Tenira’s eyelids fluttered, and her breathing sped up. I watched, forcing myself to remain still and silent so as not to disturb her, while her aura settled down and her pulse rose then calmed. It was fascinating to see all of the changes happening firsthand, even though I had been sitting here for quite a while.

She finally opened her eyes and looked around, stretching.

“Congratulations,” I said, standing up and offering her a proud smile.

Tenira blinked, then returned my smile. “Thanks, Nari. How long did I take?”

“About two days. We’re as good as there.”

I hadn’t been thrilled when she said she wanted to attempt a breakthrough in the air, during our journey. It took longer than I thought, although my expectations might have been skewed, but I could sense that her breakthrough was stable and there were no unforeseen problems.

“You’re just in time,” Kajare commented, leaning against the railing. He’d come closer when it became clear that she was finishing. “Congratulations on reaching the fifth stage, Tenira.”

“Thank you. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”

“Not at all,” I said.

Kajare clicked his tongue. “Inaris barely left your side the whole time.”

I scowled at him. “Hey, it’s not like I had much else to do.”

She shook her head at me, but I could tell she was hiding a smile. “You didn’t need to, but I appreciate the concern.”

A strong gust of wind stole Kajare’s amused huff. The airship was rapidly losing altitude and momentum, and had apparently lowered its qi shields already. I glanced at the quickly approaching ground, then extended a bit of my qi to keep the wind off me. A lady had to worry about her hair, after all. At least I did when one of the servants accompanying me had done it half an hour ago, in preparation for upcoming diplomatic encounters and such.

Beside me, I felt Tenira flex her aura. Unlike my domain, which was more like a star-speckled night sky, hers felt like solid light underpinned by a framework of darkness. It reminded me a little of solar cells and wires, even though I knew that made no sense. But anyone would have sensed her increase in strength. Kajare was also rapidly pushing at the boundary of the fourth stage, but it would probably be a few months yet until he was ready for a breakthrough.

I focused back on my surroundings as we disembarked the airship. We’d arrived in the main military base in Imperial territory, and too many barracks and administrative buildings to count surrounded the airstrip. The main command center, identified by the flags planted in front of it, loomed ahead, and a small delegation waited between us and it.

I stepped forward, gesturing for the people to rise almost before they’d started to kneel. I recognized most of them, and noted they were all Imperial commanders except for Lei. We stood in a secluded enough spot that it wouldn’t cause a scene, so I stepped forward to hug my friend.

“Hey, Lei,” I said. “Good to see you again. How are things?”

He nodded at me, but before he could speak up, Tenira copied me and pulled him into a firm hug. She embraced him for a long moment before letting go, grinning at him.

Lei cleared his throat. “Inaris. Tenira. Welcome back. Am I glad to see you.”

I turned my attention to the other waiting people and greeted them. But I couldn’t help but notice that Lei seemed impatient, shifting his weight from foot to foot and glancing around.

“What’s up?” I finally said as we were making our way inside.

He pulled a face. “I have some news. Besides the war, I mean. King Terki is on the continent. Apparently, he arrived two days ago and is moving through Terbekteri territory.”

I blinked. I didn’t expect that news, and it didn’t factor into our plans.

“Well,” Tenira said, “what does that mean?”

I glanced at my husband, who seemed just as surprised as me. “On the plus side, Kajare gets to see his father. But on the other hand, it might be an issue for what we want to do.”

We were greeted by a few other people at that point, so the conversation halted. I did my best to focus on the present, but I couldn’t help but be a little distracted. It didn’t help that most of it was just empty formalities and pleasantries. The people who really mattered were at the front or otherwise occupied, but everyone seemed to want to meet me and try to get in my good graces. Probably because of the recent disruptions and Mother’s absence.

Finally, I somewhat gently insisted on getting the provincial and regional administrators alone to go over their reports. Kajare slipped out after an hour, and Tenira excused herself when the topic turned to taxes and trade. I wished I could go with them, but I really needed to know these things. It would impact how the population, our vassals, and other countries reacted.

