“Who made this declaration?” I asked. “Lord General Ozo?”
“I’d prefer not to speak ill of our Beloved Queen’s own general—” Eikaro started.
“—but we’re aware, of course, that the truth will come out sooner or later,” Huan finished for him.
“Stop it,” I said. “The concept of loyalty is a sore subject for me these days. Skirting around my questions makes me even more irritable.”
“My apologies,” Huan said.
“It is as you say,” Eikaro added. “General Ozo would not tell us exactly what transpired. For the good of the realm, they will not confirm the queen’s whereabouts or current condition. But he assured us of your safety and that he was working very hard to bring you back to Jin-Sayeng.”
“The whole kingdom was in an uproar,” Huan continued. “You should’ve seen the meeting. Plates thrown and everything.”
“I’m almost sad I missed that,” I said.
Huan shrugged. “I can give you a word-for-word report.” He glanced at Dai. “That is, if your gracious host will let you. We can, of course, offer you better hospitality at Yu-yan if you’d like.”
“What do you say, Master Dai?” Eikaro called out to him from across the gate. “Lend the queen to us for a spell? Although we can’t guarantee she’ll want to stay with us after seeing how well we treat her. We’ve got a marvellous play going on in the theatre right now,” he said to me in a lower voice. “The playwright is Yu-yan’s own, and one of our finest. You’re in it.”
“A flattering role, I hope.”
“But of course, Beloved Queen,” Eikaro said. “Nothing but the best for you. You’re played by the most magnificent actress the entire kingdom has ever seen. Her eyes—ah! You would love her eyes, not to mention her flawless skin.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Now it’s starting to sound like an insult.”
“Also,” Huan broke in. “You’ll want to see our wives. I know we had other…arrangements, but seeing as to you were missing and possibly dead…” He coughed, turning a slight shade of red.
Eikaro gave a small shrug. “Life had to go on.”
“So it did,” I replied. “I’ll forgive you for now.”
Huan smiled. “You are too kind. And ah—perhaps you’ll refrain from mentioning anything when you see them? It’s not exactly a secret, but I’d rather avoid scandal if we can.”
I gave a crooked smile. “You’re wiser men than I’ve given you credit for. I look forward to meeting your women, but unfortunately, it’s been a long day, and the thought of doing any more riding doesn’t sit well with me. Will you extend your offer until tomorrow?”
“But of course, Beloved Queen,” Huan said. “We’ll meet you ourselves at this hour tomorrow if you wish. Yu-yan is only an hour’s ride away.”
I thanked them. They both bowed like perfect lordlings. You wouldn’t think their father was a usurper.
Chapter Eight
The Sougen Royals
Usurper, of course, was a debatable word. Could one usurp a throne that didn’t exist?
Yu-yan, the heart of the Sougen region, was traditionally attributed to the rice merchants, not the royals. The rice merchant families sat on the city council and functioned as city officials, voting amongst themselves and organizing their politics as best they saw fit. The Dragonthrone didn’t care—we allow each province to function independently, making a fuss only with taxes and reports, and we certainly weren’t going to interfere with a system that had worked for centuries.
That all changed during my father’s war. Ojika Anyu, then a much younger and more physically capable version of himself, arrived with a few thousand soldiers to take control of the city. No one knew how this army had materialized without anyone catching wind of it—one of the many shortcomings of Rysaran as my predecessor. He had been so focused on his quest for a dragon that he had neglected his duties for years. It was said that even when Rysaran was in the Dragon Palace, he had allowed his regent to rule, choosing instead to bury his nose in books. Not that the nation should’ve expected anything less from an Ikessar, but…
Because of my father’s war, everyone was too busy trying to stay alive or kill their enemies, and there was no one on the throne that could bring the Anyu clan to swift justice. By the time the war was over, the Anyus had been in Yu-yan for five years. Ojika Anyu appeared on the day of my birth to bow at my cradle and swear his fealty to the future queen. My father chose to pardon him as a sign of goodwill, that Jin-Sayeng’s time of bloodshed was over.
