Page 28 of Betrothed to the Emperor
Our route had taken us away from the city, up into the mountains behind the palace. From the ground, nothing quite gave the scale of the city. The Mountainside Palace looked like a second city from above, and I saw what Velethuil meant about it being a reflection of the Imperium. Staring down at it, it was a map of the Imperium in buildings and gardens.
“Prince Airón,” Sagam’s voice jostled me out of my thoughts.
“Yes.” I looked away, turning and following Tallu into the dragon. Inside, electric lights hidden behind rock formations lit the way.
This was a natural cavern. Other than the head outside, nothing had been carved inside the mountain. Tallu and a short woman waited for me. Her robes were even plainer than the ones the seamstress had tried to dress me in the day before.
A lack of makeup, except for dragon fangs painted on the corner of her lips, indicated she was one of the few remaining dragon monks.
She bowed to me, low, although missing the triangle of fingers indicating my higher position. “Prince Airón, Your Imperial Majesty Emperor Tallu, the soothsayer is ready for you.”
I bit my lip hard. I had so many questions, but now wasn’t the time to ask them. Tallu was still strange to me. Would he see my utter ignorance as interesting and attractive or an annoyance?
The monk walked confidently through the cavern, ducking her head to avoid rocks hanging too low, turning to the side when the passageway narrowed.
Only two of Tallu’s constant shadows followed us. The other two of the Emperor’s Dogs must have been left outside guarding us and the carriage.
Lights illuminated strange formations, some that hung like sheets, others that decorated the walls. Bumps and outcroppings sparkled, glittering crystals showing through the stone. A light had been placed behind a thin sheet of rock, showing the wavy lines and striations in the stone.
Water dripped audibly, echoing in the silence. Somewhere distant, I could hear a rush of an underground river, like I’d pressed my ear to Spoiled Brat’s chest after he’d come in from a long run on the tundra.
The narrow passageways echoed our breathing so that even a small gasp sounded loud. I didn’t dare say anything, even though all of my questions toppled on top of each other.
Our path became even tighter. Rocks scraped across my arms, the silken jacket and shirt not intended to take such brutal treatment. I adjusted the position of the rabbit skin pouch so that the egg was in front of me, protected by one of my hands.
The rush of water grew louder, echoing until it was thunder. The walls were soaked, wetting my sleeves and pants. Finally, we stepped out into a wide cavern, the ceiling so high up that I couldn’t even make it out. An underground river churned in front of us, splashing up onto the narrow ledge we stood on.
“There.” The monk pointed straight ahead at a circular island set in the middle of the river. She bowed low to us again, then stepped back against the wall.
Incredulously, I looked at the water in front of us. Even setting a foot into it would sweep us away, and that was assuming that the river was shallow. In the dark, the electric lights illuminated a seething mass of black, but they weren’t bright enough to do more than show its violence. I couldn’t tell if the river was only knee-high or above my head.
“We’re supposed to cross the river?” I looked at Emperor Tallu, but his face was entirely shadowed, and the pale gleam of his cheekbones reflected in the light. “Is dying due to drowning part of the prophecy? Once she has our lifeless bodies, the soothsayer will be able to tell us when we’re supposed to get married? ‘Ah, yes, he died with his mouth open, that means he should get married in the spring.’”
If I were still being trained by Yorîmu, she would have slapped my knuckles already.
Instead, Tallu turned to me, and I froze. In the dark, his russet eyes nearly glowed, as though the electricity he used formagic lived inside him, beat through his veins like blood. How much like his cousin Rute was he?
“There is a bridge.” His voice was quiet, but even over the pounding water, I could hear the amusement. “Unless you would prefer drowning.”
“I’m all in favor of notdyingjust to find out my wedding day. And I’ve heard that even in the Imperium, there are strict rules against necrophilia.”
Tallu turned away, his shoulders jerking for a moment, and I hoped it was with laughter and not annoyance. Then he stepped forward, walking on air above the churning water.
I narrowed my eyes, still unable to see the bridge he had talked about. He kept walking, his feet sure as he seemed to walk on nothing more than prayer. Giving up, I knelt down, putting my hands out into empty space, pressing down where he had taken his first step.
There. My hand encountered something solid, cold, and slightly damp. The stone walkway was narrow, barely the width of my hips, and in the dim lighting of the cave, the dark rock was the same color as the dangerous river below.
Tallu reached the island and turned, looking at me. I could feel his eyes on me, see the sparkle of them in the darkness. It sent a shiver up my spine. These were not the eyes of a man. They were the eyes of a predator.
Well, I might not have participated in any hunting parties, but I could do this. I had trained to hunt prey much more dangerous than any my father had ever brought home on the back of Spoiled Brat.
I stepped forward, keeping one foot in front of the other as I walked, testing each step before I put my full weight down. Water splashed my ankles, wetting the path in front of me, making it slick and dangerous. Still, I kept my eyes forward, focused on Tallu.
At the end of the bridge, he reached out again, offering his hand as he had when I got out of the carriage. Scolding myself for my inclination to flinch away, I took his palm. I could do this. I could do all of it. My skin felt electrified, every hair standing on end.
It was just anxiety—I was sure it was just anxiety.
“Aren’t your bodyguards coming?” I asked.