“Oh, my son,” muttered Kuni. “My son.”
“I have striven all my life to please you,” said Timu. “And you’ve never been happy with me. I’m tired of waiting for your approval, Father, tired of living as your shadow.
“What is your answer to my request? Will you step aside?”
Kuni Garu shook his head and looked away from his son. Hot tears flowed down his face.
Timu left, and the door of the cell slammed shut behind him.
To the People of Dara,
The Most Honorable Ruler of the Lands of Ukyu and Gondé, Protector of Dara, Pékyu Tenryo, speaks to you thus:
Whereas the power-hungry Empress Jia has usurped the Throne of Dara without legitimacy;
Whereas Prince Timu and Royal Princess Vadyu have wedded and are expecting a child in the spring;
Whereas Emperor Ragin, guest of the pékyu, has abdicated in favor of Prince Timu;
Whereas the people of Dara have long suffered under misrule and maladministration;
Whereas the All-Father has dispatched the fiery wings of the Lyucu to bring about a new chapter in the history of Dara;
Therefore, I, Tenryo Roatan, have decided to deliver this ultimatum to Empress Jia. In one month, after making proper sacrifices to the All-Father and the gods of Dara, to wit: Cudyufin-Kana, Nalyufin-Rapa, Aluro-Tututika, Péa-Kiji, Toryoana-Rufizo, Diasa-Fithowéo, and Péten-Lutho-Tazu, I and the might of Lyucu will fall upon the shores of unredeemed Dara to reclaim the throne for the legitimate ruler of Dara, Emperor Thaké, my loyal thane, known in the past as Timu.
All those who rally to the flag of Emperor Thaké shall be rewarded and all who adhere to the usurper Jia shall be punished.
The messages, packed in bottles dropped near the shores of the core islands by Lyucu boats, were read by many and immediately caused a crisis in Pan.
“Oh, my Toto-tika, how could you?” muttered Jia. “I should have paid more attention to your character instead of leaving you to your teacher. You’ve broken your father’s heart. This is a betrayal that will be impossible to undo.”
“Timu has always been a bit impractical in his thinking,” said Théra. “Certainly he was deceived.”
“I’m sure the prince had his reasons,” said Consort Risana, ever hopeful. “Not everyone who collaborates with the Lyucu is necessarily a traitor; sometimes it’s difficult to tell what people are really thinking based on their public performance.”
At this, Jia gave a wry smile.
“The question is: Why have they decided to invade now?” asked Théra.
“Didn’t we always expect them to invade after the fall harvest?” said Zomi.
“If they’ve made Timu into a puppet, it means they want more than military conquest,” said Théra.
“So they’re trying to—” Zomi started to talk but then stopped as Théra gave her a warning look.
“They’re trying to destabilize Dara by inciting rebellions against me,” said Empress Jia. “It’s all right. There’s nothing wrong with stating what’s plainly in their message.”
“But that plan works best if they give it more time,” said Théra as she pondered the situation. “It would be more sensible for them to build up Timu’s legitimacy—possibly by waiting until the child is born—and wait for reinforcements from beyond the sea when the Wall of Storms opens in spring.”
“Have they suddenly grown confident in their strength?” asked Zomi. She and Théra shared a worried but also warm glance with each other.
“That’s what they want us to think,” said Cogo Yelu. “But I think the truth is likely the exact opposite. This might be an act of desperation.”
“We have no choice but to fight,” said Gin Mazoti.
“Are we ready?” asked Jia.
“The odds of victory or defeat are about even,” said the marshal. “We’ve been preparing all summer, and I now no longer think resistance a hopeless act. But all commanders wish for more time.”
“Maybe that’s why they’re attacking,” said Jia. “They don’t want to give us any more time to prepare.”
“The best-made plans in the world must ultimately be put to the test of reality,” said the marshal. “We’ve done all that we can. All the rest is chance.”
But then she paused and looked at Risana. “However, Your Highness’s comments on the mysterious hearts of collaborators have given me an idea.”
The Lyucu secured the shores of Rui and Dasu with constant airship patrols, and they caught the sudden influx of farseers from Dara. Lyucu guards brought the secret messages carried by the executed spies to Pékyu Tenryo.
Written in ornate language full of allusions to the Ano Classics and pompous quotations from Moralist treatises, the messages promised amnesty and leniency for all collaborationist Dara ministers and commanders who defected now to the cause of the empress and called for them to assassinate important Lyucu thanes and leaders, especially Pékyu Tenryo himself. Whoever succeeded would be granted dukedoms or even kingdoms.
The pékyu laughed as he read these messages and shared them with the surrendered Dara ministers and military commanders.
“Nothing confirms their desperation more than this,” said the pékyu. “You all know very well how Jia treats those who served her family with loyalty. After what happened to Théca Kimo, Rin Coda, and Gin Mazoti, why would anyone believe her empty promises?”
The ministers and commanders laughed along with their new lord. Indeed, Jia’s obsession with weakening the enfeoffed nobles was still fresh in their minds.
Ra Olu returned to his mansion in Kriphi—a gift from the pékyu for his service to the Lyucu—and shared the message with Lady Lon, who had been released from having to attend to the pékyu after he tired of her looks.
“This seems a very clumsy attempt,” said Lady Lon. “I would have thought the marshal too clever to try something so transparent.”
“The key is not the text,” said Ra Olu, “but the subtext. There is a quote from a poem by Lurusén at the end of the message:
“That’s from his ‘Ode to the Sea,’ isn’t it? What’s the point of quoting that poem?”
“I’m not sure,” said Ra Olu. “But I can’t help but think it’s the key to what the empress and the marshal have in mind.”
“Could it be a gesture of defiance? Emperor Ragin once achieved his most famous victory by riding on the back of a cruben, so the reference to the sovereign of the seas may be suggesting that victory belongs to Dara ultimately.”
Ra Olu shook his head. “It doesn’t seem a very apt allusion. The Lyucu do not farm, and they’ve been destroying the agricultural base of the islands in their preparation for an invasion of the Big Island and converting the land to pasture use.”
“That’s true. Lurusén is the empress’s favorite poet, and she wouldn’t quote him without great care.”
“The marshal and the empress had to know that these messages would be intercepted. So this must be a code…. You’ve always been more literary than I. What do you know about this poem?”