There was more to do than I thought, and we had to wait until the next day until we could move on. At that point, the Terbekteri king had learned of our presence and we were going to meet him in a city almost directly at the border between the territories controlled by both of our nations. Or occupied during the course of the war, really. The region had been independent before, but they had caved to the Zarian before our side took them after our successful initial attack, in which I’d been captured.

I didn’t get a chance to see Jian, but that was probably for the best. I wanted to have him stew for a while, anyway, long enough for his allies to relax their guards a little.

The journey passed quickly, and I got a chance to talk to Kajare about his father. I didn’t get the feeling they were really close, which was probably obvious given how large his family was and his father’s job, but Kajare didn’t seem to harbor any grudges.

“You didn’t resent him for arranging the marriage to me?” I asked.

Kajare shook his head, giving me a weird look. “No, why would I? Didn’t we already establish that this was a good thing for me? I wanted it.”

“Right. So, why do you think he’s here now, with little fanfare or notice?”

He frowned. “I assume he noticed that something was up. Probably not the details, but Hajake might have raised some suspicion, and Salira was making moves, too, right? I love my sister, but she’s not always as subtle as she thinks. And she got help from Mother, but didn’t fill her in. Maybe she asked Father to come here to get to the bottom of it, or he just decided to come himself once he heard about it.”

I nodded, making a mental note that Kajare’s parents were close, and steered the conversation back to other matters.

When we reached the city, it was crawling with Terbekteri airships. Although to be fair, there were quite a few Imperial ones here, too. They all let us through without problems, a pair of Imperial airships falling into honor guard positions and escorting us in. I waited in silence, trying not to fidget, until I could disembark. Then the local governor greeted us and, with many bows and flowery words, led us to the people I’d been waiting to see.

King Terki the Second looked a bit like an older version of Hajake, though his skin tone and the look in his eyes was closer to Kajare. Although he was quickly approaching his fourth century, he looked like forty at most, and carried himself with all the grace and poise of a ruler who’d been in power for over a century.

He’d clearly planned this meeting beforehand. The trees lining the place made for a nice atmosphere, the flowers filled the air with a pleasant scent, and it was secluded enough this didn’t feel too official, even with the handful of courtiers and guards from both sides. When we arrived, he stood up from his seat and smiled at us in welcome.

I gave my best courtly bow, but didn’t let go of Kajare’s arm. “Greetings, Your Majesty. I am glad to finally meet you in person.”

King Terki returned my bow. “Imperial Princess. I am just as happy to see you.” He straightened up and smiled at his son. “And Kajare, my boy! How has life in the Empire been treating you?”

Kajare smiled and stepped forward to exchange what looked like a cross between a handshake and fist bump with him. “Hello, Father. I’ve found the Empire interesting, challenging, and fun.” He glanced at me. “And Inaris is everything I could have hoped for.”

“You do seem to be thriving.” A woman turned away from the courtiers and came to Terki’s side. She looked about his age, though I knew she was actually younger and a stage weaker. Her skin was a shade darker than his, her eyes a warm brown with a veiled sharpness as she smiled at us. “It’s good to see.”

Kajare glanced at me for a moment before he went to hug his mother. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

His father’s gaze swept over the rest of the people I brought, and I could see his gaze narrow slightly as he looked at Tenira, but he didn’t comment and simply continued the motion before he turned to me. “Why don’t you all sit down? We have quite a bit to talk about.”

I nodded and took a seat at one of the wooden chairs they’d apparently brought. A servant stepped forward with a tray, and I selected a drink. “Thank you, King Terki. We certainly do.”

Kajare came to sit down beside me, while Terki smiled again. “I hope you’ll call me ‘father’, with the union of our families. Of course, not that I could be competition for your true father in any way!” His teeth flashed as he grinned.

“Of course, Father.” I returned his smile. Well, I’ve already exchanged more words with him than Rijoko. But I wonder what his angle is in emphasizing the familial connection like this?

