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Tallu turned to General Saxu. “Imprison all of General Maki’s commanders until we can discern who among them feels as he does and who among them did not do their duty to the Imperium and report his attempt to raise the dead.”

Saxu nodded, his hands forming a triangle above his forehead. Tallu turned away, and I could see his mouth tight, everything about him pulled as though this was costing him years of his life.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Hipati stumbled through the thickly packed military officers, her hair brushed out of her face, although the impression of sheets on her cheek indicated she had been taking some well-deserved rest.

“We should see General Kacha’s quarters and his offices to see what information and papers he kept from Your Imperial Majesty.” I kept my words low, deferential, my eyes down. Still, I could feel Tallu’s gaze on the side of my face.

“Lead us there,” he ordered.

Commander Rede jumped to attention, striding up the stairs and through hallways until he shoved open an office. It was empty of personnel, but the stacks of paper were neat and tidy. Stepping toward the desk, I flipped through it, skimming the text.

“And where would he keep the secrets he does not wish known?” I asked the question rhetorically, but part of me still wondered. Where was he keeping Terror, if he hadn’t already killed the raven?

“His private office is through here.” Commander Rede bowed, gesturing with his arm to a closed door with a lock of shining brass.

Tallu tried the door, discovered it was locked, and looked over his shoulder.

Asahi stepped forward, raising his foot and kicking it down.

Inside, papers were strewn everywhere. A massive war table took up most of the space.

The spread of imperial forces was marked by small pawns and miniature standards indicating which general was in charge of which front.

Reports were stacked neatly on the corner of the war table.

My fingers ran over the edges of the thick paper, flipping through the stack of it, catching a word here or there until I saw a phrase that made my breath halt, ice pressing into my chest. I pulled out the sheet of paper that had caught my eye.

Imperial soldiers were, at this moment, marching north toward Dragon’s Rest Mountains.

I swallowed, passing the sheet of paper to Tallu.

I picked up the next report, but it was stained with blood, and when I looked for the source, I saw a trail of it leading over the edge of the table.

Something had dragged itself that far and then fallen to the ground. I knelt, knowing what I would find.

In death, Terror looked smaller. His presence in life had always been too large for his body, too demanding, too sneaky, too smart.

But now, he was so small that I could fit him cradled against my body like an infant. I stood, bringing him into the light. I wasn’t sure what expression was on my face, but by the time I heard Tallu, his tone was concerned; he had clearly said my name several times already.

“I think I should retire,” I said. “The day has been overwhelming.”

There was little chance now that the soldiers would think me anything less than a weakling. A man who couldn’t even stomach a bird’s death.

The reality was worse: I was an assassin thwarted. And as soon as I was alone, I would correct the error.

Kacha would end this day dead, his eyes just as lifeless as Terror’s. His soul would not be taken to the afterlife by sea serpents; it would be left to rot here in the mortal realm.

Tallu said something, and then Asahi was rushing us through the building, back across silent grounds, windows lit now as news of the attempted coup began to spread throughout the palace.

I could not seem to let go of Terror. By the time we got to the emperor’s quarters, my hands and clothes were sticky with blood.

Tallu’s servants had made quick work of cleaning up. Other than the ten guards stationed at the entrance to his quarters and even more in the hall outside Tallu’s bedroom, there was no sign that anything abnormal had happened that evening.

General Kacha had been erased completely: the bedding changed, the blood scrubbed away or covered with new carpets. There were six Emperor’s Dogs inside Tallu’s chambers, and I recognized none of them.

I was barely aware of anything when I took a seat on the couch, hearing the murmur of voices and then the grinding sound of gears and metal shifting into place.

“Airón, we are alone,” Tallu said. He was kneeling in front of me, his hands on either side of mine.

Blood from my hands seeped into his beautiful skin. He did not try to take Terror from me.

After a time, Tallu stood, and I heard him unlocking his secret room. There was a soft pad of footsteps as the ice dragon emerged.

I became aware of it only when its cold nose nudged at my hand. It blew out a freezing breath over my knuckles, and my fingers twitched. As I squeezed Terror’s body, the bird gave an unhappy moan.