I practiced a dance with feet that were not my own.

A dozen noblewomen had come to witness my performance. Chikal was there, her face younger and smoother. A crown of gold shone bright atop her woven hair. I did my best to ignore them all and focus on the task at hand. My steps rocked Chilam’s great stone plaza and my staff pointed up at the cloudy sky. The rainforest around our city shuddered in the wind. The fields waited. They had waited in vain yesterday too, and the day before. Now they starved with a thirst I could not satisfy.

My fate and that of my city depended on the gods’ goodwill. I prayed for the great Tlaloc to deliver his gift.

I continued to dance until my feet bled. I continued without pause, my mind confident in my craft, my heart fearing that the heavens would ignore me. I remained resolute, and I sensed something warm dripping on my skin in my final step.

A drop of water.

Tlaloc had finally listened to my pleas and blessed me with his bounty. The rain came, first faintly, then strongly. My people’s hands clapped in acclaim, and my heart swelled with relief. Another failure, and I might have been replaced.

I was so tired of begging the heavens for their scraps.

The vision changed, as did the memory it showcased. I found myself back amidst the flames and blood rivers of the House of Jaguars. The Lords of Terror watched on in grim silence as I wielded the balefire of my heart and cast the Blaze spell for the first time. I’d become fire, the devourer of all. I incinerated the corpses that once tried to devour me and reduced them to cinders with a maniacal smile.

The demons watched as I stood atop a mountain of ashes. For I was now their equal, beholden to no one, power made flesh. I was the Tlacatecolotl, the owl-man who brought forth chaos.

And nobody would stand in my way.

The Seidr vision collapsed in on itself, and I returned to my present day reality. Lahun moaned under me with a final sigh of pleasure. I gathered my breath, my back relaxing after the effort, my hands still gripping her soft hips, and my cock softening inside her.

My musicians played the flute in the background, officially to soothe Itzili and Tetzon while I enjoyed my newest concubine; and unofficially, to cover up our words.

“That….” Lahun breathed softly and wiped the sweat off her face. “That was…”

“Your first time with a man?” I asked before she could say something incriminating. The music should cover our words, but I wouldn’t take any risk.

Lahun blushed slightly. “Did it show?”

Yes, it did. Lahun’s touch had been clumsy, hesitant, and inexperienced in spite of her older age. Thankfully, I was starting to understand how a woman’s body worked; which part I had to caress to give pleasure, where and how to kiss, and when to seize the moment. I daresay I left a pretty good first impression.

Lahun continued to surprise me in a good way. This lovemaking session had started out as a formality to officially claim her as a concubine and then assign her to Chikal as a handmaiden. Unlike with her queen though, we managed to perform the Seidr ritual on our first try. I didn’t even have to tell her anything. Lahun had immediately guessed my intent the moment I penetrated her and attempted to bind our Teyolias, then emotionally aligned herself with me. It was easy.

We both shared a dash of ambition and a keen lust for magic.

She will make an excellent Seidr partner and soothsaying teacher, I thought as I began to pull out of her. My eyes lingered on her belly. I couldn’t tell why, but I suddenly found myself recalling Father’s attempt at a ‘talk.’ Did he feel such unease too when he and Mother tried to have me?

The idea of fathering a child should be a moment of joy, but I couldn’t shake the fear of my descendants growing up under the Nightlords’ thumb whenever I finished coupling with a woman. The image of the Jaguar Woman seizing my infant sons and daughters in her vile hands filled me with disgust.

Worse, I knew it was inevitable. I couldn’t feed every woman in my harem contraceptives, nor pull out each time. Seidr rituals required an exchange of body fluids and the Nightlords wanted their puppet emperor to procreate for their sick breeding program. They would punish any attempts to skip out on my ‘duties.’

The best I could do was to focus on the pleasure and avoid thinking about the consequences.

“I’m honored to have been your first, though it surprises me,” I told Lahun. “As Chikal’s advisor and cousin, you should have had your pick of males.”

“Even if I could have done so, coupling with a male sounded like a waste of time to me,” Lahun replied with a small, embarrassed smile. I had the feeling she would change her tune after experiencing the joys of lovemaking. “I always saw it as a distraction.”

