“The sailors say the land is cursed,” Lerolian said. “There’s also a fight brewing between the soldiers and the sailors. Both worry that the other will get them killed. The sailors are terrified they will have no way back to their homes in the Imperium. The soldiers believe that the sailors purposefully piloted them into danger outof loyalty to General Kacha. Tallu must understand that the situation will get explosive soon, no matter what he does.”
I nodded, following the narrow hallway until I reached Tallu’s room. “We need to know who the instigators will be.”
I covered my words with a cough, glancing up at Lerolian significantly. He nodded, slipping away, and I entered the room.
At the crowd inside, I pulled up short. General Saxu and Commander Rede were there, and Sagam stood next to the door, shifting to the side to let me in. Iradîo tapped me on the shoulder and then slipped into her customary corner.
But Tallu stood, the expression on his face forcibly neutral, because Empress Koque was in the chair he usually claimed for himself during these meetings. After a few breaths, she stood, bowing low enough to show respect but her fingers not forming a triangle. She stepped to the side, taking a different seat.
Once Tallu sat, he leaned back in his chair, his gaze passing over everyone in the room. “Where do we find General Namati?”
Fourteen
“Unfortunately, if General Namati hasn’t been keeping the imperial maps up to date, we have no idea where he might actually be,” General Saxu said. He gestured toward the wall of the room, the hull of the ship, but clearly indicating the swampland beyond. “He did not warn us about the swamp growing into the sea. That means he may have been planning his betrayal for much longer than we previously thought.”
“You believe he was acting against me, even before the rebellion,” Tallu said.
“It is the only explanation that makes sense.” General Saxu frowned down at the map that had been placed on the low table between their chairs. He tapped a large island further south. “I had believed he would be hiding here. It is the largest remaining island, and the only one that your grandfather was not able to burn, due to the pirates defending it. If not there, then perhaps here.” He touched a small islet that curved around, forming a natural bay. “This would be the most logical place, but it’s also easy for pirates to trap him within it, and Namati is too smart to leave himself with only one exit.”
“If the swamp has grown into the sea, isn’t it possible that thesea has also carved into the land?” I frowned down at the map. “Has no one but Namati ever reported back about Tavornai?”
“Even if it has, that likely wouldn’t give us any benefit. These ships are too large to sail into swamps. They require the wider rivers of the Imperium. Even then, the sailors are familiar with ocean and river sailing, not swampland.” Commander Rede frowned, glancing at General Saxu before raising his chin. “Should I ask the captain to join us?”
“Can we truly trust him?” I asked, thinking about what Lerolian had told me. Smaller groups would be easier to control. If the soldiers and sailors were at odds, that left us with more options.
“He was given to us by Lady Jolushi,” General Saxu said. He looked at me with narrowed eyes, as though considering something. “She seemed to have great affection for Your Highness and His Imperial Majesty.”
“I believe in Lady Jolushi’s loyalty, but I cannot help but wonder why it took so long for them to stop the ships once we entered these strange waters. We lost one, and many of the soldiers on it. Wouldn’t a seasoned sailor know he was piloting into danger?” I looked around the room. There were no sailors in here. Empress Koque kept her expression carefully neutral, so it was impossible to know what she was thinking, but I couldn’t help remembering the expression on her face when she and Tallu had briefly tested each other.
Commander Rede didn’t have General Saxu’s caution, and his expression was growing increasingly concerned. “Some of the men have said that the sailors seem to sympathize with General Kacha more than His Imperial Majesty.”
“There have been whispers,” Sagam agreed. “But not as many as you believe. I can name only three or four men who have mentioned Kacha at all.”
Tallu looked at Empress Koque. “Do you have any thoughts, Empress Koque? Although you have not been in battle before, you know about the hearts of men better than most of us.”
“The sailors are trapped here with us,” Koque said. She bowed her head at Tallu. “To regain their loyalty, you would need to find success tracking and besting Namati. So we must hope he is on land, where General Saxu’s soldiers would have the advantage. The men given to us by Lady Jolushi are sailors, not warriors.”
“We must do better than hope,” Tallu said. “We must draw Namati to land.”
“That is an excellent idea, husband,” I said. Especially as it would allow us to traverse Tavornai, searching for Spider. “The patriarch of House Chaliko and his remaining children brought you evidence of the elder trees. If they were able to pry that secret free from the elves, they would likely know where General Namati and his men are. It will at least give us better knowledge.”
“A good plan. I will send scouts while the rest of us remain here, in case General Namati decides to attack.” General Saxu leaned forward, taking a small pawn and marking a point on the map slightly inland, as much as anything was in the endless swamp. “By my memory, His Imperial Majesty sent House Chaliko here to oversee one of the elven schools. Empress?”
“Yes. I believe that’s where they were sent,” Koque agreed.
“And the rest of us are to remain here, sitting in wait for Namati to attack us?” Tallu asked pointedly. He gestured, indicating the swamp that surrounded us, the trees that wouldn’t allow us to turn our boats, the ship already destroyed. “Is that how you would keep your emperor safe?”
“You cannot mean to cross Tavornai?” Saxu asked. “Your Imperial Majesty, it is one thing to travel across the Imperium. Even under the traitor generals’ attack, there is enough loyalty there to keep Your Imperial Majesty safe. But we are in the elven nation. There are likely some elves here who have seen the error of their barbaric ways, but more of them have reason to hate Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Are you saying that your men and my remaining Dogs cannotprotect me from a few embittered heathens?” Tallu asked. “With supply routes cut off, they are nothing more than starved animals.”
“In my youth, when the elves were still strong, I fought them. They have more power than one could believe. The trees around them would take up their fight. They could grow monstrous things using their magic.” General Saxu bowed his head, his fingers clasped in front of him. “Even starved animals will bite. Even if their kingdom has been lost, they are not helpless.”
“We cannot remain here,” Tallu said.
“Your Imperial Majesty—” General Saxu stilled when I raised a hand in the politest form I could.
“It is an order from your emperor. Will you deny him?” I kept my tone mild, my expression a soft smile.
