Page 58

Twenty-Seven

A s I walked, I eyed the Dog who was with me. Halfway to the garden labyrinth, I asked, “What is your name?”

“You may call me Dog,” he said in an uncanny imitation of Toji.

“I’m not going to do that. If you’re going to be guarding me, I need to know your name.” I stopped just before the entrance to the row of hedges.

The last time I had been here, the Bemishu twins had been leading me inside to a secret meeting of rich and powerful women with rich and powerful husbands. Green leaves rustled in the slight breeze, and it would serve as a place to speak privately, as long as I could trust the Dog with us.

“We’ll certainly get along a lot better if we have some familiarity with each other,” I said.

The man’s mask was carved to look like a snarling bear’s face, exposed teeth extending up the man’s cheekbones almost to the corners of his eyes. His eyes were cold when they examined me.

“Boro, Your Highness.” He gave me his name like a warning, and I wondered if I was supposed to recognize it.

“Boro,” I repeated. “I am Prince Airón.”

“I know exactly who you are,” Boro said, and I didn’t like the buzz under my skin, the sense of danger I got from the man.

There was a feeling, my father said, when you knew that deep in the woods there was a creature out there that might kill you. Boro made me feel as though I could see the eyes of my killer in the darkness.

I did not want to walk into the maze with him, but I wanted even less to stay standing, waiting for Lady Dalimu too obviously like some sort of lovestruck fool.

What would the gossip say then? Not that it mattered, but I couldn’t stand for them to whisper behind their fans and in their private lunches that already the northern prince was looking to add to his harem.

The emperor was not quite enough for him.

Glancing at Boro one last time, I began walking into the maze.

As I remembered, the hedges began low so that you could see over the edge.

No one else was in the maze with us. Boro’s footsteps were silent behind me, and I fought the urge to glance back and make sure he was there like the lover in the old myth who checked too often to make sure his goddess was with him until she got sick of the constant watching and left him.

Purple buds were forming on the bushes, and whoever trimmed the hedges had carefully avoided slicing them open. A few had spread their leaves, displaying a brilliant white star in the center, and a sweet scent lingered in the air around them.

We walked deeper, and the hedges grew higher; I could no longer see over the edges. I heard a rustle and glanced over my shoulder to see Boro less than a hand’s length behind me.

“Are you afraid assassins are going to leap out even here?” I tried to keep my tone teasing, but my skin crawled, every sense heightened. I wished I’d brought my wolf’s claw, but I only had three daggers on me. He had a full-sized imperial blade.

“Toji was my friend,” Boro said, his voice a growl, and I didn’t need Spoiled Brat to tell me that this wolf had decided on the prey it wanted to hunt.

“Toji? The Dog that was with me when I went to the market the other day? That’s right. Why isn’t he with me?”

“Toji is dead.” Boro stopped, and I followed suit, turning to face him. We were in a narrow passage, the brush on either side so thick that it might as well have been solid rock.

I tensed. I had three blades on me, but he had his longer weapon, and his clothes were designed for fighting, while mine were designed for court. Neither of us moved.

“Consort Airón!” A voice broke the tension between us.

Lady Dalimu didn’t rush, keeping her steps measured. By the time she arrived between us, Boro had stepped back, retreating to the appropriate distance for a Dog. He barely glanced at us, but I knew every word would have to be carefully chosen.

“Lady Dalimu, what a surprise to see you here. Are you also going for a walk this morning?” I asked, my voice loud enough to carry in case there was anyone hiding in the labyrinth.

“Prince Airón.” Lady Dalimu bowed low, her fingers forming a triangle. “You do me a very great honor.”

I nodded, clasping my hands behind my back and continuing down the path. Behind us, Boro was stymied, his expression dour, but even he wasn’t foolish enough to do anything in front of a witness.

“Your one-month celebration is coming up soon, is it not?” Lady Dalimu’s question appeared light, but I could hear the underlying tension. She had just as much riding on the celebration as I appeared to.

“In seven days,” I agreed. “There are so many preparations to oversee that I confess I feel unequal to the task. Luckily, Nohe and the palace servants are making sure everything is ready. My sole job is to approve things they have already decided. It’s so effective, I’m superfluous except as a stuffed doll for them to poke with needles during fittings. ”

“I’m sure it’s not so bad as all that.” Lady Dalimu nodded. “If they truly desired a stuffed doll, I’m sure they could make one.”

