Michel had done a lot of insane things in his life—he’d manipulated strong men, lied to friends, defied dictators, and even cut off his own finger for the sake of disguise. Despite all of this, he had never before been as nervous as he was as the riverboat delivered him and Ichtracia directly to a small launch off the side of the imperial palace in Talunlica.

He’d tried to marvel at the city to keep himself distracted. It really was an incredible place, one that he knew he’d enjoy touring at length, but even his arrival in a country that had been closed off to outsiders for a hundred years did nothing to pull his mind away from the coming meeting. He tried rehearsing what he’d say. He played games in his head. He read books. Nothing seemed to work.

The dock was not a large one, mostly taken up by large, brightly colored vessels in the purple and turquoise of the imperial household. Their riverboat slid into the one open spot, porters jumping out to secure the boat and then unload the luggage in a flurry of activity. Despite all the strangeness of this place, the pair waiting to meet them were a familiar sight, one that took the edge off Michel’s nerves.

Taniel Two-shot stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore the flowing-cut jacket and pants of a Dynize uniform, but with the Adran blue and silver-and-crimson trim in contrast to all the turquoise around them. At his side was a tall figure in ancient-looking armor. The visor was open to reveal a scarred, hard-faced Kressian woman. He didn’t recognize her, but he did recognize the skull-and-lance insignia attached to her left pauldron.

One of the porters gestured for them to come ashore, and Michel looked at Ichtracia. Her expression was cool, unreadable, and arrogant, but when she squeezed the tips of his fingers gently, he could feel that she was trembling. Taniel stepped forward to offer her his hand, which she accepted. Michel followed.

“Ichtracia, Michel. It’s good to see you again. This is Ibana je Fles, the captain of the imperial guard. Sorry that Ka-poel isn’t here to meet you. One of her audiences has run long, but she’ll end it the moment she knows you’re in the palace.”

Pleasantries were exchanged, and they followed Taniel along the dock and into the palace. Michel lagged behind, considering their surroundings, trying to work through his nerves. They were getting worse with every step.

Taniel didn’t seem to notice, talking while they walked. “I’m glad you were able to make it so quickly. I’m sure everything between here and in Fatrasta is still in absolute chaos.”

“You have no idea,” Ichtracia replied. “Peace is still holding, but everyone who doesn’t have orders to remain in Landfall is trying to get back here. They’re terrified of what will happen to them if things break down, now that the armies are leaving.”

It had only been two months since the end of hostilities, and if anything, Ichtracia was playing down the uncertainty and panic of everyone who’d been involved in the war. When she and Michel left, Landfall had felt like a powder keg, with the Palo, Kressians, and Dynize all sitting on the knife’s edge, wondering what would happen now that Dynize had a new empress. Michel wondered if he should speak up, but rejected the thought. Taniel would no doubt corner him later for a full debriefing. Besides, this was no longer his place. He wasn’t a Privileged or a relative or a politician or anyone important. He was just another spy without orders.

They walked through the long, high-ceilinged palace corridors. Servants seemed to flutter everywhere, always on Michel’s periphery but never crossing their paths. They reached a junction at which Ibana was called away by a soldier. Michel watched her go, and finally spoke up.

“Wasn’t she Ben Styke’s second-in-command?”

Taniel nodded.

“So the Mad Lancers really did invade Dynize all on their own?”

“Accompanying Ka-poel, yes.” Taniel chuckled. He looked older than he’d been, but significantly less tired. “Once Ka-poel seized the throne, we offered the Mad Lancers a place at Ka-poel’s side.” He paused thoughtfully. “Styke turned us down. Ibana did not.”

“He turned her down?” Ichtracia asked, dumbfounded. “You don’t turn down honors from the empress of Dynize!”

“I think,” Taniel said, “that Ka-poel is going to be a different kind of ruler than your people are used to, for both good and ill. Besides, it wouldn’t have mattered who made the offer. Styke wasn’t interested. He… got something else for our gratitude, though.”

They rounded another corner, and Ichtracia suddenly came to a stop. There, at the other end of the hall, surrounded by a small entourage, was Ka-poel. Ka-poel wore a uniform much like Taniel’s, but colored with the purple and turquoise with accents that matched his Adran colors. She raised a hand to cut off someone who’d been speaking with her, then made a sharp gesture. The entourage scattered.

A few seconds of silence followed, and the two sisters ran toward each other, falling into a long embrace. To Michel’s surprise, they began talking almost immediately. He stared, dumbfounded. “She can talk?” he asked Taniel.

Taniel watched the reunion with a small smile. “Something she gained when she went into the godstone to oppose Sedial. We have no idea how or why.”

“Is she…” Michel swallowed. “Is she really a god?”

Taniel glanced at him sidelong. “What have you heard?”

“Only a few rumors since we arrived. The Dynize here are whispering about it, but we didn’t find out anything about it in Fatrasta.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“That’s not a no.”

