“I would say that Emperor Tallu has become more rigid in his understanding of what a traitor looks like,” I said. “Innocent mothers and their children no longer qualify.”
The Kennelmaster smiled, leaning forward to spit over the edge of the railing again. “I suppose it becomes very clear what a traitor truly is when the men who command your military turn on you.”
“Shall we speak bluntly?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet so that the rush of river water nearly silenced it. “You believe Sagam might be able to practice elven magic.”
“I believe that Emperor Tallu has, time and again, proven that he is willing to use the resources at his disposal. Whether or not others in court might be as open-minded about the form of that help.” The Kennelmaster coughed, and this time I caught sight of red when he spit. “At least, that is what I believe.”
“Is there a reason you don’t bring this to His Imperial Majesty yourself?” I asked. Naî finished her work, spiraling up in the air and breathing out a long plume of snow that drifted down onto our ships. Sailors cheered and soldiers bowed respectfully.
“His Imperial Majesty should be listening tooneKennelmaster. Sagam. I am old. Soon, I will die.” He tried to smile, but the expression pulled at his face like a grimace.
“No one would chase you if you left. You must have somewhere you could go and enjoy the last weeks of your life.”
“MustI?” the Kennelmaster asked. “Little northern prince, you still know so very little about the Imperium.”
The Kennelmaster looked up to where Naî was circling our boat, shrinking in size until she was no bigger than a large dog, landing in the middle of the deck to the cheers of the crew. One of the sailors had even gone below deck and raided the stores of food to present her with dried meat and fruit.
With a shallow bow, the Kennelmaster returned below deck, leaning heavily on the railing as he walked.
I turned my eyes to Kacha’s ships. They had slowed, but theyhad no idea where the trap was. The first one hit Naî’s netting, setting off an explosion from one of the canisters she had swept with her.
I heard men shouting, warning off the other ship, but it was too late. I could practically feel the vibrations in my bones where their hull was pierced through by an icicle. The cracking of wood and the panicked yells faded as we slowly drifted downstream.
I watched as Kacha’s men fell into the water, their ships splitting apart underneath their feet. I couldn’t feel sorry for them. We didn’t have time, and I couldn’t afford it, not when it could cost me my true goal.
Our boats rounded a bend in the river, and then the men were out of sight, the carnage that Naî and I had brought upon them audible, even if it wasn’t visible.
The sailors and soldiers on our ships were alight with joy, cheering Naî, who enjoyed their praise. Her scales gleamed icy white.
It was hard to forget that, to her, all human life was expendable. The men who had fallen in the river were no more than toys she knocked over.
Then again we must seem plentiful in her eyes, a colony of ants. What care did she have to have for us as individuals, when there were so many of us? She could stomp on as many of us as she liked, and there would always be more.
Saxu finally turned away from the merriment, joining me against the railing.
“You are not enjoying the fruits of the dragon’s success?” Saxu asked.
“I was considering what we must look like to her. She chose Tallu from among any number of men, but the truth is, I am not sure she sees the rest of us.” I was lying and telling the truth at the same time. She hadn’t chosen Tallu, she had chosenme, and Ihadseen in her deepest desire that of all the people she cared about, itwas only the two of us—her and me—that she truly desired to keep from harm.
“It is a strange thing to once again understand what it means to be expendable. When I served Emperor Wollu, I was a young soldier. In my first taste of battle, I knew that my purpose was to keep the Ariphadi goblins from the electro mages. My entire life up until that moment, I had let myself believe that I was more than a common man.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “There is nothing like watching those around you get cut down for you to realize that there is nothing uncommon about you. Your blood still runs red. Your flesh is still just as easy for their blades to slice.”
I watched him for a moment, wondering if I should ask. Instead, I chose the safer question. “What will we do if Kacha has put a trap at the delta?”
“Depending on the trap, we may be teaching many of these men how expendable they are.” He looked over the deck, Naî still enjoying her moment of attention, the cheers from the other boats.
By dinnertime, we had our answer. The scouting ships were back, two of the three we had sent returning safely.
One of the soldiers knelt in front of Tallu. “He has mined the waters. There are ropes which stretch from one side of the river to the other, and he has attached explosive devices along them.”
“How deep?” General Saxu asked.
We had chosen Tallu’s quarters aboard the ship to meet, and Sagam guarded the door, with Saxu and me standing behind Tallu. Iradîo had joined us in the corner, and, as neither Tallu nor I had said anything, General Saxu had pointedly ignored her presence as well.
“Just below the waterline,” the soldier answered. “They are invisible with the current. We cannot tell how many he set across the delta, but I counted at least three different ropes dragging the water. We dared not go any further, or we might not be able to return.”
“There’s no hope of crossing that,” Saxu said thoughtfully.
Silence reigned in the room until Tallu spoke. “Is our other option to go overland?”
