He might be using the children as a front for finding his lost sister, but his point still stood. With so many Kennel Dogs lost, he needed to fill many empty positions.
When Iradîo had eaten her fill, she leaned back in her chair, staring across the empty table. “What is the plan?”
“We find out where the children went and follow them.” I blew out a long breath, feeling my exhaustion in my bones. There was no time for that. I would have time to be tired after I had confronted Spider, after I had won Tallu’s freedom.
Standing, I paused a moment, my hand still on the back of my chair.
“We could leave,” Iradîo said, using her thumb to wipe a trace of sauce from the corner of her lip. She licked it clean. “You were right. We could both start over. We could leave from here and go anywhere. You accomplished your mother’s goal.”
“I cannot.” The words felt dry in my mouth, and I swallowed, trying to find some moisture.
“Youcould,” Iradîo insisted.
“I cannot!” My voice rose, the Northern making the words harsher than they sounded in Imperial. We had slipped into our mother tongue by habit, and I was glad that anyone listening wouldn’t be able to understand.
“Fine.” Iradîo pushed back her chair, the feet dragging across the floor. “We follow the children.”
I returned to my rooms to change into something better fitted for creeping through the swampland. Homisu asked no questions, for which I was grateful. Nohe opened the wide windows, letting in a humid breeze that did little but move the hot air.
When I was dressed, I leaned out the window, searching the trees until I saw three black shapes gliding through the air. I stepped back just in time for Terror to land on the windowsill. Hewas shoved aside by Ratcatcher. Dawn was more graceful, coasting over their heads and landing on my shoulder.
“They have followed you across the Imperium,” Nohe said, her voice full of wonder.
“And they are hungry for it. Can you go fetch me something for them to eat?” I asked, using a gesture that turned the request into an order. When she left, I glanced at Homisu.
He dipped his head into a nod. “I will go speak with the emperor’s servants so that your clothes do not clash in the morning. I presume that tomorrow you will not be dressed quite so much like a Dog.”
I gave him a thin smile, nodding my assent. He disappeared out the door and I stroked my hand over Dawn’s breast.
“What did you find out?”
“The children are in the forest,” Terror croaked.
“They live in the trees. Like rats.” Ratcatcher sounded distant, hungry.
“You can’t eat an elf. Even if they are a child,” I said.
“I didn’t say anything abouteatingthem. But if they live in the trees, do you think they know where the rats are?” Ratcatcher looked at me, his black eyes fixed on my face.
“Well?” I asked Terror.
“They have built their homes in the trees. Nests that grow as the branches form. We could not land in them, not safely. The trees would have eaten us whole.” Terror made an unhappy squawking sound. “And there was a house of glass in the middle. That was what we had to perch on.”
“A house of glass?” I asked. “What was inside it?”
“What else? Plants.” Terror tilted his head at me, the angle turning his question from disdain into concern. “We will not go with you at night. There are too many things in the forest.”
“I didn’t ask you to come.” I helped Dawn off my shoulder as Nohe returned, bearing a platter of food for the birds. I left themin her care and slipped out of the room. Iradîo caught me on the stairs, and we disappeared out the front door.
The back of the house had too many servants going in and out for us to risk the same exit the children had taken. Iradîo asked no questions as we crept into the tree line, keeping our heads beneath the top of the tall grasses.
The fireflies were brilliant explosions of light, and I could hear insects in the distance, their songs joining together into a cacophony of noise. Something slid by my leg and I paused, frozen. I hadn’t even heard it coming.
After watching the swamp eat so many people and boats, I had my knife free and ready before I even glanced down and realized it wasn’t some terrifying creature, but Naî. The dragon stared at me, her head cocked. She was still the size of a small cat, although the gleam in her eye was decidedly lethal.
“Well? Were you planning on leaving me behind?”
Iradîo muffled her laugh before raising both of her eyebrows. I shook my head.
