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  “You’re not pleased by the opportunity to share your goos?” Cas asked.

  “I would be tickled to share Healing Salve Number Seven with anyone who wanted it. Somehow, I doubt that’s what the king called me here about. He always wants weapons.”

  “If the Cofah would stop attacking us, maybe he’d want something less dire.” Cas sat down again, clasped his hand, and lowered her voice. “I know you don’t want to fight your own people. Maybe this will be about something else.”

  Tolemek grunted dubiously. Cas, known for her marksmanship, wouldn’t likely have been invited to this meeting if the king had anything peaceful planned. He was surprised she was the only one from her squadron here. Tolemek would have expected General Ort or whoever had taken over Wolf Squadron after Zirkander had been promoted.

  “Were you the only one of your pilot people invited to this meeting?” Tolemek eyed the table. It could seat more than a dozen, but there weren’t any place settings or anything to hint as to how many people would be at this meeting. It couldn’t just be him and Cas, unless this had something to do with the bounty Emperor Salatak had put on Tolemek’s head. But that wouldn’t involve a “mission” for Cas.

  “Yes. Captains Crash and Blazer seemed envious. I’m not sure if Colonel Madiken was envious. He’s hard to read. He got transferred over from Cougar Squadron on the East Coast. I don’t know any of those pilots well.”

  “Is he the one who took over for...” Tolemek spread his hand. He was trying to be circumspect with Cas in regard to Zirkander’s death. Besides, he would have found it difficult to be blunt. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that even he missed Zirkander. Aside from Cas and Sardelle, there weren’t many people here who went out of their way to talk to him, and Sardelle hadn’t been around much since Zirkander’s death. Cas had been a more frequent visitor of late, fortunately, but with Tylie still studying and staying with Sardelle, Tolemek’s work days and evenings had been quiet. Lonely even. He ought to go out to visit them, but it felt strange going to see Sardelle without Zirkander around.

  “Yes,” Cas said. “We didn’t have anyone with enough rank to lead the squadron, and nobody ready to promote into the position. At least General Ort didn’t think so.”

  “Ah.”

  Cas rested her hand on his, running her thumb along his knuckles. “I walked past a house for rent on the way here. It had an upstairs and a downstairs, with bedrooms on each end. We could have guests over, and it would still be… private.”

  “Oh,” Tolemek said neutrally.

  He did not want to discourage Cas’s interest in making more permanent arrangements with him, since neither her room in the barracks nor the studio the king had arranged for him was ideal for two, especially two who liked to engage in amorous activities in private. When Tylie visited, such activities were effectively squelched. But the idea of committing to a lease or buying a property made him twitch. Even though he adored Cas, he hadn’t stopped thinking of Iskandia as temporary. A place to live for now.

  He had to admit that he had speculated about taking Cas off to explore the world one day, something he might have brought up during the weeks after she had quit the army if she had been around more then. He eyed her shiny rank pins, accepting that it was less of a possibility now. He couldn’t ask her to quit and leave her country for his sake.

  “I could show it to you later,” she went on, watching his eyes, a hint of wariness in her own. She didn’t want to push. “Or we could look for something else together. Only if you’re interested, of course.”

  “How long was the lease?”

  “This one required two years, I believe.”

  With great effort, Tolemek kept his eyes from bulging out of their sockets. Twenty-four months. Did he want to commit to twenty-four months in Iskandia? What if another assassin came looking for him? He would hate to leave Cas to pay for a house by herself. As far as he knew, her wealthy father kept his wealth to himself, so she had only her lieutenant’s salary.

  “Perhaps we could look for something with a shorter term,” he suggested.

  She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I would be open to that. It would be nice to have a place that we could make entirely our own, with elements of both of us in it.”

  “Like artwork on the walls made from used bullets and volumetric flasks?”

  She swatted him. He probably deserved it.

  A thump sounded, the door opening. Tolemek leaned back to see who would join them next. A single set of boots thudded lightly behind the trees, so it wasn’t the king. When he arrived, at least two bodyguards would escort him.

