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“Through peace,” Tallu said.

“Peace?” Asahi tightened his hand on his hilt. “How can such a weak thing unite the continent?”

“How can war unite the continent?” I challenged. “You have the history of four emperors to prove that war only kills and destroys. What nation unites under the flag of the empire that put its children in mass graves?”

“You fear that General Saxu will work against you,” Sagam said. “That is why you told us first.”

“Yes,” Tallu said. “But you are my Kennelmaster. What do you think?”

For a moment, Sagam didn’t react, his expression going still, as he considered Tallu’s words. Finally, he dipped his chin. “I think it’s likely. General Saxu has sacrificed more than anyone else in service of the promise… or, what we thought the promise was. He has Prince Hallu with him, so he will have a viable alternative if he decides that you are not the emperor he wishes to serve. There are only three of us left who trained under the previous Kennelmaster. The rest of your Dogs were first General Saxu’s men.”

“So how do we prepare?” I asked.

Tallu inhaled, then exhaled a sharp breath. “I must meet him alone. Before that, we must prepare Empress Koque. Saxu would need her support in order to take Prince Hallu.”

We were all quiet, and Naî rumbled beneath my back, as though she, too, was troubled by what was about to happen.

“There is a chance he will not act against you,” Asahi said.

I turned to him, feeling vaguely desperate at the chance that we would not have to kill General Saxu in cold blood.

At our attention, Asahi looked out across the campfire at the dark forest beyond. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. “He knows the cost of war. In the last battle against Bemishu, he almost lost Commander Rede.”

“How would that sway his opinion?” Tallu asked.

Sagam moved his hand just slightly before pulling it back and fisting it at his side, as though he wanted to touch Asahi but was reminding himself of his duty.

“There is a chance,” Sagam agreed. “But we cannot risk everything on a chance.”

We traveled again the next day, reaching the stronghold—a military installation that Bemishu had abandoned on his last push into the Ariphadeus. Even though it had only been five days since we had left him, Saxu had already transformed it into a functioning base again.

As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by worried servants, General Saxu and two of his commanders, and even Empress Koque’s favorite servant, sent to request an audience when Tallu became available.

Sagam released his duties to Gotuye, with the strict instruction that the other man not leave Tallu’s side until Asahi was ready to begin guarding the emperor again. Tallu’s servants took him to the imperial baths—now that we were back in the Imperium and no longer in a desert, there was enough water that he could be properly cleaned. I followed Nohe back to my own quarters, enjoying my own bath before sitting at a table and accepting the plates of food she provided. Only after I finished the first did I realize how hungry I was.

Dried fruits and meats were not enough to sustain me, even if I had been able to create enough to mimic a meal. Nohe did not ask what happened or where we had gone. She talked only of what had occurred on their own travels and while retaking the stronghold.

When my stomach was full and the waistband of my pants felt tight, I considered simply lying down and sleeping, letting Tallu worry about the future and manage the danger General Saxu represented.

No. In the end, I headed directly for Empress Koque, finding her as she and Prince Hallu were being escorted to Tallu’s quarters. She accepted the offer of my arm, and spent the rest of the walk murmuring in my ear, all of the gossip and important information I had missed. Five days seemed forever now that I understood what we had stepped back into.

At Tallu’s door, the servant knocked and Tallu called for us to enter.

The stronghold had once been the estate of some long-deceased noble family. It was older than any of the estates in the Ariphadeus desert, and it showed in the ornamentation and build. All of the doorways were arched, with delicate carvings along the tops and sides. Golden dragons decorated the corners of the room, their tails touching the floor, while their heads reached the ceiling. They had rubies for eyes, and their tongues were made of obsidian.

All of the estates in the Ariphadeus had wanted to mimic this, as though trying to remind their lords of the golden era of imperial greatness. Tallu sat in a large chair at the table, his own servants having provided him with more food than Nohe had tried to foist on me.

From their hovering, it was clear that Tallu had not touched his meal, instead gazing out the window at the darkening forest beyond. When he saw Koque, Tallu waved his hand, dismissing his servants. Lerolian and another blood monk promised to make sure they weren’t listening.

“Sit,” Tallu directed. Koque and Hallu took their seats, watching him with curious eyes.

“Your Imperial Majesty, was the prince able to do the magic you needed him to?” Koque asked.

“Yes.” Tallu stopped there, and I stepped forward, grasping his shoulder, closing my eyes and readying myself to heal him. He put a hand on my wrist, squeezing once in warning. He did not want me to, which hurt more than if he had let me. “Koque, I’m about to tell you something that will change the future of the Imperium. You will have a choice whether to follow me or use Prince Hallu against me.”

Koque glanced at her son before raising her chin and turning back to Tallu. “I am listening, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Tallu kept his hand around my wrist, and I turned my palm so that I grasped his. “The Imperium will no longer go to war under my rule. I have no plans to conquer other nations. Instead, I will seek to make peace with the free nations and reparations to the ones the Imperium has destroyed. Airón has already turned the wasteland of Forsaith green again. We will send food and supplies until the country is able to sustain itself once more.”