Yesterday’s news. Yesterday’s failings. I spent the entire night thinking them over in bed after a hot bath and with a bellyful of beef, carrot, and potato stew, which resulted in wild dreams of the warlords screeching at the top of their lungs while hacking each other’s heads off. It was oddly cathartic.
I woke up to the sound of clanging swords and groggily reached for my own, thinking we were under attack. I heard the door open before I could hit the end of the mattress. “My queen,” Nor said. “Breakfast is served.”
My senses cleared. “What’s happening outside?”
“Oh, that?” She grimaced. “The men decided they were going to do some sword practice.”
“Men,” I repeated. “What men?”
“Agos and Lamang,” she said.
“You mean Cho?” I asked.
“Khine.”
I tried to keep a straight face as I followed her to the dining hall. Dai wasn’t there. A servant came by with a bowl of chicken and rice porridge and a note from her master, telling me he had gone visiting his farmers and would be back by lunch. I set the note aside and turned to my food. It felt good to wake up to a decent meal again, and the porridge was creamy, with enough bits of crunchy garlic, boiled chicken, and preserved egg to keep me busy.
I made my way to the yard after breakfast. The sound of metal on metal intensified, followed by the unmistakable thwack! of a fist hitting flesh. I saw Khine stumble back. Cho, who was sitting on top of the stone fence, gave a loud chortle.
“How is that even fair?” I heard Khine call out. He was wearing his inner shirt, a thin piece of grey fabric that showed off the muscles of his bare arms.
“Nothing’s fair in a fight,” Agos spat out. He was shirtless, which was usually how he liked to practice. Sweat didn’t so much drip out of his skin as it gushed from it. The size and shape of him left little question as to who was the seasoned fighter. “You had an opening. I took it. Keep that in your soft little Zarojo head, Lamang.”
“Got bored waiting around, gentlemen?” I asked as I approached.
Agos wiped his jaw and turned to me. “I got sick of watching Lamang whine his way through every scrape we’ve gotten ourselves into. If you insist on him tagging along, he’s got to learn to earn his keep.”
“Well, I do have other ski—” Khine began.
Agos rushed at him. I think Khine had been hit that morning one too many times, because he jumped aside almost at once. His reflexes would’ve been impressive, except he wasn’t holding his sword in a proper defensive position, and Agos simply reached back and clouted him over the head again.
Khine threw the sword aside and made a fist.
“You probably shouldn’t—” I didn’t have time to finish as his hand connected with Agos’ jaw. Agos barely flinched. Khine doubled back in pain and started swearing like a sailor.
Agos flexed his neck and grinned. “If I had a coin for every time a recruit tried to punch me, I think I could buy Oka Shto from her.”
“Not that it’s for sale,” I snorted. I turned to Khine. “I was going to warn you. He’s got the hardest chin I know.”
“No shit,” Khine replied, face red. “I think I’m done.”
“The hell you’re not, Lamang,” Agos said. “Pick up your sword. You’ve stopped looking like a monkey dancing with a stick. That’s progress, at least.”
“High praise, coming from him,” I assured Khine.
He gave me a look. “I’m not
sure if your guardsman’s praise is something I’ve ever wanted in my life.”
Agos laughed. “You’ll either get this guardsman’s praise or his fist up your ass.”
“I didn’t know you liked me that way, Agos.”
“Shut the fuck up and pick up your sword before I throw it at you!”
Khine gave a long sigh before ambling over to the sword on the ground. He fixed his stance as faced Agos. There was a definite improvement, at least compared to how I’ve seen him hold a sword before. I wondered how long they had been out here. Before dawn, at least.
“Try to go easy on his head!” I called out. “I’m almost sure I need it.”
“I’m almost sure you shouldn’t be encouraging this,” Khine said just as Agos charged him again.
“What’s this?” I heard Lahei call behind me. She was coming up the garden path with Nor. “Some sort of pre-mating ritual?”
