When he regained consciousness, Subaru found himself eating an apple. He was sitting on a domed roof as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looking over the City of Brass. Most of his armies still surrounded the city, but his elite guards had moved inside to take control. They occupied a wide stone plaza that generally served as a bazaar or marketplace, but today, there were few traders to be seen. Only a few stalls were open. The merchants were openly obsequious to the soldiers, and they often cringed if the soldiers looked at them.
Tanjirs was a jewel of the desert, a wealthy and sprawling metropolis that thrived on a major trade route between East and West.
Now, that city was Subaru 's. The city wasn't in ruins, but it had been badly battered by the conflict. Subaru's legions had pummeled the outer districts and torn down the great stone wall surrounding the city in multiple places.
This hadn 't originally been his plan. Tanjirs was far too valuable to destroy. Once it had sworn allegiance, Subaru intended to leave it intact and paying tribute. Unfortunately, the Emir had proved intransigent, and Subaru had been compelled to demonstrate what would happen if the Emir had made him really angry.
Ultimately, the Emir had surrendered. Subaru 's acceptance of this surrender had brought waves of grumbling from the legions, which were quickly silenced by Subaru's glare. Booty and plunder were regular bonuses in Subaru's army and he had little sympathy for these soldiers who had already pillaged two other cities that month. Those cities had refused to surrender to their rightful King, and they had paid the price. This experience had taught Subaru that his reputation hadn't yet reached the desert.
Subaru had made examples out of Lud and Dis, and the once-proud cities were now nothing but ruins. After looting and pillaging the two cities down to the cobblestones, Subaru 's soldiers were well-paid, and their morale was astronomical. As a result, Subaru had dismissed their grumbling about missing out on loot and plunder in Tanjirs as the mewling of spoiled children and spending the past few days in Tanjirs had given the men ample time to relax and to spend their earnings.
Now, Subaru sat on the domed roof of an enormous temple dedicated to some deity or another. The building had been damaged in the fighting, and the temple was partially wrapped in a wooden scaffolding to let workers repair the damage.
Subaru sat there, eating an apple and looking over what had become yet another of his cities.
Tanjirs was the key to the desert. All the trade routes passed through it. Now that it was Subaru 's, the other cities for a hundred miles in every direction were also his, whether their rulers realized it yet or not.
The sounds of an argument reached Subaru 's ears, and he glanced down to the courtyard. Greyson, a grizzled old soldier that Subaru had recruited as his general, was arguing with Myuran, a reedy young man in thick glasses who served as Subaru's seneschal.
Subaru tried to ignore the argument but it kept intruding on his reverie.
Subaru sighed.
It seems that my break is over …
Without a second thought, Subaru jumped off the roof, grabbed a thick rope connected to the scaffolding, and swung down to the street level.
Subaru 's face remained impassive, but he had to admit that he got a brief surge of pleasure from the gasps of horror coming from his soldiers as they watched his rapid descent.
Subaru landed easily on the cobblestones. "What's going on here?" Subaru asked without preamble.
Myuran winced. He pulled off his spectacles and started to clean them. "Forgive us for disturbing you, my Emperor-"
"Forget it," Subaru sighed. This was simply life for a ruler. There were a million problems every day, and everyone wanted the Emperor to decide all of them. "What's the problem?"
Myuran sighed. "It's the Emir. He wants to speak with you."
"About what?" Subaru asked impatiently.
"He wants to discuss the terms for the surrender," Myuran said awkwardly.
Subaru stared at him. "' Terms ? '" He echoed incredulously. "Does 'unconditional' have a different meaning in Tanjirs that I'm unaware of?"
Myuran nodded. "As I told him, your Majesty," He sighed. "However, the Emir is being most insistent on this point."
"He lost on the field of battle," Greyson muttered, "Now he hopes to salvage victory at the negotiating table."
"He says he wants a more… equitable arrangement with you, Majesty," Myuran said. "He claims this was the nature of his pact with his previous patron."
Subaru snorted. "Show of hands, who believes him?"
No one raised a hand.
Subaru shook his head. "Please remind the Emir that the Malicious Witch is dead and that I killed her myself. Ask him why he believes that dictating terms to me is the course of wisdom."
Myuran looked ill. "The Emir claims that he won't discuss anything else until the meeting occurs."
Subaru made a face. "He wants a meeting? Fine. You two will meet with him. "
"Am I being punished for something, Majesty?" Greyson grumbled under his breath.
"Majesty, the Emir specifically requested-"
"I know," Subaru cut him off. "But if I meet with him, it will just encourage him to think of me as his peer. I want to nip that in the bud. I'm not his ally. I'm his master. And the sooner he grasps that truth, the better off he'll be. You two will meet with him, and you'll explain his new situation. He can either accept the reality, or I'll find his replacement."
