I let out a breath, blowing the steam from my mug in all directions. “Which further destabilizes my rule.” I’d promoted Yeshan, one of my army’s commanders, to general – a position formerly held by Tirang, the Construct of War. Yeshan had attended the Scholars’ Academy on Hualin Or before joining the army and was known for her strategic mind – not that she’d been able to put such skills to use lately. “I’ve asked Yeshan to send a quarter of our phalanxes to the north-eastern reaches of the Empire. A few will be recalled to Imperial to train new troops. The remainder will be on rotating patrols throughout the rest of the Empire, recruiting and providing assistance where it’s needed. The constructs gathering in the north-east are a problem, but we don’t know yet if they’ll organize anywhere else and where they might attack. We need to be vigilant.”

“A quarter,” Ikanuy said. She regarded me over the rim of her mug as she sipped.

I kept my face neutral. I’d had this discussion with Yeshan already. Reports coming in from the north-east were unreliable at best – varied as the tales of an old fisherman. Some made the constructs seem like a few hundred malcontents; others made them sound like an encroaching horde. And the islands there were smaller, less populated, less influential. My father’s constructs were scattered across the entirety of the Empire. If I threw the majority of our army at the threat in the north-east and left the rest of the Empire vulnerable, all it would take was one attack on a place like Riya to have the governors clamoring for my removal.

A voice spoke up from behind me. “So the north-eastern isles are an acceptable sacrifice if it comes down to it.”

Mephi appeared in the corner of my vision, running ahead of his master, sniffing the air. He made a beeline for the kitchen. Jovis had his hand wrapped around his steel staff, curling hair damp with the rain. He brushed droplets from his shoulders. Water spattered the papers on the table before Ikanuy moved them out of the way.

“I never said that,” I said coolly.

“You’ve just implied it. No matter what might happen, the constructs have only organized in the north-east so far. The army is small enough at the moment. If you only send a quarter of them, they may be overrun.”

“Are you my Captain of the Imperial Guard, or are you my general?” I asked.

He tilted his head to the side. “Sometimes, I’m just a concerned citizen.”

“Who doesn’t understand that I need to consider all the implications of my decisions, and how best to hold this Empire together.” I could feel my cheeks heating, and I didn’t think it was just the steam from the tea.

“You said I should be honest with you.”