“Well, northern craftsmanship is astounding.” He put the knife back in the sheath, setting it beside him. “Thank you for the gift. Now it is my turn?”
I nodded, curious what metal object Tallu would give me, the man he thought had killed his cousin for him.
Tallu reached into his robe, taking out a gold box, delicately carved with dragonscale detailing on the sides and the House Atobe crest carved on the top. He handed it over to me, his eyes bright in the afternoon light.
“Something pretty and metal, wasn’t that it?” Tallu said. “You will find the true gift inside.”
I took it from him, keeping my hand steady as Yorîmu had taught me. Never show weakness. Never show doubt. Not even to yourself.
Flicking open the clasps, I felt my eyes go wide. Nestled in velvet was my dragon egg.
Eighteen
Igaped, my heart pounding but my hands still. You couldn’t throw a blade with trembling hands. You couldn’t loose an arrow if it wouldn’t stay steady.
“What is this, Emperor Tallu?” Carefully, I took out the egg, setting aside the box. I turned the egg in my hands. A small crack ran up the side, but other than that, it showed no damage from the rough treatment it had borne during the assassination attempt, the dip in the river, and the ride back to the palace.
I wasn’t sure how, but I could feel the egg alive. It thrummed under my fingers, warm to the touch.
“It is a gift of equal value to the one you’ve given me. Is that not enough?” Tallu asked, his eyes fixed on my face. I looked up, catching his gaze. His eyes traced over my face before glancing down at the egg I still cupped in my hands. When he looked back up at me, his lips were pressed flat, and everything in my stomach clenched.
Was this a test? Was this a warning? When we stepped out of this clearing, were the Emperor’s Dogs going to descend on me and slice my head from my neck?
Carefully, I put the egg in its bed again, slipping the box into my jacket. Tallu continued to watch me. Now. I needed to endhim now. But I had no weapons. The ceremonial dagger I had been able to bring as a gift, but Nohe and the seamstress had dressed me, then walked me here, and I hadn’t had time to grab another blade.
Was there a rock I could use?
“It’s valuable to me. It’s more than enough.” I looked down at it, wondering what itmeant. He thought I’d killed Rute, so he gave me adragon? I’d put his empire in danger, and he was giving me a gift of the creature whose death his whole imperial line was based on? The first emperor had only become an emperor by killing the One Dragon, and every emperor after had killed more until there were none left to kill. Except this one.
“Is there anything we need to say to finish the northern ceremony?” Tallu asked.
Everything in me felt tight. This was dangerous, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. Turning to the north, I bowed my head, hands open in offering. “Great northern bear, we thank you for all of your gifts. Take this gift and let our marriage blossom.” Though I spoke the words truly and with humility, I was aware that I was baring my neck before the man who now held my knife.
Then I stood, the nervousness in me unable to let me stay seated. “Emperor Tallu, your gift. What does it mean?”
I was nearly shouting the words, but Tallu didn’t react. “We should return. We will continue to receive gifts throughout the afternoon. Come.”
The order was sharp, a command that made me bristle with irritation.
When we walked through the forest again, I saw movement behind the trees. When I turned my head, figures were hiding behind the massive trunks. Likely the Emperor’s Dogs, except the color of their clothes was wrong, too red, too ragged.
As we stepped through the last line of trees, I readied myself, positioning my body defensively. This was where they were going to do it. This was where they were going to attack me, and I would…
The Emperor’s Dogs stood waiting at the doorway back into the palace, and I reached out, ready to grab one of them by the jacket, but no one attacked. Sagam turned his head, eyes narrowing at me in confusion rather than in threat.
Asahi muttered, “Are you returning to the dining room?”
Tallu was already inside, Sagam shadowing him. I followed behind, catching up quickly.
He hadn’t ordered his men to kill me. He had given me my dragon egg. He hadn’t asked about his leg and how it had magically healed in the forest. He had implied he knew about Rute and didn’t care; in fact, he saw it as agift. Everything inside me felt tense, wound tight. How was I going to survive this? There was no possible way I could survive this. So I just had to live long enough to kill him tonight and trust that with all of the egos in the room, they would destroy the whole Imperium to put themselves on the throne.
As we entered the dining room again, everyone immediately stood and bowed low, fingers forming triangles above their heads. The Dogs took their positions as we retook our seats at the head of the room. The rest of the court took their seats, except for three people.
The older man rubbed his hands together nervously. His face was unpowdered, deferring to the preferences of the emperor, and his robe was slightly frayed at the corner, although the stitching had been redone recently. It declared him Lord Chaliko. He was one of the council members who had been banished to Tavornai.
A young man and woman followed behind him, their faces resembling his enough that I could mark them as his children.All three of them bowed, falling to their knees and pressing their foreheads to the ground.
“Emperor Tallu, Consort Airón. We are grateful for the invitation to the festivities. We offer the greatest gift we could find to celebrate your union.” Lord Chaliko sat back and gestured with his hand. The woman stood, reaching into her pocket and taking out a small wooden box. She took a step forward, then hesitated, looking over Tallu’s shoulder at the Dogs standing behind us.
