I gaped at him. “Evened the field? Your Eagle Riders massacred our warriors easily. We were only successful with magic against your infantry.”
“Yes, but our resources aren’t infinite. It costs a fortune to maintain an army. Now your people’s land and resources fall under Zephyrian rule.”
I gave him a sharp look. “I thought it was just a tax.”
“For now. Until we have need of more. The Children of Earth are now part of the Zephyrian Empire, and we rule the entire continent of Zephyrus.”
“The treaty never said—”
“The queens understand this, believe me. It’s better to be with us than against us.”
I felt like we had been outmaneuvered on a chessboard we couldn’t see. “It sounds like you’ve got everything you wanted, then. Why not send the sorcerer away?”
He looked at me, and his eyes burned with ambition. “My father was never able to expand the empire beyond this continent, but I will.”
I froze, barely able to get the words out to form a response. “And you need the sorcerer to do that?”
“It takes untold power and resources to expand an empire,” he said, not quite answering my question.
His goals made my blood run cold. In my mind, I saw years ofwar in front of me. What would it mean for my people? Would they be forced to fight alongside the Zephyrians now that we belonged to their empire? Altair spoke of traveling to distant countries and conquering them as he had done here. This was the man I was supposed to marry and produce an heir with, but the thought sickened me. How could I stand beside him and watch that happen?
“And what does the sorcerer want in return for helping you expand your empire?”
He seemed to retreat into himself. “That’s none of your concern.” Before I could say anything else, he changed the subject. “I should have brought you here sooner. I know more than anyone else how the palace can seem like a prison.”
His words made me think of what Lady Corvina and Lady Starling had said about an empress not being able to travel. “Are you required to remain in the palace at all times?” Would we be forbidden to travel because of some rigid Zephyrian law?
He shook his head. “I can leave for short periods of time, though it’s like any other throne. It shouldn’t be left unattended for long.”
I turned that over in my mind. I wondered if that included traveling to distant countries to conquer them—or would he just send his Eagle Riders and remain safely hidden away in the palace? “I was told that the empress couldn’t leave the palace or surrounding area,” I said, “but I can promise you I won’t do well under lock and key. If it came to that, the treaty between us would be null and void.”
He watched me for a moment before nodding. “I remember what it was like to be kept here against my will. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else. You may travel by my side when I venture beyond this continent.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted any part of that, but at least he wasn’t saying I would be locked away in the palace. Maybe I could get closer to him and change his mind about the need for conquering other countries. I nearly scoffed out loud at myself. If I had even half of Ama’s abilities, then I might have a chance of influencing the emperor. As it was, I’d be lucky if Lord Heron didn’t convince him to lock me in my room.
“Have you ever been to the Equnox Plains?” I asked in an effort to engage with him again. Ama would know exactly what to say to draw him out, but I was a poor substitute.
“Not in a very long time.”
“We could go together. My family would like to meet you,” I said, and his eyes widened a bit, like he couldn’t believe someone would want to meet him.
“I would like that,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “My father always said I was too cowardly to travel much farther than Naharu, so I had tried to make peace with the thought of only seeing these far-off places on a map. Everything changed when he died, though.”
I was still reeling from how casually he spoke of his father’s cruel words and for a moment I only stared at him. “I’ve never traveled beyond my homeland, but I would like to see the other continents one day. I’ve never considered people who don’t like to travel cowards! I understand, actually, because the idea of traveling by ship makes me nervous.”
“And I’ve never wanted to fly, but perhaps one day we can do both.”
I gave him a gentle smile, a natural response to the sorrow that radiated from his eyes. “Your father was wrong about you, you know. It takes more courage to form a treaty than it does to continue a war.”
A veil fell over his face, and he retreated into himself.
My smile slipped from my face. What had I said to upset him?
“My father is never wrong.”
He shifted from foot to foot and then took a few steps before stopping again, as though barely restraining himself from pacing in agitation.
“I must go,” he said, and I looked at him in surprise. Before I could reply, he added, “You can stay here as long as you’d like.”
