And yet I could see what would happen as clearly as if it was already done. The inner Imperium would be stable, that stretch of land around Heron Lake and the river that fed it, the original territory that had once been all the Imperium was before greedy, ceaseless war had expanded its borders. It would be easy to divide and provide a cool detente between the two generals as they each turned their attention to their preferred targets: Kacha would set his eyes on Ristorium to the north and Krustau to the east, while Bemishu would focus back on the Ariphadi goblins and their endless expanse of desert.
If I saw it, then Tallu already knew; Tallu already recognized that the loss of one man was a guarantee of his lifelong ambition to end the Imperium, even as it cursed other nations to endless war with two generals no longer yoked by the emperor’s whims.
It would also mean Tallu’s death. We had no chance of traveling a continent at war and finding Spider. Traveling anywhere would risk Tallu’s immediate death at the hands of Kacha and Bemishu, yet if we didn’t, the curse would kill him and his brother, a child who didn’t deserve the fate given to him any more than my husband did.
“You are willing to die because of your failure?” Tallu asked.
The words were a late winter frost, freezing an already cold land, leaving nothing behind and killing off whatever new growth had dared sprout before the northern winter was done.
“I deserve it,” Saxu said quietly. “I underestimated Kacha. He knew that weakness and exploited it. While Bemishu attacked the city, I sent men to fortify it, turning our defenses in that direction. Kacha knew that I would not expect an attack from him fromwithin the walls of the Mountainside Palace. I thought he would attack from the direction of the city or from the direction of Heron Lake with all the men he had gathered to his cause.”
“Because you assumed he would want the honor of besting you on a battlefield,” Tallu said thoughtfully.
“Because he hashungeredto beat me face to face. Because a sneak attack inside our own walls led by only a few men only proves that hecould notbest me with our two armies clashing directly. It was my own hubris to assume his desire for glory would outweigh his desire for victory at any cost.” Saxu’s words were full of self-recrimination, but I could already hear the strategy in them.
“What would you do differently, if you faced him again?” I asked.
Tallu glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, and I kept my expression neutral, a blankness I wasn’t sure I pulled off.
“I would not assume that he is the same man I have met so many times at the war table. I believe that losing his position and the grievous injury Your Imperial Majesty punished him with has changed something inside him. He no longer fights as a man whose pride outstrips common sense, who wishes to win with some semblance of honor. Now he fights as a man who would prefer winning by whatever cruel methods are necessary, perhaps evenpreferringthose methods.” As he spoke, Saxu’s shoulders relaxed, his tone became more thoughtful. He had spent the entire ride from the capital city considering what he could have done differently, what he would do differently next time.
“Explain yourself,” Tallu said.
Saxu raised his chin, meeting Tallu’s eyes.
“In order not to raise the alarm, General Kacha’s men slaughtered dozens of servants, women and children that we had hidden deep inside the palace for their own safety. It was an unthinkable act, acruelact. Not one worthy of an imperial general.” Saxu reached for his water cup, twin lines forming between his brow as he considered his next words, his fingers just brushingthe metal cup before drawing back. “General Kacha has always shown a streak of cruelty against our enemies. But that was against ourenemies. These were imperial citizens, sworn to loyalty to Your Imperial Majesty.”
I remembered the story Kacha had told me of how he had forced Velthuil into his service. Kacha had driven Ristorium civilians into the ocean, their desperation so great they would rather die than submit to whatever he had planned for them.
“Then he set fire to the palace from inside, frombehindhis own people. It killed many of his men, butmoreof Your Imperial Majesty’s. No commander with sense would set fire to his own men, even to win a battle.” Saxu considered each element of the attack as though holding up a gemstone to the light and listing proof of its provenance. “I fear that he will do the same to the rest of the Imperium in order to make sure Your Imperial Majesty never reaches the afterlife.”
Kacha wanted to cut off Tallu’s head and destroy it.
“He will burn the Imperium to cinders in order to kill me,” Tallu said.
“He can’t,” I said, frowning as I considered it. “The Blood Mountains might have farmland, but not enough to feed him indefinitely, not when they have lain fallow and unmanaged for so long. He needs the existing farmland along the Imperium’s rivers.”
“That does not mean he needs the rest of the Imperium,” Tallu said. “The other lords will be desperate to prove their value to him and avoid becoming tinder to his rage.”
“What of General Bemishu?” I asked. “You said he took the city as a distraction for Kacha’s sneak attack?”
“He fights much the same as I expected. We were able to fend off his initial attacks. The only reason we failed to maintain the advantage was the fire at our back,” Saxu said. “I cannot help but think he only loves the Imperium for the resources it might offer him during a prolonged battle in the desert. Although his experiment with the airship failed, he is not a man who retreats or losesinterest so easily. As we traveled through the Imperium, we saw that he had taken control of some of the lumberyards, and at least one of the mines to the south.”
My heart clenched. “He seeks to build the airships again?”
“It is the only way he will ever be able to win in the Ariphadeus.” General Saxu rolled one of his shoulders, and it gave an alarming pop.
“We do not ask for your death, General Saxu,” Tallu said. “Instead, we are grateful for your service. You have protected those who declared loyalty to us to the best of your ability. Continue on to the Lakeshore Palace. Find refreshment and resupply there. We will meet again soon to discuss what should be done.”
Saxu met Tallu’s eyes, but couldn’t hold them, his fingers returning to a triangle against the wooden table. “I am grateful for Your Imperial Majesty’s generosity. However, I am not sure what discussion is to be had. I do not bring you the men necessary to attack either General Kacha or General Bemishu. I barely bring you enough soldiers to hold the Lakeshore Palace should either general turn their attention toward it. If anything, I have only condemned Your Imperial Majesty. Should Kacha or Bemishu seek to ally themselves with you, my presence here will be seen as a threat.”
“I doubt they want to ally with Tallu at all,” I said thoughtfully. I smiled at Tallu. “No matter how appealingIfind you, it seems they don’t agree. Apparently some men are blind, that is the only explanation I can find.” Turning back to Saxu, I said, “General Saxu, the emperor has given you a great compliment and the grace of his forgiveness. Is there a reason you seek to deny it?”
“I have spent my entire life in service to the dragon seer’s promise that under House Atobe, the Imperium will unite the continent. House Atobecanrecover from this. If my presence interferes with more useful allies, I would just as soon yield to the forces of fate that are beyond me.” Saxu looked down again, hishands clenched in his lap, his jaw so tight he could chew through the stone walls of the Lakeshore Palace.
“His Imperial Majesty is generous in forgiveness,” I said. “Take what he is offering, general, and trust that if it was promised to House Atobe by the dragon seer, it will come true.”
I worried about the words, worried that they were true. Tallu and I were playing the game of emperor, and he was acting the part, but how far would we have to go?
