“He’s as senseless as those stupid sticks he whittles day and night.” Iltani winked at Gala and he grinned, blushing madly. She laid an arm across my shoulders, the smile falling from her face. “It’s too bad that he found the shard of pottery and took it, because I was going to plunge it into Uruku’s heart and be done with the whole thing.”

“I understand the feeling.” I lowered my voice and looked cagily over my shoulder. “But there’s no sense sacrificing your own life now. We have a plan.” I looked into her wide brown eyes over her bruised cheek from the many backhands she’d received as of late. “Nasu will pretend to kill him, Dagan will ride back to Laraak, and the Manzazu army will ensure Arwia can ascend the throne by coming into the city and capturing Uruku. Whether they kill him outright or just take him back to Sarratum Tabni is no longer our concern.”

If it works.

She sighed. “Yes, well. This will be much less personally satisfying.”

The smattering of applause from the noble crowd as the caravan of Uruku’s guardsmen and horses paraded down a path toward us was overshadowed by cries of anger from the poor. Uruku’s crimson sedan chair with gold tassels came to a stop right below where we sat, and he stepped down, wincing with the effort, every move seemingly filled with pain. He ordered a guardsman to assist Gudanna, who was wearing a deep blue tunic that hugged her big belly. Her eyes were puffy, with dark circles beneath. She moved with obvious fatigue as she descended from the chair with a soft “oof,” and stopped and clenched the guardsman’s arm for a moment before continuing on slowly.

Uruku waved to the crowd and ascended the stairs toward our viewing box, shaking us slightly with each step. Gudanna, heavy with child, and pausing now and again, grunted up the stairs behind him. They crossed in front of us to get to their tufted seats, Gudanna holding her abdomen with care. Her eyes flitted once to me, some anxiety hidden behind them, but she looked away, sweat beading on her brow.

“She’s going to have that baby soon,” I whispered in Iltani’s ear. Automatically, my hand strayed to my healing satchel, which was on my hip under the heavy trader’s robe.

“With Alani’s evil offspring, no doubt.”

“Alani is a goddess, so your insult doesn’t even make sense.”

“The gods can impregnate whomever they want.”

Several moments later, a great, shrieking groan at the left of the arena drew the crowd’s gaze to the heavy gate swinging wide open on rusted hinges.

Dagan and Nasu walked out of the shadowy corridor, blinking into the day’s brightness. They both wore sickleswords, daggers, and even maces about their waists, but no breastplates, likely so it’d be easier for them to deliver death blows. The sunlight shone on their bare chests, and even from this distance, it was easy to see the angry red welts and lacerations from their whippings