“If General Saxu wishes to tell me this, there’s no need for such secrecy, such drama,” Tallu said.
I stifled a snort, and Tallu looked at me sharply. I nodded seriously and said, “Oh, yes, the stoic general is the one who’s dramatic here.”
“Is there anything else he would want to talk to me about?” Tallu asked.
“With the number of Dogs, he likely wants to increase the number of his men guarding you,” Sagam said. “But that would change the balance of power. If the Dogs are not seen as your most lethal fighting force, then we are nothing more than spies.”
“No one in the Imperium sees you asmereanything,” I said. “Even as spies, the Dogs would be feared throughout the empire.”
“Let’s meet with him. Hopefully it is just the news about the missing members of my court,” Tallu said. He turned, and I was aware that although his mask slipped somewhat with Sagam, it was still there. He was still playing the part. Even with the man he trusted so much, he could never be honest about his intentions or what he actually wanted.
One of Tallu’s servants led us to a small indoor garden, the walls and ceiling made of glass. Dramatic flowers grew in the flowerbeds, and a table was set in the middle of the room. It was beautiful, but impossible to tell if we were actually alone.
Iradîo joined us, looking exhausted, but awake. I looked around the room significantly and she nodded, beginning a slow circuit, even as two of General Saxu’s men guarded the door.
General Saxu and Commander Rede stood at the table. The general bowed low, forming a triangle with his fingers. “Thank you for seeing me, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Lady Jolushi spends her time well here.” Tallu stroked his fingers over a spray of brilliant red flowers that cascaded out of their pot, his bracelets ringing together musically. “It takes a strong woman to make beauty out of such a harsh environment.”
“Some might say that the world we live in is of similar make,” General Saxu said. He shifted, fisting one hand as though forcing himself not to lean against the table. “And House Atobe has created the Imperium to tame it in a similar way. We create the environment that allows such beauty to blossom.”
The spread of breakfast on the table contained more food thanthe four of us could eat in a single meal. I leaned over, beginning to make up a plate for Tallu, serving him a portion from every dish. “Has someone checked it for poison?”
“Of course, your highness,” Commander Rede said. “I oversaw it myself.”
I exhaled through my nose, reminding myself that just because I hadn’t seen someone taste the dishes didn’t mean I could force Rede to test everything on the table himself. We had to act as though we trusted them, because revealing that we didn’t would raise too many questions.
“What is it you wish to see me about?” Tallu finished examining the flowers nearest us and sat down, moving his robes aside with a flourish.
“I’m sure your Dogs have already told you that the lords we suspected were sympathetic to Lord Helli or Lord Domusho fled this morning. They all claimed they had no desire to weigh Your Imperial Majesty down by caring for their travel.” Saxu sat down, moving slowly. Commander Rede served him a plate, and he waited until Tallu took his first bites of food before picking at a fruit pastry.
“They did,” Tallu confirmed. “That information could have been in a report. What do you wish to tell me, Saxu?”
Saxu looked up, and despite the frailty of his body, I could see the sharpness in his gaze. All of our days on the road, all of his time spent mulling over his own mistakes, had acted like a whetstone to his martial mind.
“It was strange to see you on the throne yesterday,” General Saxu said carefully. “You looked very much like your father.”
“I learned court from my father,” Tallu said.
“I do not believe that is true,” General Saxu said. “I believe you learned it from your mother. Your father was very infrequently at court until the wars were settled.”
“I’m not sure I take your meaning,” Tallu said.
“I’ve always admired your mother,” General Saxu said. “Ibelieve many of Your Imperial Majesty’s most admirable traits were inherited from her. She was cunning. Very aware of how much deeper a sharpened blade could plunge than a dull one.”
Around us, everything seemed to go quiet, and I tried to make sense of what was going on, even though I had a sinking feeling that Saxu was asking Tallu a question I didn’t quite understand.
“I miss her a great deal. I hope that I would have made her proud by clearing my father’s council of the rot that had taken over.” Tallu took a forkful of fish, swirling it in its delicate sauce. “Of course, one whispering from behind the throne might make use of nuance. But my father taught me that the man sitting in it must be blunt.”
“That is true. No one in court could claim to not understand your father when he wanted to make his point clear.” Saxu raised his chin. Tallu wore the crown, but Saxu had led young men to their certain deaths. “I hoped that with your father’s death and the court aware of an emperor’s power, the crown might employ a more subtle blade.”
“You didn’t like Lord Helli’s head,” Tallu said.
“The court knows you are different than your father. They know that you are aware of their darkest secrets. You confuse them by mimicking Dragon Blessed Emperor Millu at a time when they need you, more than ever, to beDragon ChosenEmperor Tallu.” Saxu waited, but Tallu’s gaze was unyielding. The general didn’t flinch, or wilt under it. “You are strong enough on your own without using the blunter methods your father preferred. We are going to war. There is no need to scare your allies.”
“Is that what they are? My allies?” Tallu challenged. He set down his fork with a clink against his plate. “All of those lords that fled before dawn like rats when the cat approaches? They did not flee when I used more subtle methods.”
“They did not flee, and thus we kept them close, in hand. Now, they are in the wind, taking their wealth and power and whatever favors they are owed straight into our enemies’ pockets.”General Saxu bowed his head. “Your Imperial Majesty, please understand me. I wish nothing more than to serveyou—Dragon Chosen Emperor Tallu. I have served your father, and his father before him, and I do not regret the years I spent in service to them. So know that I ask this having only love for House Atobe in my heart. Let me serve Your Imperial Majesty, Emperor Tallu.”