“Even if?” Her wording puzzled me. “You weren’t allowed to take a male consort? I thought lineage was very important among Chilam’s amazons.”

“It is.” Lahun looked away. “Which is why a new queen often executes her siblings to avoid contestation once she rises to the throne. Lady Chikal’s mother took a shine to me though, as I was her favorite niece and already showed a talent for prophecies. She agreed to let me live under the condition that I do not bear children that would challenge her own and dedicate myself to shamanism.”

A chill traveled down my spine. It seemed that amazon politics matched Yohuachanca's in ruthlessness. Part of me wondered if Lahun’s encounter with a skinwalker was somehow related to this loathsome practice.

“I’m sorry to hear this,” I said from the bottom of my heart. Kin should matter more than petty politics.

“It was years ago,” Lahun replied calmly. Her lack of bitterness sounded genuine enough. “I never sought to have children anyway, so I did not mind.”

“Not even to pass your knowledge on to?”

“It takes years before children learn to sit down without a word, let alone listen to their elders. I would rather handpick a successor of sufficient age who has already proved her brightness of mind.” Lahun shrugged. “Moreover, my queen already requested that I educate her future daughter with Your Majesty. That will prove a great commitment in itself.”

Of course Chikal would take such precautions. Lahun would make a good sorcery teacher; or rather, the best that the Nightlords might let us get away with. Teaching her Seidr and a few other tricks might prove beneficial in the long term.

Yet I struggled to imagine a future where Lahun would teach my daughter magic. I found the very idea of my future child being raised inside this prison’s walls unbearable.

I’ll live to see the Nightlords fall, I promised myself. I won’t allow any other outcome.

Father told me that parents did things for their children that they would never do for themselves. My planned daughter with Chikal was a mere abstraction for now, a spurt of seed in her womb, but I refused to see her fed to the flames like Sigrun and my other unborn child had been.

I was bound to father even more descendants with my concubines over the year’s course too. Whenever I doubted my cause, I would have to think of them. Father did all he could to protect me. I had to show the same commitment.

“How old are you, Lahun?” I questioned her.

“I was born on the first day of the Rain Month twenty-five years ago, Your Majesty,” Lahun replied with a raised eyebrow. My question surprised her. “Most soothsayers are born on that date.”

My predecessors said as much. Interesting. Lahun shared the same sign as Necahual, which made her eligible for the Mometzcopinque ritual. My interest continued to grow.

My plan for Necahual was to turn her into a Mometzcopinque, a unique magical creature beholden to a powerful spiritual patron; namely, myself. I had spent the last few weeks slowly molding her Teyolia according to my needs one Seidr session at a time, and I intended to put her through the ritual as soon as I obtained Tlaloc’s embers. The spell might work with my current power, but my predecessors suggested that I gather more first for caution’s sake.

Nothing about it said that I had to stop at one Mometzcopinque.

As far as I knew, I could sustain as many of them as my divine Teyolia allowed and a few sacred numbers carried mystical potency. Would recruiting four followers increase their powers? Mine too, perhaps? Forming a coven of spellcasters dedicated to me would prove a boon when I finally confronted the Nightlords in battle.

I only had two issues: first, the ritual only worked with women born on specific dates, which limited the available pool of recruits; and second, it required that I bind the target’s soul, stripping them of their freedom for power. The idea used to leave me unsettled, and it still did to a degree.

Yet…

And yet, it didn’t stop me from altering Nenetl’s tattoo, starting an eruption that killed thousands, or forcing people into marriages for my personal benefit. I was already deciding the life of others whether they liked it or not. I needed all the help I could get.

I had crossed so many lines in victory’s name already. What was one more?

Besides, the Mometzcopinque ritual required consent. Lahun would have to agree to forswear her soul to me. I had no guarantee that she would even develop that kind of loyalty to me, no matter how much she craved the power of sorcery.

How much was she willing to sacrifice for her dream?

I had to test the waters. Unsettle her and see how she reacts.

“Twenty-five years,” I whispered in her ear. “So you are still fertile.”

Lahun frowned in confusion. “Your Majesty?”

“What if I said your body wasn’t enough for me?” I traced a line up her belly. “That I wanted you to bear my child too?”

