Chapter 11

Zaidna

The Empire of Chalei

Lanae Palace

The hour was late, and Lanae Palace was dark and quiet. Anoth was quite familiar with the patrol patterns of the guards, especially their propensity for mid-patrol naps. The dalanais had grown unbelievably lazy during centuries of peace, and Anoth had no trouble remaining undetected as he scaled the walls of the vast complex and entered the gardens surrounding the central palace.

He looked around casually before settling down on a raised mound, which was surrounded by an assortment of ferns, allowing him a clear view of the palace through the fronds. He was counting on the heat of the night to draw Sorai out for her usual evening stroll. If he timed it right and was very quick, he could snatch her up and return to Zalas and Davim with the least risk of interference. However, he was prepared for this mission to take several days, and those fools were instructed to wait for him in the jungle for however long it took.

Of course, there was still the matter of the witnesses. His decision to disobey Verahi by coming first to Chalei would certainly result in chastisement at minimum, but whatever punishment he ultimately received would be well worth it. Anoth would have Sorai at his side the very moment Verahi’s body was restored, ensuring that there could be no delay in a lawful marriage oath.

Anoth squinted as he looked up toward the lit window of Sorai’s bedchamber on the palace’s third floor. There was no movement. Damn it all. It would be much quicker to storm the palace to retrieve his bride, killing any who challenged him, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to risk the kada coming into play.

He also had to consider the oaths of Zaidna. He was already an intruder in his old home, and breaking those oaths would severely increase the chances and magnitude of any retribution by his enemies. “I can be as patient as I need to be,” he determined out loud.

“I’ve been patient for fish, too!”

Anoth’s surprise turned into rage as he looked over his shoulder to see Rao, Sorai’s stupid pet, crouching behind him.

“You came back!” the sazi exclaimed. “You told me you would be back in three days. I waited here for you but you never came. But I kept coming back here every night and here you are!”

Anoth tolerated most creatures native to Zaidna as the dumb beasts they were, but sazis were insufferable. Were it not for the information about Sorai that the little wretch shared with him, he would have crushed that furry skull beneath his heel long ago. He forced his mouth into an unnaturally friendly smile. “Hello, sazi.”

Rao let loose a musical trill, scuttling beneath Anoth’s bare arm to sit on his lap. “I’m so happy you came back after all! I missed you!”

“I missed you, too,” Anoth lied as he stroked Rao’s neck, all the while itching to snap it.

“I gave Mistress Sorai your gift,” Rao declared proudly. “She says it’s her favorite. She wears it every single day!”

“I’m glad,” Anoth replied, relaxing his grip somewhat. Of course she loved it.

“So,” the little beast continued, flicking his tail back and forth. “Do I get my fish now?”

“Perhaps in a few minutes,” Anoth replied. “Tell me, Rao, what is your mistress and master doing this evening?”

“Master Tashau is in his study working late, and Mistress Sorai is in her room.” Rao scratched behind one of his long ears with a hind leg.

“Is she alone?”

Rao blinked. “She was chatting with Mistress Kia, and then I got bored. Mistress Sorai likes to talk about babies all the time. I wish she could just lay clutches of eggs like us sazis—more babies and less work.”

Anoth saw red for a moment. “Did that son of a whore get her pregnant again?” he hissed, grabbing hold of Rao tightly around the middle.

Rao yelped, his fur and feathers standing on end. “I didn’t know Kia was a whore! What is a whore?” He wriggled out of Anoth’s grip, shaking himself to smooth out his coat. “Mistress isn’t pregnant yet. But she whines about it so much to my master; she’ll probably mate soon.”

This was unacceptable. Seeing Sorai’s body deformed with child twice before had been excruciating. She would not spend one more night with her worthless excuse for a husband, and this foolish creature was going to help ensure that she left this place for good.

“My little friend,” Anoth murmured as he reached out to scratch beneath Rao’s wings. As expected, Rao growled appreciatively. “Do you remember how you’ve wanted to introduce me to your owners for years?”

“Oh, yes!” Rao replied.

“Well, I’m ready now.”

Rao gasped and stared up at him with wide, vacuous eyes. “Oh, do you mean it? Is it true?”

“Yes, but only your mistress at first. Tashau is much too big and scary for me to meet,” Anoth insisted, holding up his hands in a dramatic display.

“Oh, but he’s so nice to me! I’m sure he’d scratch behind your ears, too, if you ask nicely!”

