the boy believes it will never grow—the boy is happy. Remember, Tarisai.”
My heart hammered. She did not release me until I nodded. Then she stepped aside and let us pass, and when I looked back, Mbali was gone.
We entered the imperial antechamber, a round, gilded room leading to the personal wing of Olugbade and his council. My attendants bid me farewell, and two Imperial Guard warriors replaced them to march me into a small, warmly lit apartment. Then the door flap was shut behind me, and I was left alone with the emperor of Aritsar.
He faced away from me, stirring the chamber’s small firepit with a poker. He was smaller than I remembered: broad but of short stature, with thinning gray curls, and robes that would blend easily into a crowd. The room had modest tapestries and no windows—a former servant’s quarters, converted into a study. A conspicuous display of humility.
Quietly, I lifted the sunstone around my neck and concealed it beneath my blouse. Then I knelt to the man’s back and murmured, “Your Imperial Majesty.”
When he turned, I clasped my hands to hide their trembling. I had forgotten how strongly the emperor resembled Dayo. The same full mouth and sudden, infectious smile, though his lacked the glow of innocence. “My son’s favorite,” he greeted.
I remembered the mango tree.
“The Crown Prince of Aritsar has no favorites, Your Imperial Majesty,” I replied, reciting the catechism I had memorized as a candidate. “A Raybearer loves his council with equal favor, and governs Aritsar with equal justice.”
“You have learned well,” he replied, and I glanced up just in time to see that his jaw had clenched, and a vein pulsed in his forehead. But the expression vanished, replaced by the jovial, fatherly face beloved by all the empire. “Rise, child,” he said. The lion mask shone on his chest, its striped mane glittering in the firelight. “And tell me why you left Yorua Keep the day after Nu’ina Eve.”
“Research, Your Imperial Majesty,” I said, rising. “I felt stifled in Yorua. I wanted to see how our laws affected our people.”
“A natural desire,” Olugbade said, “and one that does you credit. But you must know how your actions appear. My forces arrested The Lady on Nu’ina Eve, and you left the next morning. I am not angry. I know it must have been hard to remain at the keep, knowing that your mother was in danger.”
His voice was so kind with pity, I almost nodded. But Mbali’s hunted gaze was too fresh in my memory. “When I left, I did not know that The Lady had been captured, Your Imperial Majesty,” I said, neatly dodging the trap in his words. “Kirah brought word to me in Swana.”
He cocked his head. “Your mother has many friends in that realm.”
“I would imagine so, Your Imperial Majesty. She raised me there for many years. Was Swana where she was born?”
“No, she—” Olugbade stopped, and his calm facade slipped as he tried to determine how much I knew. I blinked, doing my best to look insipid. At last he asked, “Why do you think your mother is in prison, Tarisai?”
I pretended to consider. “I heard she was caught near Yorua Keep, trying to trespass. Perhaps she wanted to visit me. She should have known better,” I added. “Everyone knows that members of the Prince’s Council aren’t allowed to see their parents. No one is above the law.”
“No one indeed.” Olugbade nodded. “Which is why you will condemn The Lady to death at your First Ruling, in one month’s time.”
The blood drained from my face. “I …” My mouth was dry. “Anointed Honor Thaddace means for me to give a different ruling, Your Imperial Majesty. He thought—a festival. For orphans …”
“Thaddace is aware of the change,” said the emperor. “If Arit citizens are to accept you as their High Lady Judge, you must demonstrate that your loyalty is not compromised. That your allegiance to the empire is complete. But perhaps your love for The Lady is too strong. I would understand, Tarisai. Any parent would. You must tell me if this task is beyond your capability.”
“I—” Mbali’s warning gripped my throat. I must be a tree who loved her pot. I fought to keep my tone docile. “I was not aware that death was the punishment for trespassing, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“You do not understand the charges.” Olugbade arranged his features in a sympathetic smile. “Many years ago, The Lady committed treason. She led a coup, trying to turn my