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“And yet it flourishes. A testament to Lady Pehine’s tenacity,” Xuetie said.

“And Lord Pehine?” I asked.

The goblin reached up, touching her left shoulder. So Pehine was responsible for it.

“Lord Pehine is a visionary. He sees the potential for the Imperium here among the dunes.” The goblin couldn’t hide the longing in her voice when she spoke of the desert.

“Still, it is such an expensive trophy for a lord who starves his own people,” I said.

Xuetie gasped, turning to me with wide eyes.

“I understand that there are limits to what you will be willing to say. I have seen the level of fear Lord Pehine inspires in his own people, an unseemly amount of it for a man whose own fingers have no calluses. But I would be curious to know if he were to disappear, would there be hands willing to tear down his walls, to tear these foreign roots from Ariphadi soil?” My words were not careful, and perhaps I was angrier than I realized.

But Pehine thought I was a barbarian, his wife thought the lives that had bought her beautiful garden were worth nothing, and both of them had aided Kacha and Bemishu after they had risen up against Tallu.

“I could not say, Your Highness.” Xuetie bowed, then stood and touched her fingers to the horns that had been sanded down. “It has been a long time since I have spoken with anyone from the tribes.”

I watched her, knowing my suspicions were right. She might be the oldest servant, but that did not mean she had served at the Pehines’ estate for her entire life.

“Are there any here who do speak with the tribes?” I asked.

Xuetie eyed me suspiciously, then shook her head. “Of course none of the servants here would show any such disloyalty.”

She was being more careful than I was.

Too careful, really, and I pushed the issue. “There is no one who can help us?”

“Us?” she asked, eyes wide.

Ah, my mistake became clear. She thought I was working alone. She hadn’t realized that Tallu was in agreement with me, or perhaps she thought that here, far away from the imperial capital, I would kill my husband and flee.

“When the dust has settled, I hope that someone from the desert would be able to meet with us. Lord Pehine has aided both Bemishu and Kacha.” Not to mention displaying his explicit disdain toward me, but, unfortunately, I was not allowed to kill people simply because they were rude to me. “He has offended His Imperial Majesty.”

I wouldn’t go any further, not because I didn’t trust her, but because even I was not quite so foolish as to explain all of my plans to someone I had just met. I needed to test her and Pehine both, and to go any further would expose too much.

Xuetie wet her lips, her breath coming quickly. “I’m sure Lord Pehine has only ever wanted to be loyal to the Imperium.”

I looked at her, considering her age and what Lady Pehine had said. She had been with the estate for more than twenty years. How many years more? Had she grown up here? Or had she been captured and brought here, enslaved after having known life in the desert?

“Show me the rest of the garden,” I commanded, unable to sound anything less than imperial when I spoke.

Xuetie nodded, gesturing to more of the plants, explaining as she continued walking. By the time we returned, the party had mostly broken up, and only Lady Koque and one of the other wives remained behind. They were sitting closer than expected, and Koque’s expression was inviting, everything in her body saying that the woman was welcome to confide in her.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” I said.

Koque smiled at me, her expression completely neutral, though I knew how artificial her pose was. She gestured at the lady to her side.

“Lady Mutali was just telling me what she and her husband have seen these past few months.” Koque gestured an invitation, and Lady Mutali tensed.

She glanced behind me at Xuetie and, without following her gaze, I made a gesture of dismissal. Xuetie had been serving in an imperial household long enough that she recognized it and left us with a silent bow. The three of us were ostensibly alone in the garden, although I saw one of the blood monks lingering nearby.

“And what have you noticed, Lady Mutali? I’m sure such a loyal servant as yourself has seen plenty that might interest His Imperial Majesty.” I smiled, all teeth, and Lady Mutali hesitated before raising her chin.

She clenched her fan in her hands, her knuckles going white.

“Lord Pehine has all but stripped our husbands of power. The ways of the desert are difficult, and my husband had made peace with one of the local tribes. He even took two mistresses from them and allowed them to advise him on matters of the estate.” Lady Mutali looked down, paling under her makeup, her skin losing its shine as she said, “Lord Pehine found out, and his men invaded our estate. They killed—” She faltered, swallowing. “They killed my husband’s mistresses, and the entire tribe that had been working with us. Everything of value was taken and brought here. The only reason my husband is alive is because of his patriarch in the Imperium. Lord Pehine intends to force him to pay monthly for our continued well-being. But we have always been a drain on his family and I am not sure my husband’s patriarch will continue to pay.”

“And the rest of the ladies?” I asked. “Are their stories similar?”