Shadow War - Deborah Chester [104]
By nightfall, the ceremonies were at last finished, and the feasting could begin. As the processional returned from its long circuit through the city, Elandra forced herself to keep waving to the cheering citizens although her arms were aching. The crown was nearly as heavy as her dress, and her neck felt stiff from having supported it all day. But she could not complain. She had been cheered everywhere, and all the warlords of the provinces had knelt to swear allegiance to her, even her father—looking both gruff and intensely proud. The processional had taken her down the Street of Triumph, a broad avenue paved with white marble that gleamed radiantly in the sunshine and even at dusk still glowed pale and softly white.
The street ran straight through the heart of the city, all the way out to the harbor. On either side of it stood the famed Arches of Kostimon, mighty stone edifices carved with descriptions of the emperor’s many triumphs over his enemies. Statues of the emperor on horseback stood atop the arches, a double row of bronze figures that stretched on endlessly, symbolizing the infinite reign of this incredible man.
Coming back up the avenue in her open litter, Elandra looked at its breadth and its beauty, all extolling the achievements of her husband. Beside her, Kostimon looked tired but still bright-eyed. He clearly reveled in the cheers and adulation. She saw how much energy he drew from the crowds and the noise. Above all things, Kostimon loved being emperor.
Ahead rose the towering granite walls of the palace compound. Enormous bronze gates with great embossed spikes on their panels creaked open, and the processional streamed back inside with the cheers of the people still resounding.
Turning her head to see everything, Elandra considered the palace to be a city within a city, for it was filled with temples as well as a complex of meeting halls, council chambers, storehouses, granaries, and treasuries. This was the very heart of the empire, the center of the power and might of Kostimon’s reign.
Involuntarily she glanced at her husband’s profile. He had created all this from nothing. He had held it against those who would wrest it from him. He had truly wrought a profound achievement.
Kostimon tipped his crown to the back of his head and scratched his curls. “It’s cold when the sun goes down.”
She smiled at his complaints and dared give his arm an excited squeeze. “I am constantly filled with renewed admiration and pride at what you have done in your lifetime.”
Surprise crossed his face. “What is this? Praise from my newly exalted wife?”
“Yes.”
“And what favor are you trying to wheedle from me in exchange for these compliments?”
His sudden cynicism dimmed her happiness. More quietly, she said, “There is no favor. I meant what I said sincerely.”
“Ah. There will be too many compliments tonight, too many flowery speeches, too much hot air. If I leave the banqueting early tonight, my dear, don’t be put out.” He gave her a twisted smile. “You see, I have done this sort of thing too many times to find it quite as exciting as you do.”
She drew back to her side of the litter. Her face felt stiff. Proudly she forced her voice to be composed and even. “Yes, of course,” she replied. “I understand perfectly.”
The boundaries had been clearly drawn for her. She might be sovereign, but she was not his equal and never would be. And for all his smiles and little acts of kindness, he had only been humoring her today. She could not expect such treatment to continue. She could not expect anything to change.
Except that she was empress in her own right. And as long as she did not cross wills with him, she could do what she pleased and command what she pleased.
She held that to her, and refused to let his mood spoil hers.
“I am sorry you are so fatigued,” she said formally. “Thank you for this day. It has been wonderful. I shall never forget it.”
“The golden riches of my empire are yours,” he replied.
Pretty words, but his tone was absentminded. She wondered if he meant any part of what he had just said.