Chapter 25

The attendants and soldiers quickened their pace, struggling to keep up with the Emperor, who was all but running. One attendant tried to read his mood. In all his time serving the Emperor, he had never seen such an expression, anxious, as if he’d lost an imperial heirloom. It unsettled the attendant too. Night had fallen on the eastern annex when Karsa arrived. He headed straight for the rear garden. The garden was silent and pitch-black. A cold, dreary wind blew at his back. Panting hard at the garden entrance, Karsa hurried inside.