The lamps in the entrance hall were unlit; rain pounded on the roof above. Tigers chased one another across wall murals, the shadows of pillars hiding faces, tails, bodies. The beams across the ceiling were carved in geometric patterns, the tiles at my feet echoing them. Something about all this sparked a sense of recognition, but it did not feel like home.

The governor and her family stood arrayed in front of me, lined up one next to another with uncanny precision. She wore the same sort of robe that I did, the long sleeves swaying with the wind from the open door. Like me, she was short, with the same thin, wiry build. I could see echoes of my face in hers – the same wide-set dark eyes, the same high cheekbones, the same small chin.

She studied me as I studied her, finally bowing, her hands clasped before her. “Eminence. Welcome to Hualin Or.”

The others in the line all bowed in unison. Beside me, I saw Jovis shifting from the corner of my eye, his staff clicking against the tiles.

“Thank you, Sai,” I said to my aunt, Wailun. It was a warmer reception than the ones we’d received at other islands. At the same time, it felt cold. Or maybe my expectations were just unreasonably set. Jovis’s mother had treated me like family. These people were supposed to be my family. A small part of me, perhaps, had hoped for the same warmth.

But these were politics. I was not here to reconnect with long-lost family; I was here to ensure the tithes would continue, to recruit guards, to shore up defenses against both the Alanga and the constructs. No one was saying anything in response. I cleared my throat. “We have much to speak about and very little time. Even now the construct army advances.”

“Over dinner,” the governor said. “Please.”

A servant approached her, whispering in her ear. Such was the silence that I could hear what she said. “Should we not light the lamps? The storm has made it dark.”

The governor looked about, as though noticing for the first time. “Yes,” she said.

The servants scurried to obey.

“We’ve brought you gifts,” I said. “As a thank you for hosting us, and as a promise of my intentions as Emperor.”

“Over dinner,” the governor said again. “Please.” And then she turned to the side, gesturing for me to follow.

I took Jovis and the two maidservants with me, the chest still balanced between them. Hualin Or served individual dishes, as Imperial did, and something about this place made the hairs on my arms stand on end. They were family, and I didn’t feel I could trust them in the least.