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I felt my brows twitch, and looked in the direction of the children’s camp. I could go back there, but it would take too much time, and I didn’t like the idea of being away from Tallu when he was about to commence battle.
“The trees themselves are dangerous—the vines—” I fell silent.
Through one of the elder trees. Call them. They are as much a part of the forest as any other plants, the poisoned dragon said.
“All right,” I said. The elder trees towered above the forest. It would be nothing for me to take Naî to one.
Searching the deck, I found Tallu with General Saxu, holding a map between their hands. Spider and her men were moving quickly, sending orders between ships as the fleet readied to move to the appointed place where Saxu had decided to make war with Kacha.
“I need to go visit an elder tree,” I said.
Tallu immediately turned to me, his brows pulling together. Saxu leaned heavily on the railing before straightening and facing me.
“Why?” Tallu asked.
“Naî says the forest is growing, but there are no animals in it yet. Without the animals, there’s nothing to drive Kacha or his men out of it. They can burn it if they find it too frightening or dangerous in itself.” I let my voice become hard, become confident. “We need wolves to drive the herd of caribou into our trap.”
“And visiting the elder tree will allow you to get these wolves?” Tallu asked.
“The dragons think so,” I said.
“Then I will go with you,” Tallu said.
“You will need to take Dogs,” Sagam said. I blinked, startled. When had Sagam come close? Or had he approached as soon as I had, knowing that whatever I was going to say was going to put Tallu in danger?
“I’m capable of riding a dragon and not being attacked by General Kacha. I did it twice within the past few days,” Tallu said, his tone annoyed.
“Your Imperial Majesty, we are on the verge of winning. Take the Dogs, so Kacha cannot steal our victory from our grasp permanently,” General Saxu said.
Tallu’s lips went white, and I knew that if he were to say something, it would cost him some of Saxu’s and Sagam’s trust. If he would not protect himself, then they would have to do it for him, no matter his own opinion.
“That’s fine,” I said, not wondering if part of the reason I gave in so easily was because I wanted four well-armed, lethal men protecting us.
Tallu’s face showed no reaction when he glanced between Saxu and Sagam. Finally, he said, “I am blessed with such loyal retainers.”
Sagam and Saxu both bowed, but I could feel the tension between the three men. When they rose, Sagam said, “It will only take moments to ready the Dogs.”
It was quick after that. Sagam found the men while Namati supplied a small sailboat that could travel the distance between the protected bay and the shore. Spider directed two of her sailors to sail us to shore. As I climbed down the rope ladder, I kept my hands clenched, feeling the pressure building in my knuckles as I moved. I would not let myself tremble. I would not let myself worry. What was the point?
At the bottom of the ladder, I stepped into the boat, feeling it shift under my feet as I settled onto one of the benches. When everyone was inside, Tallu packed against me, touching me from knee to hip and hip to shoulder, the sailors began rowing us until we were far enough from the larger ships that they could unfurl the sail.
The white cloth snapped into tension when the wind hit it, the small boom swinging until the elf tightened his grip on the sheets, the ropes digging into his hands. The wind was in our favor and the voyage was nearly silent, the only conversation occurring between the two sailors as they navigated between the island and shore.
When we arrived at the outer edges of the swampland, they lowered the sail and took out the oars again, rowing us between trees and other plant life.
It was strange how easy it was to adapt to anything. This forest had been so frightening when we first approached it. Now, I saw the light filtering through the trees, the insects skimming the surface of the water. I could even tell when Tavornai became more swamp than open ocean. The trees around us changed, and I could feel the green inside of them, the pulse of life from the elder tree.
None of us spoke, and the Dogs, little more than dark shadows, kept their eyes moving, fixated on each potential threat. Tallu’s hand pressed on top of mine. I was clenching my fists again. I had tried to wrap Tallu in linen and keep him safe aboard Namati’s boat, when I should have admitted that I was the one who wanted to be kept safe like that.
“This is as far as we can go,” one of the sailors said, tying the boat to a nearby branch. The other got out, the water up to his knees. Two of the Dogs followed first, their hands on their swords. Tallu was next, and he held out his hand for me, his palm warm. He kept his eyes neutral, but I could read the concern in the way his fingers lingered.
When we were all on shore, the sailors said, “We will stay here until it is too dangerous for us.”
One of the Dogs moved to draw his sword, clearly hearing a threat in the words, but Tallu raised his hand, his rings reflecting light onto the trees around us. I led the way, flanked by two Dogs. Neither spoke, but when I looked over my shoulder, I was reassured to see Asahi guarding Tallu’s back. The other three were General Saxu’s men. They had adapted quickly to the lifestyle of the Dogs, but they were soldiers first. More than that, Asahi was the only one I trusted to be smart rather than noble. If he needed to take the emperor and run, he would.
The elder tree drew me like a song in the distance, so loud in my head that I was shocked no one else could hear it. When we finally reached it, I could see the area around it had changed, having grown verdant and lush. The tree was healing the country, healing all the damage that had been done by the Imperium and its greed.
Placing my hand on the elder tree, I took a deep breath and wondered if it was possible to sacrifice what I wanted. I wanted to give up the memory of Kacha taking my magic, of him using his man to tear away something that was as much a part of me as my eyes.
