The Habit of the Emperor

by J J Moriarty

  “I could beat him”, Hyzou said. “Luan, I mean.”

  “I saw your fight against the Colossus, you know”, Kyria Iset said.

  “You did?” Hyzou said, surprised.

  “I was in the audience that day”, Kyria Iset said. “I know exactly what you’re capable of. Still, I’m not frightened for a second that we’ll lose.”

  “You think you’ve enough men to win, very well. Perhaps you’re right, perhaps I’m right. We’ll see”, Hyzou said.

  “But, Your Majesty, why the need? Why shed so much blood for a pointless war?” Kyria Iset asked. “The most you can raise is one hundred thousand men, and we have an army of five hundred thousand soldiers at the least. You’re willing to sacrifice all those lives, and for what? What’s the point?”

  Where did she get one hundred thousand from? Including the north, the most soldiers I have is sixty thousand. Hyzou thought.

  “The Pharaoh and his deputies have given us no choice. If it’s a choice between war and annihilation we’ll always choose war”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset smiled.

  “I’m glad you said that, Your Majesty. Because that’s exactly what I’m here bringing you. A new choice”, Kyria Iset said.

  “Your proposal”, Hyzou said.

  “Yes, our proposal for peace”, Kyria Iset said.

  “Go ahead”, Hyzou said.

  “The first term is that the Pharaoh will overlook, entirely, any offences committed in the past few months. The murder of eighty Piquean officials, the enslavement of thousands of Lamyblans, the deaths in Piquea”, Kyria Iset said.

  “That’s terribly magnanimous of him, but he has no right to punish for those acts”, Hyzou said.

  “There’s more. The Pharaoh understands that he should have done more to assure Uqing of the alliance Lamybla had with them. He’s willing to forget the invasion of Lamyblan lands by the Servants of Qi and assure Uqing that he’ll never invade in the future”, Kyria Iset said.

  Tsy snorted. Hyzou glared at him and he fell silent.

  “It’s more than just empty words. I wouldn’t expect you to withdraw your forces just for that. You’ll be given hostages by Pharaoh Ganymedes. His brother and three of his children. What’s more, Lamybla will pay for a large wall to protect Uqing’s mountain. It’ll be built by Lamyblan slaves and made to make it nearly impossible for any invasion to come from the south. Complete protection for Uqing, and an alliance going into the future”, Kyria Iset said.

  “I’m sure there’s more to this”, Hyzou said.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. The Pharaoh would ask that Piquea be annexed again by Lamybla. I’ll take personal charge of it this time, no military involvement. No brutality will be visited on these lands again”, Kyria Iset said.

  Gardem hissed. Hyzou raised his right hand to silence him.

  “We can’t accept any deal that sees Piquea be returned to Lamybla”, Hyzou said.

  “Then there won’t be a deal”, Kyria Iset said.

  Hyzou frowned.

  “You came here to deliver that message? Surely you didn’t think it would be successful”, Hyzou said.

  “For some reason I imagined that Uqing and Piquea were married from convenience. I thought if I made clear that Lamybla and Uqing would be at peace forever, that the Servants of Qi would be amenable to a deal. I, for some strange reason, thought the Servants of Qi wouldn’t be willing to die in their thousands for the freedom of Piquea”, Kyria Iset said.

  Hyzou was about to reply, but in the corner of his eye he saw something that made his planned witty retort die in his throat. For just a second, Vorska’s face had changed.

  Vorska wants me to take the agreement. Hyzou thought.

  No matter how well he tried to keep it confidential, the information of the deal offered would seep out. Many from Uqing would want him to take the deal.

  Hyzou ground his teeth.

  “Respectfully, Kyria Iset, I think I’ll have to refuse your deal. Uqing will honour its alliance with Piquea”, Hyzou said.

  “I thought you’d see reason, but I see you’ve been blinded by your love for Piquea. Perhaps this is why Uqing does not invade Crown Cities. It leads to a conflict in interests”, Iset said.

  “The interests of Uqing and Piquea are perfectly aligned”, Hyzou said. “The goals of Piquea and Uqing are aligned. The removal of Pharaoh Ganymedes from power and the destruction of his Empire.”

