Page 70 of Shadow Throne King

“Your servants look eager to clean the stench of dwarven caverns from you.” The Kennelmaster nodded at where the servants assigned to me lingered nearby, just out of earshot. “Quuri had to hire more men, given how many are now in the dungeons for their association with General Maki.”

I looked at him sharply. “Are you worried?”

He smirked at me. “I am always worried. But now, I worry that His Imperial Majesty risks more than he can bear to lose on this venture.”

He gave me a respectful bow and walked away, fading into the shadows as well as his reputation said. I frowned, looking after him. As he walked past the gate, Lerolian and some of the other blood monks came through.

None of them looked happy, and I raised both eyebrows in question. The other blood monks walked off, their expressions grim.

“The others had a long discussion of what we should do, given Krustau’s power. If they have the power to remove us from this world—not by our own choice, but by force—we are not sure we should help Tallu if he attempts to go back.” Lerolian looked down at his hands. “We understand that Tallu is concerned about the curse, but… After all this time, I thought I would have been used to the idea of my death, and I find I am not.”

I looked down at my hands, pretending to fuss with the buttons on my jacket as I asked, “So you will not help us find him if we return to the Krustavian palace? Did you see Hallu at all?”

“I will not cross my brothers.” Lerolian’s words were careful. “None of us saw him.”

Which led to a whole new host of questions. Lerolian had said they would not help us if we wanted to return. It risked their lives, and I couldn’t blame him for that though theywerealready dead. But that made me wonder if his claim to have not seen Prince Hallu was genuine or if he was covering up for them.

“I understand.” And I did. I understood, even if I didn’t like it.

I finished pretending to straighten my clothes and allowed my servants to tactfully guide me into the palace. As we walked through to my rooms, I became even more aware of the dark stone throughout. It was the same type of stone that Inor’s Shadow Throne was made of.

The prevalence of it made me feel as though the Shadow King was following us. Even though we had escaped him with our lives, we could not be free of him, not as long as we were here, in the palace that used to belong to Krustau. Tapestries could cover, but not change, the carved stone of this place.

One of the doors was surrounded by a paneling made of the dark stone, and I walked over, raising my hand to touch it. It was warm, nearly the same temperature as my skin, and I felt a slight vibration in it, although I wasn’t sure how much of that was my own exhaustion making me see and feel things that weren’t real.

How old was King Inor? Had he been alive when the palace had been taken? When the borders of Krustau had given way to the Imperium’s greed?

Turning back, two of the servants were already bowing, both using a sweeping gesture to indicate the direction I was supposed to walk. Their faces were to the floor, and I knew they wondered if I had literally forgotten the route back to my rooms, or if they were just trying to be patient for the strange northern prince.

After a few hours with the Krustavians, the subtlety of the Imperial court hit me all over again. I remembered the barbed words that Empress Koque and Tallu had parried back and forth, as though neither was hurt by the implications of the other, or rather, their injuries must never be acknowledged. I followed the servants’ motions back to my rooms, finding myself undressed with the efficiency of a nanny used to stripping unruly toddlers of their mud-stained clothes. The bath maid gently herded me into the bath in my room.

Relaxing into the water, I could feel her presence at the door, quiet and ready. For a moment, I let the warm water absorb into my skin, all the way down to my bones. It felt luxurious to have a private bath.

Even at Turtle House, anytime I wanted to bathe, a tub had to be physically brought in, filled by servants rushing from fire to tub. If I moved to the empress’s quarters, none of that labor would be necessary; the rooms had a built-in private bath, with piping that brought the water directly in.

I was considering the logistics but heard the slightest whisper of movement. Letting my eyes crack open, I saw the bath maid shifting on her feet, her eyes fixed on the ground.

“Was it really mercy that lost you your tongue?” I murmured. “Quuri tells me that the other option was death, and she desperately wanted to save your life.”

The maid looked down, and I was angry all over again that I had never bothered to ask Quuri the woman’s name. It wasn’t as though the maid could tell me herself. She turned, finally, toward the door.

But it was closed, and my words had been quiet enough to keep them here, in the intimate space between us. She swallowed, then looked back, meeting my eyes. She shook her head.

“You helped Empress Koque escape?” I whispered the words.

She nodded slowly.

“How many others did?” I watched her face, unsurprised when her eyes went wide. “His Imperial Majesty will not punish you. I will not tell him where I got the information from.”

Slowly, her hand spread, gesturing widely. I tried to interpret it.

“The whole palace?” At my suggestion, she shook her head, and I tried again. “All of the servants who worked for Empress Koque?”

She slowly nodded.

“Quuri?”

She nodded again.