"The Emir holds his position for life," Myuran reminded him.
"Precisely my point," Subaru replied.
Greyson laughed as a servant brought Subaru a goblet of resinous Tanjir wine and then backed away bowing.
Subaru took a sip, and his face brightened. The vintage really wasn 't that bad. "Is there anything else?" He asked.
Myuran hesitated. "There is… one more thing," He said awkwardly. "The Emir would like to introduce you to his daughters."
Subaru stopped drinking, and he gave Myuran a dirty look.
"They are quite pretty," Myuran encouraged him.
Subaru felt his taste for the wine fading. "Pick your choice. I'll marry the two of you this afternoon," He grumbled.
Myuran sighed. "Majesty, I know that you hate it when I bring this up-"
"And yet," Subaru muttered.
"It's important!" Myuran protested. "Majesty, you rule an empire that stretches across countless former kingdoms and principalities, all of which are now beholden to you. These nations now rest on your feeblest breath! Every missive that reaches me is another delicately worded complaint that you still haven't selected a queen and that there is still no heir to the throne!"
Subaru suddenly realized that a crowd of soldiers and merchants were watching the discussion with interest. He deliberately turned his back on all the eavesdroppers, his face creased with annoyance.
"Why does everyone consider my marriage to be their business?" Subaru muttered to himself.
"Because when the Emperor sneezes, the Imperium catches a cold," Myuran said simply. "If you die without producing an heir that can rule after you, the realm will fragment, and revolutions will spring up under every stone. The members of the current administrations who have pledged themselves to you will be denounced as collaborators and traitors, and their families will be placed in great danger. You can't really blame them for being concerned."
Subaru sighed. "Please reassure all of these meddling busybodies that I have no immediate plans to die," He said firmly.
The watching soldiers all nodded and resumed their tasks, acting as if this decision had fully answered any possible concerns.
Myuran pursed his lips. "Majesty, I-"
"Myuran," Subaru said tightly. "There is a limit to how far I will indulge you," He said in a warning voice.
Myuran took a deep breath and drew himself up straight. "It is my duty, as you define it, Majesty, to speak the truth to you even if you don't wish to hear it," He said simply.
Subaru gave him a withering look. "Myuran. I have sacrificed a great many things for my empire. This will not be one of them. A marriage must be a union of equals, and I refuse to elevate any of the Emir 's daughters to such a position. Can you imagine the uproar? Everyone may be demanding that I take a bride, but implicit in that demand is the condition that I take a bride from their country if not their own family. Just wait for the protests to come in when I deny most of their opportunities for advancement. Not to mention the horde of in-laws complicating the political situation. "
"We could always talk to Lady Weis," Myuran suggested. "We know that the recent upheavals in this country have resulted in a dozen eligible noblewomen being placed under her protection due to the untimely deaths of their parents. You're a war hero-"
Subaru gave Myuran a look of annoyance, but the seneschal powered through.
"-I guarantee you that you'll find every one of them eager and grateful for the chance to carry the Blood of the Sun."
"Myuran, I do not intend to take a wife for political reasons," Subaru said flatly. "Lesser men take brides for political expediency. I conquer what I want."
Myuran sighed. "Then start a harem."
Subaru blinked in genuine shock. "What?!"
"If you don't want to take a bride now, then don't!" Myuran pressed. "Grab a handful of pretty concubines and just get them pregnant! Once you've produced an heir, everyone can relax! You-"
Myuran immediately trailed off when he saw Subaru glowering at him and realized that he had really crossed a line this time.
Subaru took a deep breath to calm himself. "The Emir wants a meeting. Go meet with him," Subaru said in a calm whisper that was still as hard as stone. "Explain to him that I've already been assured of the Emir's complete cooperation in the future, either from him or his successor."
Subaru turned away. He noticed with irritation that the soldiers and merchants around him were all working hard to avoid eye contact with him.
Subaru sighed. "I believe that I'll spend some time exploring the city," He said to no one, walking away.
"Imperator!" Greyson protested. "At least give me a chance to gather the praetorian guard!"
Subaru glanced back at him. "I fought the Malicious Witch with my own bare hands, Greyson. I expect that I can handle some cut-purse in a back alley. You all have your orders. Carry them out."
Subaru wandered the streets in a plain brown hooded robe, looking for all the world like any other itinerant traveler. When circumstances permitted, he enjoyed putting his crown aside for a moment and just watching the people living their lives within his empire.
He also closely scrutinized his own troops. Subaru demanded an extremely high degree of professionalism from his handpicked soldiers, among them a strict code of conduct when dealing with civilians, but he only rarely had an opportunity to observe how well those directives were followed when they were out of his sight. Subaru watched as his soldiers moved through town, exploring, trading, and investigating. From what he could see, the soldiers were far more courteous and respectful to the civilians than the locals were in return.