  Kyria Iset smiled.

  “Very well then, I suppose we’ve nothing to talk about, and I’ll have to return north. If you change your mind, Your Majesty, you can send word north. The deal is still on offer for you”, Kyria Iset said.

  “If I change my mind, I’ll be sure to send the fastest messenger I have”, Hyzou said. “But that won’t happen.”

  Kyria Iset shrugged.

  “May I stay the night here?” Kyria Iset asked.

  “You can. And there’s one other thing I meant to mention to you”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset raised a brow.

  “Yes, Your Majesty”, Kyria Iset said.

  “You won’t be returning north”, Hyzou said.

  “Sorry?” Kyria Iset asked.

  “We’ll be keeping you here”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset looked at him like he was insane.

  “You’re kidnapping me?” Kyria Iset said, half laughing.

  “Not in the slightest, we’re just extending your stay as a guest”, Hyzou said.

  The smile left Kyria Iset’s face. Immediately, Kyria Iset’s guard lowered their spears and pointed them towards Hyzou. Tsy, Phatmose and Safia rose, unsheathing their swords.

  “You said earlier that you were convinced that you preferred real power to what the Servants of Qi practice. Well let me tell you, Kyria Iset, we Servants are powerful enough in our own right. Order your guards to stand down or I’ll kill them all”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset was thinking.

  “Are you doing this just to prove the point? I agree, you’re strong. Do you feel better now?” Kyria Iset said.

  “What? No, I’m not doing this to prove any point”, Hyzou said.

  “Lower your spears”, Kyria Iset said.

  Her guards obeyed her without question.

  “You’re really going to kidnap me?” Kyria Iset said.

  Hyzou nodded.

  “The Pharaoh is expecting me. He’ll know if I don’t send him any word”, Kyria Iset said.

  “I believe he was planning to come south anyway with an army, he can just add retrieving you to the goals he has for the invasion”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset looked nonplussed. So, in fact, did some of Hyzou’s advisors.

  “But… Why? What do you have to gain from doing this? It just sounds like a lot of effort for nothing”, Kyria Iset said. “I’m not even in charge of the Pharaoh’s military. Do you mean to torture me for information?”

  “Torture you? Gods no”, Hyzou said.

  “Then why?” Kyria Iset said.

  “Yes, Your Majesty, may I ask why?” Yan said.

  Hyzou scowled at Yan.

  “The moment I met you, Kyria Iset, I reached out to you and sensed your very soul. Your Qi, it’s quite amazing. You have the same potential as I did, the same untapped power. You must be trained by the Servants of Qi”, Hyzou said.

  “What? Are you being serious?” Kyria Iset said.

  “We’re family, and you belong among the Servants of Qi”, Hyzou said.

  “You’re crazy. I’ll never join”, Kyria Iset said.

  “We’ll see”, Hyzou said.

  “Luan will come and get me. He’ll find me, and he’ll save me”, Kyria Iset said.

  “I hope he does. He can join me too”, Hyzou said.

  Kyria Iset looked lost, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Yan, find Kyria Iset somewhere comfortable, and safe, to stay in the Palace”, Hyzou said.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Hyzou turned Safia’s naked body over. He traced the s
cars that ran along her back, until he came to one just at the point of her shoulder. It had scabbed over but was so recent that Hyzou could still see tiny beads of blood resting below the crusted surface.

  “When did this happen?” Hyzou asked.

  Safia looked back over her shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, I just…” Safia began.

  “You don’t have to apologise. But when did it happen?” Hyzou asked.

  “This morning”, Safia said.

  “I thought you were at the stables this morning?” Hyzou asked.

  “I was. And I just got so angry there”, Safia said.

  “Over what?” Hyzou said.

  Safia clenched, then unclenched her fists.

  “I don’t even really remember. Just that it was a strong anger”, Safia said. “It felt so terrible. A murderous rage.”

  “Has the physician seen it”, Hyzou asked.

  Safia shook her head.

  “Safia, it may fester”, Hyzou said.

  “I cleaned it with rice wine”, Safia said.

  “It’s…” Hyzou said.