Lahun shifted under me, suddenly uncomfortable. I couldn’t blame her. Besides her own apprehension and distaste of the idea, to be conquered by a foreign male was the ultimate insult an amazon could receive. Not to mention that it meant violating her vow of celibacy. Her brethren would not look kindly on it, not to mention Chikal. She probably shared my distaste at her bloodline being raised in this prison too.

In short, it represented a large sacrifice.

Was that Lahun’s line in the sand? The parcel of freedom that she would not surrender? How far could I push her?

“I…” Lahun cleared her throat. “My vow to Queen Chikal’s mother still stands.”

“You made a vow to a queen, and I am your emperor. Chikal speaks for her people, but I speak for the gods. I can fulfill any wish that your mind may conceive.” Including the sorcery that she craved. “But I am a greedy master who exacts a harsh price for his favor.”

I had forged a pact with Necahual: the return of her daughter and the power of magic in exchange for complete loyalty. She had sacrificed her pride for her daughter’s sake; a commitment that I respected.

But Lahun had no kin to defend, no grander ideal to defend other than herself. Her memories showed me that her loyalty to her city and queen was more strained than expected. As she told me, her true desire was to gaze deeper into the abyss of magic rather than see her city prosper. She reminded me of Mother in a way, except that for all her faults Ichtaca would never surrender to another.

Would Lahun?

“If I said that I could make your dreams come true, and that in return all that you have to do… is to give me everything?” I lowered my head to better face Lahun. “Would you accept?”

Lahun gathered her breath. She understood that it was a test of some kind. “I am already Your Majesty’s property.”

“By law, not by will.” I took her hands into mine. She had seen my past in my palms, but here was when we decided her future. “Do not feel threatened. If you refuse me, I shall accept your decision. You will remain my advisor and I will never take more than what you are willing to give.”

I leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“But neither shall I fulfill your prayers,” I warned her, “Nor make the sky rain for you.”

I couldn’t trust someone of fickle loyalty with my greater secrets.

I looked into Lahun’s eyes as she pondered the pact that I offered her. I saw my reflection in her gaze: a Godspeaker, a sorcerer, the ideal to which she aspired to be. Although she lacked the necessary context, she had witnessed me stand shoulder-to-shoulder with demons and wield great magic in my memories. Her previous respect for me had turned into a deeper admiration.

Lahun had spent years petitioning Tlaloc and other deities for rain. Never before did they answer her with words, nor show themselves in the flesh. Her dances might have been utterly useless for all she knew.

I was different. I had proved my power during our embrace. Our Seidr ritual had let her taste true magic. Unlike the gods-in-spirit, I was a god-in-the-flesh that she could hold in her arms and kiss with her lips. I could answer her questions, fulfill her prayers, quell her doubts, and return her devotion. I was the idol that could deliver… for a price.

“I…” Lahun gulped, then mustered her resolve. “I have sworn to serve Your Majesty in any way that you choose and with utmost loyalty. If you desire a child from my flesh, I… I will provide it.”

I searched her eyes for any hint of deceit. “Even if your queen said no?”

A flash of genuine fear and unease passed over Lahun’s gaze, but she gave me a small nod nonetheless.

“Would you pay my price, knowing that your sisters in Chilam will curse you for your choice?” I asked her. “Knowing that I will ask more in the future? Knowing that this will be the smallest and easiest sacrifice that I shall ask you to make?”

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“I…” Lahun sank a bit further into the bed. “I would bear any indignity if it means making my dream a reality.”

Promises were wind, easily uttered, and difficult to fulfill. But they carried meaning nonetheless.

Lahun knew exactly who and what I was. She understood that words had power when uttered in a spellcaster’s presence. I had given her a glimpse of sorcery’s bottomless well, and she wouldn’t turn away from it. Not now at least.

Her answer both disappointed and reassured me. I’d hoped that she would retain her pride like I did in my darkest moments; but on the other hand this made her a potential candidate for the Mometzcopinque ritual.

Would she stay true to that oath once things got tough? Necahual gave me her body, her dignity, and her pride. Lahun had yet to pay such a hefty price.

I wouldn’t include her in my conspiracy yet, since the likes of Iztacoatl would likely attempt to subvert her with lies or a more appealing offer. Instead, I would continue to test Lahun. I would assess how far I could trust her.

