Page 4 of Shadow Throne King
Tallu looked into my eyes, his brows pulled tighter, lips still frowning. “The doctor.”
“Later. Let’s hear from the man who examined the body first. I’d like to know how anyone missed that the poor corpse was more insect than flesh.” I wrapped my fingers around Tallu’s. “After that, Dr. Jafopo can poke, prod, and drill as many holes as he likes in me.”
“No holes,” Tallu said. “Or he will not be a doctor for long.”
Gently, Tallu pulled my arm through his, leading me upstairs. My hand fit in the crook of his elbow, and I took some comfort from how warm his skin was, even through layers of silk and the robe he wore. The bites stung and my hand throbbed, but the walk to Saxu’s office felt too short.
Dominating Saxu’s office was a massive table that took up nearly half the room, enough for every general and several commanders to sit. On the other side of the room was a war table, the pieces and markers indicating where the other four generals had last been seen.
One of General Saxu’s aides had set out tea and some snacks. Tallu took a seat at the head of the table, the massive chair turning into a throne as soon as he sat in it.
I could feel the anger rolling off him. The silence stretched as the rest of us took our seats, and no one dared speak. Even General Saxu frowned, his eyes turning to the door when footsteps sounded in the hall.
Commander Rede opened the door, and a man wearing a military coat followed him into the room. The stitching indicated a senior military doctor, and I could see evidence where someone had painstakingly removed the old stitching. Based on the fading of the jacket, he’d been on General Maki’s campaign before his assignment in the capital.
“Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor bowed. “Lieutenant Wituno.”
“You nearly caused the death of my husband,” Tallu said. “Explain yourself.”
Wituno jerked, his eyes going to me, wide. “What?”
“Some insects this long”—I held out my hands—“were inside the body you examined earlier. Tell us what you saw when you looked at the corpse.”
Gaping at me, Wituno frowned, looking between the spread of my palms. “Impossible. I checked the lieutenant before we put him in storage. The corpse was two weeks old, as long as it would take to arrive from the Krustavian border, but other than the missing head, there were no injuries. The flesh was bloated from time, but…insectsthat large?”
“They moved the body.” I picked off one of the pieces of insect carapace stuck to the edge of my boot, flicking it on the table. The hard outer shell slid to the doctor. “These are not normal insects.”
Carefully the doctor reached out, picking up the piece of the carapace, his expression going serious. “They may have only been eggs when I examined the body earlier. Perhaps they hatched. And grew that quickly.”
“We have long known that whatever dwells in the Krustavian Mountains is dangerous.” General Saxu laced his fingers together, his eyes fixed on his hands. “But this…”
“They crawled out of the dead man’s body. They were waiting.” I didn’t talk about the voice I had heard in my head, claiming that they wanted me personally. “Waiting for one person to be left alone with the body. They controlled it. The corpse sat up, moving under the control of these things.”
“The first time the Imperium tried to invade Krustau, the dwarves drove our forces off,” Saxu said. “The time after that, it was whatever lives in the dark under Mountain Thrown City that stopped us. Even the dwarves fear the darkest places in the mountain tunnels.”
“What else have you missed if you missed Krustau sending us a corpse filled with eggs?” Tallu asked.
Wituno paled, his throat working. He threw himself to the ground, face pressed against the wood. “I have no explanation, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“All messages and messengers passed through the Lakeshore Palace, and they noticed nothing amiss either,” Saxu said softly. “If the guards in the Lakeshore Palace noticed nothing wrong with the bodies, perhaps what is called for is moreskilledeyes on the border. More soldiers, but also more Dogs.”
“Would the Dogs see anything different from what the military does?” Tallu asked.
Saxu took his teacup into his hands and held it with only his fingertips pressing on the thin ceramic. He finally looked up, his dark eyes meeting Tallu’s. “DoyourDogs see anything different than the palace guard?”
Tallu tilted his head, the pause lengthening. He glanced over at his Dogs, and I only recognized the mask of one of them. Boro, a friend of the Dog I had killed to protect Miksha.
Toji had been assigned to guard me and then been unlucky enough to suspect Miksha and I were plotting something when I met her in the market. His death had been impossible to avoid, but it still lingered that if I’d just been more careful…
“I am sure they do,” Tallu said. “Are you suggesting the Kennelmaster’s spies see things your men do not?”
“His men are trained to blend in, as your Dogs do. The Kennelmaster is very good at what he does, and we need men who Krustau will not suspect.” General Saxu nodded his head, not quite a bow. “Your Imperial Majesty knows better than most how useful it is to be underestimated and invisible.”
“Fine. Tell the Kennelmaster to send his men now.” Tallu’s irritation was quickly stifled into nothingness, his expression mild again.
“By Your Imperial Majesty’s leave,” General Saxu said. He looked over at Commander Rede. “Let the Kennelmaster know I would speak with him.”
Commander Rede nodded and left the room, moving around the still-prostrated Wituno.