Page 44 of Shadow Throne King
I entered the room, the servants straightening and bowing as I passed, their fingers forming triangles. Along the wall, two rows of servants stood waiting, and one rushed forward to pull out the seat at Tallu’s right.
Sitting in the chair, I was aware of all the empty seats at the table, the number of people that this palace was meant to host, and the number of servants who occupied it, keeping it maintained, ready for an emperor that might never come visit.
In the hallway, there was a snapping voice, a few hissed words, and then Topi Bemishu strode into the dining room, her chin held high. She wore a set of imperial clothes, although they looked well beneath her station, and I wondered which servant had given up her best outfit so that Lady Topi would not be shamed in front of the emperor.
Coyome stepped in behind her, taking his position with the other Dogs arrayed around the room. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the food.
Tallu continued to swirl the wine in his glass, and he said nothing, glancing at Topi with something approaching disinterest. Lerolian strode in, talking quickly with another one of the blood monks. He stepped close to Tallu, bending to whisper into his ear before shaking his head and smiling at me.
“You’ll forgive me. I still forget sometimes that these whispers are not for Tallu alone anymore.” The blood monk straightened, looking around the room. “The servants are terrified, so terrified that they aren’t saying anything. Not to each other, unless it’s to relay a direct order from the steward of the palace or either of you.”
A nearby servant poured me my own glass of wine, and I considered it, swirling the liquid in the glass. “Husband, what happened to the servants implicated when your Dragon Blessed father died?”
Tallu’s eyes finally seemed to focus on something beyond his drink. He glanced at me thoughtfully. “The Dogs killed them before they took their own lives.”
The casualness in his voice showed what he assumed an emperor would feel about such a loss: nothing.
“I simply wonder because one of the servants in my rooms lost her tongue in the whole affair. Were there other servants who were present?” I took a sip of the wine, letting it linger on my tongue. It was dry, and I began to search for something fatty on the table to help cut the flavor.
“Some were allowed to stay, if their loyalty had been proven.” Tallu didn’t even glance at the lines of servants along the wall.
So that was the cost of loyalty to the emperor. Death if you betrayed him or maiming if you didn’t.
“I see,” I said, finally finding a small morsel I was familiar with. It was salted meat atop a cracker smeared with soft cheese. It had been one of my favorite dishes at our one-month celebration.
“I’ll see if anyone else notices whose tongue has been cut out,” Lerolian said thoughtfully. “That is a good point. Someone who lost their tongue must have something important they’re not allowed to say.”
Before I could place the cracker on my plate, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye dart forward. Coyome bowed at my elbow.
“Your Highness.” He served himself one of the crackers, using a small plate at the edge of the table.
I paused, glancing at Tallu. On the road, it had made sense to have Coyome taste the food before Tallu ate it. It was unlikely someone would try to poison a strange merchant traveling through the Imperium. But there was a chance that the food was rancid or had some other accidental toxin in it.
Tallu glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the Kennelmaster, and I understood. The Kennelmaster had ordered it. In this place, where the last emperor had died of poison, only a fool would eat the food without a taster.
When Coyome bit into the meat and cracker, he chewed for some time, his tongue probing for flavors that might indicate poison. Swallowing, he nodded his head.
A servant moved, placing three of the crackers on my plate, and I ate them, uncomfortable at the implication of a taster. At the Mountainside Palace, none of Tallu’s Dogs had insisted on checking his food. Another Dog stepped forward, taking a small portion of the rest of the dishes and placing them on the plate Coyome had used.
Coyome stepped back, bowing formally to Tallu, then me. He didn’t bow to Topi, but I saw him glance up at her and dip hischin, the most subtle of acknowledgments. She turned away, her lips pursed as she examined the rest of the table.
Coyome began by sniffing his plate, taking a small bite of everything. I saw his tongue move around his mouth, his eyes closed. Then he took larger bites, testing the whole of his sample.
Finally, after he had tried everything spread on the table for Tallu, he looked up.
“It is free of poison,” he said.
Topi released a breath, her shoulders dipping just slightly. At the words, two servants started forward, serving me and Tallu from the food spread across the table. When our plates were full, one of them turned, beginning to serve Lady Topi.
“Have you already alerted the Krustavian king that you’re here for an audience?” I asked.
“He knows I’m here.” Tallu put down his glass of wine, picking up a fork and stabbing a small round berry that had rolled off one of the meats. Considering it, he said, “I’m sure that the Shadow King has men watching the palace, and it would have been impossible to miss the greeting we received.”
I took another one of the crackers, putting the whole thing in my mouth and chewing to give myself time to think. The salted meat added to my thirst, while the soft cheese provided a richness when I took another sip of wine.
“So you’re going to wait for his invitation?” I pressed.
“No. Tomorrow, we start up the mountain. We will see then what the Krustavian king says.” Tallu used the side of his fork to slice a bit of fish, the meat flaking in tender perfection.