And if the shamaness passed every ordeal, I would fulfill her wish.

I rewarded her commitment and sealed our secret pact with a kiss. To outsiders, it would have seemed like another roleplay game in bed. In truth, she had just passed the first ordeal of many.

I was her emperor before, but now I am her god.

And she would have to prove her devotion to me.

“I will meditate on your case,” I said upon releasing my grip on Lahun. “For now, I will have you assigned to Chikal as her handmaiden so I may enjoy both of your counsel and company.”

“I hope that Your Majesty will call on me soon,” Lahun replied with a short, careful nod. “I remain your and Queen Chikal’s faithful servant.”

“And that loyalty shall serve you well,” I replied upon leaving the bed. I snapped my fingers and the musicians immediately stopped playing. Servants soon entered the bedroom to clothe me in my imperial regalias.

To my slight surprise, I recognized a familiar face among.

“Tenoch,” I said with a raised eyebrow. “Do you come on my dear Ingrid’s behalf?”

“I do, Your Majesty,” she replied with a deep bow. “She told me to inform you that all preparations for Your Majesty’s trip to Zachilaa will be complete by tomorrow morning.”

“This is earlier than I expected,” I said as she folded my imperial robes. “Ingrid’s efficiency is almost frightening.”

“My lady is as bright as she is beautiful,” Tenoch replied before noticing Lahun in my bed. The shamaness pulled up the bedsheet to cover her nakedness, much to the handmaiden’s amusement. “If Your Majesty wished for company, he could have called us. My lady misses him greatly.”

“I will make it up with Ingrid soon,” I replied evasively as I left my chambers to travel to the Reliquary. I pondered Ingrid’s move. Using Tenoch as an intermediary was a subtle indication that the message carried more weight than it seemed.

She had also mentioned all the preparations. This implied even those that didn’t relate to Zachilaa specifically. I could only think of one other plot we had underway that warranted a warning.

It was time to strike Yoloxochitl’s garden and set it ablaze.

I moved to the Reliquary next for my morning meditation. As usual, Iztacoatl’s snakes were slithering among my predecessors’ skulls and watching me in the darkness. I pretended to miss them and sat in quiet silence.

“We welcome thee again, our successor,” the skulls whispered in the shadows. “You bring great and troubling developments.”

That was one way to put it. Between the First Emperor’s undead curse, Lahun, the garden, and the Zachilaa trip, the stars appeared to align for the month’s end. Although I could not answer the past emperors’ inquiries without alerting Iztacoatl, I still sought their advice before proceeding.

“We have conferred with Xolotl on the matter of these Nightchildren,” the Parliament said. “The souls that those abominations consume do not reach the Gate of Skulls, and the First Emperor’s spirit stirs with each new victim. We suspect that these horrors feed their stolen Teyolia directly to their chained master.”

As I feared, the First Emperor was indeed putting his thumb on the scales of fate. Would these stolen souls eventually give him enough power to break his chains? I couldn’t allow such an outcome to pass, no matter how much destabilizing the Nightlords’ empire would benefit me. I was somewhat confident that I could eventually defeat the sisters in battle once I accumulated enough spells and embers, but their divine father was too tall a mountain for me to climb.

“Our captors’ ritual holds strong for now, but we shall continue to carefully monitor the situation,” my predecessors warned me. “The Nightlords will never be so foolish as to grant you command of these abominations in battle, but their greed always has a habit of overcoming their caution. They cannot ignore the situation, nor allow rumors of their weakness to spread. They will make a show of your pilgrimage to Zachilaa to awe the herd and to frighten their enemies.”

True. Rebellions failed to spring up in the eruption’s wake, but the First Emperor’s announcement had probably spread to all corners of Yohuachanca by now. The people had seen the signs and required reassurance. Making a show of my control over the Nightchildren would serve the Nightlords’ purpose and strengthen my divine image. I could live with this outcome.

Just one obstacle remained in my way.

“You have done well in throwing the White Snake off-balance, but this means that she will now take retaliative measures,” the Parliament warned me. “We know how she thinks. First, she will try to frustrate you by sabotaging your initiatives, and then infiltrate your inner circle. She might replace one of your handmaidens with a double through her sorcery, approach one of your consorts with an offer, or more likely, she will send someone to earn your trust.”

