The Withering Sword

Chapter 20: Old Debts

EBEYA

Amrato-feg, capital city of Gyoto

The empress-regnant of Gyoto looked more like a mythical creature than a human being. Her features escaped the confines of beauty or ugliness, entrenched instead in god-like majesty. She made even drinking seem imperial.

Ebeya stood at her elbow, outside of the reach of the shaft of light that illuminated the imperial seat, waiting with a pitcher of iced milk to refill the empress’ cup whenever she should need it. Ebeya took care to stand perfectly still. It had been easier earlier in the day, but as the hours wore by and the meeting continued, her feet and legs had started to ache. She didn’t waver, though.

A report had just come in. Ebeya’s attention had wandered while the scholar read it, so she’d missed most of it, but she didn’t miss the increased tension in the empress’ pose.

“Demys is lost?” asked the empress coldly.

“Not lost, Myagata. Missing,” said the scholar who had read the report, rolling up the paper.

“What is the difference?”

“That he probably knows where he is. He informed one of the officers that he was leaving.”

“Did he mention where or why?”

“No, Myagata.”

The empress snapped her fingers and Ebeya stepped forward quickly, pouring her drink. “Have they sent search parties after him?”

“He ordered them not to follow him. The officers disagreed about whose orders to follow, and they finally sent a small party after him, but he lost them. They think he may have hired a boat to sail down the Tawem-Dagadato.”

“Demys lost them?” The empress’ eyebrows rose. “I believe I will have to raise the standards of military entrance exams.”

“He had a good head start on them, Myagata. And he didn’t travel as an imperial prince. He didn’t pay in imperial silver, either. He took great care to avoid detection.”

“To defy my orders,” said the empress, her tone becoming colder. “Send letters to every town and city in Gyoto, Pehmato, Dagafato, and the southern feuds of Hassal. He’s to be arrested and brought here upon sight.”

The scholar nodded. “Shall we send word to Miihing and the allied Leiyang islands as well?”

“Demys would not dare cross the Sea of Suns. He never had the stomach for seafaring. I’m surprised he even took a boat down the river.”

Dagas, the Head Councilor, stood. He looked old, with plenty of grey in his hair and a network of lines around his eyes, but he moved like a much younger man. He spoke softly, but his voice made Ebeya want to fall as silent as possible and listen dutifully. “Myagata, I would consult with you in private, if you are agreeable.”

The empress nodded. “Approach.”

Ebeya wondered if the empress wanted her to leave, but didn’t move, awaiting orders. Neither the empress nor the head councilor seemed to notice her presence.

The old man climbed to the next-to-highest level of the tiered platforms of the council chamber, which put his head at the level of the empress’. Ebeya doubted that anyone other than her and the empress heard him. “Do you recall your son’s interest in the old mountain legends? The dawn bird and the dusk bird and so forth?”

“Vividly,” said the empress with distaste.

“The villagers near the area where Demys split away from the caravan have reported seeing the dawn bird recently. A great golden bird twice the size of a man, faster and stronger than any of the others, with bloody claws and beak. I wonder whether this and the additional local superstition drove Prince Demys to seek out the veracity of the legends himself.”