  “I’m sorry”, Safia said.

  “I said don’t apologise”, Hyzou said.

  “I know I’m horrific. An ugly wreck. I’m sorry you have to put up with me”, Safia said.

  “Safia don’t say that”, Hyzou said.

  He kissed her brow.

  “I saw you looking at her”, Safia said.

  “Saw me looking at who?” Hyzou asked.

  “Kyria Iset”, Safia said.

  “She’s my cousin”, Hyzou said. “That’d be strange.”

  “My mother and father were cousins”, Safia said.

  “That was in CaSu”, Hyzou said.

  “Pharaoh Ganymedes is married to two of his cousins”, Safia said.

  Hyzou rolled his eyes.

  “It’s not like that”, Hyzou said.

  “Are you mocking me?” Safia said.

  “No. I’m not”, Hyzou said.

  “How did your conversation go this evening?” Safia said.

  “She was polite. Tried to convince that what I was doing was pointless”, Hyzou said.

  Safia frowned.

  “Come on, Safia. I told you before, I’ll never be with another woman in my life. No second or third wives, no harem. You’re all I’ll have until I die. We’re in this together, equals”, Hyzou said.

  “Do you promise?” Safia asked.

  “I’m not leaving. I’m yours, forever”, Hyzou said. “Everything I do, I need you there with me. You’re the only good thing I have in this life. I can’t do it without you.”

  Safia ran her hand through his hair.

  “You’ve stopped shaving your head”, Safia said.

  “It’s to calm the Piqueans. Stop them thinking that Uqing has taken over the city”, Hyzou said.

  “Why would they think that?” Safia asked.

  “Well, I’ve given all the important jobs in the city to Servants. The only ones done by Piqueans are, well, those that they were doing anyway under the control of Lamybla. Some of them think they’ve swapped one master for another”, Hyzou said.

  “Let me see if I understand. Because of Kyria Iset, the Servants think you’re too loyal to Piquea. On top of that, the Piqueans think you’re too loyal to Uqing?” Safia said.

  Hyzou shrugged.

  “It seems that way, yes”, Hyzou said.

  “That’s insane. These people are fucking insane”, Safia said.

  “I hate politics”, Hyzou said.

  Safia giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Hyzou said.

  “You love it. You just love it”, Safia said.

  “Love what?” Hyzou asked.

  “Hyzou of Nuyin, the only man who can save everyone. You pretend it stresses you out, but you love doing it”, Safia said.

  Hyzou glowered. Safia laughed.

  “What would the world do without you?” Safia said. “You’re the only one who can save everyone.”

  Safia broke down into another fit of laughter.

  “This is the happiest you’ve ever been. Going everywhere stressed about how much everyone needs you”, Safia said.

  Hyzou rolled his eyes.

  “Anyway, are you ready to go again?” Safia asked.

  “Again? No, it’s only been five minutes”, Hyzou said.

  “We get so few nights together like this”, Safia said.

  “Just wait a few minutes”, Hyzou said.

  Safia leaned over and kissed him

  “If you say so”, Safia said.

  She lay, her head against his arm.

  “Wait, do you sense that?” Hyzou said.

  “Just tell me”, Safia said.

  “Struggling with your Qi again?” Hyzou said.

  “I forget, are you my teacher or my husband? Because only one of those two are getting the chance to fuck me tonight”, Safia said.

  A loud knocking rang out against their bedroom door.

  “It’s Gemenfkon”, Hyzou said.

  “For fuck's sake. Gemenfkon! Come in!” Safia shouted.

  Gemenfkon opened the door and stepped into the room, head bowed.

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty, and Your Royal Highness. But a message has arrived from agents in the north. The Lamyblan army is on the move”, Gemenfkon said.

  Hyzou leaped from his bed, forgetting that he was naked.

  “What did it say?” Hyzou said.

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but I was only told enough to summon you”, Gemenfkon said.

  “You’ve done well Gemenfkon. Go, we’ll make our own way to the council”, Safia said.

  “Yes, Ma’am. They’re to meet in the main room”, Gemenfkon said.

  The old cupbearer bowed and left.

