Page 37 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

I shoved him. Hard. “She’s not—”

“Silence!”

It took everything I had to back down, to step away and turn to my emperor.

He sipped at his glass of whiskey, the deep frown still upon his face. “Fighting like children.”

I dropped to one knee before him. “Apologies, my emperor.” Orson mumbled the same behind me. What had I been thinking?

I hadn’t. And it shook me worse than the emperor’s fury or his odd behavior.

“Rise,” he said. “I’ve heard about this, about your command for Lady Ilya to reside with you. You know how I feel about such things.”

Do you? Even with Kasida?The traitorous thought surprised me. “I’m keeping her close to keep an eye on her. That’s all.” No matter that part of me wanted more. “I think she could be a valuable ally.”

Orson snorted, but I ignored him.

“She’s already my subject. My guest,” the emperor said.

“Yes, but someone tried to send that letter through the maids. She might be able to find out who or inform us of other such attempts. She could aid us.” All true, even if that wasn’t my only reason, not anymore. “Besides, she can’t cause any trouble if she’s under my watch.”

“Tell that to my men,” Orson muttered.

I turned on him. “Your men attacked her. I saw it for myself.”

“Like I believe that.”

The emperor coughed, drawing our attention. “Orson, discipline your men.”

He flinched but bowed his head. “Yes, my emperor.”

“Lucien…” He looked me up and down. “Do not disappoint me.”

My chest burned. “I won’t, my emperor. In this, or the other matter we discussed.” But his look said I already had by keeping Ilya in my rooms, whatever my purpose. Making it up to him now was the best course of action. I would find these would-be rebels and gather the information our scouts could not. There was no room for failure anymore.

Chapter17

Lucien

Tension hung heavy in the air of the emperor’s audience chamber when I arrived back in Zhine after my quest. My emperor sent me chasing after whispers of rebellion, yet I’d failed him. His captain. His first-in-command. I even took a few others with me to ensure success. Yet we still couldn’t manage to capture, kill, or identify anyone despite spending a week following their traces through the hills.

“If we can’t figure out who it is, they’ll all suffer!” The emperor banged his hand on the massive wooden desk in front of him. Color reddened his cheeks as his anger boiled to the surface.

Long ago, he’d always been calm and collected. A quiet guardian whose presence lingered even when duty took him from our country manor to advise his brother in Zhine.

The angry outbursts began shortly before the war, a secret he kept hidden from his subjects—other than us. We blamed it on stress from rule and battle. He’d just taken over in his brother’s stead after his untimely death, one he blamed on our neighbors to the north. They’d denied poisoning him, but who wouldn’t? As our victories grew, so did the private outbursts.

“All, my emperor?” Zurina asked, concern flashing in her eyes. “The city-states have already sent us tithes of goods and gold. Any more might hinder their health this resting season. You don’t want your loyal subjects to starve.”

“My loyal ones, no. But these disloyal ingrates—” He banged his fist on the desk again, causing Zurina to flinch and look away.

Her attention flickered to me briefly, a request for help in her dark eyes. Weariness already pressed down on me from traveling fast over poor dirt roads, sneaking through the woods in the rain to disguise our approach, eating too little food, and getting far too little sleep. I longed to retreat to my chambers and rest. I hadn’t seen Ilya since the day after the feast when our emperor ordered this excursion, and he’d demanded a report immediately upon our return. Had she healed? Had there been any more trouble? I’d hoped the assignment would clear her from my mind, but it only proved to do the opposite. During the day, she drifted through my thoughts, distracting as a fly buzzing about my head and just as persistent. At night, she haunted my dreams—and dreams they were. In them, she was the seductress from recent days but with all the fire I’d seen the day I met her, except she didn’t burn with rage but with desires that should be forbidden.

Should be…but hadn’t our emperor sought pleasure with Kasida? Could it really be so dangerous if it was just physical pleasure? A release?

Now was not the time though.

I shook the thoughts from my head, adjusted the helm tucked under my arm, and stepped forward into the half-circle we’d formed around the emperor’s desk. We never wore our helms in front of the emperor unless the guards or others were around. Among our leader and my fellow captains, it would have been a sign of disrespect to do so. We didn’t sit either. An unnecessary luxury. A sign of weakness. “We don’t know who they are yet,” I said. “It’s possible they’re not from the city-states at all.”

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