“Good.” His smile faded, and a seriousness entered his expression that made the friendly, amiable man he’d just shown seem distant, though it didn’t suit him any less. “Now, would you mind explaining to me what this issue or grievance you seem to have with my son is all about?”

I blinked. “I assure you, things between me and Kajare are quite well. I don’t think I’ve given him cause for any grievances. Have I?” I looked at Kajare.

Terki clicked his tongue. “Oh, that’s not what I meant. I should have been more precise. I am talking about the other son of mine you met, Hajake.”

Oh. I couldn’t help but tense up a little, looking at the king in front of me. This was a bit dicey.

“We did have a disagreement when we first met,” I said carefully. Then I briefly outlined the story. I mentioned the hidden Zarian staging ground, how we wanted to convince Terbekteri to strike at it together. I also hinted at how we worked with Salira and brought the issue to the attention of the Terbekteri officers. I ended my retelling with Hajake giving in and agreeing to the plan, and how we fought the Zarian. Of course, I stopped the story before his betrayal. Kajare chimed in occasionally, but mostly let me talk.

King Terki listened to us in silence, a faint frown on his face. At the end, he nodded. “I understand why that might have led to hard feelings. Although, given how your assault played out — your own regrettable experiences aside, of course — I can hardly speak against your actions. I hope you’re not too put out at Hajake’s initial reticence?”

I shrugged, but kept my tone calm. “I do have to admit to wondering why he was put in charge of a situation such as this. But I am not so easily affronted.”

Terki narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at me for a moment. “Of course, my dear. I see. Our ways are not your ways, naturally. Although I believe you struck up a friendship with my daughter Salira?”

“Which we are glad to hear,” his wife finally cut in. Queen Liali had mostly kept silent so far, but clearly listened intently, and she smiled at me and Kajare now. “We are quite proud of Salira’s progress, and forming closer bonds between our families is certainly a good thing.”

“Right.” I inclined my head to her. “Yes, Salira is quite nice to be around and we have some important things in common, so I would be hopeful for building a lasting friendship.” I glanced around. “Is she not present here?”

Terki looked at Liali and his face softened a little as he turned back to us. “Of course. I’m afraid Salira is still up north, my dear. Just as Hajake is on the front, and it will take him a little while to get back. But I have called him back, and I’d like to have a meeting with the two of you to make sure things are sorted out appropriately.”

I barely stifled a grimace. Just what I needed. As if things aren’t messed up enough. But can I really refuse to see him?

“With respect, Father, you are not my king.” I fixed my gaze on him with a cool stare. “I do not appreciate being treated like a child to be called to task for stealing another’s toy.” I paused, letting my words hang in the air for a moment, then shrugged. “That said, I see no reason to refuse your request.”

Terki returned my gaze, and I could have sworn the corners of his lips lifted up slightly. Perhaps he liked that I showed some proverbial teeth.

“Of course, Imperial Princess,” he finally replied. “Thank you.” Then his gaze turned to his son. “Kajare, now that we have finally seen each other again, I would like to take the chance to spend some time with you. I know there is much to do, but hopefully your wife can spare you until Hajake returns? What do you say?”

Kajare hesitated, and we exchanged a look. I could tell he wanted to take the opportunity to spend time with his parents, but was afraid of messing up my plans regarding Hajake. I stifled a sigh, and squeezed his hand. We’d just have to deal.

“I wouldn’t keep him from his family,” I said with forced cheer.

“I’d be happy to,” Kajare replied.

Terki smiled at us and inclined his head. “Wonderful. Now, perhaps we should retire to the war room and discuss the war effort? There is much to talk about.”

I agreed, of course. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but establishing closer coordination with Terbekteri would be good.

As we stood up, I caught Kajare’s gaze. He inclined his head to me, and I nodded. I wasn’t worried about him betraying Imperial secrets or anything like that.

Then I started organizing the Imperial entourage I’d brought to accompany me, with several high-ranking officers. Best to make the most of this meeting, even if I had to curb the impatience and unease I got thinking of Hajake.