That the emperor clearly intended to enslave—burn it, had enslaved—the Aydori mages made Reiter feel sick. He wondered what the emperor would say if he told him how he felt. It wouldn’t change the mages’ situation, whatever it was, although it would undoubtedly change his and not for the better.
And that young priest would have another dinner companion to forget.
Assembling after the meal with the rest of those who followed the emperor in case he needed facts about the noble families, opinions on what his courtiers were wearing, his mood lifted, or to hold a conversation about something no one else was permitted to talk about, Reiter stepped aside as a running page approached. Breathing heavily, the girl handed a folded piece of paper to Tavert who checked the seal and handed it immediately to the emperor.
“From the north wing, Majesty.”
“Really? Lord Hyde, what time is it?”
The young man next to Reiter started and pulled out a pocket watch. “Half one, Majesty.”
“That’s early.”
There was a murmur from those around him agreeing it was indeed early.
The emperor ignored them with what Reiter assumed had to be the ease of long practice and cracked the seal, flipping the single sheet open. It wasn’t good news; that much was obvious.
“Tell me when it is two, Lord Hyde.” The emperor usually made requests to his little pack of hangers-on. That was a command. His boot heels slammed against the floor as he turned and Reiter got the impression he wasn’t hurrying to the foundry because he wanted to be there but because he wanted it done with.
The last time Reiter had seen the emperor dealing with new technology, he’d been enthusiastic. This time he was agitated and kept brushing the foreman off, giving only a cursory glance at the machinery he’d come to see.
As the clock on the foundry wall began to chime two, a miniature brass canon firing twice, Lord Hyde stepped forward. Redundant or not, he’d been given an order. “Majesty, it’s two.”
“Tavert! Cancel the rest of my afternoon.”
“Yes, Majesty.”
“Captain Reiter!”
“Sir!” It was a hard habit to break.
“You’re with me.”
Stina thought she was five or six days from being able to push her door off the bits of metal that held it in place. That meant Danika had five or six days to figure out what to do if Leopald had a guard stationed in the corridor outside their cells at night. No, not guard, guards, they were always in pairs. And always the same twelve although they shuffled the pairings around. Unless there were specific night guards, that suggested their guards slept when they did. They already believed their captives harmless, merely going through the motions of guarding them into and out of the large communal room, but that would change if they saw one of the cell doors slammed out into the corridor. Or even falling to pieces.
“Kirstin, what’s wrong?”
Danika stopped her hand from rising to touch her scar, as Jesine’s voice pulled her attention across the table. Kirstin didn’t look good. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin, always pale, looked clammy. She wasn’t eating.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s clearly something.” When Kirstin ignored her, Jesine drew herself up, but before she could speak, Danika stepped on her foot.
“Stina.”
Stina was the most stable of the lot of them at this point, probably because she was the only one able to actively work toward their escape. “I hate to think what my lot have been up to since I’ve been gone. Their father lets them run wild…”
As Stina launched into an involved story about her three children and the day they tied up the nursery maid with strips of torn sheet, Danika lifted her foot.
Jesine reached out, fingers closing around Kirstin’s wrist. “Let me help. Is it the baby?”
Lips drawn back, Kirstin snatched her hand away. “There is no baby!”
‘But the prophecy…?”
“Soothsayers are insane. Everyone but His Imperial Majesty seems to know that.”
“Are you sure?”
“That Soothsayers are insane?” Kirstin’s laugh lifted the hair on the back of Danika’s neck. There was no way anyone listening would think she was laughing at Stina’s story no matter that Annalyse tried to laugh with her. “Pretty sure, yes.”
“Kirstin…”
“My blood came last night.”
Jesine shook her head. “There could be many reasons for blood. You could be…”
“Miscarrying? Had three. I know what a miscarriage is like. I know because I had one just before the Imperial army decided to destroy our lives.”
“Yes, but…”
“Jesine.” Danika cut the Healer-mage off. “She’s known all along there was no baby. She was still mourning her last miscarriage when we were taken.” That explained…well, everything. “That’s why she dared try to remove the net.” Kirstin’s expression suggested she was an idiot for taking so long to figure it out. Maybe she was. “They go into our cells when we’re in the water room and they go in while we’re here. Will they find anything?”
“Like blood?” Kirstin snorted. “What difference does it make? Like the golden girl says, there could be many reasons for blood.”
She was terrified and trying to hide it. Danika could see fear in every brittle movement and hear it on the edge of her tongue. There’d been enough blood then that no one could mistake it. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I heard the prophecy when you did, Alpha…”
Kirstin made the title an insult. Danika let it pass.
“…and Leopald needs six mages expecting children. There were already only five of us. What were their orders if they came up short? Would they kill us all and start again if they found out?”
“You’re talking about your unfortunate stains on the bed, aren’t you?”
Danika snapped her gaze up to Leopald’s little rathole so fast she felt the movement in her neck. She’d been so intent on Kirstin, she hadn’t noticed it open.
“I admit, I was angry at first.” Leopald frowned in an overly false and concerned way. “But then I realized I should consider the misrepresentation of your condition as an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?” Danika repeated, switching to Imperial. Eyes locked on Leopald’s face, she got slowly to her feet, hearing the others do the same.
“Exactly. An opportunity I thought I wouldn’t get for some months now.” He leaned forward, hands on his knees, eyes shining as though he was about to share wonderful news. “I’m not going to kill your little friend, I’m going to start building the future of the empire now. I’m going to breed her.”
Danika actually felt her mouth fall open. He’d mentioned breeding before, but she hadn’t…because he couldn’t…
Straightening, he beckoned to the guards. “Take the small dark one to the door into the research wing.”
“You’re insane!” Danika moved around to Kirstin’s side as Mole-under-ear and Poked-chin came away from the wall. She shoved Mole-under-the-ear back, her attention on Leopald, peripherally aware that both the other women and the other guards were also moving. “You are certifiably insane!”
“And you are abomination,” Leopald snapped. “Which puts you in no position to judge.” The guards’ hands closed around Danika’s upper arms as he added, “Take her, too.”
Chapter Fourteen
THE EMPEROR PUSHED through the curtains at the back of the observation booth before the wall had finished closing, paused and stared up at Reiter, cheeks flushed, eyes narrowed. “Something bothering you, Captain?”