“No, no, a true stuffed doll wouldn’t give them the pleasure of saying ‘ouch!’ at volume.

” We turned, following the curve of the maze.

“I am glad you will be able to join us at the celebration. There will be food from city and palace chefs. Nohe tells me some famous dance troupes will be performing. And the Ladies Bemishu have let me know their father intends to show off a new invention of Mr. Bechi.”

Lady Dalimu turned toward me with a jerk, her body freezing before she turned back to the path, her voice catching as she said, “Mr. Bechi?”

“We’ve been told it will change the face of the imperial expansion.

Quite brave of him, presenting something of Bechi’s given that Emperor Tallu has taken the man into custody.

” I shook my head. “I cannot imagine it will paint Bemishu well. The emperor does not like being undermined like that, and Bechi has his special dislike because he tried to use me to get to the emperor.”

“Yes, I warned you his husband was not simply showing off his undergarments.” Lady Dalimu’s eyes were unfocused. “You said it was an invention of Mr. Bechi? Did Bemishu say anything else? Was it just the one thing he was presenting, or were there more implements of war he was showing?”

“Just the one. The twins both said I should keep my eyes on the sky, as it would surpass anything I could imagine.” When Lady Dalimu looked like she was going to walk into a bush, I reached out, taking her elbow and guiding her around it. “So interesting, wouldn’t you say?”

“I would. Yes. Fascinating.” But the color had drained entirely from her skin, the gleam of it fading to a pale gray. She stared unseeing at the labyrinth, the purple flowers, the green leaves. “You heard it from the twins? Not directly from Bemishu?”

“Their father wanted them to tell me,” I said. “And you and I both know how close they are with General Bemishu.”

She turned to me sharply. I’d caught her attention twice now: once with the revelation of Bemishu’s betrayal and again with this mention of family dynamics.

“Yes,” I said, smiling. “It’s hard to find more devoted daughters. After all, they put up with the attentions of Dr. Jafopo at his direction, don’t they? Granted, unlike you, they likely can split which of them sees the doctor. I doubt the doctor is aware if they trade places.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Lady Dalimu drew her chin straight, her color coming back. “The doctor and I have an understanding.”

“Do you? Perhaps you should check that your understanding is mutual . Because if it is not, if he is, perhaps, not as committed as you, then there are other options.” We’d reached the center of the maze, and I drew her to one of the empty tables.

The metal chair was damp from morning dew, and a small red spider crawled across the surface of the tabletop.

Boro stepped so closely behind me that I could nearly feel the electricity in his bones, the buzz of it against my back.

“Boro,” I said, raising my hand to gesture at the nearest entryway back to the maze. “I see someone over there. I’m sure they’re an assassin in disguise.”

“There’s no one,” he said, his voice a growl.

“There’s someone,” I insisted. “I think it’s one of Kacha’s men.”

Boro exhaled sharply but strode across the square, re-entering the maze.

“Are you going to offer yourself up as the better option?” Lady Dalimu smirked. “Become consort to the consort? Even my sister was not that brazen.”

“No.” I used my thumb to crush the spider, rubbing it into the cold metal. “My affections are not available. I’m here to offer you a future.”

She raised a hand, brushing some of her black hair off her pale forehead, her shoulders pulled back. Her smirk went even more sour.

“You want to use me. Have me as your own personal night flower, ask me to sleep with men and women for information. At least Bechi was married to his husband when he asked him to spread his legs for imperial favor.” She raised her chin and clenched her jaw.

“You’ll offer me… what? The benefit of staying here as a courtesan rather than returning to Forsaith? ”

“General Bemishu is going to present your airship as Detipo Bechi’s creation.” I paused; I heard voices in the labyrinth. Boro’s voice rose to a yell. Hopefully, whatever poor gardener he was upset at wouldn’t suffer too greatly.

“My— But if you already know about my airships, then the general must have told you about them.” She pressed her hands against her skirt. “The emperor must have heard about them from General Bemishu.”

“We did not hear about it from the general. Your brother told me, and I told the emperor, but the Bemishu twins told me their father intends to present a creation of Mr. Bechi at our one-month celebration.” I watched her shake her head, her hands fisting the fine material of her skirt.