Page 11 of Shadow Throne King
The dragon moved her neck, nudging my hand, and I shook my head, coming out of my distraction to scratch behind her crest again, to run my fingers down her neck. Her scales were cool to the touch, the downy plumes between them surprisingly soft.
“I need to tell Tallu,” I said.
The dragon grumbled unhappily when I tried to move around her and shrank back to the size of a hand, using her wings to carry herself to my shoulder. When I walked out into the room, Nohe was speaking quietly with Homisu and looked up at me with a frown.
“Your Highness, you asked for an update on Asahi. The infirmary is locked down, so that no one was allowed to speak to the servant we sent. The Kennel has yet to send you another Dog to replace Asahi…” She bowed, putting all of her uncertainty at protocol into the movement, and I took her meaning instantly. I should stay here. I should wait for safety. The emperor himself had ordered the Kennel to supply me with a Dog, meaning I should have one before I went anywhere.
I raised my hand, touching the dragon gently. Carefully, I removed it from my shoulder, staring at it.
The dragon tilted its head, considering me.“I do not know if I could save Asahi. I do not know if I could heal a wound from a creature like that.”
“I’m going to speak with His Imperial Majesty. If anyone attacks me on the way, I will have to defend myself.” I gestured to the sword I kept by my side, the wolf’s claw ready for use.
Nohe looked pained, and Homisu touched a finger to his ear and then dropped it to his shoulder, a servant’s sign that theirmaster was being foolish. Nohe rushed to the door to open it for me, and I headed downstairs to the main floor, leaving through a door to one of the gardens.
Immediately, a dark form dropped to my shoulder, Terror clucking into my ear like a disturbed mother hen. From my other shoulder, the dragon hissed, and before they could fight each other, I said, “Stop. Where is Tallu?”
Terror pecked gently on the shoulder he sat on, and I looked in that direction, seeing the emperor’s quarters. I headed there, passing servants and a few members of court out for a walk. They stared after me: the emperor’s strange consort wearing a raven on one shoulder and a dragon on the other.
Inside the building, I was more aware of the quiet than I was outside. Massive tapestries hung from floor to ceiling. Servants moved silently about their work. At the door to Tallu’s quarters, I pulled up short. It was closed.
The emperor’s quarters had two sets of doors, one that blocked off the whole set of rooms and another that guarded his private bedroom. The outer doors were closed, locked until tomorrow morning, or until Tallu himself opened them with his magic.
For a long moment, I blinked at the metal doors, frowning. It wasn’t even past lunch. These shouldn’t be closed until Tallu went to bed with me at his side.
“Your Highness,” a guard to my left spoke, breaking my concentration. He and his fellow had straightened up when I approached, the yellow orange of their uniforms crisp, their weapons as shiny as the day they had been forged.
I raised my hand, pressing it to the cold metal of Tallu’s door. “Why has the emperor closed his door? Who ordered it?”
The guards were silent, and when I looked over, they were each looking at the other, the silent conversation loud in thequiet hallway. Would they betray their loyalty to the emperor by answering my questions?
Glaring at them, I demanded, “Speak.”
It was a tone of voice I had learned from Tallu, saying at once:I am more important than you. Answer my question.
“The emperor’s servants said he ordered it. They expect to open them soon.” The guard shifted, his hand dropping to his weapon before he lifted it off, his eyes wide. “Your Highness.”
I frowned up at the door again, but before I needed to decide what to do, the door groaned. The locks slipped out of position audibly.
I stepped back, just in time for one of Tallu’s servants to swing it open, the emperor standing in the center of the hallway, surrounded by his Dogs. For a second, I was staring at a statue of Tallu, his expression grim, his face giving away nearly nothing.
Dr. Jafopo bowed to Tallu, murmuring something about being pleased to serve him, before scampering away. With a frown, I turned to stare after him, then returned my gaze to Tallu.
“Prince Airón, did you need something?” His eyes scanned the hallway around me, his brows drawing down into a glare before smoothing out. When he spoke again, his voice was frigid, colder than even the ice the dragon could produce. “Where is your Dog? What happened to your face?”
“If you have a moment, my lord, perhaps we might speak on it.” I gestured toward the interior of his quarters. One of the Dogs shifted, watching me with narrowed eyes, and I knew what he saw. A dangerous man bearing weapons, with a dragon on one shoulder and a bird from old legends on the other.
Without a word, Tallu turned, heading back inside. He chose one of the sitting rooms lit with early afternoon light, the stained-glass window so high that it caught the sunlight entirely. It painted thick, expensive carpets in gemstone shades. Tallutook a high-backed chair, the leather cushion stained maroon, silent under his weight. I chose a longer couch, hoping that one of my two passengers would take their cue to relieve me from my duty as a moving perch.
A servant entered with a tray of tea and snacks. She jumped back when Terror snapped at one of the delicacies before she could set down the tray. I shrugged my shoulder meaningfully, and Terror swayed, trying to keep his position, giving the servant time to place the tea tray between us, pouring two cups before disappearing out the door.
I glanced at the Dogs, positioned around the room. “Husband, might we speak in private?”
Tallu frowned, his eyes not moving from my face, even though I could feel his awareness of the listening ears in the room. “Leave us.”
“Your Imperial Majesty—” one of the Dogs started.
“I will not repeat myself,” Tallu said, his voice low. On my shoulder, the dragon lifted her head, the pressure around us thickening.