Empress of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa)

16

“All stand for the Empress Natasia of the House of Dorsa, ruler of the Four Realms, Mother of the Empire’s Children,” Grizzle said loudly, projecting his voice to fill the council room.

Not that he needed to be particularly loud today. The room was only about half as full as it was for normal council meetings. With the spring council meetings already over, and with many lords so frightened by the Battle of Port Lorsin that they had rushed home to see their families and assure themselves that their own holdings were still secure, the gargantuan room built to hold hundreds currently contained fewer than a hundred lords, lordlings, Wise Men, and ambassadors, together with a smattering of palace guards. More would return to the capital in time for the royal wedding in a few more days’ time, but for now, Tasia’s audience was small.

Tasia settled into the high-backed chair at the center of the dais, and Joslyn took her place just behind her. Mace sat to her right; Evrart to her left.

“Please sit, my Lords,” Tasia said.

They did so. An air of anticipation filled the room. Why had the Empress gathered them without warning? What was it she wanted to tell them?

They weren’t the only ones who wondered. Joslyn remained as still as she could behind Tasia, lest some small movement betray her own anxiety. It had been a long time since Tasia had kept something from her, and it made Joslyn uneasy.

“Thank you for coming. I’m sure you’re wondering why I called this meeting, so close to the eventide meal,” Tasia began. “It is not a normal time of day for a council meeting. And I’m sure many of you remember that the last time I gathered an emergency council meeting, it was to surprise you with my own return to Port Lorsin, reveal a traitor, and announce that our fair city was about to come under attack from dark forces that most of us assumed were mere children’s tales.”

The audience gave a few tentative chuckles.

“You might be relieved that I have no conspiracy to unveil or imminent threat to announce this time, but I still do not bring you happy news.” Tasia paused a moment, taking a breath. “I survived another attempt on my life three days ago.” The stillness was broken, the crowd immediately rippling with unhappy murmurs. Tasia talked over them, regaining their attention quickly. “Fortunately, the Heroine of the Battle of Port Lorsin was at my side and defeated the assassin. We were able to interrogate her, and what we learned is part of what I wanted to share with you today.

“The assassin – along with others who have come before her – originates from a place that, much like the Shadowlands, some of us thought was only legend. A place called the Kingdom of Persopos.”

The name triggered more low muttering, this time coming especially from the room’s Wise Men.

“Some of you might know that name,” Tasia said. “My father’s senior military advisor, General Remington of House Aventia, long suspected that the Kingdom of Persopos was involved in training and supplying the mountain men, using the tribesmen as a proxy force to weaken the Empire, but he could not guess for what purpose. We know the purpose now, thanks to yesterday’s interrogation: despite the treaty the false Regent signed with the mountain men, the king of this faraway land intends to continue his assault on our Empire, not resting until he has gained the crown for himself.”

Joslyn watched as the assembly took this new information in. Some of the Wise Men already looked prepared to argue. Evrart wasn’t the only one who’d thought General Remington’s notion that the Kingdom of Persopos was somehow involved in the war was ludicrous.

Why would a kingdom – one that no one had heard from in so long that it might not even exist any longer – be interested in supporting mountain barbarians in a war against the Empire?they’d asked.

“The Battle of Port Lorsin was a preview of this evil king’s ultimate intention,” Tasia went on. “He desires that every man, woman, and child of the Empire is inhabited by a creature of the Shadowlands. Obviously, we cannot let this happen. We willnot let it happen. Which is why we will follow through with my father’s original plan to send a major offensive into the East, first taking back the lands that the false Regent ceded, then continuing on until we defeat the Kingdom of Persopos itself.” Tasia hesitated a moment, then added. “I have decided to lead this offensive myself.”

It wasn’t just the assembled lords, lordlings, and Wise Men who reacted with shock this time.

Joslyn’s head snapped down towards Tasia. What did she mean she intended to lead the offensive to the East? She couldn’t. In the past year, her people had survived the assassination of their Emperor, the failure of their army in the East, and an infestation of shadows. The last thing the Empire needed was Tasia galavanting off to the East. There were generals for that.

Tasia had to stay here, in Port Lorsin. Where she could rule. Where Joslyn could protect her.

And why did Joslyn have to find out about this at the same time as all the lords?