But it 's difficult to expect much from a populace so recently under siege. It would be wonderful if every city threw its gates open wide and recognized my presence as a gift from heaven, but one can only expect so much.
I hate to admit it, but Myuran actually made a valid point without realizing it. I do need to start considering forming a harem. Not for pleasure or progeny but to finally move that other project forward. I can only be in so many places at once. I need to diffuse my will.
I 've spent years searching for women who could be suitable for the roles. Thus far, only Greyson is privy to my plans on this matter.
Still, as soon as I find a single woman appropriate to the task, adding her to my 'harem' should make everyone keep quiet about the much more personal matter of my needing to find a suitable queen. I'd call that a win-win.
Unused to the desert heat, Subaru began to grow parched.
Seeking a drink, he walked into a small tavern and took a seat at the bar. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so the tavern was almost empty. Subaru saw no soldiers in the bar, just a trio of Keffiyeh-wearing merchants sitting at a table and muttering to one another.
Subaru pricked up his ears, assuming that whatever they were discussing probably related to him and his men.
"-the taxes!" One merchant whispered intently. "I heard that he's planning to raise them by eighty percent!"
Subaru rolled his eyes. One generalization that always rings true is that no matter what world you 're in, merchants are always concerned with their profit margins above all else.
An eighty percent tax? Why? What would there be to gain? If I wanted to loot and pillage the city, I could have simply done so.
What possible motive could I have to plunder the city by a far slower and less efficient method?
"That would crush us!" Another merchant gasped in horror.
"What does he care?" The third sighed. "You heard what he did to Lud and Dis! Either we give him everything we have willingly, or he and his soldiers will kill us or sell us into slavery, and then he'll take everything we have!"
Subaru frowned, beginning to grow annoyed. Despite being in a new country where his name was as yet mostly unknown, Subaru still took great pride in his sacred mission of Order and Enlightenment. He did not care to have it denigrated in this fashion.
Subaru put a friendly smile on his face. "Excuse me, gentlemen," He said, walking up to the table. "Is this seat taken?"
The three merchants looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you?" One asked.
"A traveler," Subaru answered honestly. "A man a long way from home. I'm stuck in a bit of a bind here, and I was hoping you gentlemen could advise me."
"Advise you on what?"
"I was making my way to Dis with a wagon of spices to sell," Subaru said. "But now I'm hearing all these crazy stories about how Dis was destroyed!"
"Those stories aren't crazy," One of the merchants said dourly. "The Sun is blazing across the earth, destroying all in its path."
Subaru struggled to keep a frown off his face. "That bad, hm?"
"Three glasses of Arak," A girl's voice murmured, putting the glasses of liquor down on the table. "And what can I get you, sir?"
Subaru looked at the serving girl and furrowed his brow. The girl was barely twenty, with long silver hair and pale skin. Her ears revealed her as elven.
She was quite pretty, but she was kneeling in a strange box on wheels the size of a child 's wagon. Her legs were crooked. Subaru could tell that her legs had been broken at some point in the past, but they hadn't been set properly, and the bones had knitted together in all the wrong places. The girl couldn't walk.
Stranger still, her eyes were a milky white. The girl was blind as well. She was wearing a much-patched tunic that had probably started life as a sack of some kind.
"Sir?" The girl asked uncomfortably.
Subaru belatedly realized that he 'd been asked a question. "Arak sounds fine," He said quickly.
The girl nodded and slowly rolled herself away, her palms flat on the floor as she pushed her wagon.
Subaru looked back at the merchants. "What happened to her?" He whispered.
One of the merchants sighed. "What didn 't ? Poor Shelly was born blind, a hard enough fate in the slums, especially for a woman. Her parents abandoned her.
"She managed to eke out a living for some years by begging on the streets, but as she got older and her 'cuteness' evolved into a beautiful girl, her contributors started demanding some… reparations for their generosity."
Subaru made a face. "Lovely. Then why is she waiting tables?"
"Shelly managed to become the mistress of a wealthy merchant," Another man at the table picked up the story. "No love there, but she had a roof over her head and good meals three times a day. Shelly thought that she had it made. Then she got pregnant," He sighed.
"Not a planned pregnancy, I take it," Subaru murmured, glancing over to where Shelly was maneuvering through the bar by touch.
"No," The first merchant replied. "He ordered her to get rid of it. She refused. He decided that she'd become a liability, and he paid a street ruffian to finish her off. He threw her off the fourth-story balcony of the building where she lived. That's how she… broke her legs," He said awkwardly. "She survived and managed to creep off and hide before he got down there to look for her. She hid in the slums and let the ruffian tell her former patron that she was dead."
