Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) (23 page)

“The Outer Rings have always been full of poverty – according to your own accounts – so why has the rebellion come just as the Tatum’s army hovers on the edge of Glacium? Especially as the poor here are typically unaware of the interworld problems Glacium faces, having to focus all their strength on surviving one day to the next. Could this timing just be coincidence?”

I stop in front of Jovan. “Is it all just a convenient inconvenience?” I ask softly. There are murmurs from the others. Some may understand what I’m talking about; most won’t.

I resume my walk around the stone table. “I may have thought so, if I didn’t catch someone lying in this very room.”

That shuts them up.

“I know who this person is. The king and I have known for quite some time. As you know, Solati pride themselves on revealing true meaning in conversation. It is a game to us, but also a way of life. Slight movements, repetitions, and changes in voice can tell us many things.” I turn to face them. “I knew there was a traitor amongst you as soon as the lie was spoken, weeks ago, but King Jovan rightfully requested I supply proof before he condemned this person. I have that evidence today.”

I hope Jovan plays along. If I have my way, his advisors will never know how stubborn he was.

I stand in the middle and peer around them all, even though I can’t see the men’s faces. Each of them feels threatened.

“On that day, when one of you lied to your king, I came to realize the question we should have been asking all along.” I look straight at the very still, and possibly very angry Jovan, and ask him my question.

“
Who
has been planning to usurp the king?”

The uproar from my question is tumultuous.

“You can’t come in here and point fingers!” Drummond blurts. “Who do you think you are?”

I step up to him. “I am the Tatuma of Osolis.” I keep my voice calm. “I was invited to this council, and as such, can offer my opinions. Unless you have a certain reason for wanting me to stop now?”

He splutters in response, but can’t say anything or risk worsening his position.

“What have you got to lose?” I ask them, sweeping around, palms up. “If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But if I’m right and there’s a
traitor
in your midst…” I straighten. “That is something the council must know.” I turn to Olandon. “Brother, please escort the witnesses in.”

“This is absolutely ludicrous,” Blaine says. I listen carefully to see who agrees with him—only Gerden. I’m glad Blaine’s reach isn’t further entrenched.

“Please, do try to bear with me, Blaine,” I say sweetly.

The advisors know who the accused is as soon as they see the first two witnesses: Blaine’s wife and his brother-in-law step into the chamber, followed by an otherwise random group.

I call loudly over the fever-pitched noise, feeling like I’ve waited one hundred revolutions for this moment. I’ve detested this man since I first met him. This is long overdue.

“Blaine, I accuse you of the intention to usurp King Jovan.”

“Silence!” roars Jovan in the immediate aftermath. I make sure Olandon is tensed and ready to intervene if Blaine tries to run. But he doesn’t. He’s too busy sitting in shock, staring at Alzona.

“Charity?” Blaine says hoarsely. I frown and look at the row of witnesses.

“Hello, Father,” Alzona says with disgust. A few choking noises sound behind me. Alzona’s name is
Charity
? I plan to join Ice and Shard in uproarious laughter when all of this is over. If I’m still alive.

I continue over the shocked murmurs. “We will get to the witnesses of the actual crimes. But first, in digging into Blaine’s history I have found some … interesting, should we say, skeletons?” I ask him. The skeleton of his first wife, for starters.

“You would use my own daughter against me?” Blaine asks. A few of the advisors gasp, yet to make the connection.

“You’ll get a chance to defend yourself,” Jovan says, silencing him.

“Alzona, will you please repeat what you told me?” I step aside as she takes the attention. I try to regain some semblance of calm as she speaks, detailing the regular beatings and the brutal killing of her mother, and then telling how she preferred life in the Outer Rings to an abusive yet privileged life in the assembly. Her retelling is just as shocking the second time around. But I’m more interested to see how Blaine will react.

How much has Charity’s appearance startled him?

“Her mother was killed by criminals. Something I’ve tried very hard to put behind me. You’d condemn me based on the memories of an eleven-year-old?” he scoffs.

“Not at all,” I say mildly. I’d expected him to try and say Alzona wasn’t his child, but his initial reaction foiled that defense.

“Macy?” I say over my shoulder. I lead her to the chair. She’s shaking so much I fear she’ll fall over.

“Macy, how long have you been married to Blaine?” I ask.

“F-fifteen years,” she says.

“And how many years has he been beating you?” I ask. There are hushed whispers from the advisors. Maybe even the other witnesses.

“Fourteen,” she says, eyes screwed shut. Someone gasps loudly.

“How badly?” I ask.

“Never the face. He didn’t want anyone to see. Mainly the stomach and back, and the legs,” she whispers. “I’ve miscarried four times.” Angry noise rises up from around the room. My own eyes widen at her admission.

“Please tell us what you know of Blaine’s recent dealings,” I ask.

