Page 65 of Shadow Throne King
Tallu continued watching her, and Vostop began to shift, frowning between the two of them. Koque raised her chin, remaining silent.
I frowned and was about to say something when Vostop spoke.
“Of course, Krustau was happy to lend aid to our closest ally. The Imperium has long been a good neighbor to us.” His words were delicate, but that sparked a flash of a smirk on Tallu’s face.
“Your ally? The Imperium’s monarch dead, and his mistress consort on the run. We are so grateful that the Shadow King saw it as a plea for help rather than an admission of guilt.” Tallu spoke carefully, setting each word down as though it was a game piece. For all of his time in the imperial court, Vostop had not learned the delicate way that they spoke around each other, accusations implied.
“Accuse me, if you dare.” Anger flashed on Koque’s face. “You do not have the stomach for it.”
“Ido not have the stomach for it?” Tallu fixed his eyes on hers, and even when Vostop tried to speak again, he didn’t lookaway. Vostop fell into silence. Tallu’s lips rose in a smirk. “You killed my father, the Emperor of the Southern Imperium.”
“Therehe is. Do you know what they called you in the court? It was not truth-sayer. They called you a viper.”
“They called me much worse than that. If you think I do not know every name the court ascribes to me, you are more of a fool than any of the counselors I exposed. Now they call me murderer.” Tallu dipped his chin just low enough to make it clear he was nodding in her direction, his smirk giving her the credit; by her actions, she was the one who had given him that name. “And that is the one falsehood they have ever uttered about me. I am no kingslayer. For that, I yield to you, Empress.”
Koque had gone pale, but she did not acknowledge his words in any way.
“I am not here for you,” Tallu said. One of his hands dropped under the table, and I leaned toward him just far enough to press mine on top of his. He was fisting his palm so tightly that I was sure he would draw blood. “You are nothing more than the path I took to the throne. Enjoy your life here, yielding whatever pride you have to a mad king in a cave. I am only here for my brother, and I willnotleave without him. Call me whatever else you want, but he ismine, and I will have him.”
“We are all, perhaps, lucky that my cousin did not choose to attend this meeting. Emperor Tallu, your words cut as sharp as blades. You may not have violated the terms of hospitality, but I believe it is in your favor that King Inor is not present to hear them.” Vostop’s smile was slightly strained, and he raised his cup, toasting Tallu before drinking it. “You have also not eaten. And until you do, the rules of hospitality are not in place.”
The words were so explicitly a warning that I tightened my hand once on Tallu’s before releasing. I stabbed my fork into the first food I saw on the plate, shoveling a piece of gamy meat into my mouth and chewing.
It was salted and flavored with herbs that cut the tough texture. Beside me, Tallu split open a piece of bread, putting it into his mouth and swallowing it almost without chewing.
I finally raised my cup to my lips and drank deep. The spiced drink seemed to fizzle on my tongue, a sweet aftertaste cutting the heat.
Vostop exhaled, relieved. He smiled at Tallu again. “There, now all is set. Hospitality offered and accepted.”
Tallu took another bite, his jaw working for a few breaths. When he swallowed, there was a guarded interest in his expression. “How long do you intend to hide in the mountains, Koque? There are a great many who would be relieved upon your return to the Imperium.”
“Wouldyoube relieved, Tallu?” She fixed her gaze on his, then looked away, her eyes catching on the forest in the distance.
“Yes.” Tallu looked down at his plate, choosing another morsel.
Koque smiled thinly. “Such a relief to hear that you still bear me such affection.”
“Is it so hard to believe?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Nearly everyone speaks of you with great affection, Empress Koque.”
Koque turned to me, and there was a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth. “It shows that you did not grow up in the Imperium that you believe every word someone says.”
“I believe very few words anyone says in the Imperium.” I took one of the pieces of flatbread and dragged it through a spicy dip that Vostop had put next to it. “What happened to Prince Hallu?”
Koque said nothing.
Across from her, Tallu’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “Aretwoof the bodies returned to the capital real?”
“Again, I know nothing about what was taken to the capital.” Koque lifted her cup but found it empty. Vostop leaned over,refilling it from the carafe. I took another drink from my own cup, the sweet chocolate flavor taking precedence over the spices on the second sip.
“It seems, Empress, you know very little,” I said. “You do not know who killed Emperor Millu. You do not know how they did it. You do not know why your survival was covered up and two innocents were sent to take your place in the mausoleum. But as a mother, you cannot tell me you do not know whether your ownsonis alive or dead?”
“Areyounow implying that I killed Emperor Millu?” Empress Koque lifted her chin, her smirk turning into a soft shake of her head. “Why would I want to kill him?”
“You knew who was coming. When my sister arrived, there would be someone else occupying the empress’s quarters.” I let my eyes trail over Koque. She was gorgeous, beautiful beyond most comprehension, but she was older than my sister. “And you had to know that my sister would be more to his liking.”
“I am not sure what you are implying, Prince Airón. It seems to me you have a grave misunderstanding of my husband’s interest in me. I can assure you that a bond such as ours would not have been so easily broken.” She glanced at me, letting her eyes trail from the top of my head down to where the table masked the rest of my body. “Even if your own beauty was a fraction of your sister’s.”
“I imply nothing,” I said mildly. “I am merely pointing out that it is impossible for the Imperium to have two empresses. And, in the north, we are not taught to lose to our elders once we begin playing a game. My sister would not have yielded to you out of respect for your age.”