Page 38 of Heir

“Everyone out,” Helene said. “Rallius, get the generals to safe houses outside the city. Take the tunnels. The Fourth Legion is stationed to the north. Its sole purpose is to get our government to safety. See it done.”

The Maters and Paters began protesting, but Rallius nodded to his guards, who, after bodily dragging out a few of the Paters, persuaded the rest into docility. Rallius was about to herd Quil, Suf, and Arelia out when Musa spoke up.

“Wait,” Musa said. “Sufiyan, Arelia, stay. Quil, you need to hear this.”

“He does not,” the Empress snapped at Musa. “He—”

“—is heir to a throne you’re about to lose,” Musa said.

Aunt Helene looked away from Musa to Rallius, who was staring at them, jaw agape, probably wondering the same thing Quil was: why the Empress hadn’t taken Musa to task for saying something so treasonous.

“Rallius, go. Don’t”—she shook her head when he began to protest—“worry about me. I’ll find you, after.”

As soon as Rallius closed the door behind him, Musa spoke.

“The Kegari force numbers above thirty thousand—”

“Kegari?” Quil said. “But the marriage—”

Aunt Hel held up a hand and Quil fell silent.

“They flew those infernal Sails here,” Musa said, and Quil attempted to remember what Arelia had said about the Kegari transport, other than that it was airborne. “The wights say they’ve split their forces. A third for Navium. The rest divided throughout the Empire. They’re outside the city.”

“Thirty thousand isn’t nothing, but our army is several times that,” Quil said. He didn’t understand why they hadn’t engaged the Kegari already. “We have two legions in Navium, a hundred Masks—”

But Musa kept his gaze fixed on the Empress. “They have two hundred Battle Sails.”

Aunt Hel’s face drained of blood.

“Two—twohundred—”

“That’s for Navium,” Musa continued. “They’ve sent at least a hundred to Silas and Serra. Two hundred more to Antium. That the wights could spot, anyway. Each can carry a significant payload. They know your cities, Empress. Better than they should.”

“They went from fifty to five hundred in a few months,” Aunt Helene said. “And our scatter spear defenses aren’t complete. We didn’t get the firepowder shipment.”

“You knew?” Quil stepped in front of his aunt so she had to look at him. “About this attack?”

“Not for certain,” Aunt Hel said. “We’d heard rumors. I— Tas spentnearly a year trying to learn more, ever since…” She trailed off, and Quil wanted to scream at all the things she wouldn’t say.

“You knew,” Quil said, “and you still tried to arrange a marriage—”

“The marriage wasn’t real. There was a spy in our ranks.” His aunt lowered her voice and Quil could barely hear her. “Thereisa spy. Someone telling the Kegari everything about us, our defenses, our cities. Tas suggested we announce a marriage to draw the bastard out, but—” She waved Quil away. “Musa, can the wights tell us anything about the Kegari reserve troops? If we’re forced into an insurgency, we need to know what we’re dealing with long-term.”

Quil exchanged a glance with Arelia. An insurgency meant that the Martials would be rebels in their own Empire. Which meant the Empress was entertaining the possibility that this attack would succeed. The Empire had stood for more than five hundred years. The prince couldn’t fathom that it would collapse in a matter of hours.

“I don’t know yet where their primary camps are,” Musa said. “But there are reserves to the southwest, in Jibaut. How many is unclear.”

Aunt Helene laughed bitterly. “They promised those pirates first crack at our coastal cities, no doubt. How fast can the wights get us more information?”

“Weeks, at the soonest. I haven’t asked for their aid in years.”

“Empress!” The door burst open and a runner entered, guards flanking her. “It’s urgent.” Aunt Helene tore the missive open once the girl was gone. She handed it to Quil.

Eastern and northern reach drummers slaughtered. Eastern wall breached. Send aid.

“Aid,” the Empress said. “We have no aid to give.”

“You have a plan.” Musa squeezed Aunt Hel’s shoulder. “It’s better than nothing.”

---