Mistress of War: Book 1 (EBOOK)

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ONE

WHEN AN ASSASSIN pulled a dagger during the middle of the emperor’s summer soirée, it was almost a relief.

Now, to be fair, I had nothing against parties in general. I also had nothing against dancing at parties. I wasn’t even totally averse to drunken strangers grabbing my arse while I was dancing at parties.

I did, however, draw the line when those drunken strangers were old enough to be my grandfather—and there had been a fair amount of that kind of thing this evening. Nevertheless, when I saw the dagger glint in the hand of an oily little weasel of a man making his way toward Emperor Kaeto’s retinue, I did what any self-respecting hired dancing girl would do.

I screamed “Assassin!” at the top of my lungs. Then I grabbed the nearest burning oil lamp and hurled it at the man’s head.

The results were quite satisfying if you were into that kind of thing… which I strenuously maintain that I wasn’t. The bronze lamp impacted my target’s shoulder, dislodging its metal lid and splattering him with flammable oil. In a flash of luck—good or bad, depending on your point of view—the lamp’s still-burning wick slapped against the oil-soaked sleeve of his ornate embroidered robes. Flames whooshed, enveloping his left arm and spreading rapidly outward from there.

The man shrieked, his dagger clattering to the marble floor as he whirled this way and that, slapping at his clothing and generally making the situation much worse than if he’d simply dropped to the floor and rolled around a bit to smother the burning cloth. Within seconds, several of the guards who’d been unobtrusively stationed around the grand space converged on him. One of them pulled a tapestry down from the nearest wall and bore the man to the ground beneath it, using the heavy woven cloth to stifle the flames.

I hoped the tapestry hadn’t been valuable.

A familiar presence rumbled to life at the back of my mind, because of course I needed an uninvited second voice inside my head right now.

Fire good. Tapestries stupid, it said.

Shut up, I thought. This isn’t really the time.

I received the brief impression of an amused eye roll before the presence quieted, and I was once more able to turn my full attention outward.

It was a testament to how desperate the partygoers were to make a good impression on their emperor that most of them hadn’t immediately stampeded for the exits. Either that, or it was a testament to how common assassination attempts had become in the Alyrion Empire of late. For all I knew, watching a foiled assassin be set on fire during a party like this one was considered high entertainment—like the festive solstice bonfires back in my grandparents’ village.

Whatever the case, most of the guests and entertainers had only retreated to the edges of the room. Once it became apparent that the fire was under control and wouldn’t spread, the buzz of conversation swelled as they pressed forward to ogle the aftermath.

In the general scramble to get out of the way, I’d been left standing alone in the center of the atrium, abandoned by my fellow dancers as well as the musicians who’d been playing for us.

In my experience, when you were the hired entertainment, being singled out by powerful people wasn’t usually a good thing. Under the circumstances, though, I felt like my odds were decent. A moment later, a sandy-haired guard who’d smoothly stepped in front of Emperor Kaeto during the confusion lifted his sword to point at me.

“You. Young woman. Approach us.” Even if I hadn’t already learned his name from palace gossip, the guard’s tone of understated command would have marked him as a high-ranking tribuni.

Aelio, the others had named him. The emperor’s personal guard. A fair man, but don’t cross him.

Behind him, Kaeto’s gray gaze was cool and assessing as it swept over me from head to foot, taking in my skimpy dancer’s garb with a raised eyebrow. I jerked my attention downward to my own feet before I could accidentally offend him.

According to general opinion, the new emperor was better in some ways than his warmongering father had been… and worse in others. He was also, by all accounts, quite a bit prettier to look at. I could see the appeal of those sharp, hawklike features, topped by waves of thick, raven hair tucked beneath his gold crown. That didn’t mean staring at him openly was in any way a smart idea.

I kept my gaze fixed on my bare toes as I walked forward, dropping into a low bow a few paces away from the tribuni’s polished leather boots.

“Your Imperial Majesty,” I murmured to the floor.

“Rise, girl.” Kaeto’s voice was as sharp as his features. “You did a service to your emperor tonight. Go with my guard. I would have him speak with you.”

I glanced up, rising to my feet with what I sincerely hoped was a dancer’s grace. At Aelio’s crooked finger, two more guards approached to flank the emperor—replacing him as he sheathed his sword and gestured me to precede him toward one of the side exits.

Heart thudding, I made my way through the soaring archway. Aelio indicated a room off the elegant portico, away from the excited buzz of the party. I entered, putting my back to the wall and once more lowering my gaze in respect.

I could feel Aelio’s heavy regard on me, and when I chanced a glance from beneath my lashes, his brow was furrowed in concentration.

He cleared his throat. “The empire owes you a debt, Miss,” he said with polite formality. “Your actions tonight were brave.”

“I didn’t even think,” I lied. “I just saw the dagger and panicked.”

Aelio made a humming noise. “I see. Well, if your aim is that good when you’re panicking, I’d hate to see what you could accomplish when your head is clear.”

“I’m relieved I was able to stop him,” I said, radiating innocence. “How frightening it must be to know that random strangers want you dead.”

“Vexing, certainly,” Aelio replied. “At any rate, I wish to offer you a boon at His Imperial Majesty’s behest. Is there anything in particular that you desire? Money? Jewels?”

“Well,” I began in a hopeful tone, “I wouldn’t say no to a job that doesn’t involve inebriated old men pinching my arse all the time.”

Aelio let out a little huff that might have been amusement. “That seems like an understandable ambition. I’ll have a word with the palace adjunct and see what positions are available. Though I’d strongly suggest saying yes to the money as well—if you don’t mind taking a bit of unsolicited advice.”

It was my turn to give a little laugh. “Money’s good, too. Thanks.”

He nodded. “Return to the servants’ entrance near the kitchens tomorrow morning when the sun breaches the top of the palace wall. Ask for Madame Fritch, and tell her Tribuni Aelio sent you.”

“Thank you,” I said, meaning it with all my heart. “I’ll definitely do that.”

He dipped his chin in acknowledgement. “Good. And now, if you’ll forgive me, I suspect the party is already back in full swing. I don’t think anyone would blame you if you wanted to call it a night after all the excitement—”

“I’ll dance,” I told him quickly, exhilaration over my unexpected good fortune thrumming through my veins.

“Very well,” Aelio said, indicating the door with an economical gesture of one hand. “With luck, the elderly drunkards will exercise a bit more restraint now that they’ve seen you take down a man with an oil lamp.”

Somehow, I doubted that—but I gave him a sunny smile anyway before retracing my path to the atrium and rejoining the other dancers. As Aelio had predicted, the would-be assassin had already been dragged away, and the revelers were back to their revelry as though nothing had happened.

I spared a thought for the burned man, thanking him silently for giving me the chance I’d needed to gain closer access to the palace… and more specifically, to Emperor Kaeto. I’d been here in the Alyrion capital city of Amarius for almost two months now as a spy, and this was the first time I’d even managed to get inside the same room as the infuriating bastard.

Long time, the voice in my head said wistfully. Miss you.

Too long, I agreed. It’s necessary, though.

The four dragon eggs that had been stolen from my island home of Eburos might already have hatched in the time it had taken me to get this close to my imperial target. The Alyrion Empire had been my people’s hereditary enemy for far longer than I’d been alive. The idea that there might be valuable dragon eggs in the emperor’s possession was unthinkable.

If Kaeto managed to raise his own dragon army to combat ours, the fragile peace that had held for the past two decades would come crumbling down, plunging the continent once more into war. I had to get those eggs back… and now, I finally had a way inside the stronghold of the man who’d ordered them stolen.