Soulblade (3 page)

He walked around Kaika and Quataldo’s side of the table, pausing beside her shoulder. He touched a smudge on the tablecloth where her boots had been.

“What is this?” he asked.

Kaika made a show of bending forward to study it. “In the army, we call that dirt, Sire.”

“It wasn’t on my table this morning.”

“No? It probably fell.” She lifted her gaze toward the vines tickling the glass ceiling. “From a plant.”

“Does that happen often in the army? Dirt falling from plants?”

“You never know what will get knocked off when those dragon fliers are zipping around in the sky.”

Angulus grunted and moved to the head of the table. Kaika’s grin never faded. Angulus was harder to read, but his eyes had held an amused gleam as they spoke. Perhaps the rumors were right. When Kaika sat down, she did not put her boots back on the table.

“Tolemek,” Angulus said as soon as he sat down.

Tolemek, his hands still on the armrests, paused. He had assumed he had been brought in as an adviser and had not expected to be involved in the conversation from the start. “Sire?”

“I understand your emperor has been hiring assassins to kill you.”

A throat cleared again, and a servant brought in a tray bearing pastries, glasses of water, and mugs of coffee. While she arranged the treats in front of everyone, Tolemek settled more fully in his chair. He wasn’t surprised the king had this information—after the airship battle, General Ort must have included it in his report.

“That’s true, Sire,” Tolemek said as the servant departed. He grabbed his freshly delivered coffee mug, feeling the need for a bracing substance.

“Pardon my bluntness,” Angulus said, “but I grow less and less patient with small talk as the years pass. I also have more meetings later. One with the Cofah diplomat.” His lips thinned. “Absurd title for the man since all he does is deliver threats.”

“It’s fine, Sire. I don’t like small talk either. I also don’t consider him
my
emperor anymore.”

“No? Good.” Angulus threaded his fingers together and rested his hands on the tablecloth. “I have a new plan, and I thought you might be willing to assist, since it could solve both of our problems.”

Cas shifted her weight. Unease settled in the pit of Tolemek’s stomach. He did not consider himself an imperial subject anymore, but that didn’t mean he wanted to join in on some assassination plot.

“Are you targeting the emperor himself, Sire?” Colonel Quataldo asked.

“Is that a mission you’d be keen to take on, Colonel?” Angulus responded.

Quataldo brooded down at his coffee mug. “I would be willing, of course, if you assigned it. To get close to him might take a better operative than me. Since he’s not a beloved figure, as I understand it, and he’s ruled for nearly twenty years, his security must be impressive.”

“Yes, and he rarely leaves his palace, my reports tell me. Except when his youngest daughter is being married off in a foreign land.”

“Because he’s especially fond of that youngest daughter?” Cas asked. “He has fifteen or twenty legitimate children, doesn’t he?”

“Not quite that many,” Angulus said, “but to your point, I believe the alliance he wishes is perhaps more important than the marriage itself.”

“When is this wedding happening?” Quataldo asked.

“Very soon. I wished our intelligence people had learned of it sooner, but it was fortuitous that they discovered the details at all. I wasn’t invited, oddly.”

“Imagine,” Tolemek murmured.

Angulus looked around the table, holding each person’s gaze as he shared his thoughts. “It’s not an assassination I have in mind. I know it has not always been the case, but I should like for the history writers of the future to look back and acknowledge that Iskandia maintained... if not the moral high ground, then at least that we acted with honor. I have tried to do that since I took over for my father, but we can no longer simply think of defending ourselves. The Cofah never grow weary of trying to annex us, and this emperor is even more determined than previous ones. I have weapons now that I can launch from our ships that would devastate the Cofah continent.” Angulus nodded to Tolemek, who had seen the king’s rockets when he had helped move the contents of the secret facility that had created them. “That would be even less honorable, though, as it would destroy far more civilian lives than military or government ones. I have always considered those weapons a last resort.”

Tolemek was relieved to hear it. “If you don’t intend to assassinate him, then what?”

“I plan to send in a pair of elite forces soldiers—” Angulus spread his hand toward Kaika and Quataldo, “—delivered by some of our best pilots—” his hand shifted toward Cas, “—to kidnap the man while he attends his daughter’s wedding.”

“Kidnap the emperor?” Tolemek asked. “To what end?”