Tasia must have felt Joslyn’s eyes on her, because she turned, glancing over her shoulder. Apologies were written across her face. Apologies … and steel-willed determination.

Joslyn’s heart sunk into her stomach. She knew Tasia better than anyone. And she could tell solely from the mixture of guilt and determination in her green eyes that there was absolutely no talking her out of this madness.

But Joslyn wasn’t the only one who thought the Empress leaving Port Lorsin to lead an offensive to the East was untenable. The council room had grown loud now, shouted objections reaching a cacophonous climax until Tasia at last held up a hand.

“Peace, gentlemen, peace.”

Lord Simon, who, like the other Western lords, remained in the capital after the Battle of Port Lorsin, was the first to come to his feet. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, we only just got you back. The Empire should not lose its leader again so soon.”

“The Empire will lose nothing,” Tasia said. She gestured at Mace beside her. “Do not forget that Mace of House Gifford will be Emperor Mace of House Dorsa within a matter of days. I fully trust that the new Emperor will be more than capable of managing the Empire’s day-to-day operations in my absence.” She cocked her head. “Surely you do not suggest that the new Emperor will be incapable of ruling in my absence?”

“No, of course not, Empress, but–” Simon started.

Lord Roland, Mace’s father, stood up, chest puffed out like a peacock. “My son will make an excellent Emperor, obviously,” he told the assembly. “All the West knows him as a capable man already. The other Three Realms will know it soon enough.” He glanced around as if someone within the council room might argue his point, but when no one did, he nodded in apparent satisfaction. “I suppose that if Emperor Mace remains in Port Lorsin, we can bear the absence of our beloved Empress in the short term,” Roland said, and sat back down.

Someone behind him laughed and yelled, “Your son’s not the Emperor yet, my Lord!”

Others joined in the laughter, but it was not malicious. Roland was right; the Western lords already liked Mace. The other lords had no particular objection to him beyond the fact that Tasia had chosen him for marriage over their own sons.

Mace was destined to be popular. Even Joslyn couldn’t help but like him.

Joslyn wished she could see his face. Was Mace as surprised by this announcement as she was? Or did he already know? What if … what if Tasia had confided in her fiancé before confiding in her bodyguard? She might have. After all, this new plan was of more immediate concern to Mace than to Joslyn.

And wives generally confided in their husbands more often than they did their servants.

Joslyn clenched her jaw so tightly that her teeth felt as though they would crack apart.

Stop this pettiness,her ku-sai chided in the back of her mind. Your attention wavers from the task of protecting the Empress.

With effort, Joslyn pushed the emotions away.

“Empress,” a Wise Man in the crowd began, tone cautious, “I am not questioning your right to lead the Imperial Army on this campaign – as Empress that is certainly your prerogative, but may I ask why you deem it necessary? Even your father did not lead campaigns himself.”

Lords and Wise Men alike nodded and stamped their feet to show their approval for the Wise Man’s comment.

“I know he didn’t,” said Tasia. “And although I am loathe to criticize the dead, I wonder if the War in the East might be over by now if he had.” This statement led to renewed muttering in the council room, but Tasia lifted a hand to silence them. “Our generals in the East knew that their men were being infected by shadows, but they hid this information from the Emperor. They cared more about their own positions than they cared about their men or their duty. How many lives could have been saved, not just in the East but also in the Capital Lands, had they spoken up? How many times were commanding officers slow to ask because they waited for a messenger to return from Port Lorsin to approve of their next actions?” She shook her head. “The next campaign must not fail. We must take back the East once and for all.” She paused. “And once the East is ours again … I will lead the Imperial Army into the Kingdom of Persopos and cut off the head of the snake.”

The council room erupted into noise once more. Next to Tasia, both Evrart and Mace shifted uncomfortably.

Evrart touched Tasia’s elbow. “Are you sure about this, Empress?” Despite his question, Joslyn had a feeling that, like her, Evrart had already realized that talking Tasia out of her decision would be futile.

“Quite,” Tasia said curtly, without so much as turning her head.

The crowd of lords, however, had not arrived at the same realization. Many of them addressed Tasia at once, with objections such as:

“What experience do you have in leading a campaign? Your place is here!”

“We don’t have enough troops for another offensive”

and

“The maps aren’t even clear on the Kingdom’s precise location”