She shakes her head, avoiding the area where Blaine sits. “They’re not just recent,” she says. “He’s been doing it for as long as I’ve been with him. He always complained about King Borin’s rule. Said he was a-a stupid bastard who didn’t know the First Sector from the Second.” I dart a quick glance at Jovan, who still stays remarkably silent.

“Blaine disappears all hours of the night from the house. That’s why he stays there while I stay in the castle. He doesn’t want his activity noticed by the watch.” She takes a gulp of breath, eager to hurry through this.

“When he does make me return to the house, all sorts of people come to the door. Thugs, criminals, cut-throats. He takes them into his office and shuts the door so I can’t see anything. But he’s doing something wrong. I know it!” she finishes. I thank her as she leaves, and watch as Alzona wraps her arms around Blaine’s wife. I ready myself for Blaine’s retort.

It’s dry when it does come. He tries to feign disinterest. “So I beat her a few times. If she stopped sleeping around I wouldn’t have to.” There’s a shocked sound, while Macy just hangs her head, long devoid of fighting back. “The men coming to my door are the men I use to gather my intelligence. They need to look the part to fit in the Outer Rings. She’s a foolish woman who doesn’t understand what she was seeing,” he rebuts.

“If this is the case, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about,” I say smoothly.

“Sanjay,” I call.

The red-haired man strides into the center of the room and glares at Blaine, radiating fury. The young delegate has an explosive temper. I hope he keeps it in check.

“Blaine has been blackmailing me for several months,” Sanjay begins abruptly.

“How so?” asks Jovan. He shows interest for the first time.

Sanjay explains how he came to be left at the whorehouse and how Blaine has used it to question him about the recent advances he and Adnan have made in weaponry.

“My source tells me Blaine himself paid the mistress of the establishment to have Sanjay awaken in the presence of two naked whores. Understandably, Sanjay has thought he was disloyal to his wife this whole time.”

Sanjay bows to the king. “I am sorry to have divulged the secrets of your army. I accept whatever punishment you decide upon,” he says, staying prone before his king.

“I will decide on this at a later time, if I deem there to be substance to these accusations against Blaine,” Jovan says in a cold voice. I squeeze my friend’s hand as he returns to his chair, not even bothering to respond to Blaine’s protests about lack of proof.

“The eyewitness can be brought in if necessary, though I doubt we’ll need to go to the trouble,” I add. I beckon Ice forward and start when I’m greeted by Shard instead.

“Forgive me, Tatuma Olina, but I would like to present my own information on what I know of the accused,” he says with a bow. I wave him forward, nervous about what he will say. This isn’t part of the plan.

“I was born in the Middle Ring, the son of a very successful whorehound, their leader, in fact,” he says. I tense at this unknown fact.

“I ran from my father ten years ago at the age of seventeen, seeing that my only future there was to follow in his footsteps.” He paces the room as I did earlier and stops in front of Blaine. “But for several years before I left, I remember this man meeting with my father. I remember this vividly because my father spoke often of how he now had the backing of a rich assembly member. He would brag about it to his friends over brew. Or while one of them was raping a girl in the back room.” I flinch at his graphic words.

“Let us speak to this man, your father. Have him identify me,” Blaine yells, slamming a fist on the table. It doesn’t bother the pit fighter in front of him. The sharp featured, sharper-witted man leans close to Blaine with a somber expression.

“I imagine you only offer because you know he’s dead,” Shard says in a wry voice. “He’s been dead for a whole sector or more, along with six of his top workers.” He hesitates and stands straight. “Frost killed them.”

It’s as though someone has punched me in the stomach. I can’t help a small sound of despair escaping my lips. It’s lost in the sounds of interest Shard’s comment has generated.

I killed Shard’s father?

How could he even look at me? I blink back my shocked reaction as Shard moves past without a glance my way. Has our entire friendship been a lie?

“I grow bored with this,” Blaine drawls. “You’ve never liked me, Tatuma. I must say, the feeling is returned. I find you selfish, sulky, and immature. However, you do not see me deliberately attempting to discredit you to your family and your friends.”

I push thoughts of Shard aside. I’ll have time to process this news later. I need to stay in the game or Blaine will worm his way out of it and Jovan will never trust me again.

“You are certainly entitled to your opinion of me, Blaine. And if you wish to discredit me, be my guest. And though I can’t say you’ve done anything much to me at all, I’m thankful I’ve never been alone with you. From what we’ve learned today, I would be beaten, blackmailed, or dead.”

Ice slinks up to me, darting looks around the room.

“Frost had this man spying for her in the Outer Rings,” I say. “Ice, tell us what you’ve seen with your own eyes.”

