Saxu considered, reaching a hand up and stroking his beard. He shook his head, then glanced at the soldier. “Did you see any evidence of Kacha or his men?”
The soldier dropped his head, shaking it back and forth once in the politest physical form of the word no, then hesitated. “We saw no evidence of General Kacha or his men. But someone had to have put up the trawling line.”
“Do you have anything else to report?” Tallu asked.
The soldier politely shook his head once, his eyes still on the ground where he knelt. Tallu dismissed him with a single gesture, and Sagam closed the door behind him.
“To go overland is extremely dangerous. We have no horses, no electro carriages. We have no idea if Kacha has conquered the towns around the delta.” Saxu dropped his hand to his sheathed sword, gripping the hilt once before releasing it, clasping his hands behind his back.
“We need someone to cut the lines,” I said.
“Who could we count on?” Tallu asked General Saxu.
Saxu considered, his frown etched on his face for a moment. “I’m sure some of my men can swim. I’m hesitant to trust the sailors. They appear loyal, but first and foremost they belong to House Jolushi.”
Lady Jolushi owed Tallu for backing her power-play, but there had to be plenty of men who had supported her husband before his untimely demise.
“I’ll lead them,” I said.
There was an explosion of sound, General Saxu and Iradîo both talking on top of each other. Tallu raised a hand, and General Saxu quieted. Iradîo glared at me.
In Northern, she said, “I have no intention of letting you throw yourself onto a bomb.”
“I can swim. I’m trained in hunting and fishing. I have some idea where he would put his traps to catch his prey. Also, we need a plan for what we do after we pass the delta.” I looked around the room, and only Tallu seemed to understand my meaning, his russet eyes widening for a second before narrowing in thought.
“You mean as we head for Tavornai?” General Saxu asked.
“Kacha must have figured out we intend to recruit or defeat Namati. In order to confuse him, we need to make him think we are going north.” I raised both of my eyebrows, looking between the people in the room. Sagam nodded, understanding immediately.
“We want him to think we’re going to the Northern Kingdom to rally support,” Tallu said. “He will think we are returning with northern warriors.”
“He will be hesitant to follow us,” Saxu agreed. “The north was the one campaign he never participated in. His only knowledge of it was the cold and the losses.”
“Airón,” Iradîo’s voice was quiet, her next words in Northern. “You wish to lead one of the emperor’s enemies straight to your mother’s door? Straight to the Silver City?”
“He would never go north,” I said, answering her in our mother tongue. “He doesn’t have the ships. He would wait for us here, prepare here to fight northern warriors.”
“You don’t know that,” Iradîo hissed. “You risk our kingdom on this folly. You put the lives of these imperials above the lives of your own people?—”
I shook my head once, and Iradîo quieted. I knew Tallu spoke Northern, and I suspected that Saxu had picked up enough during his campaign against the Northern Kingdom.
“At sunset tomorrow, I will swim through the waters, cutting the lines. When all of our ships have passed through in the night, we set off the explosives. Kacha will assume he destroyed at least one of our ships.” I frowned. “Then we leave behind a map? Or something else, indicating our destination.”
“Letters,” Tallu said, his eyes catching mine. It would not be the first time we used fabricated correspondence to frame a narrative. “Letters from your… father in Northern that indicate his support for my rule.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, letters. That way, we can put enough of them in the water that a few are sure to wash up on shore with the debris.”
“We can use the debris from Kacha’s own ships,” Saxu said. “With debris and evidence, he will believe the story we spin.”
“That still doesn’t mean you should be the one to go, Prince Airón,” Sagam said from the door. His tone was reasonable, and it brought everything into quick focus.
I glared at him. “Canyouswim in treacherous waters? Because I can.”
“It is unreasonable to risk the consort’s life on this mission,” Sagam said. He glanced at the door significantly, and I looked as well, realizing Asahi was on the other side. What would the man who had acted as my bodyguard say about me risking my life?
“I don’t think it’s for either of us to decide,” I said finally. I turned to Tallu, hoping that my eyes told him everything he needed to hear.
I couldn’t trust this task to anyone else. There was too much risk, too much chance that they would make a mistake. And if they did, then everything was over.