Anoth tried not to glower. “No, I’m not ready; I need time to work up the courage. I only want to meet your mistress, and it must be in private. Not even you may be present. I want to tell her personally that I was the one who gave her the gift she loves so much.”

“What? But why can’t I be there?” Rao whined.

“You won’t miss much. I promise. Find a way to bring your mistress to me tonight, all by herself, and I will make you the biggest fish you’ve ever seen. You’ll be too busy feasting to care about what we’re doing.”

Rao calmed and nodded his gluttonous little head, the talk of fish making him visibly drool. “Yes! Yes, I’ll do it! I’ll be right back!” In the next moment Rao was gone, darting down the mound and through the ferns.

What a stupid sazi.

***

“Are you planning to bring Faro with you when you travel to Judath?” Kia asked as she gazed adoringly at her grandson, who sat upon the floor pretending to make his toy sazi fly.

“Well, that’s the hope,” Sorai replied, beckoning to Faro with her fingers. He should have been in bed a long time ago, but Kia, Tashau’s mother, loved to gossip late into the night. “I worry a little about him traveling so far with us, but I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh, I’ll miss him while he’s gone.” Kia clasped her hands and cooed as Faro dropped his toy and toddled over to Sorai.

Sorai gathered him on her lap and squeezed him tight. His soft black hair smelled sweet like honey.

“Promise me you won’t let any of the women there pressure you into arranging a marriage for him. At least not yet! Such arrangements must be done properly and with care. Of course, look at you and Tashau. Your mother and I were a little too capricious with you, but it’s just a lucky thing you two turned out to be the perfect match.”

Sorai stifled a chuckle. She had no intention of arranging a marriage for her son based on the cuteness of his playmates, as dalanais were often inclined to do. She was determined to choose Faro’s potential brides when he was much older, and with a great deal of consideration for his personal tastes. “You needn’t worry about a thing. He won’t be betrothed for a good long while. But fending off propositions from the other mothers will be difficult, I’m sure.”

Kia rolled her eyes. “Women! They’re all so competitive. You know, I’m glad Naltena did away with that nasty plural husband business. Can you imagine how desperate the noblewomen would all be if they were still trying to arrange for their daughters to marry several husbands at a time? Handsome little boys like Faro would be quite in demand.”

“It was a barbaric practice,” Sorai mumbled. She could never put another man above Tashau, let alone manage more than one husband.

“Well, I can see why it was done.” Kia leaned back against the settee where she sat and crossed one long leg over the other. “If our men were always fertile like men from the other races, things might have been different.”

Sorai’s eyes narrowed, thinking of the infertile cycles of dalanai males, which could last for years. “Well, I suppose that makes sense,” she groused. “It’s unfair that men have all the say in when a woman can become pregnant. Tashau sleeps in another room if he spots a single hair growing from the tip of his tail.”

“Am I sensing resentment?” Kia asked. She seemed amused.

Sorai frowned dourly and glanced down at her son’s head. He had drifted off to sleep in her arms. “Oh, no. Of course not. I would never resent Tashau for that.” And yet, the part of her that longed for more children did resent Tashau. He was careful—too careful—whenever he started his fertile cycle. During those times, he wouldn’t even lay a hand on her, keeping himself distant until all the hair had fallen out of his tail in due course. She knew his motivations were pure, but it wasn’t her fault that her body couldn’t withstand the rigors of pregnancy. After seasons of forced bed rest, giving birth to Faro had caused her to hemorrhage badly, and even now she couldn’t bear to think of her first son, who had only lived a few hours after a painful, premature birth.

“I never had any children other than Tash,” Kia added kindly. “You put yourself under too much pressure. It’s his right, but Tashau would never take a mistress even if he wanted another son, so don’t fret.”

Sorai shut her eyes, forcing herself to smile. She would not mope; she would be thankful for what she had and not feel cheated. “It’s not so bad,” she agreed. “We’ve been blessed with Faro. I’ll be happy so long as I have him and Tashau.”

“There’s a good girl.” Kia clucked, nodding. “You have nothing to worry about. Faro is strong and healthy, and born beneath a high enough house. He will grow up to become a fine emperor.”

“That’s all I hope.” Sorai’s eyes drifted over to the kada of Chalei, which was held erect in an ornate stand at the other end of the sitting room. The sapphire at its tip flickered along with the light of the fire, dimmed only a little by the growing layer of dust she knew was coating it.