“Exile. He’ll live out his life in a remote prison that only a handful of trusted Iskandians and I know about.”

“Will it be a lighthouse?” Kaika asked.

Angulus gave her a sour look. “Something less austere. Definitely less moldy. I want him out of the way and where nobody will find him—that’s the only requirement. I’m basing this mission on the assumption—and Tolemek, perhaps as a former imperial subject, you can let me know your opinion on this—that if we’re successful in getting away with him and eluding immediate pursuit, his people and his heirs won’t try that hard to find him.”

“There are seven sons and four daughters,” Tolemek said, correcting Cas’s count, “with the oldest prince being in his forties. I imagine he’s ready for his time to rule, but I don’t know what kind of ruler he would be. I never followed the gossip or news about the royal court. I do know he’s one of the less conspicuous heirs. He’s married with children of his own.”

The idea of kidnapping Emperor Salatak seemed crazy and impossible, but it intrigued Tolemek nonetheless. Having the man out of power could get rid of his bounty problem. Also, perhaps the emperor’s eldest son would be less aware of Tolemek’s past crimes and less likely to want retribution for them.

“I have a full report on the heir,” Angulus said. “He’s reputed to be a mathematician and an inventor—I’ve seen some of his designs for scientific apparatuses and was most intrigued by the promise of a non-leaking ballpoint pen.” Angulus wryly looked at ink on the tips of his fingers. “While I don’t know if he’ll be friendly to Iskandia, especially if we kidnap his father, he seems to be a reasonable man overall. Perhaps we’ll have better luck negotiating and reaching an accord with a reasonable man. Also, if we succeed here and set a precedent, future emperors may regard us as more formidable and dangerous.”

Cas lifted a finger. “Sire, I’m certain you’ve considered this, but even with elite forces, getting to him will be close to impossible. He won’t travel without legions of troops surrounding him.”

“No, it won’t be easy. This may be the only opportunity we have for some time. I have to believe there
will
be opportunities. His daughter is marrying a shaman who rules over the city of Tildar Dem in Dakrovia. The emperor will have to travel by airship or sea vessel to get there. Such craft are vulnerable to the elements—and our fliers.”

“What if the sorceress is with him? Or another one? We don’t even know how she came to be in our era yet, right? Couldn’t there be more like her? Will Sardelle be coming?”

“I’m going to talk to her this afternoon—she actually requested an appointment with me.” Angulus met Tolemek’s eyes. “I did have the thought that
Tylie
might go along.”

“My sister? On a dangerous kidnapping mission?” Tolemek gaped at him. “She’s not a trained combatant. She’s not a trained sorceress yet either. She’s—”

“The one who commands Phelistoth.”

Tolemek slumped back in his seat. Of course. The king wanted the
dragon
to help.

“She doesn’t
command
him, Sire. They’re just...” Tolemek groped for a word. He didn’t know how to describe that relationship. He wasn’t sure he entirely understood it. “Friends.”

“Nobody else here has a dragon friend,” Angulus said dryly.

“Sardelle talked one into helping us at the outpost.” Granted, Tolemek hadn’t seen or heard anything about that dragon since they had left the mountains. That might have been a one-time deal. Or maybe Sardelle had told the dragon she didn’t want to be his high priestess, and their relationship had ended after that.

“I would be most pleased to send two dragons to kidnap the emperor,” Angulus said, “but I’m hoping for one, especially since two of the other gold dragons that showed up at the outpost have since been reported over Cofahre territory. Being nuisances, is what I’ve heard so far, but the emperor may try to strike a deal with one or both of them. I’d like to attack while we have the dragon advantage, if I may presume that we have it.” The wry twist to his lips suggested he wasn’t presuming so much as hoping, and not with a great deal of conviction. “We’re only going to get one chance to take Emperor Salatak by surprise.”

“We?” Kaika asked. “Are you coming along?”

Quataldo made a choking sound at her audacity.

“I was using the royal we,” Angulus said. “You’ve seen my grappling skills. I wouldn’t qualify to be on your team.”

“You grapple better than you think, Sire,” Kaika said, a glint in her eyes.

“Colonel Quataldo will lead the mission.” Angulus locked eyes with the officer, who nodded firmly. He shifted his gaze to Cas. “I trust I don’t need to say that I expect Quataldo to arrive in Dakrovia with the pilots, not to get dumped alongside the road before you leave the country.”

