Page 35

Seventeen

B efore he opened his bedroom door, Tallu closed another one that blocked off the private back room so no one would stumble on the dragon. He locked it with his magic and then turned to the massive door to his bedroom. As soon as he opened it, servants entered.

After being washed, dressed, and fed, I returned to Turtle House. Asahi trailed behind me, and if he was tired, there was no indication in his bearing.

“I told the emperor of your work for him,” I said.

I could feel Asahi’s eyes on me, the pressure of his gaze against my shoulders. We passed a garden tended to by three servants wearing broad-brimmed hats. When they were out of earshot, Asahi asked, “What did the emperor say?”

I couldn’t tell him that the emperor had asked if we could trust him, so instead, I made a guess at what was actually in Tallu’s heart. “He hopes that you’re being safe. And we are both eager to hear any news you have.”

“Now?” Asahi asked.

“No. Tonight. The emperor requested a private audience.” I tried not to think about what else we would have to do tonight.

Sneaking out would be much easier with Dogs on our side, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be risks.

If General Maki was being so public about using the dead like puppets, what horrors was General Bemishu committing in Forsaith?

Before we reached Turtle House, I heard a clicking, grinding sound, the creak of wood rubbing together. Dawn swept down from the sky, landing on my shoulder. Her weight was almost nothing, despite her size. She turned, clucking in my ear.

“One of your servants has a toy. A toy bird. It is insulting .” Disapproval radiated from her as she fluffed her feathers. “Over there. Around the corner.”

Frowning, I turned and made my way to a corner of Turtle House guarded by high bushes. Inside, I could hear laughter, a gasp of joy. Before I tried to shove my way through, Asahi stepped forward, using his sheathed blade to pull aside branches.

I peeked through the thick brush. On his arm, Piivu held a large bird, lacquered black. Of course Dawn was upset by it. It resembled a raven.

It opened its mouth, snapping it shut, turning its head. Its eyes blinked.

Slowly, the gearwork ground to a halt, and the four other servants watching sighed.

“No. No. I can do this.” Piivu frowned, his expression going so tight that he looked as though he was going to hurt himself.

Raising the hand missing two fingers, he placed it above the toy raven. A single spark of electricity jumped from his finger to a metal plate on its back. The bird screeched, its eyes blinking rapidly again, and then it began to move, flapping its wings.

But wood was heavier than hollow bird wings. Eventually, it stilled, turning back to Piivu, and the servants applauded, giggles and laughter lighting up their faces. When Piivu looked up, he saw me and Asahi peeking through the bushes, and his whole face went pale.

“Your Highness. I—I—” He stuttered to a stop.

“It is beautiful. May I examine it?” I phrased it as a question, but a question from a royal consort was, of course, an order.

Piivu nodded quickly and pushed through a bush just at the edge of the small clearing.

It was a gap between the shrubs I hadn’t noticed until now.

When he finally forced his way through, his hair and clothes were dusted with leaves, and a small scratch reddened his cheek.

The other four servants followed, all a head and change shorter than Piivu.

I’d never seen them before. They looked younger, younger than any of the servants who worked directly for me.

The mechanics of the bird were delicate, the internal workings nearly invisible on the outside. But it must have been heavy because as I stared, Piivu’s arm began to tremble.

I nodded, and he adjusted his grip, taking the bird off his forearm and clutching it close to his chest.

“It’s gorgeous. Where did you get it?”

“My sister gave it to me,” Piivu said. He smiled fondly, and then his eyes went wide, snapping up to mine.

I wondered what part of that was inappropriate.

Were servants in Turtle House not allowed to meet with their family?

Was it considered in poor taste to mention a sister at all when mine had been sent away?

Or did Piivu simply feel awkward mentioning a sister, giving me, his master, more information about him than he was comfortable with?

“The design is exquisite. Did she buy it from someone in the city?” I kept my expression neutral, trying to channel Tallu. It probably didn’t work. Because now I was wondering about the floating maquette that Tallu had shown me.

Who could build such a thing? Who could design it?

“She made it herself.” Piivu raised his chin, grinning. “She’s brilliant.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “She is.”

I waved my hand in what I was pretty sure was dismissal, sending all of the servants scattering. When they were gone, I stared after Piivu.

