“No.” I glanced around. The camp was busy—military might meeting imperial service. “Where is Sagam?”
Iradîo looked around, then headed toward a small tent with darkened panels. I knew that he was probably getting sleep, a few hours before he and the rest of the Dogs had to be awake during travel. It wasn’t fair, but we had to know how capable he was.
Inside, the tent was quiet, but as soon as I entered, Asahi and Sagam woke, Sagam sitting up, Asahi grabbing his sword from beside the bed. I didn’t announce myself; they were both skilled Dogs and I knew they would recognize me.
They had been sleeping back to back. In the dark, I kept my voice low, although I wasn’t sure anyone was brave enough to try eavesdropping on the Dogs’ tent. “Lord Domusho plans to act against Tallu. We need to know who else is going to act with him. Then Tallu will cut them down. Do you have anyone that can find outquicklywho is with him?”
Sagam put his feet on the ground, turning his body toward me. “Isn’t that a question for the Kennelmaster?”
“It is a challenge for you, ournewKennelmaster,” I said. “We need to know before we reach Pine Thorn Province.”
“His Imperial Majesty wishes to know?” Sagam asked.
“His Imperial Majestyneedsto know.” I leaned back on my heels, wishing we had more blood mages. But they were spread thin. The camp was too big to monitor. One always remained in the cooking tent, carefully checking to make sure no one slipped poison into Tallu’s food. The others were, like the birds, directed toward our next destination, busy monitoring the lords and their servants for any sign that we were headed straight into a trap.
“We will find out. The Kennel will keep His Imperial Majesty safe.” Sagam stood, the only sign of his exhaustion in the slow way he stretched.
Asahi said nothing but followed him into motion. I stood, slipping out of the tent to give them a moment of privacy, the bright light of the noon sun blinding me for a moment.
I took a deep breath, hoping it was enough, hoping we would be able to use the information Empress Koque had given us.
“Are you sure you can trust her?” Iradîo didn’t need to clarify who she meant.
“I’m not sure what other choice we have,” I said. “Either way, it will further our purpose.”
Terror fluttered down, landing heavily on my shoulder. “They’re cooking a wild boar that the soldiers caught in the forest. Why did you tell them not to give me scraps?”
“You’ll get your scraps when you bring me information,” I murmured, turning to Iradîo as though talking to her.
“Dawngot scraps.Ratcatchergot the internal organs.” Terror pecked at the side of my head, although not hard enough to draw blood.
“They brought me information. It’s your own fault if you don’t get your share.” I shrugged my shoulder, and Terror shifted his weight, clinging to the bone.
“What information do you want?” But his question was too cagey.
I shook my head. “I don’t want you whispering what I want to hear into my ear. Go find me some good gossip and then we can discuss payment.”
“It’s allherdoing, isn’t it?” Terror threw an annoyed look at Iradîo. “You weren’t nearly as stingy before she came along.”
I shrugged harder. “Gossip. Go.”
The bird squawked loudly in my ear, deafening me for a moment before he flapped off. I stopped, realizing I had nowhere to go. Iradîo took my pause as a lack of knowledge rather than a lack of destination.
“The emperor is this way.” She jerked her head, and I followed her to the center of the camp.
We hadthe information we needed by the next morning. Lord Domusho had been careful, but he hadn’t accounted for a ghost following him, nor Pito and Topi being able to finesse all of the details out of the servants in their new, secretive roles for the Kennel.
Terror had, grumpily, brought back the news that my old servant Zolle was now under Lord Domusho’s employ, and she had regularly been trailing behind Tallu’s caravan. The other servants in Lord Domusho’s household were unhappy as they assumed Domusho was bedding her and might elevate her to the position of mistress. When Terror followed her after we stopped in the evening, it became apparent that the only clandestine activities happening between Zolle and Domusho was information exchange. She met a man dressed in local clothing but wearing expensive boots beyond what a local farmer could afford.
Domusho was using her to traffic information.
“One of Kacha’s men?” Tallu asked.
“Terror refused to follow him in the dark,” I said, eyeing the bird unhappily. He ignored me, feasting on his portion of pork. “Iradîo has one of the owls on it.”
The tent flap moved aside, letting in Sagam and the Kennelmaster. They both waited, until Tallu gestured at a chair with three fingers, and then the Kennelmaster sat, even though Sagam hesitated.
When Tallu gestured again, Sagam hastily sat.
