she had seen to the heart of something he hadn't wanted to understand.
He tried to imagine Kiyan sitting on the stone rail, smiling down at him
the way she had. It was very, very easy.
111'hat should I dot he asked the ghost his mind had conjured.
You can do anything, love, she said, it's just that you can't do everything.
Otah, Emperor of the Khaiem, wept, and he couldn't say how much was from
sorrow and how much from relief.
In the morning, he had the Master of Tides clear his schedule. He met
with Balasar and Sinja first. The meeting room was blond stone, ornately
carved. Otah had heard that the carvings illustrated some ancient epic,
but he'd never bothered to consider it. They were only figures in stone,
unmoving and incapable of change. Unlike the men.
Balasar and Sinja sat across from each other, their spines straight and
their expressions polite. They were divided by blood and broken faith.
Otah poured the tea himself.
"I am placing you in joint control of the fleets and what armsmen we
have," Otah said. "Between the two of you, you will protect Chaburi-Tan
from the raiders and bring the mercenary forces into compliance with
their contracts. I've written an edict that officially grants you my
unrestricted permissions."
"Most High," Balasar said. His voice was careful and precise. "Forgive
me, but is this wise? I am not one of your countrymen."
"Of course you are," Otah said. "Once Danat and Ana marry, we will be a
united empire. Are you refusing the command?"
Sinja replied in the general's place.
"We're an odd pairing, Most High," he said. "It might be better if-"
"You've been my right hand for decades. You know our resources and our
strengths. You're known and you're trusted," Otah said. "Balasar- cha's
the best commander in Galt. You're both grown men."
"What exactly do you want from us?" Balasar asked.
"I want you to take this problem from me and fix it," Otah said. "I'm
only one man, and I'm tired and overcommitted. Besides which, I'm a
third-rate war leader, as I think we are all aware."
Sinja coughed to cover laughter. Balasar leaned forward, stroking his
chin and looking down as if he'd discovered something fascinating in the
grain of the table before him. Slowly, he nodded. After that, it was
only a matter of working out the wording of the edict to the
satisfaction of Sinja and Balasar both.
There would be trouble between them. That couldn't be avoided. But, Otah
told himself, that was theirs to work. Not his. Not his any longer. He
left the meeting room feeling oddly giddy.
He had scheduled a similar meeting with Danat and Issandra Dasin
concerning the politics of the court and the intermarriage of Galt and
the Khaiem. And then he thought Ashua Radaani was the man to address the
issues of the conspiracy between Yalakeht and Obar State. He wasn't
certain of that yet. Panjit Dun might also do well with it.
And once all that was done, all the best minds he could choose given
their autonomy, he would closet himself with his sister and begin the
work that couldn't be safely trusted to others: tracking Maati and