Iztacoatl would send me a false cure to a problem that she caused herself. A liar through and through.

I doubted she would approach my consorts directly. Eztli was loyal, Chikal and Ingrid knew that the Nightlords’ promises weren’t worth the scrolls on which they were written, and Nenetl was incapable of deceit. Iztacoatl would likely target their handmaidens instead.

“It might be a concubine that appeals to all of your personal tastes, with sharp wits and a rebellious streak; or a brotherly warrior that appears sympathetic to you. Iztacoatl will try to find the hole in your heart and fill it with deceit.” I detected hints of anger in the Parliament’s many voices. She must have pulled that trick on many of the previous emperors. “Then, once she feels that your trust has reached its apex, she will reveal the treachery and drink your tears. She finds it so sweet, the taste of betrayal.”

I understood the risk at hand—especially after the prophecies warning me of betrayal with a friend’s face—but this could prove to be an opportunity in disguise. Identifying Iztacoatl’s spies and pretending to fall under their charm would let me feed them false information. I might even lure the snake into a trap.

“When dealing with the White Snake’s sabotage, fake indifference,” the Parliament advised. “Stay the course that you have set, like the ship sailing to its destination. Make her wonder if her opposition was planned for. As for her spies, we will do our best to help you identify them. Trust no one and test everyone.”

I already knew how to proceed. I would use Tetzon to plant skulls around the palace, and most specifically in my inner circle’s bedchambers. This would let my predecessors monitor them. Any spy was bound to slip up at one point or another.

“As for this Lahun…” The Parliament marked a short pause, as if undergoing an internal debate. “Her knowledge is both a boon and a curse. Her mere awareness of your sorcerous gifts makes her a liability, especially since Iztacoatl will likely try to subvert her. Killing her would be our safest course of action.”

I suppressed a scowl. I understood my predecessors’ concern. Unlike Necahual, I couldn’t entirely trust Lahun not to go to the Nightlords in the coming days and tell them about my sorcery. She already advised her queen to collaborate with Yohuachanca to avoid utter destruction.

However, Lahun remained Chikal’s cousin, and I didn’t think that she would recommend the seer to me if she didn’t trust her. Her talent was genuine, and she struck me as studious, professional, and keenly intelligent. She would make a powerful asset in my secret war.

All in all, I believed that the potential benefits of including Lahun in my conspiracy outweighed the risks.

“We understand what is on your mind,” the Parliament said. “We previously advised that you wait until you gathered Tlaloc’s embers to try the Mometzcopinque ritual, as we are not certain whether it will work or not, but the journey to Zachilaa will provide a unique opportunity to slip through the Nightlords’ notice and test it out. Young Lahun is no consort’s mother nor irreplaceable. She will do fine.”

Yes, better to test the spell on her than on Necahual. Binding Lahun’s soul would also solve the trust issue.

“If the ritual fails for one reason or another, then we strongly suggest that you add her skull to our collective.” The Parliament let out a sad rattle. “Disappointed hopes are the wellspring of bitterness, and prophets that cannot deliver on their promises earn their followers’ undying hatred.”

That I could not allow, at least not without Chikal’s permission. Assassinating her cousin might ruin our alliance and result in disastrous consequences that would come back to haunt me.

My worries grew when the Parliament spent the rest of my meditation giving me details on the Mometzcopinque ritual. My fists tightened slightly in response. The spell was both simple and gruesome, but I quickly realized why so few would-be sorceresses ever attempted it.

Namely, failure would cost Lahun her life.

I had to consider this very carefully.

----------------------------------------

The rest of the day passed by rather peacefully, though events brewed under the peaceful waters’ surface.

Ingrid did not attend training today, to better prepare for our departure to Zachilaa tomorrow. I thus spent most of the afternoon training with Chikal. I could ride a trihorn with relative ease by now, though I continued to struggle a bit with wielding weapons on its back. Otherwise, I had grown proficient with both the spear and the obsidian club.

“Our Lord Emperor should acquit himself well on the battlefield,” Chikal said as she walked by my side. I had invited her to visit the gardens after our training to relax and she had actually accepted for once. “You are no match for me or your nation’s elites yet, but you are far above most males I’ve fought in battle.”

