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“Have they heard anything else?” I asked.

“No. None of the men are in communication with Kacha or any of the lords left in the Imperium,” Tallu said.

I exhaled in relief. That had been our main fear. With such a small number, it was easy for the blood mages to keep track of them. But if any of the men had been spies, or giving Kacha more intelligence than he already had, we might have been dead before we were able to fight him.

“Iradîo and the ravens will make good spies on Kacha and his men,” I said. “Do you believe Petale?”

“I believe that he is loyal to Kacha. I believe that Kacha is, right now, our strongest opponent. Did you see any trace of Bemishu?”

I shook my head. “None. If they were working together, they no longer are.”

“Bemishu has always desired the Ariphadeus. If he was only allied with Kacha long enough to dethrone me and seize what he wanted, then it makes sense that they are no longer working together. His thirst for conquering does not extend to the Tavornai swamp, nor to a potential sea battle with Namati. Kacha’s does, and he wants to humiliate me and grind you into dust.” Tallu drummed his fingers against my thigh, twitching them just slightly to turn the touch into something softer.

“Is your real plan what you said to Saxu in the meeting?” I asked, my voice so low it was barely a whisper in his ear.

“I have no other,” Tallu said. “Right now, we must defeat Kacha and Bemishu, or we leave ourselves open.”

“I have an idea that might work. The elves and I can⁠—”

“No. You cannot go.” Tallu’s words were rushed, and he grabbed hold of my shoulders. I raised my eyebrows, and covered one of his hands with mine.

“Tallu?” I kept my voice quiet.

“He almost killed you once. Kacha wants my defeat, but he hates you.” Tallu’s face was bleak. “I have studied the man for years. Even before I released electro magic into his head, he was neither kind nor forgiving. He wanted victory. And now he wants revenge.”

“You think he wants revenge against me more than he wants the Imperium and the black throne?” I squeezed Tallu’s hand and watched his eyes refocus on my face. “Maybe. That’s all the more reason that I need to go. Who else are we going to trust with his defeat?”

Tallu shook his head. “If you go to Namati’s boats, you will be out of reach of him and able to flee⁠—”

“I am not running away from General Kacha. And we are going to need every boat Namati has to cut off his supplies, control the waterways of the Imperium, and fight him here.” My eyes traced over Tallu’s face, his skin now healthy and gleaming like metal. His russet gaze was sharp and incisive. Even his plush lips invited kisses.

“I cannot lose you,” Tallu said. “It was bad enough allowing you to go for weeks scouting and putting out fires. Now you ask me to let you leave with children to fight two thousand men?”

“Instead, I should let those children go by themselves? I should hide on the water?” Pulling back, I waited for Tallu to see me again. “We are not men who flee from a fight. We are not men who cower behind walls that will not protect us. Let me do this.”

Tallu exhaled, lowering his chin. “I cannot convince you.”

“No more than I could convince you. Will you go hide on Namati’s ship? Will you keep Sagam with you to protect you from every shadow that might mar your skin? Will you allow me to raise a parasol over your head so that not even the sun can burn you?”

Tallu’s lips pulled into a smile. “I did not ask to protect you from the sun.”

“No,” I agreed. “But you asked me to go against my nature. And I cannot do that, not even for you, my love.”

“Do not die.” Tallu’s voice was firm, an order, as though I were his servant. I was his, even as my dark heart reveled in the knowledge that he was mine.

“How could I, when I have you to return to?” I asked. “Now, shall I tell you my plan or shall we continue to be dramatic? Perhaps start a stage play or an epic poem?”

Tallu laughed, the sound breaking the tight knot of tension. “Tell me your plan, and then we will see if we need an opera instead.”

With a slow breath out, I extended a bubble around us, freezing time in place. It was one thing to whisper between lovers, but if what he said was true, I couldn’t risk any of his soldiers overhearing me.

So I told him my plan, watching his face as I spoke, trying not to feel the crush of guilt as I explained what I was about to do.

“Do you think it will work?” he asked.

“I think so,” I said. “Kacha is expecting to cross the mountains that separate Tavornai from the Ariphadeus and find a grassland that will give him a place to regroup with his troops. But instead he will find the darkest forest in Tavornai. He will find monsters that will eat him and his men alive.”

“And you can grow this forest with the help of the children?” Tallu asked.