Page 55

“Yes. House Pehine and all those gathered here are loyal servants of House Atobe,” Pehine said.

“You mean of me,” Tallu said.

To his credit, of which I did not give the man very much, Pehine didn’t hesitate. “Of course of you. What other emperor does the Southern Imperium have?”

“Indeed. That must be why you aided both General Bemishu and General Kacha with supplies and resources. Why you gave them the most honorable treatment you could,” Tallu said.

Lord Pehine’s smile began to go tense, and he started to lower his arm, but one of Tallu’s Dogs pulled out his sword, placing it just below Pehine’s chin. At once, he straightened his arm, glass still raised in a toast.

“When they arrived, we had no idea that they had moved against Your Imperial Majesty. We receive news so infrequently here at the southernmost border of the Imperium. I believe that General Kacha’s men may have been interfering with couriers that would bring us news of their rebellion.” Pehine began to sweat, his makeup turning moist, darkening the golden color.

“Is that so? And yet, both you and your wife visited my brother, Prince Hallu, and his mother the Dowager Empress today and did not attend on me.” Tallu’s face was completely neutral.

“Merely common courtesy. We had no wish to impose upon Your Imperial Majesty after so long a journey. My wife was familiar with Empress Koque from the capital. From our understanding, the two of you are still quite close,” Pehine said quickly, his words tumbling out on top of each other. “We meant no disrespect, nor to imply that Prince Hallu might be anything more than your beloved brother.”

“More than my beloved brother?” Tallu asked. “What more might he be? The true heir to my father’s throne? The true emperor that should be sitting in my seat?”

“No,” Pehine said, a droplet of sweat dripping from his chin.

“No,” Tallu said mildly. “Then I have misunderstood?”

“Yes,” Pehine said rapidly. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. All of this is just a misunderstanding. House Pehine still remains your most loyal servants.”

Tallu gestured with one hand, and his Dog withdrew, the blade leaving behind not even a drop of blood. Pehine nearly slumped forward, but didn’t dare lower his glass. Thoughtfully, Tallu looked at his, then glanced at me. I could see the question in his gaze. Clearly the blood monks had told him something, and I smiled at him indulgently.

“Oh, my lord, it looks as though there is some dust along the edge of your glass. Here.” Standing, I took Tallu’s glass and reached for the one that Pehine still held out, swapping the two of them.

Lord Pehine’s eyes went wide, and he gasped, his fingers trembling and loosening around the glass. It started to slip from his fingers, but I caught it, forcing his hand closed around it.

“Be careful, Lord Pehine. You embarrass your emperor,” I said.

Tallu raised the glass I had placed in front of him, bringing it to his lips, forcing Pehine to do the same. Pehine attempted to simply press the edge of the glass to his lips, but I reached under his hand, raising the glass further, forcing him to swallow the red wine, his throat working as he desperately tried to keep from choking.

His eyes were wide, moving from side to side, and I only stopped when the glass was empty.

He put it down, gasping, his body trembling. He took a few steps to the side.

“I must…” He trailed off as his body betrayed him.

His muscles began to shudder, whether from fear or the poison, and he looked around the room desperately. Reaching for his wife, he said, “Help me.”

But it was clearly too late. When poisoning the emperor, one did not use half measures. Whatever he had dosed the wine with, it was too fast and deadly to stop. His head jerked back and he let out a scream, foam bubbling from between his lips. He half-screamed again, going down to his knees with a harsh crack of noise and then he collapsed onto all fours, the foam from his mouth splashing onto the ground. He tried to crawl forward but slipped on the liquid, unable to rise once he was on the ground.

His body twitched and he let out one last gurgling moan and went still.

“Beloved,” I said, “I do enjoy all these banquets in your honor. So many end in bloodshed.”

Twenty

The screams started immediately. Lady Pehine lunged forward, only stopped by the blade of a Dog’s sword. She backpedaled, crashing into her own chair and falling to the floor.

Lord Mutali wrapped his arms around his wife, protecting her with his body while the other lords stood, drawing their swords. Tallu’s Dogs wouldn’t move from his side, but I could. I was up and out of my seat, two knives in my hands and thrown. They went through the throats of the two closest lords, then I leapt onto the table, my feet kicking over the plates and glasses as I grabbed my blade from one of the fallen lords, wrenching it free from his neck, even as he tried holding on to it with both hands, his wide eyes showing that he knew as soon as I pulled it free, he would bleed out.

The blade came loose, and the man slumped back, grabbing helplessly his own throat as blood soaked his clothes. His wife sat stiffly next to him, her wide eyes and pale face making it seem as though she had already died herself.

I ran down the table, my blade rising and slicing across the throat of a trembling lord, his sword raised against Tallu. I kicked him back, and then it was one last man.

Lord Mutali still guarded his wife, his shoulders hunched as he tried to cover her with his body. The quiet in the room as the last of Pehine’s allies died stilled him. Gently, he pushed her back, standing taller, turning to face me.