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She huffed, but didn’t try to unseat me again. Taking two steps, she gripped the body in one of her claws and then launched back up into the air. I kept the trees and branches away from her long enough to get back into the clear blue sky. Airborne, I could finally breathe as we made our way back to Namati’s ship.

Naî dropped the body in front of Tallu, landing a few feet away. Dismounting, I walked toward him, aware of all the eyes on me.

“I present to Your Imperial Majesty the insurrectionist, General Kacha.”

Sixteen

Thankfully, on a ship of marauding pirates with the rest of the contingent made up of seasoned military officers and a functionally immortal animalia, no one screamed at the dead body. Tallu looked down at it, using his foot to roll it over.

It was wearing General Kacha’s uniform, and the skin tone looked right, although given how long the body had been dead, that was hard to tell. Word was sent over to the next ship, and both Saxu and Commander Rede came back.

By the time they did, Namati seemed satisfied that it had been General Kacha, and Tallu kept looking at me as though he had a question to ask and wasn’t sure how to go about it. I didn’t like his nervousness, although anyone else would have read it as coldness, as an emperor infuriated that his consort hadn’t asked permission before jumping on a dragon and flying around a reconquered nation.

Saxu and Commander Rede both examined the body, bending low and checking the hands and arms, frowning slightly when they saw the calluses on the body’s hands. Saxu stood slowly, still frowning down at it.

“Where did you find it?” he asked.

“In the forest. Near the rest of the bodies of those who didn’t flee the animals fast enough,” I answered.

“His men say that he was with them and that in the chaos they lost sight of him, though one claims he did see him die. Without a head, it is impossible to be certain.” Saxu sounded apologetic.

“His men are certain he was with them in Tavornai, and not sending orders from back within the Imperium?” Tallu asked.

“Yes. They all have the same story, and given how… thoroughly Namati’s men are questioning them, I do not believe they would lie on such a point,” General Saxu said. “At least not uniformly. One of them would have given in and told the truth.”

“He’s right,” Lerolian said. The ship with the prisoners was close enough that we could hear the screams, and Lerolian felt sure that traveling there would not stretch his bond with Tallu to a breaking point. “I do not believe any of those men are lying. General Kacha was in the forest with them.”

“If he did run, where would he escape to? The entire nation is made up of dangerous animals and even more lethal plants,” I said. “What did his men say about the supplies?”

“We were right to assume that some in the Imperium still support him. In order to ease the way for Your Imperial Majesty’s return, it would be of value to make them see the error of their ways before you return,” General Saxu said. “They also mentioned some of the border lords that were given control of the Ariphadeus.”

“The Ariphadeus?” I asked dumbly. “I was given to understand that no permanent control could be had.”

“No control of the desert itself,” General Saxu agreed. “However where the Ariphadeus borders the Imperium and Tavornai is a different story. The land there was claimed and often used as a launching base for General Bemishu’s efforts. Several different lords control the territory.”

“And all of them were loyal to General Kacha?” I asked.

“I’m not sure loyal to General Kacha is accurate. Loyal to General Bemishu, certainly. He was the one most often protecting them from goblin incursion.” General Saxu looked down at the body.

He was clearly hesitant to bring it up to Tallu, and I understood why. Tallu’s father had a penchant for displaying the corpses of anyone who tried to move against him, and anyone he suspected might try to move against him.

Terror landed on my shoulder, digging his claws in. I walked across the deck until I was above the body. Then I crouched down and looked at it.

It was the right size for General Kacha’s body, the right build too, unless he had lost an extreme amount of weight in his exile to the Blood Mountains. I didn’t know enough of his birthmarks to make any assumptions, but his hands were those of a seasoned warrior. He had the right calluses on his palm for a swordsman and there were scars appropriate for one who had spent most of his life in battle.

“I do not believe we are going to get any more information from the body,” Tallu said, somehow already standing next to me.

I glared down at it. Kacha was the first man who had made me feel truly helpless. He was the man who had destroyed Tallu’s confidence that he could keep me safe. I reached out, checking the pockets, removing more evidence. Imperial coins clattered on the deck. A few pieces of paper stained with blood and dirt were nearly taken by the wind, but Commander Rede rescued them. Some jewelry landed next to the coins, including a ring for House Kacha. I could find nothing else on the body, despite checking the rest of the pockets and even pulling off the shoes.

By the time I finished, I no longer hesitated before touching the body. Grabbing it by the shoulders, I dragged it across the deck to a gap in the railing. When I got there, I looked up. Saxu was frowning at me, and Commander Rede had a studiously blank expression. Namati and Spider were both watching curiously, but neither seemed likely to stop me.

It didn’t matter. Tallu was the only one whose opinion I needed. His eyes were fixed on mine, and he nodded sharply. I threw the body overboard.

The water frothed, going red almost immediately. It was full of whatever animals lived in the Tavornai swamps, already hungry for more after the meal of living men they had eaten earlier.

“Perhaps we should withdraw to my cabin,” Spider said.

Inside her cabin, the feeling was subdued. They had won a victory, but I could see General Saxu and Commander Rede already tense, worried that Tallu would now turn on Namati and Spider as his father would have.