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Tallu watched him, and I couldn’t see his face because of the fall of shadows, but I could see Sagam’s, his expression growing darker and darker at each implication.

I wondered how much truth Sagam heard in these accusations. Sagam had served both Emperor Millu and Tallu and he had seen the councilors firsthand. He knew exactly what sort of men they all were.

“General Kacha seems to think well of Prince Airón’s power to command me,” Tallu said mildly. “If that is what the general says, what do you believe?”

“I believe that you have been deceived, my emperor. I believe that you do not realize what hold the foreign prince has on you, and how easily it could be broken if only you⁠—”

“Ah,” Tallu said, the single exhalation enough to silence Petale. “So, Kacha does not intend to come via sea or via the swamp. How is the general planning on attacking us?”

“I wouldn’t know that.” Petale sounded uncertain, confused as to how Tallu had made the jump between his wild accusations and Kacha’s military strategy. “My emperor.”

“You continue saying that,” Tallu said. “I am not sure why, when we both know how false it is.”

“No, I live only to serve you, I joined the military to serve you.” Petale stopped when Tallu raised his hand, his fingers twisted into a nearly closed fist.

“Based on your rank, you joined under my father, unless you were raised in rank in less time than that. In which case, it could only have been because Kacha promoted you out of obscurity. Why would he do that? Money? Some other benefit you provided him?” Tallu lowered his hand, and the quiet in the tent stretched, Petale’s breathing suddenly so loud we could even hear it from our perch. “Perhaps. But the truth is you want to make me worry, make my men worry. You want us shaken, as General Saxu was when the Mountainside Palace caught fire at his back. You want me to run away? I am the emperor of the Southern Imperium. I do not run.”

“That isn’t what I—I wish only to serve you.” Petale said the last as though it was the only portion of his memorized lines he could remember.

“And you have. If General Kacha is not coming by ocean or swamp, then he must be coming by land.” Tallu waited.

“The Ariphadeus,” General Saxu said. “If he moved along the border of it, he could transport several thousand men along that route. The sand is not deep enough there to hold up a march.”

“Is it possible that he has two thousand men?” Tallu asked. “The idea of four thousand waiting in the Imperium stretches credulity, but two thousand?”

“He had three thousand assigned to him. It is possible, although I’m not sure how he fed them when he was in the Blood Mountains. And marching that many men south would take more time than he has spent reaching you. It would take much longer than a few weeks.” General Saxu finally moved from his position, taking a few steps forward until he was within Tallu’s line of sight. “It would leave the portions of the Imperium that he has captured unguarded.”

“He has two thousand men,” Petale said shrilly, although his confusion was increasingly evident. He had not been informed about the Ariphadeus and now his script had run out. “Your Imperial Majesty, you must flee. You do not have nearly the force to take on his.”

Tallu stood, his dark robe falling down to his ankles, the back of it dragging along the ground. “Gag him. Give him no food or water. He must be available if we have more questions, but fear will infect the camp if we let it.”

One of Saxu’s soldiers stepped forward, fitting something that looked like a bridle into Petale’s mouth. The man tried to scream around it, but it came out more like a moan.

“If your true desire is to be of service to me, know that you have been.” Tallu turned, and General Saxu rushed forward to open the tent flap for him.

Then the tent was empty again, except for the two soldiers and Petale slumped in his chair.

Asahi touched my shoulder, and I followed him out of the tree. Considering what we had just learned, I frowned at the swampland around us, the elder trees in the distance that spoke like whispers when I used my magic.

A shadow crossed over me, as Terror, Dawn, and Ratcatcher circled. Around me, the camp was busy, soldiers moving quickly, everyone preparing for the battle they knew was coming.

We had a few dozen men of our own. Of the army that had survived the burning of the capital, and the trek across the Imperium, just over forty had survived the swamp. Namati and the Pirate King had lent us a few more, putting our number at seventy.

Seventy against two thousand. With odds like that, many would probably flee. Then we would be left with even fewer.

I made my way back to the tent that Saxu used for military strategy. In daytime, the camp was an uneasy mix of imperials and elves. Some were of mixed race, their rainbow-colored hair marking them as not imperial, while they lacked the tendrils that strengthened their full-blood crewmates.

Mostly everyone kept to themselves, although with so few imperials, I knew that sooner or later they would be forced to integrate. Fighting two thousand, race wouldn’t matter. What would matter was who was trying to kill us and who wasn’t.

When I reached Tallu’s tent, I was let in without announcement, one of the Dogs pulling aside the tent flap that had been closed for the appearance of privacy. Tallu sat at the table, his face a blank mask, but I could see the pain wrinkling the corner of his eyes. I wasn’t sure if the others simply couldn’t see it or if they were tactfully ignoring their emperor’s evident discomfort.

General Saxu and Commander Rede were already speaking when I entered, going over our assets, consulting a large map to try determining where Kacha would enter Tavornai.

“I thought we already learned he would come from the west,” I said.

No one seemed surprised to know that I had heard the entire conversation, and Saxu nodded, pointing to where he had placed a token representing General Kacha.

“The trouble is that Petale speaks true of our resources. If General Kacha brings two thousand men, even assuming he will lose many traveling that close to the Ariphadeus, he will win against us.” Saxu frowned down at the map. “As things stand, we cannot fight that many.”