The Emperor's Arrow

by Lauren DM Smith

  She laughed. “I’m surprised they’re not cursing me for telling them they’re shooting wrong. But yes, I’m Amazzi. Evony of clan Aureline.”

  “Are there many of your clans?”

  “A dozen or so. We’re pretty scattered across Silvinsula, though we do come together once a year to meet, exchange news, and trade.”

  “Excuse me if this is rude, but is it true Amazzi kill all their boy children?”

  Evony choked. “Is that what people think? I can assure you, it’s not true! My brother turned thirteen this year and my cousin six. Those are all the male children we have in our clan. They’re much rarer than females for some reason, but we certainly don’t kill them!”

  Stodd shrugged. “I’d been thinking it was just one of those crazy rumours. People like to talk.”

  “That they do.”

  Footsteps entering the stable drew both their gazes. Blinking in the sudden gloom as he stepped out of the sun, Galen’s hair was unmistakable even at a distance. A distant blur of grey and white moved behind him before disappearing, making Evony briefly wonder what it was prior to refocusing her attention on the newcomer.

  “Good afternoon, Galen,” Evony called, giving a bit of a bow as she walked towards him.

  Stodd hurried past her, giving the deepest of bows. “Your Imperial Majesty, what can I do for you?”

  Galen’s attention moved from Evony to the hostler. “I had thought I would ride this afternoon. I would like my horse prepared.”

  “Of course, right away, Your Majesty,” Stodd said with another bow then jogged towards the second largest stall in the building.

  Evony turned away from watching the hostler leave to find Galen studying her. She raised her eyebrows. “I know you can’t be surprised to find one of us here, not when it’s your competition.”

  “We had thought whoever drew this task would remove themselves from the competition immediately.”

  She thought about it for a moment, specifically picturing Venita being assigned this, and snorted. “I suppose there are more than a few who would have. Doesn’t bother me any. I’ve been around horses since before I could walk.”

  “You have many surprising talents,” he said, after a moment of quiet.

  “I’m Amazzi. You’re just not used to us. You should come visit Silvinsula some time. You’d find that I’m not out of the ordinary there.”

  “I am not so certain that that would be the case.”

  The sound of approaching hooves had them both looking as Stodd brought a beautiful black stallion towards them. Evony couldn’t help the little gasp of delight that escaped her lips. A large horse without a trace of any colour but black, he had wonderful lines that made her think he could run for days without tiring. Without thinking, she moved forward and made the little noises that always soothed her mare.

  Stodd hissed and Galen held up his hands as she stopped to the side of the stallion. The horse watched her and when she took an extra step towards him, didn’t try to back away. With that, Evony cautiously reached out and patted him on the shoulder then stepped back again.

  He lowered his head a bit to follow her movements and then blew in her direction. Grinning, Evony moved close enough so she could blow out into the vicinity of his nostrils. She watched them flare for a moment before he shook himself all over and turned to look towards Stodd.

  The hostler shook his head as he moved to tie the stallion up so he could saddle him. “That alone tells me you know horses, brightness.”

  Evony shrugged and looked at Galen, who was staring at her. He too shook his head. “Kalendae does not take to many people.”

  “Horses are like people. You just need to know how to talk to them and stay on their good side.”

  Galen said nothing for a moment, watching as Stodd saddled his mount. He finally turned to Evony and said, “Would you accompany me on my ride?”

  She shook her head. “I have to finish my task first.”

  Stodd heard and laughed, making Kalendae flick his ears back to catch the sound. “Forgive me, brightness, but your task was only to muck out the one stall. You’ve done three. You’re more than done.”

  Evony smiled faintly. “Then yes.”

  Galen only nodded.

  “I think you’d do well with Sollucem. She’s Kalendae’s sister,” he said, patting the stallion as he finished tightening the last strap. “You’re experienced and she rarely gets enough exercise. As long as you think you can handle her?”

  She grinned at that. “I’ve ridden unbroken horses before. I’m certain I can handle her.”

  Stodd returned the expression then hurried off to a different stall. “You are remarkably capable and confident in that fact,” Galen remarked.

  “I doubt you’re any different,” she replied.

  He frowned slightly. “No, I suppose I am not.”

  Chapter 11: Riding

  Evony leaned forward and patted Sollucem’s shoulder, revelling in how wonderful the mare’s dun hair felt, something that bespoke regular brushing and proper care. Her black mane and tail contrasted with the pale yellow of her coat and, with lines similar to her brother’s, she was gorgeous. As much as she loved her mare at home, Evony had to admit that given the chance, she’d take Sollucem in a heartbeat.

  Straightening, she met Galen’s gaze from where he sat a bit higher on Kalendae. “Are you prepared?”

  “Lead the way,” she said. It was his ride and she was tagging along, not to mention he would know the best places to ride, so Evony was quite happy to follow him. She already had half-formed plans to take the mare out in the following days, especially given that Stodd had said she didn’t get enough exercise. Maybe she could even work it into her morning practice...

