“Good,” he said. He stepped back, his expression dropping back to chilly neutrality as he turned, his robe flowing around him. He stepped up onto the dais. “The deal is fulfilled. You may return north, Princess Eonaî. Take Lord Fuyii with you or don’t, but he needs to be on his way out of the Imperium by the end of the week.”
“No.” Eonaî’s round eyes found mine, and she wet her lips before softening her tone. “My lord, in the Northern Kingdom, it is necessary to have family from the betrothed present at the wedding. Otherwise, it’s not a valid ceremony.”
“We are in the Imperium,” he said. “Such a conceit is not necessary here, and I doubt your father would appreciate my stealing both his children for so long.”
“My lord—” Eonaî lowered her head, the motion a clear act of supplication in the complicated physical language of the Imperium.
“I am not your lord.” Tallu flicked his robe so that it fell perfectly when he sat on his throne. “The correct form of address isYour Imperial Majesty.”
Eonaî paled, licking her lips again, but before she could say anything, I grabbed hold of her elbow, squeezing once.
“Your Imperial Majesty… Betrothed.” I gentled my address, trying to remember the physical sign of apology and coming up with a vague memory of a specific head nod that I had no urge to try in case it actually meantscrew you and everyone in your extended family. “We have spent our whole lives together. Let us have a few days to say goodbye. I would take it as a gift, a favor to me.”
Tallu stared at me, his chin resting on his hand again, and I was faced with a sudden, sharp memory of his fingers brushing over my skin, his fingerstouchingme.
“No,” he said finally, his voice echoing. “She must leave before the tide turns. You may have a few hours, but your sister is leaving tonight.”
“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head carefully. “Is there somewhere more private we might say goodbye?”
“Of course.” Tallu flicked his fingers, and one of his masked guards stepped forward. He leaned back and whispered in the Dog’s ear.
The guard stepped down and led us through a side door and back into the Turtle House area of the palace. Nohe waited, hands clasped.
When she saw the guard, she bowed low. “Sagam.”
“Prince Airón is staying as the emperor’s betrothed. The girl is going back on the first ship north. They are to have somewhere private to say their goodbyes.” The faceless guard—Sagam—took a step back as though he was going to follow Eonaî all the way to the dock and possibly even the Silver City to make sure she returned safely to our mother.
“The greeting room should suffice. Unless you would prefer your quarters, Prince Airón?” She looked at me, her tone neutral, and I couldn’t read anything in her expression.
“My quarters. At least give my sister the grace to know the emperor won’t be keeping me in a prison cell.” I grinned to show it was a joke.
Nohe’s lips twitched reflexively, and then she glanced at Sagam.
“Is that also a northern wedding tradition?” our guard asked, and only the tone of his voice said he was teasing. His body was so still I couldn’t see his chest rise with his breath.
“Oh yes,” I said. “A holdover from when ancient warriors used to kidnap ice nymphs for brides. Now, it just means a lot of very well-appointed prison cells to keep up with tradition.”
“This way,” Nohe said, drawing my attention back to her. She gestured toward the hallway, using the same respectful gesture she had with Eonaî.
We passed through a set of doors into an inner courtyard, then up a set of stairs to a large set of rooms. The receiving room opened to a balcony that wrapped around the building, two servants standing ready along the wall, their hands clasped in front of them.
“These are the guest quarters you’ll be staying in until the emperor decides which rooms you’ll be in permanently.” Nohe walked to a set of two doors, opening them to reveal a bedroom larger than my mother’s in the Silver City. “If anything here isn’t to your liking, please inform me immediately.”
She waited, and I looked between her and Sagam. “I appreciate such a kind gesture of hospitality. As the emperor has been clear regarding the time constraints, right now, my desire is to be alone with my sister.”
Nohe bowed low, the other servants following suit, all with their fingers forming triangles above their foreheads. She rose and walked through the other room, taking the two other servants with her. Sagam lingered. Wearing his mask, only his eyes were visible.
“I will fetch her with enough time to make the ship.” He bowed, not nearly as low as Nohe. It was respect one would show to someone of equal rank.
So, being the Emperor’s Dog gave him a position closer to my peer than servant to the emperor’s betrothed. He left on silent feet, so quietly that if I hadn’t been watching him closely, I wouldn’t have known he had gone.
When we were alone, Eonaî drew me close, wrapping me in a tight hug. In Northern, she said, “No, we have a few hours. We can find a way to?—”
“A way to what?” I murmured into her ear, purposefully speaking quickly, using the slangy language she and I had developed as children. For anyone who wasn’t from the Silver City, it would be nearly impossible to translate. “Switch positions? How many windows have you trained to climb into? How many ways have you learned to… gut a fish?”
“I won’t leave you alone here,” Eonaî said sharply. “I won’t. I’ll come back as a maidservant. I’ll disguise myself. We are two halves of the same soul, Airón.”
“No,” I said, whispering into her ear. No one could hear what I had to say. “I will do both parts, be both sides. I will do this. I will end it for Mother and you and the Silver City. And you, my precious sister. You willlive. It is a boon I couldn’t have hoped for. Do you understand?”
