Page 66 of Shadow Throne King
The corners of her lips lifted again, and she looked from me to Tallu. “Well, Tallu, you have finally found someone who matches your ability to cut straight to the heart.”
She still had not said whether her son had died, but I thought maybe her silence was statement enough. Unless her safety was contingent upon the ImperiumbelievingPrince Hallu lived.
Tallu seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. Either his brother lived, and Koque was keeping it to herself for some strategic reason, or his brother was dead, and she didn’t dare risk the Shadow King’s fury if she revealed his play too early.
“I am glad you have found safety here, in the arms of our dear ally, Krustau.” Tallu tapped a finger against the delicate cup in front of him, the thin stone ringing like a bell when his rings struck it. “However, I cannot rest easily with the King of Krustau denying me sight of my heir. My brother is very dear to me. We cannot leave without knowing he is safe.”
Koque’s eyes dropped to Tallu’s finger. Everything he had on was from his father’s closet except for his jewelry. The ring was the shape of a dragon, twisting from his first knuckle down to his palm, where its tail curved around the back of his hand.
“Then take comfort, Tallu. As his mother,” her eyes lifted to me, and she tilted her head, acknowledging the hit, “I can guarantee your brother’s safety. My son lives. He is healthy and well. He is ready to take the golden crown of the Imperium, should the need arise.”
“We may hope it does not arise soon,” Tallu said, a wryness in his lips.
“Although I suppose we can’t guarantee that,” I said, dragging the flatbread through the dip again, enjoying the spicy aftertaste when I swallowed. “Given that we don’t know who killed Emperor Millu. How cold would one have to be to leave him screaming in death?”
An assassin was quick. Anything else was torture. And what kind of wife would torture her husband?
Maybe that question answered itself. The kind of wife who was married to Emperor Millu and knew her position in court was going to disappear too soon.
“Then we will leave, having assured ourselves of my brother’s safety,” Tallu said, standing. “It is always a pleasure to share a meal with you, Empress.”
“With my husband dead, there is no need for you to allow me the title.” Koque kept her eyes fixed on Tallu’s ring. “As your consort pointed out, the position would have been taken from me soon enough.”
“Oh, no,” Tallu corrected. “It is yours. We both know how you secured it. Unlike my own title, no one can claim that you did not earn the one you bear.”
“I would say that I cannot wait for our next meeting,” Koque said, “but I fear this may be our last one. If you do not intend to yield your throne, the King of the Shadow Throne has informed me that any future visits will not be as… hospitable.”
“We would never wish to endanger your stay at such a comfortable venue.” Tallu looked down at her, and she raised her chin.
They did not resemble each other. There was nothing familial in the lines of their faces, but something of her expression echoed on his face, as though he had imprinted on her as a child, learning her way of negotiating the court.
“If you intend to leave, I will take you myself,” Vostop said. He stood, bowing to Empress Koque before opening the door. Asahi stepped forward first, the tension drawing his body taut. Tallu and I followed behind.
This time, when we passed by the rooms in the palace, they were empty. No dwarves lingered or laughed.
The blood mages had grouped together, waiting just outside the entrance to the palace, stretching the length of their connection with Tallu. Seeing them all grouped together mademe aware of how many had faded since we began our journey. We had started with over a dozen, and now a mere eight remained.
“This way.” Vostop gestured, leading us back into the tunnels we had taken to get to Mountain Thrown City. Once inside, we reached a lake I was sure we had walked around, but instead, Vostop took us through a separate tunnel. We skipped the massive room with bats and stalagmites entirely.
“How did General Maki find his way here?” I asked, interrupting Vostop’s monologue about the history of one of the caverns we were passing through. In the distance, I could hear a rumble of conversation and the bright, clear sound of a hammer striking against stone.
“General Maki?” Vostop showed his teeth, the gleam of white visible in the soft fluorescence of moss growing on the walls.
“I understand that you and Empress Koque exchanged letters while you were stationed at the Imperial Palace and after.” I thought again of the stack of them I had found in Koque’s things. “It makes sense that she would come to you for help given how close the two of you had been. But General Maki had no such connection to King Inor, did he?”
“I cannot speak to whatever connections my cousin has,” Vostop said tactfully. He paused, turning. Asahi tensed.
We were in a narrow passageway, the walls on either side a gleaming limestone that seemed lit from within, gold veins glowing in the pale stone. Vostop leaned close, his voice barely more than a murmur. “I will say this: General Maki did not come up the mountain pass, the way you and Empress Koque did.”
Then he laughed, turning, and began to speak loudly about how valuable the stone on either side was.
The rest of his conversation was equally shallow, but it passed enough time that we were back outside the caves before I had a chance to think of more questions.
Outside, sunset was painting the sky, and the shadows on Tallu’s face were deeper, turning his frown into a glare. The two boys who had taken our horses had them ready, and Asahi checked them over as Sagam and I took our weapons from the bear statues.
It was a palpable relief for me to strap my blades back on, ready again to face whatever enemies would try to attack Tallu. He took his single sword, the narrow blade fitting against his hip. When Vostop tried to speak to him, he seemingly ignored the words.
“You may not believe this,” Vostop said, “but Empress Koque eagerly awaited your visit. I’m glad you were able to relieve her concerns over your safety.”