  Evony shook herself and refocused her attention on where they were riding. They were coming up to the training fields, where all but the archery range was in use. Evony recognized more than a few faces and waved, smiling. A few half-raised hands in answer, but most of them just stared at her.

  She hid a frown, wondering what their issue was. Unless it was something like a rumour saying Amazzi couldn’t ride or something. Which would be simply ridiculous, given her people all learned to ride, especially those who were true warriors.

  “You are familiar with my soldiers?” Galen asked, focus on her.

  Nodding, she turned to meet his eyes. “I see them in the morning when I’m practicing. I’ve been helping some, mostly with the archers.”

  “I see. Have you any further thoughts on ways to improve their training and effectiveness?”

  Evony thought it over for a moment. “I’m not certain. We Amazzi are smaller in number, so our tactics rely heavily on speed, surprise, and not remaining in one place. From what I’ve seen, most of your soldiers are learning shield formations that are the opposite. I could really only offer some thoughts on your archers and lighter cavalry.”

  His lips quirked upwards. “I had thought you would have an opinion on all matter martial.”

  She snorted. “No. I know better than to talk about things I don’t understand fully, especially something as important as the training of your soldiers. And your Legate Balint seems more than capable.”

  “He is at that.”

  They rode in silence, passing the last of the fields and heading towards the trees that Evony had thought just hid the wall from view. But as they got closer, she realized they were far deeper than she’d thought, though not nearly so large or surrounded by undergrowth as the forests of her home.

  Galen led them to the beaten trail that snaked its way into the trees. Evony couldn’t help but smile as they entered the gentle green light and relative coolness that lay under the trees. It made her feel like she wasn’t that far from home after all.

  The chirping and twittering of birds mix
ed with the drone of cicadas and the rustling of leaves due to wind and small creatures. Evony glanced around, taking in the mix of trees, recognizing oak, yew, larch, chestnut, and elm. Some were clearly very old, but for the most part, they looked to be no thicker than she could reach both arms around, or at most, half again that size. Certainly there were only a handful that she and Admina could have both put their arms around and barely touch each other, and only one or two that she’d seen so far that were larger than that. From her perspective, it was a young forest, and not really deserving of the title. It really was just a bit of woods.

  Here, hidden among the trees, she was glad that Galen had asked her to ride with him. It would be easy for anyone who plotted against him to set up an ambush. She didn’t know if he had a set path he usually took, but even if he didn’t, with five of her clan she’d have been able to pick him off from the trees. It would be easy enough to channel him the way they wanted, especially if he was alone.

  They were nearly to the wall when Evony finally saw what she guessed was their destination. Round and made of a dark green-grey stone that helped it blend into the trees surrounding it, the building was only a story high, with a small decorative tower rising from its centre. A few steps, lined with columns of a more polished version of the stone, led up to the entrance. Even from a distance, she could see the large metal gate that covered the door.

  “What is that place?” she asked.

  Galen followed her gaze and a faint grimace crossed his face. “It is the mausoleum of the Fuscienne family.”

  Evony frowned, only having a sketchy idea of what that was. Her people cremated bodies and scattered the ashes. She’d heard that some mainlanders set up elaborate shrines to the dead, but this was the first time she’d seen one. “Why is there a gate?” She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to steal the ashes of a dead person.

  “I do not like people entering without permission.”

  She glanced at him, noting the tight mask over his features, and considered the possibilities. “Is it for your father?”

  “No. My sister,” he replied, voice even, though a trifle clipped. But looking at his stone-like face, Evony could tell she shouldn’t ask him anything further on that matter. She thought that if her eyes were filled with lightning when she was angry, then his burned. They burned with all the intensity of blue flames and more, seeming ready to scorch everything they looked upon. She could see how Galen had earned a reputation for being overwhelming and a tyrant with eyes like those. It made her wonder what kind of person his sister had been.

  He said nothing else for a few moments, riding a bit past the green building to a small area empty of trees, but still under the leafy canopy. He reined up and dismounted and Evony followed suit. Her gaze went to the small square rock set into the middle of the clear space.

  Holding onto Sollucem’s reins, she approached, moving so she stood beside Galen and Kalendae. As she got closer she realized that the stone had been inscribed, and when she stopped, she recognized the language of her people. With wide eyes she turned to look at Galen. “Where did this come from?”

  “It has always been here. Are you able to read it?”

  Evony nodded, already squatting so she could see the faded letters better. It was an older form of her people’s tongue, but she could still understand the words. She cleared her throat and read.

  “‘To my children, their children, and whoever else may read this, I am Salvina, daughter of Alcina, granddaughter of Neziah, of clan Aureline. I would let it be known, contrary to rumours, that I have chosen Zorian of clan Fuscienne as my lifemate as he has chosen me. I have borne his children and will be by his side until death claims us both, but I would have our descendants know that while I chose this man over my clan, not once have I regretted that choice. You should all live freely and strong as all Amazzi do.’”

