She glanced at me sharply before dropping her eyes and I couldtell that she was wondering if Tallu was about to ask her father to complete the same impossible task as I had set for her.
“We are, of course, your humble servants and willing to perform whatever task is asked of us.” Lord Chaliko bowed in his seat before raising his chin. He looked over at General Saxu and Commander Rede as though looking for some cue.
“We desire to know the whereabouts of General Namati.” Tallu glanced at Chaliko’s son, clearly seeing something in his expression that I couldn’t read, or maybe it was the slight twitch in his fingers, as though he was trying to hold back an imperial gesture that spoke as much as a shout.
Lady Chaliko raised her wide eyes to mine as she tried to work out the politics when she only understood half the story.Iwanted Spider, but Tallu wanted Namati. Was she wondering if my quest was at odds with Tallu’s?
“Of course, we have often seen General Namati. He and his men own the waters of Tavornai. But things have been quiet since the attempted coup.” Lord Chaliko bowed his head, stroking his fingers over his pointed beard. “It may take some time to find his current whereabouts.”
“Work quickly.” Tallu looked around. “You have such a beautiful living here. If General Namati were to discover our whereabouts, you would no longer have either it or any chance of returning to the Imperium.”
“Of course.” Lord Chaliko stood, grasping for his cane. “With your leave, I will go begin asking the servants if they have any recent news of the traitor.”
Tallu nodded, and I wished there was a blood monk present to follow him, but the remaining four were already tucked away, listening to the whispered conversations between the servants, trying to find out all of the secrets that House Chaliko had hidden.
Lord Chaliko’s son rose to help his father out of the room, the patriarch’s limping gait loud even after he left the room. Lady Chaliko hesitated before standing, bowing her head. “There arechildren at our school who might know more. By your leave, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Tallu nodded once in dismissal, then, as she left the room, he made a dismissive gesture that caused every servant to turn and leave. When it was just Saxu and his men left, Tallu picked up his glass. The Chalikos had no wine but had provided a sweet alcohol made from sugarcane instead.
“What do you think, General Saxu?” Tallu asked.
“I have known Lord Chaliko from his days on the Emperor’s Council,” Saxu said slowly. He considered the yellow liquid inside his own glass. “He is not as much of a fool as he is pretending to be. He managed to keep dozens of blood mages in his house for months. Years. I believe that when he and his family first came here, there was a different house in charge of the elven school.”
“And?” Tallu asked.
“They abandoned their post. I believe he knows where Namati is. That is why I agreed to your suggestion to use the Chalikos as our guides to Tavornai. But I had forgotten how close Chaliko plays his games.” Saxu looked around. “Perhaps the swamps here infected him just as much as they did Namati.”
“Kennelmaster, what do you think?” Tallu asked.
On the wall, Sagam moved a few steps forward. It was the first time I had heard Tallu address him by the title, and his eyes were wide before he closed them, forcing his body to relax.
“The elven children here would make good Dogs. They are long-lived, and they are small enough that they are often easily forgotten.” Sagam looked at Tallu’s hands, decorated by rings and a thick bracelet made of etched platinum. “The previous Kennelmaster believes that the Dogs he already acquired in Tavornai are either dead or turned. Which means that somewhere in the network, there is a rat.”
“You mean permanently using the children as Dogs, or just to find Namati?” I clarified.
“Permanently,”Sagam said.
I wondered if he was hoping to find his sister, if the girl from earlier—Riini—had ever found him. Had he known what he was sending her to, or had he sent her in hope that she would find somewhere to be herself when her mixed blood wasn’t welcome in the Imperium or in Tavornai?
My eyes cut to Tallu, who asked me a question with his fixed gaze. I nodded just enough that he could see.
“Very well,” Tallu said. “Speak with the children and see which of them you can bring into the Kennel.”
Tallu stood, even though the sun had only set an hour prior, and declared that he was going to sleep. His Dogs followed behind him, and General Saxu and Commander Rede left the table deep in conversation. Sagam slipped out the door as silent as a shadow.
I sat in the empty room by myself, considering what we needed to do, what choices we would need to make. Lady Chaliko’s response had been too visceral for me to believe she lacked the knowledge I so desperately sought.
She knew Spider. She knew where the animalia was. And I wasn’t sure where that left me.
Would I be willing to torture it out of her?
I knew the answer to the question. As Tallu had said, there were often more delicate ways to get a truthful response than torture.
“Airón,” Iradîo said behind me.
I turned my head, glancing to the side but she was too far behind for me to see more than the hint of her movements clearly. She took a few steps forward, then pulled out the chair next to me, drawing one of the half-full platters of food from the center of the table over to her.
I offered her my fork and she took it, stabbing one of the root vegetables. She ate quietly for a moment and I waited, still thinking through my options. The children had been sent away, meaning either they knew something or Chaliko was trying to protect them.Either way, they were a weak spot, one that Sagam had easily spotted.
