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"Don't encourage them," Khan begged. "Besides, I'm sure it was thechasteprince, not the virgin prince."
"It was both," Kemes said. She winked at Fen. "A good thing I didn't put that bond braid in your hair yesterday."
"You were going to do what?"
"Enough, children, we have more important things to discuss than these two finally having sex. Which I had to hear. And it was disturbing," Sargon said, sitting down at the head of the table. The twins fell about laughing again, and Khan let out a pained sigh. "Seriously, Khan is going to take back Ankhara, and we need a plan."
That made the twins shut up. Kashmet's sunny expression went straight to storm clouds. "Really? Already? I was kind of enjoying being home."
"When I'm pharaoh, you can come home whenever you please," Khan assured him.
Kemes punched him in the shoulder. "Don't be a baby, Kash. We knew he would pull his head out of his ass eventually."
They debated tactics when a high shrill echoed through the house, and a small golden bird flew into the dining room.
"What the Hel is that?" Fen asked, pulling her head down.
The bird squawked and landed in the middle of Kemes's breakfast.
"It's mechanical," Khan said in awe, leaning over the table to look at it. Kemes looked ready to stab it with a knife when it opened its small copper beak and started to sing a song at them.
"What in the gods… That's an Ankharian lullaby," Sargon murmured. The bird stopped its singing and started to speak.
"Greetings, Kemes, warrior of the spiteful tongue," it said with Asten's voice. The entire table hushed. "I apologize for the deception, but there was no other way to safely get you a message past the guards than to have them believe I was making my niece a toy. I know Khan is dead and that you and Kashmet have managed to escape the city."
"How does…" Kashmet started, but Kemes elbowed him.
"I'm hoping that you both made it safely to Atrahasis because I'm asking you now, begging for your help," Asten continued. "I know your council and city have no particular love for Ankhara, but we need your help. Hasina's soldiers are terrorizing the city, and her arena is running red with blood. She's throwing anyone who disobeys hers into it. The heads of the houses are terrified, but worst of all, she has demanded that the Thothi start working on weapons that could take down an aerial unit. I fear that she will start a war with Atrahasis if we don't stop her first. I know you don't like me, Kemes, but it's not about us. Please tell your grandfather. They need to act before this goes too far. Oh, gods, they are here—"
The bird's recording stopped.
Kemes picked it up and shook it. "No! Don't leave it like that, you asshole!"
Khan's stomach turned. "Fuck, I feel like I'm going to be sick."
"Hasina really is mad to think she could take Atrahasis on," Sargon muttered. "A good thing you have already decided to go back. We can't allow this to happen."
"How can we even get back to the city? If they know we survived, they will be watching for us," Kashmet growled.
"The retinue," Fen said, and they all turned to look at her. "Sargon is meant to go with a delegation to her coronation, right? Why don't we hide amongst them and get into the city that way?"
"That could work," Kemes admitted. "The guards would know better than to try and stir trouble with an official delegation."
"Say we get in. Then what? We are still a few against an army," Khan pointed out. "If Asten is still… If he's at the temple, we have an ally and a clever one, but we will have to be in the city to find out."
Fen hummed thoughtfully. "We also have the good fortune of being friends with Hafiza. There wouldn't be much that street children wouldn't know or couldn't find out."
"A bunch of kids and a magician isn't an army," Kemes huffed. She was cradling the bird, her eyes full of worry.
"No, but it's a start," Khan replied, his mind starting to whirl. "We don't need an army. We need to be smart about this so no one else dies."
Kashmet threw up his hands. "That's impossible! Hasina isn't going to just let you walk right in!"
"Won't she?" Fen asked, and they all turned to stare at her. She took Khan's hand. "What are we?"
"Totally fucked?" Kemes muttered.
"No." Fen's eyes didn't leave Khan's. "What are we?"