“It is all thanks to your training,” I replied. “Though being above most men is not enough.”

It astonished me how far I could get on intense exercise and a healthy diet. I couldn’t recognize the scrawny boy I used to be when I looked in the mirror nowadays. I was taller, mightier, healthier.

I accrued more than just meat too. I had been subtly reinforcing my bones over the last few days by following Necahual’s dietary advice and storing all the matter I could with Bonecraft. It was a long and painstaking process, but one whose progress I could measure with each passing day.

“I will not stop training until I stand at the world’s apex, as an emperor should be,” I said as I stopped to smell my garden’s flowers. I subtly glanced at my surroundings. Itzili the Younger ran around us and chased away any snake that would have dared to sneak up on us. My guards were too far away to notice anything. Perfect.

I subtly activated my Bonecraft spell. A tiny skull no larger than a phalange grew on the tip of my finger, pierced through my skin, and slipped under the flowers. I quickly whispered my name to it to activate the Legion spell, then memorized this location before moving on to the next patch.

I would return tonight in Tetzon’s skin to disseminate them across the palace. Sadly, I only accrued enough extra bone matter to generate around four or five of them so far. Any more and I would have to shorten my ribs for material, which might become noticeable.

Four would do. Four was a sacred number, and this exercise was merely a test to see if my predecessors could reliably see through small skulls.

“My Lord Emperor is wise not to rest on his successes,” Chikal observed me with that same blank look she always wore. Did she find my interest in flowers suspicious? In any case, she quickly changed the subject. “Lahun visited me earlier.”

“Is that so?” I replied while discreetly placing another skull among the orchids. “I’ve taken a liking to her.”

“So I’ve heard. She informed me of your intention to sire a child with her.” Chikal put a hand on her waist. “Did you think that she would keep it from me?”

“I wasn’t sure.” Hence the test. I had to ensure that Lahun was at least somewhat loyal to her cousin instead of a common opportunist. “I’m glad she did though. Kin should stick together.”

“What bothers me is that she didn’t ask for permission. She merely informed me that you intended to sire a daughter with her, and that she would deliver it if you insisted.” Chikal squinted at me. “What have you done to her to earn her devotion so quickly?”

“I showed her my palm and let her read my future,” I replied as I smelled the flowers. Interesting. Lahun informed Chikal of my desire for children but not of my sorcery. It could be either because she assumed her queen already suspected it or because she intended to keep that secret to herself. “No doubt she knows that my rule will be good for Chilam.”

“Of course she does,” Chikal replied with a skeptical tone. She knew as well as I did that Lahun put her craft above the city’s benefit.

“Does it bother you?” I asked her. “My proposal was merely hypothetical. I won’t go through with it if you object.”

The offer I gave Lahun had merely been a test of her dedication. My alliance with Chikal trumped all other concerns.

The only people I’d bedded for pleasure’s sake alone were Eztli and Ingrid. I otherwise saw sex as a tool to earn political concessions and as a way to gain power through Seidr. Nothing more.

How far I’ve fallen. Even in my mind, I could only think of the likes of Lahun or Tenoch in terms of assets rather than people; just as the Nightlords wanted. I should be more considerate. We’re all slaves among these walls, and they deserve better than my coldness.

Yet I couldn’t muster the energy to care anymore. All these trials and the Nightlords’ atrocities slowly distanced me from others, because I knew that they would turn my compassion against me.

Chikal snorted. “Why would I?”

I frowned in surprise. “I thought you forbade Lahun from continuing her bloodline.”

“That was my mother’s order back when our city was independent. Chilam has bent the knee since, and petty feuds like that no longer concern me.” Chikal scowled as she looked at the Blood Pyramid in the distance. “The goddesses alone will decide who inherits my throne. If our daughter cannot continue the royal bloodline, Lahun’s will have to replace her. I would rather see Your Majesty father her daughter than anyone else.”

I studied Chikal for a moment. I could see the hidden message. She knew that my children were likely to become Nahualli and inherit my power. Unlike me, she fully anticipated the possibility of failure and intended to hedge her bets by preparing successors.

I admired her patriotism. Chikal was truly devoted to her city and tribe above everything else; enough that she would take the risk of her daughter losing the throne for a chance that Chilam’s leadership would endure to topple the Nightlords in the future.