Tashau was the rightful owner of the kada, and no matter where he was, he was always supposed to keep it at his side, but he had staunchly refused to touch it since the death of his father, only taking it up for the triennial noble summit in Judath. Because the previous emperor’s death was premature and sudden, Tashau never had the chance to complete his training with the kada and showed no interest in continuing now.

Would Faro turn out like his father? He might become emperor, but without training in the kada, he would lack the ability to defend his people if the need arose. Granted, peace had reigned among the high races for centuries now, so there wasn’t much fear of inter-continental conflict, even if the engstaxis weren’t the most trustworthy. There were the coastal raids, but the wardens seemed to have them at least somewhat in hand. If the attacks were made by padus, like many people suspected, Sorai wasn’t sure if a kada would make any difference.

She looked down at her sleeping child. “I should probably put him to bed.”

“Here, I’ll take him,” Kia offered, standing up.

Sorai passed Faro over, and both she and Kia exchanged silent smiles before Kia turned and stepped lightly out of the suite.

As soon as the door closed, Sorai moved into her bedroom, fell back on her bed, and stared up at the silver panels that made up the domed ceiling. She remained in that position until she felt her tail growing numb beneath the weight of her body, then rolled to her side for relief. Oh, to be an eshtan, with beautiful brown skin and no tail. She wrapped her arms around a pillow, intent on dozing.

She had nearly drifted off when a loud bang, followed by the sound of frantic scratching, caused her to sit up with a start. She twisted around and saw Rao hanging halfway through the window, clambering for purchase with his hind legs. “Rao, you silly thing. What are you doing?”

“Mistress!” Rao grunted. “Help me!” His nails left huge gouges in the window frame. Tashau would probably kill him for it.

Sorai scooted across the bed on her knees and reached out, snatching Rao by his forelegs and pulling him up and over the windowsill. “Did you try to jump over from a tree?” she asked, setting him down beside her. His fur bristled as she ran a hand down his spine.

“Yes!” Rao exclaimed as he slinked onto her lap and bumped his forehead against her chin. “I’m quite agile.”

Sorai sighed and stroked his shiny wings. “Did you come to say goodnight to me?”

“Well, I’m bored, and there is nothing for me to do. Would you come outside with me and play?” Rao stood on his hind legs and placed his paws on Sorai’s shoulders, leaning in close and stamping her nose with all the moisture coating his.

“It’s too late to play. Why didn’t you ask me earlier?”

“Well, you and Kia were busy,” he purred.

Sorai rolled her eyes. “You’re going to have to wait until tomorrow,” she said, brushing his paws off her shoulders.

“But won’t you at least walk with me? It’s so much cooler outside than it is inside,” Rao persisted.

She caught him around his middle and set him on the floor. “You’ll have to wait. I was about to go to bed,” she insisted, much firmer this time.

“No! No! I’m so hungry!” Rao shrieked. His legs went limp like wet strings of yarn, causing him to flop to the floor with a thud.

Exasperated and confused, Sorai leaned forward and scooped the thrashing sazi up in her arms. “Listen, Rao, if you’re that hungry, there’s probably some food for you in your dish if you haven’t already eaten it all.” She started to carry him out of the bedroom, intent on shoving him out of her suite altogether.

Rao’s struggles only increased in violence. “No! Don’t throw me out! I want you to come outside with me!” He suddenly turned on Sorai and chomped down on the chain of the necklace Tashau had given her for her Naming Day, yanking it taut.

Sorai gasped as she felt the chain snap and dropped Rao to the floor. He landed on his feet and zipped between her legs and back into the bedroom. She grabbed at her neck with both hands to feel for the necklace, but found only skin. She spun around and hurried after him as he jumped from the bed to the window frame. “You little brat!” she yelled. “You give me back my necklace!”

She caught hold of the end of his tail, but he was shedding so much and moving so fast that she was left with only a fistful of fur. Rao took the opportunity to take a flying leap out the window and onto a tree limb just beyond her reach. She gripped the windowsill in fury as Rao looked over a winged shoulder back at her, allowing her to see the jade pendant dangling from his mouth by its chain. “You get back here!” Sorai hissed, hoping no one else could hear her.

Rao’s mouth curled into a mischievous sneer. He looked almost evil with the moonlight reflecting silver from his pupils. “Come and get me!” he called through clenched teeth.

Sorai gasped again. “You get back here now, or I’ll have Tash swat you!”

“No!” Rao singsonged cheerfully. He trotted across the branch and shimmied down the tree.