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“No, it did not go well for him,” Tallu said. “I do so love your gifts for me.”
I bowed my head, brushing my fingertips across my chest. Tallu smirked, his eyes fixed on me, and I was sure we were going to remain like that until he dragged me into the bedroom except Lady Mutali broke the silence by saying, “Both my husband and I are fluent in the language of the Ariphadi.”
Tallu turned to them, his eyes intrigued. “You are?”
“As I said, we found it easier to deal with the tribes from a less aggressive starting position. We both speak the language,” Lady Mutali said.
Tallu tapped his finger two times on the table, and Lerolian answered a question from the shadows. “No. None of the blood monks speak the desert languages. However, Lady Mutali and her husband have been honest up until now. That servant of theirs had free rein of their quarters. He spoke to them on equal footing. I believe he was more like a friend or maybe even a lover than a servant. They were both incredibly worried about Lord Pehine’s temper and whether he would keep them alive when they couldn’t pay the ransom. Perhaps a modicum of trust is in order?”
“Very well,” Tallu said. “You will translate for us.”
Lady Mutali bowed, and I could see how worried her husband was, although he quickly hid the expression. Empress Koque excused herself, and General Saxu led the way to the courtyard. There was a crowd of goblins sitting on the ground. The sun had begun to set, and the courtyard was shaded by the high walls of the estate. The ground must have been cold and yet they ate in silence, not even trying to talk to each other.
How long would I try to speak with my fellows when every bit of conversation was met with a whip? Pehine had taught them efficiently.
I understood why Choethei had doubted Tallu’s honesty. There were at least seven hundred here. Taking them with us into the desert would have doubled our numbers and I was sure goblins were much more effective fighters in the desert than imperials unused to fighting on the sand.
“Tell them that soon we will be sending them home,” Tallu said.
Lady Mutali cleared her throat and then fluently spoke in the goblin language. I understood sections of it, just as I’d been able to understand the elven language when Spider spoke it, but my comprehension faded in and out.
When Lady Mutali was done, she looked back at Tallu. The goblins in front of us shifted uncertainly, and I saw few begin to whisper, quickly hushed by slaves who had been with Lord Pehine longer.
“However, we have no wish for them to die traveling through the desert to their homes. We would know if there was a more effective way to contact the tribes so that they may travel safely.” Tallu didn’t even glance at Lady Mutali, his eyes fixed on the crowd. He had spent his entire life reading imperials, and I wondered how much of that translated now. Could he see something I couldn’t in the crowd?
Lady Mutali spoke for some time, then stopped. An older slave stood, the heavy metal collar around his throat glinting. He asked a question and I only understood one out of every five words.
“He wants to know what proof they have of your honesty,” Lady Mutali translated.
“Tell him we have already released some slaves to travel with your servant, and tell him the tribe Choethei returned to.” Tallu looked over his shoulder. “General Saxu, have your men begin removing the collars and cuffs. Use Pehine’s blacksmiths if you have to.” Then, as an afterthought, he said, “Lady Mutali, translate that for them. You and Lord Mutali will stay here and speak with the slaves. If any of them have a way of contacting their tribes, inform General Saxu. I plan to retire for the night. Alert me when Lord Pehine’s men return.”
Tallu turned, and I rushed to his side, putting my arm through his and covering the trembling of his hands with my own.
Twenty-One
Healing Tallu took more time than I expected, partly because I had to wait to start. His servants insisted on bathing us both. Even Nohe joined them to gang up on us, forcing us to sit through another sponge bath as though we would need to wash twice a day to make up for the weeks of camping.
When they were gone, Tallu lay back on the bed. His servants had reassured us that the linens had been changed and I could smell fresh herbs in the bedding.
“You set me up to be poisoned,” Tallu said.
“In my defense, it was more of a test, speaking to Xuetie. Pehine was foolish enough to take it. The blood monks would have warned you anyway,” I said.
“They did,” Tallu agreed. “I’m not sure that makes it better.”
I laughed, sitting down next to him on the bed. “Come.”
I let my desire flow out from me, bathing him in cold ice. I wanted him better. I wanted him on equal footing to me for the rest of our lives.
Tallu exhaled in relief, the sound almost a song to my ears. He opened his mouth, clearly about to talk through our plan once again, but I covered his lips with my fingers.
“I must work, and you must rest. Unless you are about to tell me how wonderful you find me, you must remain silent for the magic to be effective.” I let my fingers linger on his lips, stroking over the plush warmth of them.
Tallu shivered, and I pushed myself up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. I wasn’t lying that when he spoke it broke my concentration, but everything about him broke my concentration. If I actually had been forced to kill him, I likely wouldn’t have been able to due to the simple fact that when he was around, I had trouble keeping any plan in my head long enough to bring it to fruition.
Pulling back, I focused on the ice magic I needed, covering his body and letting it sink into him, healing the damage deep inside. He hadn’t even been using his electro magic recently, but the curse was still brutally effective at tearing his body apart from within.
If we did go to battle against Pehine’s forces or against General Bemishu, I would need a way to keep Tallu from using his powers. I would need to help General Saxu end the battle quickly.
