Joxii bit her lip, stepping out of the shadows and coming close to her brother. She bowed in the imperial manner, low enough to be a sign of respect, a sign that he was above her. I wasn’t sure if it was solely because he was her older brother, or because he had helped her survive for so long, but either way she gave him more respect than was customary between close siblings.
I took several steps ahead, giving them space, and caught up with Asahi where he lingered. He followed behind me, almost as though he was still my Dog. Glancing at one of the blood monks nearby, I tilted my head to the side. He nodded, dropping back. At least we would find out if Sagam and his sister said anything interesting.
“You weren’t able to coax him to run away with you?” I asked Asahi.
“It is more complicated now than it was then,” Asahi said. His face was covered by a mask, and I didn’t want to pry any more than that. We were all allowed our secrets. Or, rather, Tallu and I could appear to allow others to have secrets.
The reality was more simple: with our number decreasing, our unkillable spies would be able to tell us everything we needed to know.
The twisted trees leaned away, giving us our first view of true sunlight. It was late afternoon, and the sky was a brilliant orange, already shadowed dark toward the east. Tallu and the rest of the assembled servants and soldiers strode down the path, apparently unconcerned that if the trees had bent away from them, there was a chance that they could bend back.
I caught up with the group, but didn’t push my way through it to reach Tallu’s side. We arrived at the Chaliko family estate before sunset, and fireflies were beginning to sparkle underthe leaves of trees, dancing through the tall grass that we waded through to reach the door.
Unlike in the swampland proper, none of these trees were glowing, but I could still see hints of that bioluminescence in the pattern of the trunks and the way the moss clung to the bark. The grass buzzed softly with the sound of insect wings, a background to the shouted orders we could hear coming from inside the enormous manor house. The soldiers came out first, followed by Lady Chaliko and her father, who leaned heavily on his cane.
The house had been built in the imperial style, with massive columns running along the front, carved with dragons and other members of the animalia court. It was painted a dark blue, but the paint was peeling off of the marble beneath it, the heat and humidity making the house shed and revealing the white stone beneath. Moss grew over one of the windows, clinging to the casing and covering the pane with a sickly yellow green. Vines climbed most of the pillars, growing up from the ground unlike the ones in the trees, which grew down from the branches.
It was impossible that an imperial of Lord Chaliko’s previous power and standing would see the manor house as anything other than a punishment.
Behind the Chaliko family were servants, bowing low in the proper imperial manner. From the tops of their heads, I could tell they were elven, their glossy hair coming in a rainbow of colors from the more typical white to pale violet and crimson red.
The servants didn’t rise when Tallu approached. Lord Chaliko rushed down the stairs, aided by his one living son. At our marriage ceremony, Lord Chaliko had brought a root from the elder tree, naming the price he had paid: his sons’ blood. Lady Chaliko followed behind him more slowly.
Once at the bottom of the stairs, Lord Chaliko bowed, his knee giving out, so that he landed hard on the damp earth. His daughter knelt next to him, whispering until he shushed her, both of them forming triangles with their fingers. His son came downslower, lowering himself to his knees. I thought I saw a hint of challenge in his gaze before he bowed his head, hiding his face in the thin grasses that rose past his shoulders.
Slowly, the servants and soldiers moved aside, enveloping what was left of House Chaliko in the circle until Tallu stood in front of them. He gazed down, and I wondered what he was thinking. He had once told me that Lord Chaliko was the single member of his father’s council that he had not destroyed himself.
“Lord Chaliko, we are grateful for the hospitality you offer,” Tallu said, as though the offer had already been made and accepted, and Lord Chaliko had no need to actually say it.
“We are grateful for the opportunity, once again, to serve Your Imperial Majesty,” Lord Chaliko said. Despite his obvious frailty, his voice carried. “We are grateful for the opportunity your father and you have offered us. We have striven to fulfill your wishes in running the elven school and searching for the remaining elder trees.”
I noticed that nowhere in his speech was he asking what Tallu was doing here, or why the Emperor of the Southern Imperium had arrived with a few dozen soldiers and servants instead of the retinue he should have. Then again, the Chaliko family had escaped after Bemishu and Kacha had already declared war. They had likely snuck away in the chaos when the two generals had claimed the capital and the Mountainside Palace.
Lord Chaliko had once been intelligent enough to fool many at court and had risen to a position on the Emperor’s Council. He likely already understood exactly what we were purportedly doing in Tavornai.
Slowly, with help from his daughter and remaining son, Lord Chaliko rose from the ground. His leg nearly buckled again, but he managed to keep hold of his cane.
“We will show you to the best rooms we have available. I can only apologize that they are not more worthy of Your Imperial Majesty.” He gestured with one hand in the imperial manner, andhis daughter murmured quietly, commanding one of the servants forward.
The elf shuffled forward to the edge of the stairs, then politely and properly gestured an invitation for Tallu to follow her. Tallu strode up the stairs, his remaining servants with him. I waited, watching.
Iradîo joined me at the same time as Terror swept down from where he had perched on top of the roof. Iradîo was silent, and Terror nuzzled the side of my head, croaking into my ear, “Many elves just left the house. Children, based on their size. They went out the back as Commander Rede and his men checked the building.”
I turned, keeping my voice low. “Where did they go?”
“Dawn and Ratcatcher went after them. I stayed behind, to make sure you knew.” Terror sounded pleased.
“You stayed behind to make sure you got fed for the information,” I said, unable to hide my smile.
“Such a baseless accusation. I resent it. I will be charging double for my information from now on, if that is how you feel about me.” Terror pushed off, his claws digging deep into my shoulder. I had insisted Homisu dress me lightly. The humidity of the swamp had been terrible even aboard the ship, and now I was paying the cost. I was sure that Terror had scratched me with his talons.
I glanced at Iradîo significantly, and she raised her eyebrows before nodding. She disappeared into the mass of servants already clamoring for information from House Chaliko’s servants.
Lady Chaliko took charge, raising her chin and speaking with authority, despite her youth. Her brother took hold of their father’s elbow, helping him back up the stairs to follow Tallu and his retinue.
I felt something cool next to my shoulder, and glanced over, already expecting him.
“So?” the Kennelmaster asked. “What are we walking into?”