Quataldo’s eyebrows flew upward.

“Relax, sir,” Kaika said. “You’re not nearly as unpleasant of a commander as Colonel Therrik. As long as you don’t threaten the pilots—or our ex-pirate scientist—they shouldn’t have any reason to disgorge you.”

“Comforting,” he murmured.

Angulus hadn’t stopped looking at Cas. He didn’t think
she’d
had anything to do with Zirkander’s usurpation of that previous mission, did he? Cas didn’t break rules or take matters into her own hands. Tolemek opened his mouth, intending to say as much, but she spoke first.

“I wouldn’t think to arrange any such thing, Sire,” Cas said, “but I’m confused. I’m only a lieutenant. Why am I here representing pilots instead of one of my superior officers?” She looked around, as if expecting other officers to wander out of the foliage.

Tolemek could guess at least part of the reason. Angulus wanted her on the mission to ensure
he
wouldn’t be tempted to stray or succumb to threats against his family. Since his parents still lived in the empire, Tolemek admitted that was a valid concern. He wouldn’t want them to be harmed as a result of his actions. He hoped he did not end up in a position where he had to choose between them and Cas.

The king’s gaze flicked toward him, as if he heard and acknowledged the thoughts, but came back to rest on Cas. “I want your guns on the incursion team,” Angulus said, “so you were going to be assigned, regardless, but I will leave choosing the other pilots to you. I’m less familiar with the rest of your Wolf Squadron teammates and your new commander. I asked General Ort what he thought, and he said anyone could fly the elite forces troops over there. I’m not sure he imagined his pilots being a part of the action.” Angulus smiled. “I, however, like to plan for the worst. I would have given the job to Zirkander—despite his proclivity for getting rid of mission commanders he’s not fond of—but he’s obviously not here, and I know he considered you his protégé and would have trusted your decisions in this.”

Cas’s eyes widened. Tolemek wondered if
she
knew Zirkander had considered her his protégé. She looked down, blinking a few times, and he caught the glint of moisture in her eyes. He rested his hand on her forearm.

“If you pick higher-ranking officers, you’ll follow their orders, of course, with Colonel Quataldo at the top of the chain of command, but it’s up to you if you want to do that. I understand some of the other lieutenants in your squadron have some unique skills.”

“Yes, Sire,” Cas said quietly. “Dakrovia, you said? Jungles and swamps, right? Duck would be useful if we need to survive out there. How many people do we need?”

“Pilots to fly Tolemek, Kaika, Quataldo, and Sardelle, if I can talk her into it, and you’ll need an open seat for your passenger. And Tylie—”

Tolemek’s head came up. “Is not going, Sire. She’s too young. She can’t go into combat.”

“Even with a dragon to protect her?”

“There’s no guarantee Phelistoth will go for it. He’s a
Cofah
dragon. He doesn’t even like Iskandians.”

“I suppose Tylie would ride on his back, if they were to go, so she wouldn’t require a flier.”

Tolemek felt his nostrils flare. Was Angulus planning to talk to her behind his back? That was
not
going to happen.

“Put together your team, Ahn.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“Tolemek, you will go, won’t you?” Angulus asked. “I realize I’m presuming. I can order the soldiers, but you’re not under any obligation to obey me. You did sign a contract to deliver healing potions and knockout grenades, but I think your team would be more comfortable if you went along personally.”

Quataldo’s eyebrows twitched, but he did not object.

“They’re salves,” Tolemek muttered. “Not potions.”

He rubbed his face. Was Angulus truly trying to recruit him at the same time as irking him with this insistence that Tylie go? Maybe there was a reason that he hadn’t been able to negotiate a peace treaty with Cofahre.

“I’ll go. Tylie won’t.”

“Of course.” Angulus did not appear concerned by his half victory. Maybe because he still planned to talk to Tylie himself. Tolemek would have to speak with her first, to make sure she didn’t volunteer for this, thinking it some grand adventure.

“The wedding is in four days,” Angulus said. “You’ll leave in the morning.”

“Yes, Sire,” the officers said while Tolemek gaped. Why were these things always done on such short notice? Did everyone think it was a simple matter to make enough supplies to take along?