I turned red. “Wait a minute—”
“I meant with each other,” Lahei said, one eyebrow raised. “You’re really not familiar with army vernacular, are you?”
“I am,” I retorted hotly. “I was just—distracted, that’s all.”
Nor shook her head.
“That distraction got anything to do with rippling muscles and heaving chests?” Lahei asked.
“I really shouldn’t let you get away with such comments, Kaggawa,” Nor said. “But—”
“No harm in looking,” Lahei finished for her with a grin.
Nor’s face remained expressionless, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.
“You’re both terrible,” I said. “And Khine’s getting his ass handed to him.”
Lahei grinned. It was the first time I had seen her look so amused. “You’ve got to admit that it’s a good-looking ass.”
Nor crossed her arms and gave her a grunt of disapproval before turning back to me. “That’s how they learn, Beloved Queen. You know what my opinion is about Agos, but his skill at making half-decent soldiers out of the most terrible recruits is well-known. They carried his name as a badge of honour, if they survive his training regiment.” In the distance, we heard Khine grunt as he received yet another beating. “It’s partly why Lord General Ozo loved him as much as he did.”
I sighed. “I’ve always thought I could rely on General Ozo. But if it was indeed his doing that kept me in the Zarojo Empire, I’m not sure I can stay my hand. He’ll have to die.”
Nor’s face tightened. “I don’t know what to say, my queen. Before we had left for Anzhao, I would’ve been the first to assure you of Lord General Ozo’s loyalty. Now…”
There was a loud clash. I looked up to see Agos holding up a bleeding thumb. “The fuck, Lamang!” he groaned.
Khine looked insufferably smug, the wind rustling through his shaggy hair. “You did say don’t fight fair.”
“No one uses a sword like that!”
“He’s right,” Nor called out. “Do that in a real battle and you’d be dead right about now.”
“And you said you wanted to be a soldier?” I asked Khine, speaking in Zirano.
He gave me a pained look before whistling at Cho. “I’m done,” he said. “You go be his punching bag.” He dropped the practice sword with flourish.
Cho rushed forward eagerly, all knees and bone. Agos gestured at him. “Don’t think that just because you’re some weak-kneed snot-nosed kid that I’ll go easy.”
“He probably won’t understand half your terrible insults, so I’d save my breath if I were you,” Khine said.
“I do too!” Cho cried. Even with such simple words, his Jinan was terrible.
Khine strode up to me. He was a lot more hurt than I figured—there were bruises running up his face and arms, and there was a bleeding cut on his forehead, right above his brow. “What possessed you to agree to spar with him?” I asked. “You look like you went into a cage with a bull.”
“Apt description,” Khine said. He wiped his face and looked down at his fingers, as if amazed to see so much blood on them. “It didn’t sound like a bad idea when he brought it up. Maybe I do need to learn to fight.”
“Right. And now who’s supposed to patch you up?”
“I’m sure I can talk you through it,” he said. His voice was surprisingly sincere.
~~~
The cut on Khine’s brow needed to be stitched. Khine flatly refused Lahei’s offer of going all the way to Yu-yan, reasoning that he didn’t want to wait hours for treatment and that a Jinsein healer was probably going to butcher his face into shreds. We went to the kitchen to clean him up and while I was searching through the collection of bandages, he coughed and insisted I do it.
I blanched at his suggestion. “Agos must’ve rattled your brain loose.”
“Cho’s awful at following instructions and I don’t trust your guards with anything pointy that close to my eye,” Khine said, crossing his arms. He waved the needle and thread at me. “Just do it like I showed you. There’s nothing to it.”
“I’m a queen, you know. I shouldn’t be taking orders from you.” But I went to take the implements from him. He settled back against the bench and after a moment’s hesitation, I stuck the needle in. I had rubbed some sort of numbing salve over it, but Khine’s face still twitched as the sharp end punctured his flesh. I bit back the sudden wave of nausea, cringing as I pulled the skin shut and hooked the sutures together.
