“There he is,” Spider said. “The prize you chased over the whole of the continent. Go, claim him and see what becomes of it.”
Twenty-Three
Spider raised her hand, the gesture friendly. All at once, there were shouted orders, a flurry of movement, and a rowboat lowered into the water. It was hard to make out specific people—the movements were too quick, their shapes blurred by the brilliant sunlight—but by skin and hair color I could see that imperials and elves were serving together on the same ships.
Two elves manned the boat that finally reached shore. They hopped out, lowering into a bow in front of Spider.
“Things are prepared, Your Majesty.” The first one glanced at us, then grinned. “New recruits? That’s brazen, even for you. We heard that the emperor is possessive of his people.”
“Are you ready to meet Namati?” Spider asked. She stepped into the rowboat. They hadn’t quite beached it, the shore being too uneven, so the boat bobbed a bit as she settled onto one of the benches. Using the imperial gesture, she invited us to join her.
“What do you want to do?” I asked in Northern. It was phenomenally stupid to travel with her to the ship where Namati and Spider would have the advantage. They would be surroundedby their people, and we would be all by ourselves, without Dogs or soldiers or any other ally.
Wings flapped, and I looked up sharply. Terror, Ratcatcher and Dawn had joined us. And a moment later Naî landed heavily in the tree, followed by a thousand small green leaves.
So, we were not quite so alone.
There was a chorus of voices, shouting and pointing as the pirates caught sight of the dragons settled in the tree.
“It took us forever to find you. Her magic is strong. I nearly froze the entire forest trying to locate you.” Naî licked a paw, dragging it over her face as though the effort hadn’t been important, as though her labor didn’t mean shecaredfor me. “This greedy one was trying to blackmail Iradîo into giving him food before he even went looking.”
Terror swung his head back and forth between us. “What is she lying about? It is unfair. I speak three languages, and even if I do not speak dragon, Idounderstand that she is saying something untrue about me.”
Terror wasn’t the only one who had observed my conversation with Naî. Tallu’s eyes crinkled in the corners. In accented Northern, he answered me. “We came for Namati. Do you not want to at least talk to him?”
“We did not come for Namati. We came for her. We can walk away and say we did not find him.” Except that wasn’t true. Because Spider had told us that Tallu would unite the continent and that was the only way he would be free of the curse. Only by fulfilling his own destiny could he save himself.
He would need to defeat Bemishu and Kacha to have any hope of peace with Ristorium or the Northern Kingdom. How could he make peace with the goblin tribes while letting Bemishu attack them? And for that, he would need more men. He would need power over the rivers that would give him dominance over the two traitorous imperial generals.
“I am curious about this armada,” Tallu said, still speaking inNorthern. He wrapped his hand around mine. “Perhaps Namati has something to teach us about our united future. Come, husband.”
I hesitated only a moment longer before lifting my hand and helping Tallu into the boat. He was pale but still looked healthier than he had in a few days.
“I will stay ashore,” Koque said, nodding her head in a short bow. She didn’t look up, so I couldn’t see her eyes when she said, “I will alert General Saxu that you have gone to treat with Namati and his allies.”
I joined Tallu, and the men shoved off, rowing back to the ship.
“And what has the admiral been up to?” Spider asked, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
“He’s onThe Queen. He’s been spending the whole time getting ready to attack, if they kidnapped you.” The elf huffed as he rowed, his blue hair as bright as the sky. Every so often, he glanced up at the dragons flying above, before forcing himself back to his task.
“Do you think anyone could capture me?” Spider asked, her lips pulling back in a smirk, even as her eyes narrowed.
“Idon’t think anyone can capture you.” The elf jerked his chin to the side, indicating the ship we were quickly approaching. “You should ask the admiral whathethinks.”
A rope ladder was dropped over the edge of the ship and Spider turned, climbing up it as though it was nothing, as though she did not even need the ladder to ascend the hull. I glanced at Tallu, raising my eyebrows, but it was perfunctory. We were already here, and two dragons coasted in the air above us, their wings catching on updrafts as they hovered there like kites in the sky.
The rope was rough against my palms, and, as we climbed up, I felt myself getting further away from the task we had come to Tavornai to accomplish. Once we were on deck, all movementceased, the crew forming a loose circle around us as they stared, seeming unable to decide if we were more important or the dragons.
A door opened, and Namati strode out, taking in the two of us, but resting his eyes on Spider.
“You have returned to me, my king,” Namati said. He laughed. “And you have brought us hostages?”
“I have brought you allies,” Spider corrected. She strode through the open door, gesturing to us to follow with a wave that would have been rude in the Imperium. Tallu followed and I walked with him. Namati closed the door behind himself, and it took a second for my eyes to adjust to the captain’s quarters. Lush silks adorned the walls, and heavy tables were bolted to the floor.
Plants grew from the walls themselves, and when I went to touch one, Spider said, “I wouldn’t. That one is touchy.”
The leaves trembled and a vine darted out, trying to snap at my fingers. Spider took a seat at the round table in the center of the room. She looked at Namati. “Get us drinks.”
