The man shook his head. “As I have decreed, so it must be done. Lady Likh will be treated well. Royal concubines are highly respected here. Many would consider this an honor.”
So much for extricating Likh. “We are accustomed to taking only one wife or husband in Kion.”
The emperor shrugged. “I come from an unbroken line descended from gods and can take as many to wife as I wish. Some of my councilors do not like my choice of a Kion princess, but Inessa is different. Empress Alyx is wise to accede to my wish.”
“This is my first time in Daanoris, and everything is new to me,” I apologized, retreating from dangerous ground. “Our healer has finished his assessment of the princess, and he wants to know if anything unusual happened before her collapse.”
The emperor frowned, worried. “I do not think so. My cousin was quite the typical Daanorian noblewoman—quiet and refined for her age, though keen on attending parties, as girls are wont to do.”
I sensed his impatience and soon begged my leave. I caught up to Tansoong as he too left the king. “Our healer has questions about Princess Yansheo. Did anyone visit her in the days leading up to the party?”
“No, our women do not interact with foreigners beyond our social functions.”
“What about Princess Yansheo’s admirers?”
“Minor nobles, no one she should’ve treated seriously. Prince Mailen and Prince Feiwong come from good enough houses. And there was the young Shaoyun, an impulsive young man, prone to speaking before thinking. His family is of some minor importance in the outer provinces, and to set his sights on someone like the princess displays arrogance on his part. I have not seen him since she fell sick, and good riddance to that.”
I hid my distaste. “Did you invite foreign visitors to her party?”
“Yes, mostly from Tresea. Of course, we extended an invitation to the Kion express and the Odalian king, but they were unable to attend. But I do recall Odalia sending a representative.”
“A representative?”
“Yes. It came as a surprise, for we did not know he was coming until he was already at Miekong.” The official’s beard bristled. “But we learned he was a relative of the king’s, and he was quite contrite. Perhaps his messengers had gotten lost, and his missive failed to reach us.”
“Who was this relative?”
“The Duke of Holsrath, milady. Brother to the king himself. He was quite cordial to the young princess at her party, as I remember. We rarely have people from Odalia at important functions, and she was quite pleased that he had come all the way to make her acquaintance.”
The head cook of the Daanorian palace’s kitchens, while understandably frightened, displayed that brand of courage common in those who take immense pride in their work and refused to leave his domain for something so trite as a hostile takeover. The Dark asha had chosen not to impinge on his territory, asking for very little in her choice of viands during our stay, but it was difficult to scale back on banquets when you had spent most of your life serving as an emperor’s chef.
Today was a different story. Word of Princess Inessa’s visit was quick to spread, and at the bone witch’s command, a table was wheeled into the throne room, sideboards groaning with many Daanorian delicacies: sweet and sour pork in a delicate plum sauce topped with coriander, diced chicken in simmered dried chili and fried peanuts, strips of roasted duck wrapped in celery and served in a sweet-potato-and-vinegar soybean sauce. Fried wonton and lamb dumplings rounded out the sides of the silver plates. This was a banquet fit for kings, and my mouth watered from the savory smells as each tray was uncovered.
Not even the princess remained unaffected for long. She eyed several of the dishes with longing and appeared to be summoning every measure of willpower not to reach for the nearest plate.
“These aren’t just for display,” the asha reminded her. “They’re all quite edible.”
“I’m not that hungry.” A small growl issued from her stomach, amplified by the silence.
“If you’ve been traveling with the army, then you’ve had little to eat the last few weeks. The food is not poisoned if that’s what you’re concerned about.” To prove it, the asha selected a small strip of chicken and bit into it. “Bard, you are more than welcome to join us.”
I confess that my hunger was quick to overpower my good manners. I reached for a piece of lamb dumpling; it tasted like heaven.
“Bard?” The princess stared at me, then back at her. “He is here to tell your story because you have no intentions of surviving this, do you?”
“Why are you here, Inessa? Judging from the lack of guards in your wake, you told no one you were coming. Not even Fox.”
“I’m good at sneaking in and out of palaces. And I’ve had ample time to explore the Daanorian palace, as you know. You stationed no guards.”
“Your entrance did not escape my daeva’s attention. It takes great courage to walk past them, knowing full well what they can do.”
The princess gulped. “I was terrified. But I know you could not possibly be the monster they are making you out to be. Please, Tea. Stop this madness. Kalen would not have approved of you seeking revenge on his behalf.”
The bone witch ladled out tea into three porcelain cups. “I am not doing this for revenge on Kalen’s behalf, Inessa.”
“Prove me wrong!”
“Kalen, the princess is asking for you.”
The princess froze, mouth agape, when Lord Kalen and Khalad stepped into the room. She rose to her feet and fought to maintain her composure, though her voice still trembled. “The elders told me that… It’s not possible…”
“The elders told you many things that are not possible,” the bone witch said.
20
“He swore the duke was there?” Khalad asked as he examined Prince Kance’s heartsglass. For the last couple of days, the forger had shut himself in his room, only leaving to examine Princess Yansheo. While we were treated like honored guests, we still could not leave the palace compound to explore the city. Both Kalen and Fox had been keen to defy the orders, but Inessa and Zoya convinced them otherwise, arguing it was too big of a risk to attempt at the moment. The hunt for the savul was still under way, but without our help, it was a slow process.
Princess Inessa frowned. Today she was dressed in riding breeches and a plain shirt, much to my surprise. “That’s impossible, isn’t it? How can the duke be in two places at once? Is there a rune for something like this, Tea?”
“I know of an Illusion rune that might be feasible.”
“Whoever did it could draw Heartsrune.” Khalad turned Prince Kance’s heartsglass, as if the glint from it could unlock secrets from within. “I’ve seen Holsrath’s heartsglass, and he has no inclination for it. What about the other Daanorian suitor?”
“Yuanshao? Nobody’s seen him since the party. His family lives in the Mekong province, so it’s going to take a while to reach out to them for questions about his whereabouts. From what Zoya’s gathered, the boy is something of the family’s black sheep. He hasn’t been home in months.”
“I’ve been talking to Baoyi, like Zoya suggested,” Khalad said. “He has his men combing the city but has found little.”
“But you’re sure you can find your master?”
“I think so. I know a few things Baoyi doesn’t that I’d rather not share. He seems trustworthy enough. He relies a lot on his clerk, who seems pretty competent and good at keeping his master’s secrets. But I can’t say the same for any soldiers.” He looked worried. “Normally I would trust Master to look out for himself, but this feels different. I hope he’s all right.”
“Would you like to hold it?” Inessa asked suddenly, offering Prince Kance’s heartsglass to me.
“What?”
“I don’t need to learn to read heartsglass to see how worried you are for him. I don’t know how much you can see, but…”
I nodded, my fingers hovering over the delicate case. Prince Kance’s heartsglass felt warm even from there; I could see a steady pulsing nearly hidden within its depths, like a heartbeat.
“Draw Heartsrune over it, Tea,” Khalad instructed.