Page 2 of Lies That Bind
A full smile would not be appropriate as I was still mourning my father, so I opted instead for a tight, barely there smile and a constant slow wave. Liana flew circles above the people as children held up signs with my firebird creature painted on them.
“Long live Empress Aisling!” the crowd chanted.
I pulled my father’s sword from my belt and hefted it into the sky, and the cheers grew louder. This was a promise of retribution for the attack last night. I would hammer the Luskins hard and long for what they did. Already, the leaders of the Fleet were drawing up battle plans to present to me tonight after my tour. Together, we would seek the best course of action that would incur minimal losses on our side and maximum loss on Luska’s.
After about ten minutes at the park, Liana moved on to the hillside mansions. Citizens waved from their backyards and porches, all looking to the sky as if waiting for me. Every flag in the city was half-mast. It was a weird tradition we had in Amersea. We didn’t truly mourn a fallen emperor or empress. That was seen as a sign of weakness. There would be no funeral for my father, no throngs of black and weeping eyes. Instead, we lowered our flags for a day and then looked to the future and strength of our country. We lifted up the successor and trudged on. My father’s nice suit and painted face were merely for me and Elaine and the triplets. Once they said goodbye to him, he would be cremated in accordance with his wishes.
‘Who do you think killed him?’I asked Liana as we flew over a stretch of barren forest on our way to the first Fleet base in our tour, Storm Haven.
‘Poison not ingested means it was not likely anyone in Amersea double-crossing him. I think one of the Luskins’ creatures had deadly poisoned talons and must have snuck in and attacked him during the assault.’
I nodded. It was a good assessment; the same one I had come to, and yet… something else felt off about how my father died. He was so strong. Zuri too. For him to fall so easily… it was hard for me to believe. That room should have been covered in blood; my father would have been missing an arm or leg before someone killed him. He would have likely just portaled out in extreme danger. My father was not immortal, but I had expected his killer’s body to be lying next to him at least. He had no blood under his nails or on his blade. He was taken by surprise and barely fought back. It didn’t seem possible.
‘You think Red could have taken the air from his lungs from afar?’I asked Liana, indicating the woman who rode the red dragon. She had a dangerous power I’d never encountered before.
‘Yes, but then his lips would have been blue, right?’Liana said wisely.
She was right. His lips were purple now, but they hadn’t been on the night he died. He’d not looked like he lacked oxygen. Maybe it didn’t matter exactly who killed him or how. I was going to strike back on Luska in my father’s name either way.
Liana cocked her head to the side, and I felt her body tighten beneath me.
‘What is it?’
She relaxed.‘Onyx and Kohen are flying far behind us, out of sight. Kohen is worried about your safety.’
Kohen. The name brought an ache to my chest. Just when I thought I might be able to have a nice little love affair with him before any real responsibility was laid at my feet, my father died and made me empress. Anything I’d started with Kohen would have to stop now.
My people would never follow a leader tied to an enemy.
I sighed.
Was Kohen right to be worried about my safety? Would whoever killed my father come back to finish me off and then my sisters? With thoughts like that, I’d never sleep again, so I pushed them down.
Admiral Caruso and some other high-level Imperial Fleet members were following my parade by road and train. If they knew that Kohen Badshah was following me, they’d probably lock him up and kill him. We trusted no one right now.
‘Tell him to go home,’I told Liana.
I didn’t want to deal with Kohen right now. Or Tetra, or anyone else. I had way too much on my plate to be thinking of my friends. I was now the leader of the entire Imperial Fleet, the entire nation of Amersea. At nineteen years old.
‘He said he will stay out of sight but he’s not leaving,’Liana answered.
I growled but didn’t have the mental space to care if Kohen wanted to follow me across the country. I let my thoughts wander to the night Kohen told me I was going to lose someone I loved. He’d said he didn’t know at the time who it was, but now I wondered if he’d foreseen it was my father and didn’t tell me. Before I could think more on it, Liana descended into Storm Haven base, where rows and rows of imperial soldiers stood waiting, standing with stiff backs and firm salutes.
One by one, the soldiers broke protocol and peered up at the sky to watch me descend. My father’s parade had been by car. Never had an emperor or empressflownon her parade. Butwe thought it would be a good show of strength. The admirals wanted the people of Amersea to know that their new empress was bonded to a Talanagi.
I landed in the middle of the seaside base that perched on the cliff of the beautiful ocean. I couldn’t help but think of how my father wanted to send me here. And now I’d be going to Sky Reach to live on the front. I’d gotten my wish in the worst way. I didn’t have the power to portal home every night for dinner like my father.
I dismounted Liana, and she stood tall, peering at the soldiers as I walked toward where a podium had been erected. I knew some type of a speech would be expected of me, no matter how small, but I hadn’t taken speech-writing training yet, so I’d have to wing it.
I glanced out at the rows of creatures who stood off to the side, waiting for their bondeds. Lions, wolves, bears, tigers, foxes, falcons, gorillas, formidable beasts waiting formycommand.
Beside the podium was the general of the base. I couldn’t remember his name, and I knew I’d have to sit down with flashcards after today and memorize every single officer in the Fleet, but for now, I just nodded to him.
He saluted me. “Empress.”
“General.” I tipped my head, trying to swallow my nerves.
He gestured to the stage as if asking me to give my speech, and my palms went slick with sweat. I hated public speaking, but it was part of this new life, so I glanced at Liana for reassurance, and she gave me a small nod. I stepped up to the podium and surveyed the mass of soldiers before me. Each one was a valuable life that was now in my hands.