"What about the baby?"
"Aye. She carried Maria to term. The girl must be two years old by now. Despite being crippled and blind, Shelly works here all day to provide for them."
Subaru frowned, steepling his fingers. "That's an impressive amount of willpower," He said in admiration.
"What do you care about Shelly?" One of the merchants asked suspiciously.
Subaru looked at the merchant, no longer concerned with concealing who he really was. "I have an eye for talent," He said flatly. "I make it a point to recruit talent wherever I find it. And right now, I'm keeping my eyes open for a group of very special young ladies."
The merchants all glanced at one another, suddenly worried about who they were drinking with. They stood up as one, dropped a few coins on the table, and then fled, never touching their drinks.
Shelly slowly rolled herself over to the table again. "Sir, what happened over here?" She asked in confusion, groping on the table for coins. "Why did they leave?"
Subaru absently gathered up the coins and pushed them into her hand. "I'm not sure. I don't know them. They seemed to be in a real rush, though."
Subaru took an experimental sip of the Arak . It tasted both sweet and sour.
Subaru put the glass down on the table, reflecting that it probably wouldn 't become one of his favorite drinks. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name."
Shelly stiffened. She hesitated a long moment and then said, "Shelly."
Shelly waited, perhaps expecting Subaru to reciprocate, but he just took another sip of the Arak .
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked.
"Not right now, thanks," He said, staring off into the distance, deep in thought.
Subaru sat in the small cafe for most of the afternoon. Subaru could already picture the frantic efforts of Greyson and Myuran to locate him, and it brought a smile to his lips.
I wonder if Myuran is honestly worried that I was so incensed about his continued prodding over my need to find a queen that I decided to abandon my own throne and go skipping merrily off through the desert.
The possibility that anyone might be concerned that he was in trouble, much less injured or dead, did not occur to him.
As the dinner rush wound down, Subaru watched Shelly approach the tavern owner. "Master Sala, may I be excused for the day? Miss Macy will be getting ready for work before much longer and I need to take Maria from her."
"Of course," Sala replied, handing her a few small coins. "Have a pleasant evening, Shelly. I will see you in the morning."
"Thank you, Master," Shelly said with a weak attempt at a bow.
Subaru watched Shelly roll out of the now-empty tavern. He gave her a minute or two to get a head start, and then he dropped a silver coin on the table and followed after her.
He caught up with Shelly without any effort at all. The sun was just starting to set as he walked up behind her.
Before he got anywhere near her, Shelly spun around and pulled a short knife out of her robe. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" She demanded, pointing the knife in his general direction.
Rather than trying to get closer to her, Subaru leaned back against the alley wall and folded his arms to show he had no hostile intent. "You don't seem all that surprised to see me," He commented.
"I knew you were going to follow me," Shelly hissed. "I could feel you watching me all day."
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed," He admitted.
"Enough of this! What do you want with me? I don't have any money except for the two coppers that I was paid for twelve hours of work! And you can't want my body unless cripples arouse you," She said with an old bitterness directed at her ruined body.
"I have a proposition for you," Subaru murmured, walking over to her, heedless of the sharp knife.
Shelly 's face creased with fear. She held a knife, but it was clear from her awkward grip that she wasn't very good with it, and her slender body would easily be broken if attacked by anyone young and healthy.
Shelly heard a tinkling sound right in front of her.
"What was that?" Shelly demanded, jerking her knife forward.
"Grab it and find out," Subaru said calmly.
Shelly looked up at him suspiciously through her milky eyes, but she reached forward and touched a cloth bag. She felt around inside and found it full of coins.
Shelly 's eyes widened. It 's gold , She thought in wonder. I can tell from the musical sound of the coins clinking.
Shelly had only held gold coins a dozen times in her life, but she knew the sound from years of growing up on the streets of the bazaar.
Shelly counted the coins, her mouth opening wide. Sixty. This is sixty gold coins. It would take me years to make this much money …
This could get Maria and me out of our tar paper shack. I could get her good meals. Maybe even some toys …
Shelly stared up at the stranger in growing horror.
Whatever he wants, I don 't dare say no. But I'm terrified of what he'll ask. He could have any whore in the slums for a few pieces of silver. What could he possibly want to do to me in exchange for all this money…
Shelly swallowed hard. "What… What do you want?" She whispered.
She knew that he was scratching his chin from the sound of his nails scrapping over the thin stubble. "Do you know where the Emir's palace is?" He asked.
Shelly blinked. "Of course I do. It's at the top of that large hill," She pointed vaguely toward the heart of town.
"Ever been there?"
Shelly sighed. "What do you think?" She demanded, plucking at her patched clothing.
She heard the man chuckle, but it was rueful, not cruel. "I meant, have you ever been near there? There 's a park nearby that might be good for begging."
