doors. “The House of Balaskas welcomes your return to Calhames. How was the western coast?”
Vanya managed a smile for her, tight though it was. “Invigorating.”
Cybele folded her hands in front of her midsection. The gown she wore today was a deep crimson trimmed in white, the rubies on the bone hair combs a perfect match. She was a decade older than him, head of a minor House that had never held the Imperial throne for all that they’d schemed after it. But she’d learned of the secret the major Houses had kept for generations—that of the buried royal dead—and had still thrown her support behind him during the Conclave anyway. For that, her loyalty was integral to shoring up his position, and he repaid it with royal favor.
The Houses would always vie for the Imperial throne. He knew Cybele would claim it for her own if ever presented with the opportunity, but unlike some other Houses, her concern was for Solaria right now.
“The vote stands in your favor, if you care for such news,” Cybele said.
Vanya gestured for her to attend him as thepraetorialegionnaires fanned out around them, ever keeping watch. “I knew it would fall that way.”
Any senator who voted against the bill calling up reservists to the Legion would be soundly mocked and shouted down until they changed their vote. Solaria’s borders had to be guarded, and Vanya wanted the reservists to get through training before summer. What information his spies had delivered from the war in Ashion had left Vanya and the high-ranking officers of the Legion worried and wanting to be prepared.
“There are whispers of those who doubt your fortitude to rule,” Cybele said, keeping her voice even as she stared straight ahead.
“The same Houses as before, I assume?” At her nod, Vanya waved off her concern. “They know if they try to stand against me, they stand against Solaria and will be considered traitors in the way of the House of Kimathi. If that is the road they wish to walk, then let them.”
“I’m doubtful that is what they want.”
“What they want is my crown and the Imperial throne. So long as I have the Dawn Star’s blessing, they shall have neither.”
He knew he wouldn’t rule forever. The Dawn Star was a finicky god who ignored her children as often as she listened to their prayers. Vanya knew, too, that he’d let Soren go when the Dawn Star had warned him to keep the warden close. He hoped Callisto wouldn’t hold his heartache against him while he threw himself into the fight to keep Solaria whole.
Cybele left him at the stairs that branched off and led from the hallway to the mezzanine where the Houses could watch the proceedings. Vanya continued on toward the open double doors,praetorialegionnaires lining the hallway. Maurizio, the Senate’s sergeant at arms, announced his arrival in a clear, ringing voice that drew everyone’s attention. “His Imperial Majesty Emperor Vanya Sa’Liandel, of the House of Sa’Liandel.”