  Straightening, Evony shook her head. She had heard the story, that her people had allied with the Fuscienne’s because one of her clan, Salvina, had chosen their king as lifemate, but to find proof was beyond what she had expected. She knew the names of Salvina, Alcina and Neziah and could recite them with the rest of her lineage, back over twenty generations, though her ancestress after Alcina was Veradis.

  She wondered about Salvina and how she’d done it. Left her clan, left the Amazzi way to live among the mainlanders in this country of what felt like eternal sun. To never return to the green-lit forests of home. She’d written she hadn’t regretted it, but Evony wasn’t so sure. Then again, she had been with her lifemate, so maybe that had made the loss less.

  Evony looked at Galen, who was staring at the stone. She wondered if he’d known what it had said then wondered if anyone in the palace except her could read Amazzi. She wasn’t aware of anyone using it off Silvinsula, so she supposed it was unlikely he’d known what had been inscribed there.

  He raised his head and met her gaze. “Thank you. I had long wondered what had been written in this stone.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for showing it to me. I’d heard our legends Salvina joining clan Fuscienne, but I never really thought I would find anything to do with that. It has been nearly fifteen generations since then.”

  Galen nodded, then a faint wrinkle appeared in between his brows. “What does lifemate mean?”

  Evony blinked for a moment. She hadn’t realized the term wasn’t common knowledge. “It is the person you decide to spend the rest of your life with. I suppose it is mostly an Amazzi term, since we differentiate between those we use to father our children and those we take as lifemates. It’s a rare enough occurrence since you only have one lifemate in your life, if at all. Having seen my parents, I always hoped to find a real lifemate for myself.”

  “Your father must be an accomplished warrior.”

  She stared at him then laughed. “My father is nothing of the sort! He’s a scholar who came to study Amazzi and our ways and ended up attracting my mother. My middle sister, Obelia, takes most after him, while my eldest sister, Balera takes most after our mother. I take after both, which is why it is likely I will take over as clan head when the time comes. If not me, then my brother. Unless one of our cousins shows a better aptitude of course. But so far, the two of us have scored highest in those tests. We do try to ensure we have the best possible leader.”

  “I must admit that I find your ways strange,” Galen said, shaking his head.

  Evony chuckled. “That makes two of us.”

  It might have been a trick of the light that filtered unevenly through the trees, but Evony thought she saw a real smile, small though it was, on Galen’s face before he turned away. She preened a little, grinning. If she could just make him laugh, he’d seem more like a person rather than the statue come to life she often wondered if he was.

  * * *

  Putting the wooden comb back where she’d gotten it from, Evony gave Sollucem a last pat as she took the mare back to her stall. Galen was already gone, having turned Kalendae over to Stodd’s care, not having time to brush his mount down after their ride. Not that Evony blamed him. She imagined running the empire was exhausting and time-consuming.

  But she personally preferred brushing her horse down. It was a thank-you in a way, and a good way to bond. Which would be more important if Sollucem were Evony’s permanent mount, but even as a temporary one, it couldn’t hurt.

  Evony dusted her hands off, offered a quick wave and called goodbye to Stodd and headed out of the stables. She blinked a little in the sunlight as her eyes adjusted so she missed the figure approaching until it was almost on top of her. It was the soft voice saying, “Princeps Evony?” that drew her attention.

  She looked down the short distance to meet the other girl’s gaze. As the only girl left wearing purple and being from one of the original families, Evony had no difficulty recognizing Paran of Regem. She offered a friendly nod, not entirely sure of the
girl. “Primus Paran,” she replied.

  Paran smiled, revealing dimples below her hazel eyes, a colour Evony only now noticed. “I am happy you know my name.”

  “I’m trying to learn everyone’s. Do you need help with something?”

  “No, I had just thought I would speak to you first. Cerys saw you leaving here with the emperor and...well there are some people it did not sit well with so I had thought I would warn you.”

  Her gaze narrowed a trifle. “That’s very kind of you. But I thought you were friends with Venita. I don’t think she’d like the idea of you warning me much.”

  Paran coughed and looked down, a foot drawing small circles in the grass. “Venita is... Well, our families have been friends of old, so we have long spent time with one another. I have found some of her views to be...extreme and not to my liking. However, our long association and close familial ties makes it difficult to separate. I hope you understand I mean no harm to you and only wish you the best.”

  Evony nodded, still studying the other girl. Paran was looking at her again, her gaze steady, her body angled forward, every inch of her screaming earnest desire. Evony rubbed an arm that was just beginning to sprout gooseflesh and weighed her options and the other girl’s words.

  “I hope you will forgive my boldness, but I must say I admire your strength and courage,” Paran said, smiling again. “I think it long overdue for our people to have a strong empress.”

  She snorted. “I doubt that will be me. I only came because I was summoned and once this competition is finished, I’ll return to Silvinsula.”

  “You do not wish to become empress?”

  “No. It seems like a hard, demanding job, and not one I’m well suited for.”

  “Would it not be a great honour to your people for you to be empress?”

  Evony chuckled. “That’s not how Amazzi honour works, but thank you for your concern. Besides, there are plenty of candidates who would do a better job than I ever could here.”