"I used to beg there once in a while," Shelly murmured, wondering where the hell the stranger was going with this. "Before my legs were broken. But it's too hard to get to now."
"That's my proposition," The man said, snatching his bag back before Shelly could even think about grabbing it or using her knife to hold him off.
"What is your proposition?" She demanded.
"I'm going to sit on a bench in the park until after sunset," The man said, his voice already receding down the alley. "If you can get yourself there, unaided, you can have this bag of gold and two others just like it, no questions asked. But you need to get there without help from anyone else," He emphasized. Subaru paused, and he looked back at her. "Don't try to cheat. I'll know," He said in a dire voice.
"The sunset will set in less than two hours!" Shelly protested, her arms already quivering at the thought of how much distance she'd need to cross.
"Better get started then."
Subaru felt the dream shift around him. It suddenly felt less like something he was experiencing and more like something that he was observing from afar.
Shelly fought her way up the hill, foot by foot. Normally, getting around the slums wasn 't too hard since the land was very flat. But the inner neighborhoods where the wealthy merchants and nobles lived were situated on an enormous series of hills, and the Emir's castle and the park that he'd provided ostensibly for the 'general public' were at the very top of the tallest hill.
The steep hill forced Shelly to fight for every inch she climbed. The streets on the hill were smooth, unlike the cobblestones below, and it was hard to find anything to grip with her hands as she slowly hauled herself up the hill. If she wasn 't careful, her fingers slipped on the hard street, and she started rolling back down the hill. Before long, the skin was almost completely stripped off her hands, and she was bleeding profusely as she fought her way uphill, inch by inch.
I need that gold for my daughter, Shelly thought desperately.
Luckily, just before starting her climb, Shelly bumped into Ali, an old friend from the slums. She handed him the copper coins she had earned that day and begged him to go get Maria and watch her until she got back. Ali was confused, but he set off agreeably.
Shelly didn 't even consider asking Ali to help her climb. Some instinct told her that the mysterious stranger's warning that he would know if she tried to cheat his test wasn't just an idle boast.
Shelly could feel the chill in the air as the sun started to slip beneath the desert horizon, and she fought to pull herself further with a frantic intensity. She wondered if her hands would be nothing but ragged strips of meat wrapped around splintered bone by the time she reached the top.
Shelly could hear the sound of birds and knew that she was nearing the park.
She was so close. Just a little bit further.
Her muscles screamed for rest. Her hands were in agony, and her arms and chest were beyond exhausted.
Finally, she slapped her hand down on the cold stone and pulled herself forward another yard.
Somehow, she knew that she could go no further.
Shelly threw her head back with a cry of despair as she began to roll back down the enormous hill.
A hand caught her around her wrist in an iron grip.
Shelly gasped. Her descent stopped instantly.
"Let's call that 'good enough,'" She heard the stranger's voice remark.
The stranger gently pulled her the last few yards to the flat area at the top of the hill. She sensed him sitting down on a park bench as she slowly caught her breath.
"So… do I win the money?" Shelly asked plaintively.
"You do," The stranger said calmly.
Shelly heard the clink as the bag of gold fell into her wagon, and she quickly clutched at it. She didn 't have time to count it, but it seemed like it was all here.
"I believe I owe you another two bags as well," The stranger said matter-of-factly. "I'll need to get it when we're finished here. We'll return to where I'm staying to get the money. We'll also have your hands treated. They look painful."
"They are extremely painful!" Shelly blurted out, her patience completely exhausted by the emotional roller-coaster of tonight's events.
Shelly hesitated, expecting a sharp rebuke, if not a slap, but the stranger didn 't contradict her.
"And then what?" Shelly demanded. "Am I done? Can I go?"
"You may go after we've gathered your earnings and healed your hands. You never need to see me again. You'll likely never need to work ever again. If such would satisfy you," He added meaningfully.
"What does that mean?" Shelly asked warily.
The stranger was silent for a long time. "Answer me one question and answer it truthfully. What will you do with all this gold?"
What will I do with it ? Shelly thought in confusion. Is he hoping to hear that I 'll give it all away or that I'll invest it wisely? I have no idea who this man is or why he made me do all this, so I can't begin to imagine what the 'right' answer to the question is!
Shelly decided to be honest. "Invest it," She said at once.
"How?" The man asked calmly.
Shelly faltered. "I… I don't know yet," She admitted. "But I'm not going just to retire somewhere and idle my life away. I'll buy a business. Or I'll start a business. And I'll use this money to make more money. I'll keep working hard every day to make sure that my daughter has everything she could ever want and that she never needs to live the way I have."
The stranger chuckled. "I knew that I was right about you, " He said admiringly.
