“She’s not unprotected,” a new voice blurted out. “She’s got her cousin Brannie with her.”

Aidan looked at Caswyn and his friend immediately realized his mistake.

“I’m not supposed to talk, right?” Caswyn asked.

“Right.”

The Empress pushed herself out of her chair. “Cousin Brannie? Cousin? Do you mean Branwen the Awful of the Cadwaladr Clan? Daughter of Ghleanna the Decimator also of the Cadwaladr Clan? That Cousin Brannie?”

Aidan cleared his throat. “My lady—”

“You have let loose a Cadwaladr in my territory?”

“I . . . I wouldn’t worry. Brannie’s quite . . . uh . . . nice?”

“Oh, well, if she’s anything like her mother, I’m sure she’s a fucking delight!”

“Ma,” Fang said, shocked.

“Oh, shut up, Fang!”

The Empress began to pace around her lone wood chair. “A Cadwaladr, roaming our lands, and she thinks we tried to kill her cousin.”

“It wasn’t one of us,” Zhi noted, pausing to pointedly look at each of his siblings. “But Uncle Xing . . . ? That sounds more like him, don’t you think?”

“But why would Xing try to kill Keita?” the Empress asked. “What would be the purpose? As much as I adore her, she has no true effect on my throne.”

“You know how Keita is,” Fang said. “She can find out anything. Maybe she knows something we don’t. Maybe Xing didn’t want her to give us the information.”

The Empress stopped behind her chair, placed her hands on the back, and leaned in. “Well, Aidan the Divine? Is that true? Did Keita know something she needed to tell us?”

Aidan was caught off guard. He’d never imagined he’d have to talk to the Empress himself. He’d assumed that Keita would do the talking and they would all just stand behind her looking tough.

So what was he going to say? Was he going to tell the Empress her youngest son—her “baby”—was dead? Was he also going to tell her that Keita was going to poison them to ensure they didn’t strike back because Ren had died on Southland territory? Was he going to tell them any of that?

Absolutely not!

He shrugged and did what he used to do when his mother asked him questions he knew better than to answer—he lied.

“I don’t know anything, Your Highness.”

The Empress studied Aidan for several long—and terrifying—seconds before she smiled and said, “Of course, of course. Why would she tell any of you anything?”

She moved around her chair and walked toward them. “I’m sure all of you are exhausted after your hard travels. Perhaps a bit of rest and fresh food? Does that sound acceptable?”

“More than acceptable, Your Highness,” Aidan replied, relieved she seemed to be taking his statement as fact.