Asahi made a complicated hand motion and Sagam answered in kind. I nudged Tallu, and he finally looked away from the doctors, gesturing an assent when Asahi asked if he should move on.
Circling even further, we finally caught sight of General Saxu’s tent, only a single guard out front. One of Iradîo’s owls perched on top of the still flag, and it turned its head to stare at me before returning its attention to the rest of the camp.
Tallu stepped out of the protective shadows of the large trees, and both Asahi and Sagam tensed before moving like ghosts into the light. At the first sight of them, soldiers shouted, then they stilled, recognizing the masks as belonging to the Emperor’s Dogs.
The soldier in front of General Saxu’s tent drew his sword, then lowered the point toward the ground. Tallu strode forward, removing the scarf from around his face with one hand anddropping it on the ground. I swiped it off the ground, tucking it into my pocket. There was no sense in wasting a good disguise.
After the first shout of panic, the rattling of swords and the chaotic attempt at battle readiness, the camp stilled, seeing Tallu.
“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Tallu, fourth Emperor of the Southern Imperium, Dragon Chosen, would speak with High General Saxu,” I said loudly. Then, when no one moved, I tried again, “Bow before your emperor!”
Slowly, with some difficulty among the injured, the men bowed, their fingers forming triangles as they were able. General Saxu’s tent flap fluttered once, then pulled aside, the high general staring out, his eyes wide before the edges of them turned down.
He leaned on a cane as he walked, his left leg dragging slightly as he stepped in front of Tallu, shielding his men with his injured body. Commander Rede followed behind him, one hand stretched out toward Saxu’s weak side, as though ready to catch the high general. When he was in front of Tallu, Saxu slowly lowered himself to the ground, his forehead pressing against the compacted leaves and dirt. “I have failed you, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Commander Rede inhaled sharply, a quick gasp that he muffled by falling to his own knees, forehead pressing against the ground. Unevenly, the rest of the men did the same. My heart clenched, my jaw along with it.
Tallu looked over the men, and in the bright electric lights of the camp, stark shadows cut across his face, making his expression even more severe.
He raised his chin but swallowed whatever he was going to say.
“Inside,” I murmured.
Tallu’s head turned just slightly, enough that I knew he had heard me. He exhaled and said, “We will speak inside.”
Tallu strode past the bowing men, and, although he wore the clothes of a Dog, the shadows followed him like an invisible royal cloak. Asahi and Sagam were so close to him that they might as well have been actual dogs at his heel.
When Tallu was inside Saxu’s tent, the high general struggled to his feet, Commander Rede leaping up to help him rise. Steadying himself, Saxu took a deep breath before blowing it out and limping back inside the tent. I looked out over the men, and saw Lerolian picking his way through the crowd, until he stood next to the Kennelmaster.
“We found tents that were not filled with soldiers or electro mages, but instead with servants and ministers,” Lerolian said. “It was not all of the servants in the Mountainside Palace, not even close. They speak more freely than the soldiers, and they spoke of a great loss.”
I lowered my voice, leaning toward the Kennelmaster. So far, he had proven himself as loyal as he claimed, but this would be another chance to check. If his findings were the same as the blood monks’, it would be some proof of his good intentions.
“See who was in the camp,” I said to the Kennelmaster quietly. “If there are any who are not soldiers, they may be more willing to speak on what happened without General Saxu’s approval.”
The Kennelmaster nodded, taking Gotuye with him as he walked through the camp. Despite his wheezing breath, he was moving more fluidly than he had after his initial injury.
After he left and the rest of the soldiers rose, going back to their tents or their duties, I pushed aside the flap and entered General Saxu’s tent.
Inside was exactly what I expected for the practical man. There was a large table with chairs around it for a meeting with his commanders, and a small cot cordoned off by a hanging curtain. Unexpectedly, I saw a small shrine with statues of the animalia on it.
Tallu sat at the head of the table, General Saxu to his right and Commander Rede standing at attention behind him. Sagam and Asahi were on either side of Tallu, two dark statues whose masks hid their feelings. I walked around the table, taking a seat at Tallu’s left.
General Saxu nodded to me, before returning his gaze to Tallu. “My failure cost you the Mountainside Palace and the Imperial Capital.”
He paused there, his gaze fixed on the wooden table, his jaw clenched a moment before he exhaled a long breath. He licked his lips, and Commander Rede jerked into motion, crossing to a small sideboard. He filled a metal cup with water from a jug and placed it in front of General Saxu.
Saxu didn’t even touch the water, his fingers fixed in a triangle, even as he pressed them into the wood. His head was bowed, as though he was trying to make a formal bow even while seated.
Finally, after the silence had stretched as tight as a garrote, Tallu spoke. “What happened?”
Saxu took a deep breath, his fingers still pressed tightly on the wood. “You were betrayed. Someone in your household alerted General Bemishu and General Kacha that you had abandoned the Mountainside Palace and the capital. Bemishu took the city to keep our attention there, and, despite our fortifications of the palace walls, Kacha found a way to pass through them. They were inside before we even realized it.”
I thought of the secret passages that Tallu and I had used to travel around the palace. How likely was it that some servant had discovered them as well and told the generals of them?
“We lost too many men.” General Saxu paused, clearing his throat before he continued. He reached for the water and hesitated, but Tallu nodded and Saxu took hold of it, drinking deep before placing the cup down. “We fought our way out of the palace, although there were forces behind and in front of us, because we knew you needed to be warned and you needed as much protection as could be mustered. I have lost your city and your palace. My incompetence has cost you your greatest stronghold.” General Saxu took a slow breath. “I am ready to pay for the offense with my life at Your Imperial Majesty’s word.”
The silence in the tent was so profound thatthe wind fluttering the tent flap was as loud as a shout. Tallu looked down, his lips flat, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. If he let General Saxu end his own life, if he let the last general loyal to him sacrifice himself, then Tallu’s loss was almost guaranteed. Generals Bemishu and Kacha would divide the nation by their preference, but their alliance would be uneasy. The Imperium would be over.
