Page 83 of Shadow Throne King
“We thank you for the kind invitation,” Tallu said, his voice sure, even if I could feel the tense line of his body.
“Yes, it was such a delight to get such a thorough exercise of my sword skills this early in the morning,” I muttered.
There was a shuffling further down the tunnel, and light danced around a bend. I picked up the fallen lamp and let Tallu relight it. By the time Vostop arrived with five men, we were both facing him, eyes searching the narrow cone of light provided by the electric lamp.
Vostop nodded, the lantern in his hand flickering as he moved. I was so used to the consistent glow of the Imperium’s electric lights that it was strange to see a lamp with only a candle inside.
“Well met, Emperor Tallu. Come, this way. Try to be as quiet as you can. There are more badgers in the depths, and the Shadow King might be able to hear us.”
Vostop glanced over both of us then gestured down the tunnel. Two of his men loped ahead just past the line of his lantern, and three followed behind us, their faces shadowed in the light of Tallu’s lantern. I could hear the clink of their armor, the soft rustle of their weapons as they shifted. All five of them kept their hands close to their weapons, their heads moving back and forth in a constant search for enemies. Their silent anxiety was like a poisoned miasma seeping up from the ground.
I felt myself worrying at every shadow, and in the dark, there were many shadows. I could hear whispers through the walls, soft growls that echoed in my ears. It sounded like an animal speaking, but I couldn’t understand the words.
Obeying Vostop’s suggestion, we didn’t speak as we followed him turn after turn through the rabbit warren of tunnels. Every so often, we could feel vents of heat, the volcano that lived under the mountain making itself known. Other than the whispers of animals I could hear in my head more than my ears, we didn’t see anyone. No dwarf or creature crossed our paths.
Finally, Vostop paused. For a moment, I worried he had lost his way, but ahead of us, his men took up a defensive position.
Vostop raised his free hand to what looked like a normal stretch of wall. Then, the stone under his palm shivered.
In the flickering lantern light, it was difficult for me to see what Vostop did. The earth crumbled away from his hand, revealing a low door, circular like the tunnel we were walking through.
Vostop stepped through, and I followed behind, Tallu bringing up the rear. Vostop’s men stayed in the tunnel along with two of the blood monks. Lerolian and another followed us inside, hiding in the corner to listen without interfering.
Inside was a comfortable room, lanterns set into the walls, the table set with places for three people.
Empress Koque had removed one of the cushions from the couch and was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She stood immediately, a sharp blade in her hand, her eyes fixed on us.
When she saw Vostop, her shoulders dropped, the blade clattering to the floor. In two steps, she crossed the room, enveloping him in a hug.
“Did he hear you? Did he know what you were doing?”
“No. I told you. I removed all of the stone along the route. I was right.” Vostop tightened his hands around her back, releasing her after a moment and stepping back. He leaned against the small table, and Koque returned to her cushion on the floor. Two other cushions had been placed across from her, the setup favoring imperial comfort over Krustavian practicality.
“Empress Koque,” Tallu said.
“Tallu.” The chill and arch malice of their earlier conversation was gone; all that was left was affection. “Are you well?”
“Yes.” Tallu hesitated. He had heard it in her voice as well: the warmth, the worry.
When they had been verbally sparring, their accusations had been so cruel that they might as well have been using actual blades. All that was gone today, the dueling blades exchanged for a mother’s love.
“Good, good.” She opened her hand, gesturing at the cushions, and Tallu took a stumbling step forward, righting himself before taking the seat. Worry about his balance and health swamped me before I realized what the stumble truly indicated: he was so used to listening to her as one would a mother that his body had obeyed her silent command before he thought through whether or not he wanted to follow her direction.
“Explain.” Tallu’s order was short but I could hear all of his unease in it. He was so uncertain about what he did and did not know that he couldn’t use the pretty language of court to cover it up.
“There is much to explain,” Koque said. “What would you like to know first?”
“Why are we here?” Tallu asked, cutting to the heart of it. “Why was he talking about removing rocks? Where is my brother?”
“Hallu is ill,” Koque said immediately. “I do not think living in the mountains is good for him. He grows pale and cries at shadows. You are here because I wanted to have an honest conversation with you. And that is also the reason that Vostop removed the black rocks.”
“He cries at shadows? Is it the shadow itself, or is he seeing something that isn’t there?” Tallu’s words were intense, and Koque flinched, nearly recoiling before she straightened her spine.
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Tallu visibly forced himself to relax, and I reached over, putting my hand on his wrist. He glanced at me, his expression mellowing to its normal calm indifference. “Who can hear through the rocks?”
“You saw the throne of the Shadow King?” When we nodded, Koque continued. “It was not always so. When the Shadow King… That is, recently…veryrecently, the king has been able to use the same stone that his throne is made from to hear anywhere in the mountain. And there is plenty of that stone in the mountain.”