“Corpses will sit in Chilam’s palace and feast in its halls,” the wind whispered in my ear. “No matter how fast the sun flies to escape it, darkness always wins the race.”

Ignoring those taunts had become second nature by now.

“You are a true queen,” I complimented Chikal from the bottom of my heart. The Nightlords would have had a much harder time spreading their rot if only half of Yohuachanca’s tributaries shared her resolve.

“I know that.” Chikal assessed me for a moment. “This journey outside these walls will make you a true emperor too.”

I turned my back on her to focus on the dahlias and marigolds. Her words carried more weight than it seemed.

Chikal was the canniest of my consorts when it came to politics, alongside Ingrid, and she had already asked me what I intended to do should we succeed in destroying the Nightlords. She knew very well that almost nobody outside the capital had seen Yohuachanca’s emperor. My actions during our trip would let me garner political favor; power that I could retain should we prevail.

She asked me if I intended to seize the throne or let the empire collapse into chaos.

“Would you like that?” I asked her.

She smiled at me. “If we stay friends.”

“She fears the chaos that follows in your wake,” the wind whispered. “Even an empire’s shadow will cast a dark cloud on her lands.”

I finally grasped her intent, and why she kept asking me what I planned to do after we destroyed the Nightlords. Even should Yohuachanca fall into chaos after the vampires’ defeat, a mortal warlord might try to fill the void left in their wake. Most of the imperial army and bureaucracy could survive a coup. Someone could credibly manage to keep at least a large portion of the state together and dream of recovering its lost glory.

Chilam had made many enemies in the past, and though I had promised to grant her city independence, whoever seized control of the country in the aftermath might try to regain control of the tributaries. She preferred the certainty that I represented to the possibility of another war brewing at her borders.

Why wouldn’t I continue to be her ally? After all, my own daughter would sit on Chilam’s throne one day. I would have every incentive to continue supporting Chikal’s reign, doubly so if I fathered a child with Lahun too. No wonder she didn’t protest my decision. Much like Sigrun, she hoped to seal a long-term alliance with blood.

“Your mother and I did things for you that we would never have considered doing for anyone else,” Father had told me last night. Chikal understood that very well. She was subtly trying to push me to see the office of emperor not as a means to rebel, but as an end goal to seize for myself. She’s more insidious than I gave her credit for.

“I believe that my Lord Emperor has a unique opportunity to change the lives of thousands for the better,” Chikal declared, “Should he rule wisely.”

I did not care about the thousands. I was only concerned with the few whom I sought to save from the Nightlords’ grasp.

Still, what would befall the likes of Eztli, Ingrid, Nenetl, or Necahual once I destroyed the Nightlords? Someone had to take care of them. Not to mention the issue of the First Emperor. I had to destroy the Nightlords in a way that wouldn’t release him from his bindings. Having the limitless resources and power of Yohuachanca’s state standing beside me might prove decisive.

Chikal wasn’t wrong. I ought to plan for the future beyond victory.

“I could,” I replied evasively.

Chikal nodded sharply. I expected her to scold me for my indecisiveness, but she was too wise for it. She understood that influencing my position was a victory in itself.

We completed our tour of the garden by the evening. The night continued to rise earlier than it should. I feared to imagine how many Nightchildren would rise from their graves once darkness swallowed the sun.

Tayatzin came to greet us at the end of our promenade. No doubt he bore news from his mistresses.

“The goddesses have finished their deliberations, Your Divine Majesty,” he said with a deep bow. “I bear great news from Lady Iztacoatl.”

I immediately expected the worst.

“Do tell,” I asked while Chikal crossed her arms at my side with a scowl on her face.

Tayatzin smiled ear to ear. “Lady Iztacoatl has decided to personally guide you during your pilgrimage across our fair empire.”

I knew it. She was too cautious to let me leave the palace without her direct supervision, especially if I was expected to make a show for the populace.

“Moreover, she has made some changes to Lady Ingrid’s planned itinerary,” Tayatzin said. “You are returning home, Your Majesty. Your tour of the country shall begin with your home village of Acampa.”

I would visit the town where I’d spent most of my life and which my own eruption destroyed. The message couldn’t be any clearer.

Iztacoatl’s campaign of sabotage had already begun.