“I seen heaps, girly.” He jerks his thumb at Blaine. “This guy’s got a finger in everything from the whorehouses, to the pit fights, to the hounds.” Ice draws a rolled paper from his tunic as he speaks. “The barrack member named Hale is his main lapdog, and all Hale’s fighters are neck-deep in the crime throughout the Outer Rings.” He twists around to speak to those behind him. “Want to rape someone? Or cut someone? Hale’s the man to go to. In the two weeks I’ve had ‘em watched, Blaine and Hale met once. Rest of the time, Blaine’s lackeys met with Hale and then reported back to him. I’ve also seen him in Hale’s company three other times in the pits. Frost has too.”

“Who was the other person who met with Hale?” I ask.

“Him,” Ice says, pointing at Sole. The entire room stares at the timid man standing beside Macy.

“Thank you, Ice,” I say. Hope takes hold in my gut. The odds are stacking against the greasy delegate.

“Nope. I got this here as well.” Ice waves the rolled paper. “I’ve only had a couple of weeks, so I’m sure there’s more. But there are five weapon caches my team has found in the First, Second, and Sixth.” He unrolls the paper and slaps it down in front of Jovan, who views it with clenched fists.

I can venture a guess the king’s finally seeing the truth, and that the truth makes him feel like a fool. The part of me which views his behavior as a betrayal says it serves him right. If he’d just listened to me, we could’ve resolved this privately, without the audience. The rest of me mourns the fact that Blaine’s guilt will reinforce Jovan’s deepest fear that everyone he cares for will eventually be taken from him.

“What is in these stores?” the king asks through clenched teeth.

“Everything you’d need to defeat an army like yours, I’d say,” Ice replies.

Several of the advisors stand to look at the maps. I’m curious myself to see their location, as Ice hadn’t told me of this discovery.

Blaine doesn’t move. He doesn’t say a word.

“Sole,” I call. The advisors scurry back to their seats, eager for the last witness. The high energy that’s kept me going is starting to flag.

Sole hurries to take the seat in the middle of the room. I roll my eyes at his guilty demeanor.

“Sole, as Ice stated, you have been working on Blaine’s behalf. Can you tell us how long you’ve done this?” I ask.

“Fifteen years,” he says quietly, head down.

“Why have you done such a thing?” I ask, voice neutral.

“H-he threatened my sister. Said he’d break every bone in her body,” he says, trembling.

“Did he ever make good on these threats?” I ask flatly. He nods frantically.

“I refused to search the king’s rooms for messages from the Tatum.” He rushes and pulls up short, giving a quick peek over his shoulder. “That’s when Macy had her fourth miscarriage,” he chokes, visibly crumpling. This man has nothing left.

I lay a hand on his shoulder. “You have been oppressed for too long, controlled by fear for someone you love more than your own life,” I say softly and he lifts his head. “Tell us, Sole. What does Blaine want?” I ask.

“W-what he’s always wanted,” Sole says, wiping his nose on his tunic. He looks around as though waiting for us to realize the obvious. I suppose it is obvious to him after fifteen years.

“To be king,” he clarifies.

I question Sole for an hour. Much of it, I already know. Sole’s information is detailed, with names, dates, locations, and numbers. The king takes over partway through. It’s the sign I’ve been waiting for, that he believes me. The sound has steadily disappeared in the last couple of hours as the heaviness of Blaine’s doom becomes impossible to ignore. Jovan’s final question silences the room.

“Why, after all this time, when you could have gone to my father or come to me, have you decided to speak up?” the King asks Sole.

Sole gives me a wide-eyed glance and then settles his gaze at the king’s feet. “Well, you k-know this already. The Tatuma saved me from death on the Great Stairway. She broke her wrist and dislocated her shoulder.” He shudders. “I told her then that I was in her debt. She called me aside several days ago and told me this is what she wanted me to do to repay her.” He ducks his head. “The weight of this has been crushing me for so long, all I felt was relief at her request.” He stands and bows. “I would’ve come to you, my king, but Blaine watched me very closely around you. I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed, but there has been only one opportunity in the four years of your kingship for me to speak to you in private. It was when you interrogated each delegate after Prince Kedrick’s death. And Blaine warned he would be holding a knife to Macy’s throat in case I made the wrong choice. Blaine was so close to the previous king, I knew you’d have no cause to believe me,” the delegate says. Jovan’s head turns my way briefly. “I guess it became more habit than anything else. This fear is all I have known for so long. It stopped occurring to me to try,” Sole finishes.

The silence is absolute.

“You have no proof!” hisses Blaine. “You have the cheap words of a weak-willed man, a couple of whores, and a man who cheats on his wife. And this Outer Rings scum,” he spits at the barracks. I raise my eyebrows, but remain quiet. He’s showing his true colors. I’m not going to stop him.

He points at me. “You’ve twisted them all against me with your Solati filth and mind tricks. None of this is true!”

The door slams on the wall as it’s thrown open. Only one other person opens doors that way. I nearly sink to the ground in a heap as a fur-clad Rhone steps into the room. Snow falls from him with every step.