Shelly sighed. "Alright. Answer my question now! Who the hell are you, and why did you do all this?! "
The man began to laugh, and Shelly heard him stand up. "Who am I? I am Helios. Helios the Proud. Helios the Liberator. Helios, the Unconquerable Sun."
Shelly 's heart stopped. Helios the Conqueror?! The monster that no living man can kill? The man who slew the Witch of Malice and brought this entire region to its knees?
Shelly flung herself forward and prostrated on the ground, even as her bloody hands screamed in protest.
"Are you ill?" Helios inquired mildly.
"Oh, great Emperor!" Shelly blubbered. "Please forgive me for my foolishness! Even blind, I should have known you at once! I-"
"Enough," Helios cut her off. "I intended that you not recognize me, and possessing sight would not have permitted you to defy my will. You asked why we did this. Well, this was your test. If you desire, you may leave this hill tonight with all the gold you could ever need to ensure that you and your daughter are comfortable and well-fed for the rest of your lives."
Shelly dared to raise her head slightly. "Or?"
"You may enter my service," Helios said simply. "I am on a quest for seven very special maidens to… assist me in a great undertaking."
Shelly looked at him incredulously. "Emperor, my maiden days ended before I turned ten years old! I even have a daughter."
Helios chuckled. "Duly noted," He said indifferently. "In any case, should you wish it, you will become one of my handmaidens, my paladins. You will live in my court and want for nothing, and your voice shall be second in authority only to my own."
Shelly stared up at him for a long moment. "Are… are you asking me to join your harem?" She asked in confusion.
"Something like that, I suppose," He said after a moment's thought. "Yes. I suppose that is the easiest way for you to conceive of this. I do expect us to become… very close over time. But in actuality, you shall be one of my knight errands. You will wield the power that I grant you, you will labor for the great realm I am creating, and you will be rewarded for these efforts appropriately. You will vow utter fealty to my will, and the Kings and Potentates of the Empire will tremble at your word."
Shelly wasn 't even sure what all this would mean. "But… I can't… What about my daughter?" She whispered.
She sensed him shrug. "Bring her with you," He said at once. "You will both be under my protection. Now, tell me your decision."
Shelly hesitated. I don 't know about this. Living as one of the Emperor's consorts or knights or whatever he chooses to call it would be a life of unparalleled luxury. But it would also be a life of great danger. Helios has shaken the nations with his footsteps, and his enemies must stretch all the way to the edge of the world. If I accept this, Maria and I will never be safe again.
I should quit while I 'm ahead. I'll go and find Maria, and I'll start planning our new life.
"Emperor," Shelly started. "I-"
"My Emperor!" A voice shouted.
Shelly heard someone racing toward them, panting heavily. Clearly, the runner was a man who was unaccustomed to exercise.
"Emperor!" The man panted. "Forgive me. I only just became aware of your presence."
"Emir," Helios said in a distant voice.
Shelly stared. The Emir! The Emperor will move on, but the Emir will stay here. I don 't want to gain his attention or that of any of the other nobles. Noble attention is dangerous to slum people!
Maybe I can just slip away-
"Emperor, please come to the palace and join the celebration! Tanjirs is finally a member state of the glorious Imperium!" He proclaimed. "We're all waiting to celebrate with you."
"Wonderful," Helios said, sounding less than thrilled about the prospect of joining the party.
Shelly heard a crowd approaching as if the entire party was following the Emir out of his palace, where the Emperor was apparently holding court.
"My Emperor?" Another voice murmured. "There is something that we need to discuss."
"What is it, Myuran?" Helios asked, seeming to dismiss the Emir from his thought.
"Come, my lord," The Emir said awkwardly, trying to recapture Helios's attention. "Hurry, let's get everyone back inside. We mustn't allow anything to spoil the festivities and… Wait, what is that?!" The Emir asked in sudden disgust.
Shelly flushed. Nobody needed to clarify that the Emir had certainly just pointed at her.
"What are you doing here, dust rat?" The Emir demanded. Shelly cried out as she felt a heavy boot kick her in the ribs, and she fell out of her crude wagon. The bag of gold spilled all across the walkway.
"What?!" The Emir gasped. "A thief! Did you rob me?!"
"What?! No!" Shelly shouted. "I was given this gold! It-"
"Be silent!" The Emir raged. "No one in the slums could have given you this gold! If you didn't steal it, the person who gave it to you certainly did! Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?!"
Shelly felt her wrist seized in an iron grip, and she heard the slithering hiss of a sword being drawn from its sheath.
"No!" Shelly screamed. "Stop! Please, don't!"
A moment later, Shelly felt the iron grip on her wrist wrenched away.
"What exactly is happening here?" Helios asked in a cold voice. "I step away for less than two minutes, and I find that you're already poised to maim or execute someone? Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the law. In my Empire, only the Inquisitors have the right to pronounce sentence."