  Captain Kaika strolled into view, also wearing her uniform.

  “Who’s ready for a new mission?” she asked, giving them a cheerful wave before plopping into a chair near the head of the table.

  Cas frowned slightly, as if finding the cheer inappropriate. Kaika hadn’t known Zirkander that long. His death probably hadn’t left a giant hole in her life.

  “I wasn’t aware that I was someone who was sent on missions.” Tolemek waved to indicate his lack of a uniform.

  “Please, you’ve been on almost every mission I’ve been on this year.”

  “Captain,” Cas said, “do you know what this is about?”

  “Yup.” She smiled at them.

  “Are you going to tell us?”

  “Nope.” Her smile broadened.

  “Because you enjoy being mysterious or because you’ve been ordered not to?” Tolemek asked.

  “It was more of a suggestion than, say, a royal order, but I can take a hint.”

  The door thumped open again, and a guard said, “That way, sir.”

  Sir. Still not the king. Someone who got more respect than Tolemek, but that wasn’t unusual.

  He, Cas, and Kaika turned to look at the newcomer, another officer in uniform, this one wearing more rank than anyone else in the atrium. A colonel. Tolemek had seen the markings often enough to recognize them. He did not, however, recognize the man or the name on his jacket. Quataldo. The officer appeared to be bald under his uniform cap, or close to it, but he probably wasn’t much older than Zirkander had been. Early forties. None of Zirkander’s humor showed in his blue eyes. The man had plain features with a saturnine turn to his mouth. There was something akin to a dancer’s grace to his movements, even if he appeared hesitant here.

  Cas and Kaika stood together and saluted. The colonel returned the gesture. “At ease.” He had a soft voice.

  Kaika had been at ease, with her boots up on the table. Both she and Cas appeared much more at ease than the new fellow, who eyed the birds flapping about in the treetops like a man who had never been here before. He considered the open seats and chose the one next to Kaika. He didn’t have pilot wings on his uniform, so he wasn’t one of Cas’s bosses. Tolemek looked to Kaika, wondering if this might be another elite forces officer, someone the king had selected to lead the mission. Remembering Therrik, Tolemek grimaced. That hadn’t gone well.

  “You needn’t look so morose, sir,” Kaika said, flipping a hand toward Quataldo. “You’ll like it. I bet you’ll find some eggs.”

  “Eggs?” Tolemek mouthed to Cas.

  She shrugged at him.

  “You have previous knowledge of this mission, Captain Kaika?” Quataldo tilted his head. “I was told—I was led to believe that nobody had been briefed yet.”

  “Were you?” She smiled. “Huh.”

  Tolemek had heard rumors that Kaika had started a relationship with King Angulus. He wasn’t much for listening to gossip or assuming anything from it, but he now wondered if it was true. Her boots went back up on the table. She certainly appeared comfortable around the castle.

  A throat cleared by the door. “His Royal Highness has arrived.”

  Chairs scraped on the flagstone patio as everyone scooted them back. Kaika’s boots came down from the table. Tolemek stood along with the others, though he never felt certain of what he was supposed to do when Angulus ent
ered. The officers saluted. A civilian or a soldier out of uniform was supposed to genuflect, but that presumed they were subjects. Nobody had yet suggested to Tolemek that he should become a subject, and he was relieved by that. So far, he had been treated well enough by the king, even if his reception by the average Iskandian was lacking, and he had a fantastic laboratory to work in. Still, if not for Cas and the fact that Sardelle was instructing his sister, he doubted he would be on these shores.

  Four bodyguards accompanied the king into the atrium, then disappeared into the foliage at a flick of his hand to observe discreetly. Angulus strode to the table, clad in unadorned wool and cotton clothing, nothing like the embellished robes he wore when he addressed the people, but his height and broad shoulders gave him a presence that conveyed his position even in the simple attire.

  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.”