Heart of Becar—far more slowly than the Grand Champion of the Becaran Races could run.
Tamra rode the silver jaguar to the top of a fallen pillar and shouted to the augurs, “Prince Dar did not kill his brother! He is innocent!”
The augurs began to yell back at her and at one another.
In her mind, she called to the kehoks to scream—they cried out as one, silencing the augurs. She shouted, “Emperor Zarin was murdered by the high augurs and forced to be reborn as a kehok!”
More muttering from the augurs that grew again into shouting. “Proof!” someone yelled. “Show us proof of their corruption!”
Tamra didn’t know how to do that. The kehoks sensed her agitation and began to strain to escape her hold. With Shalla safe, it was becoming more difficult to focus on them.
If I lose control of them, in the Heart of Becar . . .
She refused to let herself finish that thought. She couldn’t lose control. There were hundreds of thousands of innocents in the capital city.
Shalla squeezed her hand. “Mama! It’s Raia!”
The black lion was riding toward them, with Raia and Prince Dar on his back. All the augurs’ attention shifted to them. The kehoks around Tamra strained against her. It was getting harder and harder to hold them.
“Read their auras!” Shalla shouted. “You’ll see your proof!”
Yes! Tamra thought. That’s my smart girl! These augurs could all read the black lion and see the truth—that the kehok was once Emperor Zarin—and read Prince Dar and see that he was not a murderer. His soul was unstained by his brother’s murder. They’d see the high augurs had lied to them. They’d know the truth.
The gasps from the augurs told Tamra that those who could were doing exactly that, as the black lion galloped toward them with its riders.
We can win this, Tamra thought, feeling dizzy at the thought. Prince Dar could become emperor, and Raia and Shalla could be kept safe. . . .
Beside Tamra, one of the kehoks screamed and burst forward. “Stop!” Tamra ordered. She had to get them back to the stables and shackled. She could leave the political mess to the augurs to sort out. Now that they knew the truth, now that the late emperor’s vessel had been found and identified, Prince Dar would once again be the emperor-to-be and be crowned as emperor.
We did it, Tamra thought. It’s over. Isn’t it?
Prince Dar reached them. “The Raniran army approaches.”
One of the augurs stepped forward and bowed to him. “My emperor-to-be. We have read you and will attest that you have found your late brother’s vessel and that you are innocent of all accused crimes. You can be immediately coronated. Once the ceremony is complete, you can summon our army and send them out onto the sands.”
“Even immediately isn’t fast enough,” Dar said. “Our army is stationed across Becar, and the one battalion positioned here is scattered through the city. It will take time we do not have to gather them and reposition them, and more time to call for reinforcements from elsewhere in the empire. Our soldiers can only travel as fast as humans.” He met Tamra’s eyes. “But your army can travel faster.”
“I . . .” Tamra couldn’t find the words.
“Becar will fall,” Dar said, “if you do not.”
She looked at Shalla. She’d done this only for her daughter, and now her daughter was safe. Both daughters, Shalla and Raia. She hadn’t meant to raise an army, and she didn’t know how much longer she could control them. Already she could feel her focus fraying.
But the threat isn’t over just because the high augurs are gone, Tamra realized.
“You can do it, Mama,” Shalla said.
Tamra looked at her daughter. Her eyes were full of trust. If she didn’t stop this invasion, her daughter would be in danger again. She couldn’t allow an enemy army anywhere near her. She’d just saved Shalla! She would not allow her to be in danger again! “I’m not leaving you again.”
“Then take me with you.”
“But—”
“I’ll be brave,” Shalla promised. “And I’ll do everything you tell me to.”
She didn’t see that she had any other choice. She wasn’t going to leave Shalla with the augurs, even if the worst of them were gone. “Hold on tight.”
Do you want to run? Tamra asked her kehok army silently.
In answer, they broke from the augurs and began to stream away from the temple, running at full speed.
Lady with the Sword, keep us all safe, Tamra prayed.