“There was a lot of power in those godstones, enough to make many gods. Ka-poel took some of it. The rest, well… she used the rest to destroy the godstones themselves. We’re hoping that’s enough to seal the Else away forever.”

“I see.” Michel regarded Ichtracia and Ka-poel warily, his stomach tying itself in knots.

“Is something wrong?” Taniel asked with a frown.

“I’m out of my element,” Michel demurred. “In more ways than one.” He tried to ignore the concerned glance that Taniel cast him. “So, if Pole is the new empress, then what are you?”

“I’m her consort,” Taniel answered.

“Not the emperor?”

He sniffed and shook his head. “That would be neither politically expedient nor something I desire. I don’t need power or responsibilities. I’d far rather stand behind her than beside her. It frees me up to protect her from everyone in this damned country who is angry she seized power.”

“Isn’t she immortal now?”

“Maybe? Maybe not. We’re not going to test it. For now, we’re going to stitch the country back together—to unite them, open the borders, and bring them into the modern age. Once that’s done”—he shrugged—“we hope to reach a point at which Dynize doesn’t need a monarch and we can just disappear.”

“That sounds ideal.”

“There’s a lot of work to do between now and then. You’ll be pleased to know we’ve already opened up conversations with the Palo in Landfall. We have a lot of leverage over Lindet, and we’re going to use it to make sure she changes the way the Palo are treated.”

“I’m very glad to hear that,” Michel replied. When he and Ichtracia left Landfall, Jiniel had already sent messengers directly to Ka-poel. He had high hopes.

“Speaking of which…” Taniel trailed off as the two sisters finally came to join them. Ka-poel beamed openly. Ichtracia was more guarded, her expression fit for the People-Eater that the palace servants had expected to return, but she clutched her older sister’s hand so tightly that both their fingers turned white. Taniel nodded to Ka-poel. “Should we get this over with?”

Ka-poel greeted Michel with a small smile, and his nerves almost set him shaking. He interjected before she could say anything. “Look, I’m not sure if I belong here. If you can point me somewhere out of the way, I’ll let you two…” He trailed off. “Get what over with?”

“It’s good to see you, Michel,” Ka-poel said. She sounded so much like Ichtracia that it was uncanny.

Michel looked between her and Taniel, wondering what they were up to. He gave a half bow. “Empress.”

“Oh, stop that. You can be formal in public because it’s expected, but not within the palace grounds.” Ka-poel took a deep breath and exchanged a smirk with her husband. “Michel and Ichtracia, we have tasks for you, if you’re willing. Ichtracia, I’d like you to become the magus of my new imperial cabal. Michel, I want you to be the imperial spymaster. I can think of no two people I’d rather have at my back.”

For her part, Ichtracia seemed to absorb the news as if she expected it. Michel felt his mouth fall open. “You’re joking?”

“Of course not,” Ka-poel said, looking vaguely annoyed. “Why would I joke about that?”

“I…” Michel sucked on his teeth and took a deep breath. He finally got a grasp on his nerves, pulling them all tight until he could talk without a tremble in his voice. He made eye contact with Ichtracia. Only a moment ago she had exclaimed that one does not turn down honors from the ruler of Dynize. “Does this change that thing we’d discussed?”

“Not for me it doesn’t. Does it for you?”

“No.”

It seemed to be Taniel and Ka-poel’s turn to be confused. They both watched Michel with a sudden trepidation. Michel kept his eyes on Ichtracia for a few more moments before turning to her sister. God, empress, or simply his former employer—he could do this. “Ichtracia and I are getting married. We want to spend a few months here, but then we’ve been invited to visit the Palo Nation in northern Fatrasta and we figure that would be a good place for both of us, where no one knows nor cares who we are.”

“Oh.” The response came from Taniel and Ka-poel at the same time. Michel bit his tongue. He was going to marry the sister of the new Dynize empress. He should be asking for permission, not telling them. But Ichtracia had made it clear that she was no one’s property anymore. If he hadn’t told them, she would have. He braced himself, waiting for the rebuke to come.

The silence was just beginning to get awkward when Ka-poel suddenly grinned. “Congratulations! That’s… not what I expected.”

Still as stone-faced as ever, Ichtracia slipped away from her sister and took Michel’s hand. “We’ve spent a lot of time together this last year. We’d like to spend more, and without responsibilities.”

“I think we can understand that,” Taniel said. “It doesn’t mean we won’t try to talk you into something. An ambassadorship, maybe?” He pressed on, before either of them felt the need to answer. “It doesn’t matter. We have plenty of time to discuss it. I made sure the palace chancellor cleared out Pole’s schedule for the day. Shall we go find lunch?”

Michel felt all the nerves that had turned his body into a twisted bundle these last couple of weeks finally relax. His legs felt spongy, but his chest felt light. “That sounds great. You can help me convince Ichtracia to agree to meet my mother when we go back through Fatrasta.”