The Emir sputtered. "My Emperor, she is clearly a thief! Look at this gold that she stole-"
"Gold that I gave her," Helios cut him off. "I hope that you will give me the benefit of the doubt in assuming that I did not steal it."
"What?" The Emir said in confusion. "I…" He trailed off in confusion.
At their feet, Shelly was gathering up her gold, quiet as a mouse, desperate to avoid gaining any more of their attention. Her fingers skittered over the stones as she tried to locate every coin.
"This actually brings an important matter to a head," Helios continued in the same cold voice. "Do you recall the gold that I provided Tanjirs to rebuild after the attack?"
"Of course, my Emperor!" The Emir said at once. "And I am most grateful! We are all exceedingly grateful!" He urged the crowd, and the gathered people began to murmur in agreement.
"Yes, yes," Helios said dismissively. "But Myuran has told me something rather concerning."
"Myuran? You mean your… servant?" The Emir said, unable to keep the disdain from his voice.
"My seneschal," Helios corrected. "My majordomo and my reeve. He was busily reviewing your tax records while you were apparently boring Greyson to tears at the party." Shelly heard a snort of laughter from the crowd that was quickly choked off. "It would seem that we have some serious… discrepancies."
Shelly heard the Emir make a gulping sound. "Whatever do you mean?"
"You were given a sizable amount of gold from my own personal coffers," Helios said pointedly. "This gold was clearly earmarked to repair the damages inflicted during the siege, and a large part of it was specifically labeled for helping the people whose homes and businesses were destroyed during the battle. However, Myuran informs me that this gold appears to have somehow found its way into the coffers of you and your cronies."
The Emir gave a nervous laugh. "A simple misunderstanding, my Emperor. We each divided up the wealth because we were each taking responsibility for a different set of repairs and reparations."
"Yes. My men have also inspected those 'repairs,'" Helios continued in a distant tone. "Unfortunately, my engineers reported to me that they were unable to do as thorough an inspection as I commanded because they all expressed a serious fear for life and limb should they attempt to enter the premises they were told to inspect. They specifically cited substandard materials, sloppy architecture, and poor workmanship. They also reported that many of these structures are only half-finished. Explain."
Shelly heard the Emir breathing fast. "…The war has impacted our ability to access supplies and manpower," He said hesitantly. "We're working as quickly as we can, but the situation is beyond our control. This necessitates that we-"
"Embezzle whenever the chance arises?" Greyson asked calmly.
"Eh?" The Emir asked.
"Rob the public and your Emperor blind?!" Greyson bellowed.
The Emir sucked in a wheezing breath. "My Emperor, I admit that… I may not be as good an administrator as you might have been expecting… But rest assured that I am determined to do whatever is necessary to make up for these errors."
Helios seemed to consider that. "Down on your stomach," He said at once.
Shelly heard the Emir whimper. "Of… of course," He whispered as she heard him comply.
Shelly fumed. He gets away with just a whipping for stealing the Emperor 's gold? He must have stolen a hundred times what he accused me of stealing, and he was ready to cut off my hand!
"Greyson," Helios ordered.
Shelly heard the sound of a large, powerful man in armor walking toward the Emir. Her blind eyes widened when she again heard the slithering hiss of a sword leaving its sheath.
A moment later, there came the faint spurting sound of fluid under pressure, and a loud gasp rang out from the assembled crowd. Shelly 's jaw dropped in shock as she realized that she'd been present for the execution of the Emir.
Helios cleared his throat. The whispering crowd was immediately silent.
"It always annoys me when punishments such as these are called for," Helios mused. "However, I have certain standards for the men and women who rule in my name. If the rulers don't respect the law, then how can I expect their people to do so? Leadership always starts at the head.
"I expect my subjects to always be open and honest in their dealings with one another, but most especially with me. The taxes will be collected promptly and turned in every year. No excuses. Any funds that I provide with directions as to their use will be used for that purpose and no other. No exceptions."
Helios paused, but no one said a word. "My army departs this place in three days. I have neither the time nor the inclination to remain here and clean up this mess. You are free to choose a new Emir according to whatever customs you follow. Try to pick an honest one this time so we don 't have to do this all over again."
Shelly heard a number of faint gulps that she assumed belonged to the Emir 's heirs.
Helios continued, "I will send an Inquisitor here in one month to see to the final resolution of this matter. You have thirty days to correct your records, gather the funds this traitor and his cronies withheld, and ensure that they are directed to the intended uses. Be ready."
As if this statement was a dismissal, Shelly heard the crowd move quickly back toward the palace, and then they all broke into a run. She heard a heavy slam as they closed the gate behind them. She imagined them gathered around the gates and the iron fence of the palace as if they were under siege.
