Page 48 of Shadow Throne King
Susipo yanked hard, falling to the ground. One of the Dogs was dragged with him, but the other had loosened his grip enough that Susipo was free, and he got hold of a dagger on the Dog’s leg.
In one swift motion, he drew it across his own neck. It was shallow, but not shallow enough to save his life. Choking on his own blood, he collapsed onto the floor. Tallu stared, lips pressedtogether, and I was the only one who noticed how tightly his jaw was clenched.
When the gasping, choking sounds faded to silence, Tallu asked, “Was he here when my father died?”
“No, Your Imperial Majesty. No. He was only recently employed in the kitchens.” The cook bowed, then seemed to realize that was not enough. He fell to the ground, prostrating himself, and behind him, the other servants all did the same.
“Who hired him?” Tallu asked.
“He—” The cook spoke to the floor, hesitating only a moment before saying, “I am not sure.”
“Where is Quuri?” Tallu asked.
The door opened, a single Dog slipping out and returning a moment later. The steward of the Lakeshore Palace must have been lingering in the hallway, and whether it was because of worry for the servants under her or anxiety because she had played some part in the attempt on Tallu’s life was unclear.
She took in the room with a glance, her eyes pausing on Susipo’s corpse before trailing over the servants still prostrated on the ground. “How can I serve Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Who hired this man?” Tallu asked.
Quuri blinked. “Your Imperial Majesty.”
Tallu frowned. “Answer the question.”
Quuri bowed. “I apologize. I meant no offense. But, to my understanding, Your Imperial Majesty hired him. He arrived with General Maki and stayed after you sent the general elsewhere.”
Tallu went so still that I looked around, trying to decide if Naî had frozen time again. When he finally spoke, it was with such mild confusion that Quuri’s shoulders relaxed, clearly convinced that he was not angry.
“When I sent General Maki elsewhere?”
“Yes. He received your message from the envoy being sent to Krustau and left with him to facilitate peace talks with the Shadow King.” Quuri looked down at the cook on the floor. “This was one of the men he brought with him.”
“And when did General Maki arrive?” Tallu asked.
“Several weeks ago.” Quuri’s voice took on a hesitancy. She had finally realized that something was amiss and things were not about to go her way. “He arrived with the first envoy you sent to Krustau.”
Tallu looked at Topi. “We sent the first envoy to Krustau six weeks ago.”
She nodded slowly. “General Maki sent me away nearly two moons ago. He must’ve come across the envoy just after I left.”
“Surely even at the Lakeshore Palace, you heard how all of the emperor’s generals turned traitor against him?” I asked.
Quuri nodded, glancing down at the head chef, but with his face pressed into the floor, he was no help. “Yes. We had heard. But General Maki appeared with a letter bearing your seal that told us he alone had your complete trust. He was the one who first sent an envoy to Krustau. He told us it was on your orders.”
“He had a letter bearing my seal.” Tallu glanced at the Dogs standing next to Quuri. “Do you have this letter?”
“Of course.” Quuri turned, clearly about to go fetch it, but hesitated, glancing at the Dog next to her, suddenly seeming to become aware of the lethal situation she was in. “Shall I fetch it?”
“Go with her.” Tallu made a gesture with one hand, his palm up, directing her to leave. Quuri nearly ran, a Dog trailing her, leaving the room eerily silent.
I glanced down at Coyome’s dead body. “Husband, shall we have the Dogs remove Coyome?”
Tallu followed my gaze and dipped his chin in a nod. “Kennelmaster, give him all the respect he deserves. This mansaved my life and, more importantly, the life of my beloved consort.”
The Kennelmaster looked down at the body before raising his chin and glancing around the room. With one hand, he gestured at two of the Dogs. They moved silently across the room, carefully positioning Coyome’s body and lifting it between them.
As they moved out of the room, I looked down at the mess of blood and vomit, the stomach lining Coyome had coughed up onto the floor. It smelled acidic, the scent rising into my nostrils, covering any remaining scent from the food on the table.
I had never seriously considered poisoning the emperor. I had always known that poisoning him would be a last resort, if I couldn’t gain access to him alone. There was too much that could go wrong with a poisoning, too many variables.