It was a practice that hadn’t been used since before Emperor Yachua began uniting the territories. Custom required that foreigners wore black to set themselves apart. Once they became allies, they would wear a mutually agreed upon color that represented their union.
Emperor Maicu’s color was red. Those who belonged to him wore it as well, while those under his care wore blue, as Nina was wearing. He wondered what color they would put her in for the ceremony, and if she would belong to him even in death.
Kasik blew out a breath and leaned back, shoving the image of her blood-covered body aside. “That’s brave of them,” he said somberly.
“They flaunt their insubordination,” Atik said, dismissing his son entirely. “They deserve to be made examples of.”
“We cannot kill everyone who does not submit to the emperor’s plans,” Kasik said, looking directly at his tayta, challenging him to meet his glare. “If Uwaco chooses to remain independent, then that is their right.”
“I agree,” Chaska chimed in. “A gentle hand is needed in situations like this, and Emperor Maicu is so very good at inspiring loyalty. Let them choose him, forwhenthey do, they will be unfailingly true to their word.”
Master Wara leaned forward and cleared his throat. “The empress is right,” he said simply. It wasn’t often that Kasik’s teacher spoke up, most times remaining neutral in situations of dissent. “They will see that joining is to their benefit.”
“They must be convinced.” The words came from the mamakuna of Qorikancha. It was true that Master Wara did not speak up often, and this woman spoke even less than he did. Kasik didn’t even know her name, only that she wore nothing but purple, and sometimes, her words weighed more than even Atik’s. A fact that Atik seemed to resent at that moment, if his blanched lips and flared nostrils were any indication.
The mamakuna and Emperor Maicu shared a look, and Kasik took the opportunity to glance at Nina. Her attention was pinned on the emperor, her eyes darting over his features as if she was committing them to memory. Kasik dropped his hands below the table to shake them out.
“We will find a way to do so, I’m sure.” Maicu shifted to Atik, and they continued to speak, but Kasik allowed himself to be distracted by Nina, determined to decipher each small movement of her face. He remembered the vow she had made at the ayllu, that she would find a way to be free, and he wondered what exactly she was planning.
The divot between her brows was deep with thought and her lips were pressed tightly together. If she wasn’t careful, she’d give herself away. But when he glanced around the table, he noted no one was watching her as closely as he was. Perhaps it washimwho would give her away.
“—she will begin her instruction with Master Wara,” Maicu was saying. “Kasik, you will escort her there every day, and Mamakuna,” he said, turning his attention to the woman in purple on the other side of Chaska, “you will see Nina tomorrow?”
“Of course,” the mamakuna answered. “Though we have plenty of time.”
“Best to get it over with now. We don’t want to waste anyone’s time,” Maicu said. The mamakuna nodded, and then the conversation veered toward other things, like the territories that had asked for extensions on their chani and the acllas who were due for service selection.
He heard Chaska lean over and say, “Don’t worry—it’s a rather quick and boring affair.”
Kasik kept an eye on Nina, noting the way she hardly touched her food, and wondered what thoughts ran through her head. She stared at the plate as if considering the effectiveness of using it as a weapon and then seemed to decide against it. He should have looked away instead of allowing himself to soften toward her.
Nothing good could come of it.
It wasn’t that she was more desirable like this, in a beautiful blue dress accented with gold that lit up her skin like the sun. It was that she carried herself as if she belonged there. As if she was there by choice.
Nina deserved to know the truth, and he had to be the one to tell her. When the room came into focus again, Chaska and Nina were bent toward each other, Chaska’s lips moving quickly and Nina nodding along while the others around him conversed.
The emperor must have noticed because he cleared his throat and addressed them directly. “Chaska,” he said. “Did you help our Nina get settled?”
“Yes, my love,” Chaska responded, saccharine and direct. “We had a wonderfully enlightening teatime.”
Kasik watched as Nina swallowed the bite of food she had finally taken, the delicate line of her throat bobbing slightly before she spoke. “I’m very grateful for the comforting reminder of home.”
They spoke as if they shared some secret and he worried whether anyone else heard it. More than that, he worried that Nina seemed to take a liking to Chaska so quickly. The empress was just as calculating as the rest of them. Nina didn’t consider him an ally, but neither should she trust Chaska.
The emperor clapped his hands. “Wonderful,” he said. The gold of his rings caught the light as he placed a hand on her shoulder, and then he leaned closer and whispered into her ear.
Nina gave in to him willingly, even going so far as to place a hand atop of his. Watching them speak so intimately made Kasik’s stomach burn with an unfamiliar emotion. He imagined them speaking like that often, behind closed doors, perhaps with less clothing on, and he was suddenly, loathsomely happy that it would never come to pass. That she wasn’t truly meant to marry him, and Maicu would therefore never have the pleasure of knowing what it felt like to be with her in that way.
But her performance was convincing, and Kasik couldn’t help but think that she reminded him of his tayta. Obedient but perceptive. Eager but shrewd. Powerful in a way that was threatening if one decided.
“I think our guest must be exhausted from her journey.”
Chaska’s voice cut through his thoughts. Everyone looked at her, including Maicu, who leaned back from Nina. It felt as though a fist loosened from around Kasik’s heart.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “Kasik.”
Kasik whipped his head toward Maicu, his heart in his throat as if he had been caught. Again. “Please see that Nina finds her rooms.”