I snipped the thread, wiped the blood off my fingers with a towel, and began the process all over again. “You’re going to feel this tomorrow,” I said with an exaggerated nod, as if this was something I did all the time.
He grew serious. “Physical pain is better than the alternative.”
I paused over his wound. “There is that,” I murmured. “Though I hardly think getting the sorrow pounded out of you is an appropriate cure.”
“No,” Khine replied. “Only time, and even then…” I saw his shoulders heave as he sighed.
I pulled back from the third stitch. “I think that’ll do,” I said. I reached down for more salve and applied it liberally over the cut. The entire process had taxed my nerves and I was already starting to shake.
Khine grabbed hold of my bloodied hand and placed it over his heart.
I didn’t pull away immediately. I stared at it, aware only of his heartbeat underneath my fingers and the warmth coming from his own. We were alone in his room. I felt like I wanted to hack my arm off so I could leave my hand there while the rest of me drifted away.
Outside, we heard Agos laughing.
The spell broke. I saw the edges of his lips move. Before he could say anything, I lifted my hand away under the pretense of getting more salve. “What do you think of backward Jinsein medicine now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light. “We know our way with herbs, at least.”
He smirked. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m really not qualified to have opinions about it.”
“So that whole thing about a Jinsein doctor butchering your face…”
“Fact. Not opinion.”
“Ah.” I peered at my handiwork. “Well then, from one quack to another, I think you’ll be fine. You’ll get a scar. That’s not usually a bad thing. Gives your face character.”
“Maybe for you Jinseins. Zarojo women are particular about flawless skin.”
“Maybe you should lay off from further activities that limit your options.” I set the tray of bandages aside. “I’ll ask Lahei to get someone up here to clean up. I believe I have to get ready for a trip to Yu-yan.”
“If you give me an hour’s sleep, I can join you.”
“Are you sure? I was thinking of just taking Agos with me.”
“From what I understand, you’ll be walking into a lion’s den. I think having all of us with you is better. This is hardly the worst shape I’ve been in, and you’ve got a penchant for attracting trouble.”
“Speak for yourself,” I snorted.
Khine leaned back on the table. “I won’t disagree with you there. I
did find you.”
I started to protest when I heard the door open. “Anong Kaggawa wishes to see you,” the servant whispered, scuttling through the kitchen. She looked upset. My smile faded. Without a word, I patted Khine’s knee and got up to follow her.
Dai was pacing in his office when I arrived. “You’re back early,” I said.
He rubbed his hands together before pulling himself into his chair. “You were entertaining Huan Anyu as a suitor?” he finally asked.
“Ah. That’s what this is about? I’m surprised you didn’t know. I thought everyone did. And with your penchant for hunting down information, I figured you would’ve been in line.”
“I don’t pay attention to needless gossip. I’ve heard about rumours of suitors, and we had always known that Huan was one of these men. But it was brought to my attention this morning that you favoured him in particular.”
I leaned across the table to look him in the eye. “I don’t see what the problem is. I had been without news of my husband for years. It’s almost expected that I would start getting offers. I couldn’t reject them outright. Needless gossip, like you said.”
He looked the way I figured my own father might’ve, listening to me defend myself. “I didn’t just imagine your friendliness with him yesterday.”
“Of course I’d be friendly with him. Lord Huan was as eligible a prospect as any. He is a royal, his father is a warlord…” I knew as soon as I dropped the words that it was the wrong thing to say. Dai’s eyes widened, and what started as irritation was turning into full-fledged anger.
“He stole this land from under our noses,” Dai growled.
“Warlord Yeshin pardoned him.”
“He had no right to!” Dai slammed his fists. “This was our land, Queen Talyien. We toiled these fields, we took care of our own with blood and sweat and tears—the Anyus took things too far, claiming something that wasn’t theirs to claim. And you royals let them!”
“Kaggawa,” I said, my voice growing cold. “Enough. Remember who stands in front of you.”
The Ikessar Falcon Page 31