"I must say, my Emperor," Myuran remarked. "You really know how to break up a party."
"I expect that you and Greyson have no complaints on this matter," Helios remarked.
"Horribly boring affair," Greyson grunted. "Cutting this fool's head off was easily the high point. What do you want us to do with it?"
"Put in on a stake in the center of the bazaar and leave a sign beside it reminding everyone that wealth and nobility are no excuse for any crime," Helios directed.
Greyson nodded. "Say, who's this?"
Shelly started.
"A fair question," Helios remarked. "What say you, Shelly? Who are you?"
Shelly hesitated. I was about to turn his offer down, but … I'll never be safe anyway. There are just gradations of danger. If I take this gold and return to the slums, even after I find a home outside of them in a theoretically safe neighborhood, I'll still be a marked woman, and every thief in the city will be looking for me and Maria to steal all the gold.
Maybe there 's value in being close to someone who believes in protecting his people.
"I accept," Shelly said at once. "Provided that I can still care for my daughter."
"Excellent," Helios said in a pleased tone.
"My word!" Myuran gasped, kneeling down in front of her. "What in the world happened to your hands?!"
Shelly jerked her bleeding fingers away and put them behind her back.
"She fought a great battle this day," Helios remarked. "Truthfully, I thought the foe was beyond her, but she triumphed through sheer force of will. Her diligence was impeccable. And she will be named among my paladins."
Shelly sensed the armored man jump at these words. "Imperator," Greyson rumbled in awe. "Is this… Is this one of the maidens that you 've been searching for?"
Shelly had no idea what he was talking about.
"She is," He said shortly. "Greyson, bring her to Lady Weis to bind and treat her wounds. Then, you will send a few soldiers with her to the slums so that she can collect her daughter, gather her things, and say her goodbyes. She will be accompanying us on our journey. Myuran, ensure that everyone knows that Lady Shelly stands high in my favor and that her wishes are to be given every reasonable deference."
Shelly heard the men inhale slowly. She suspected that they had a dozen questions, but they decided not to voice them.
"Maybe I should find her something more suitable to wear," Myuran suggested. "And possibly a real wheelchair."
"Also a fine idea," Helios acknowledged.
"Subaru!"
Subaru felt himself jolted out of the dream by Emilia 's warm arms around him.
He opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by Emilia, Garfiel, and Felt. Even Patrasche loomed over him, looking concerned. Brador stood nearby, his clothes waterlogged and his expression haunted. The storm had passed, the sky was lightening, and the dawn was imminent.
"What the heck happened?" Subaru panted hoarsely, his body still feeling fragile.
"We were attacked by the whale. You killed it again, by the way," Felt said laconically.
Subaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "Actually, Red killed it last time," He muttered, his body feeling like it was barely holding together. "I'll need to have a word with him about leaving jobs half-finished."
"Very funny, Subaru," Felt grated.
Subaru moaned. "Is everyone OK?" Subaru asked.
"I think so," Brador murmured in a dead voice. "Most of the sailors survived, at least. They're all gathering up the beach a little ways. We're not too far from Puella, luckily enough. We should make it by this evening without any trouble."
"What about Kya?" Emilia asked.
Brador turned his face away. "I… I don't know," He said softly.
Subaru gave him a sympathetic look. If she hasn 't turned up by now, most likely she's dead.
Emilia laboriously helped Subaru to stand up. Subaru 's legs quivered, and every muscle in his body ached.
Subaru sighed. "Alright. I guess let's get going-Oh!"
Subaru 's legs gave out from underneath him, and he would have fallen if Emilia hadn't caught him.
"Captain, it looks like you're the one riding Patrasche today," Garfiel pointed out.
Subaru made a face. "Yeah. I guess I am."
They walked north for hours. At first, Patrasche had carried Subaru.
By that afternoon, Subaru 's muscles still ached like abscessed teeth, but he was able to walk comfortably.
Subaru waited until Brador appeared distracted, speaking to the sailors, and then he discretely drew his friends away so that they could discuss what Kor ë told him.
"Priestella!" Emilia said in delight. "We finally know where to find the Od Laguna!"
"Yeah. Now all we need is a way to find the spirits," Subaru sighed.
"Which Vincent can give us," Emilia said happily.
"If we meet his price," Subaru reminded her. "Whatever that is."
"So Korë thinks that Sphinx sent the whale after us?" Felt asked slowly.
"That's what she told me. She did say she thinks it wasn't intended to kill us, for whatever that's worth," Subaru said.
"It's not worth very much," Felt remarked. She thought it over. "First the draugr and now the whale. Why is Sphinx suddenly so determined to threaten us? Before, she seemed to want to cut a deal with you. What's changed?"