Page 91 of City of Stone and Silence

I clench my teeth, but this isn’t the place to make an issue of it.

“Follow my lead,” Shiara whispers.

That’s mainly meant for me, it turns out. Meroe may be the only non-Imperial here, but I’m the one ignorant of courtly etiquette. I imitate the other two, walking through the curtain with my arms at my sides, my head down. Inside, the floor is covered with cloth matting, sewn into squares to resemble proper floor mats. People sit along both sides of the room on a row of cushions, women in colorful kizen, men in dark blue or brown robes with their hair in complicated braid-knots. At the far end, Catoria herself sits on a plump purple pillow, edged with pearls. Beside her is an older man, one of the oldest people I’ve seen in the Harbor, possibly past thirty. His heavy-lidded eyes look over the room with a proprietary air.

“Lady Catoria,” Shiara says, after a deep bow. “Ladies and gentlemen of the Cresos court. I am honored to present my master, Lady Gelmei Isoka, called the Deepwalker, and her consort Meroe hait Gevora Nimara, First Princess of Nimar.”

Consort? I glance at Meroe, who gives a grin and a tiny shrug. Shiara steps back beside me.

“Bow,” she says. “And tell her you’re honored to be here.”

I do my best, bowing as low as Shiara did. “Lady Catoria. It’s an honor.”

Mutters run through the room, probably because I can’t fake the formal court language. Meroe can, of course, and she steps forward to greet Catoria with all the dignity of a lifetime of diplomatic training. I should have just sent her to do this, shouldn’t I?

“Lady Isoka,” Catoria says. “It is good to see you again. After I heard of your battle against Prime, I feared the worst.”

“Thank you, my lady,” I say.

“I’m told,” the older man beside her rumbles, “that this battle did not end well for you. Is that the case?”

“That’s Cresos Toranaka,” Shiara whispers. “Catoria’s uncle.”

And, judging by the looks he gets from the other courtiers, the person who is really in charge around here. My earlier enthusiasm starts to flag a little. Toranaka’s is a face made for scowls.

“You have heard correctly, my lord,” I say. “We destroyed many of Prime’s creatures, but ultimately we were forced to withdraw, and some of my friends were killed.”

“It is ever thus, when we attempt to confront Prime,” Toranaka says to Catoria. “As I have often warned you.”

“I don’t plan to give up,” I say. “Prime is a threat to all of us. We must all work together to defeat him.”

“Indeed.” Toranaka sneers. “And you, who have been here less than a week, have decided you are the one to lead this glorious battle?”

It is our nature. I try to blot out Prime’s voice. “If someone else wants to lead it, I’m happy to let them. So long as we move quickly.”

Toranaka looks dubious, but Catoria leans forward. “What do you propose?”

“My lady…” Toranaka says.

I speak quickly over him. Probably an unforgivable breach of etiquette, but rot it. “Your leader, Silvoa, knew that the key to defeating Prime is to take control of the Harbor’s system and use it against him. I am an Eddica mage-blood, my lady. If you let me use the access point here, I will attempt to reach the one in Prime’s stronghold.” Somehow. “If I succeed, he can be destroyed with no risk to your own people.”

There’s a moment of shocked silence. I glance at Shiara, and her painted lips are tight, her eyes fixed on Catoria. The girl is looking down at me, almost doll-like in her formal attire, her expression unreadable.

Toranaka clears his throat. “Lady Isoka,” he says, and from him it sounds like a slur. “Do you take us for complete fools?”

“Of course not—” I manage to get out, but he’s rising to his feet.

“You only want use of the access point? How reasonable! You will destroy what is, at worst, an ongoing nuisance, and in return you merely want us to grant you total power over the Harbor and all its residents.”

“Prime is more than a nuisance,” I say. “He’s killed my friends.”

“We have not lost anyone to his creatures for more than a year.”

“Because you stay cooped up in here, and don’t dare venture out at night—”

“In any event,” Toranaka grates. “If we grant you what you ask, and you attack, you may anger Prime and disturb our present balance. And if you succeed, what then?”

“If we act soon, Soliton could take anyone who wants to go back home,” I snap.