  “It’s starting”, Hyzou said.

  Safia got out of the bed and walked over to Hyzou. She grabbed his hair and pulled his forehead against her own.

  “Are you ready for this?” Safia said.

  “I’m ready”, Hyzou said.

  They kissed, then got dressed quickly. Hyzou knew the meeting wouldn’t be formal, so left his military getup in his room, going in simple linens. Safia did similar, leaving her grey robes and cloak in the room.

  Everyone was already in the war room when Hyzou arrived. Once the greetings were through with, Hyzou turned to the figure at the head of the room. It was the Chief Messenger, Arafet.

  Despite their numerical disadvantage, Hyzou’s army had one major advantage over the Pharaoh’s. Ekstasis.

  Upon defeating and enslaving the invading army under Kyrios Nuya, Hyzou had immediately ordered two hundred or so Servants to infiltrate Lamybla. The countryside, the city, and small towns, everywhere.

  They’d lain low, pretending to be refugees or beggars or tradesmen. There, they kept a watch on everything, listened to the local gossip and tried to understand what was happening. And they’d been reporting a steady stream of information to Piquea every single day. Due to the ekstasis, when they saw something, Hyzou would hear about it within an hour.

  They’d been watching for the obvious things, the use of roads by military convoys, the sequestering of livestock, the offers to sign up and fight. They’d even been looking for less obvious things, if the Pharaoh was actively trying to hide his plans. A rise in the price of carts and horses that could travel long distances. A sudden disappearance of men of fighting age.

  That’s why, when, for the past six or so months, nothing had happened, Hyzou had known that nothing was happening. The Pharaoh was pulling his forces together, yes, and stockpiling resources, yes. However, both of those things just took two months, not the nine months since they’d clashed in battle last. There had been nothing of note since then.

  Arafet looked like he hadn’t slept in quite some time. His hair was tossed and he had heavy bags underneath his eyes.

  “Your Majesty”, Arafet said. “I finally managed to understand the whole sculpture.”

  “The whole sculpture?” Hy
zou asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Of what’s occurring in Lamybla. These last few hours, they’ve been pretty hectic. The Pharaoh is invading, and he’s coming soon”, Arafet said.

  “Where? How?” Hyzou said.

  The council had spent a lot of time in the last nine months guessing how the Pharaoh would invade and trying to prepare for it. They’d come up with three ways Lamybla could invade Piquea. The first involved simply punching the straightest line from Lamybla to Piquea. This was the best defended route even before Hyzou had begun to design new defences. There were at least twenty populated towns along the Northern Road, and many natural features to defend. It was the quickest, but hardest, way for the Pharaoh to reach Piquea.

  The second option was for the Pharaoh to follow the Gahis River. The council and Hyzou agreed that this was the safest route. It was slow, but it allowed the easy access of supplies with the river, and it provided the best option to deal with the threat of Hyzou’s Servants. Lodged against the river, these soldiers could use defences and projectiles to keep the Servants of Qi at bay while they took their time seizing Piquea back, piece by piece.

  Then there was the riskiest option. The West Country. The vast open plains of nothing but rice fields for hundreds of square miles. Mostly rural, this land was wide, and even the biggest army could become surrounded or be flanked by an enemy that moved quickly enough. However, it was where most of the food Hyzou’s new city state ate came from. As well as that, it would cut most of Piquea’s trade lines, crushing the city between the hammer of the army in the West Country and the Gahis River on the other side.

  When there was no actual enemy to face, beyond training their soldiers, Hyzou’s generals could only really imagine hypotheticals with their time, as well as learning the lay of Piquean land.

  “It’s complicated, Your Majesty”, Arafet said.

  “Complicated? How?” Hyzou asked.

  “The army, they’ve split up”, Arafet said.

  “Split up? How?” Hyzou asked.

  “Into three groups”, Arafet said.

  Hyzou grimaced.

  “The first is led by Prince Menes, Pharaoh Ganymedes’ heir”, Arafet said.

  “I know who Prince Menes is”, Hyzou said.

  “He’s leading the largest force”, Arafet said.

  “The largest force? Really?” Hyzou asked.