We had been assuming that we needed to go through the generals in order to find the creator of the airship.

But what if the opposite was true? What if we needed to find the builder to find their patron?

The mechanized toy was proof that building something that complicated wasn’t limited to those who sold weapons to the military.

A toymaker or clockmaker would also have the ability to build a floating airship.

“You didn’t take it away.” Dawn nuzzled my neck. “I want it burned.”

“Not yet,” I said thoughtfully, ignoring Dawn’s huff. If Bemishu didn’t have any evidence at the Sunrise Estate, we would need to expand our net, searching for the creator among a thousand possibilities.

Rubbing my eyes, I walked into Turtle House. At Nohe’s suggestion, I had taken over three suites of rooms. She said it was more fitting to my position, but I was sure it was simply to make sure the rooms stayed in use, and the servants continued to have employment.

The first rooms I had been given were still the most comfortable, and I settled onto one of the couches, turning over the problem in my mind.

“Consort Airón? Would you like to hear the invitations left for you today?” Nohe asked.

I shook my head. “I would like to offer an invitation. I would like to see Lady Dalimu privately. How might one go about that?”

Nohe’s expression closed off, and I heard Asahi shift beside me.

“Both of you, stop it. I’m not thinking about cheating on the emperor.” I glared at the deliberate placidity of their expressions.

Neither of them spoke, refusing to give any credence to my assumption about the cause of their displeasure.

“We could arrange a private tea this afternoon,” Nohe said.

If we were going to be up all night, I would need sleep this afternoon. “No, this morning. Where are she and the rest of the banished ministers staying?”

“The emperor has graciously allowed them rooms in the palace for the duration of their stay. My understanding is that it is Blue Mountain View House.” Nohe bowed. “I will send out the invitation and alert the kitchen.”

I nodded absently. When she was gone, I turned to Asahi. “I’m sure that the guards and the Emperor’s Dogs don’t allow the ministers and their families free range of the palace. Who is watching them?”

“There are guards assigned to Blue Mountain View House,” Asahi said. “And also an entire contingent that discreetly follows them whenever they leave.”

I thought back to the guards dressed in orange yellow that I had seen at nearly every gathering since before my wedding.

“I would like to hear from any guard who has trailed Lady Dalimu.” When I looked to the side, I could see suspicion in Asahi’s narrowed eyes.

“It might take some time to track them all down. I would need to speak with their captain.” His words were careful, his whole body tense.

“Yes. That’s fine.” I waved him off, heading back to my room, only just then realizing that Dawn was still on my shoulder.

“He is suspicious of you,” the bird chuckled.

That much I could tell for myself, even if I couldn’t identify what his suspicions were precisely. “Was there something you wanted?”

“Burn that bird,” Dawn said sharply. “And food.”

I gestured at the table in my room, which already had two plates clearly for the ravens. Then, because there was little else to do, I began cleaning my weapons.

If Lady Dalimu had rushed when she got my invitation, her appearance gave no sign of it.

Her hair was pulled up into a small bun at the top of her head, the entire sweep of her long hair held together by a single golden pin.

Her clothes were deep green, nearly the opposite shade of House Dalimu’s traditional red colors.

She was waiting for me in the garden, already sitting at the table readied for us. The tea that Nohe had arranged looked perfect. Did the palace always keep small finger sandwiches and delicacies on hand on the off chance that the emperor would decide he wanted a picnic?

As I approached, Piivu leading me to the table, her eyes flicked between us, and the glance she exchanged with Piivu was almost nothing. Almost nothing.

Piivu pulled out my chair, and I sat, looking between them. Asahi had positioned himself to one side, and another Emperor’s Dog had appeared on the other. I wasn’t sure if it was my being outside or the fact that I was meeting with a known traitor, but he was worried.

“Your Highness.” Lady Dalimu pushed back her chair to bow, fingers in a triangle above her forehead.

“Lady Dalimu.” I started to say thank you for joining me but realized Eona? wouldn’t say anything like that unless it was a passive-aggressive point.

The morning breeze rustled the garden leaves around us.

Flower petals drifted down off a nearby bush, and I wondered how to approach the topic I needed information about.