Seregil poured wine for them while the wizard told them what he’d learned the night before. “General Moraus’s truth knower questioned Commander Myr, Major Salana, and Danos, as well as several riders. Danos and Myr were found innocent of any knowledge of a conspiracy, or having any part of it. Salana refused to speak, and died under torture. Caem was hanged before the regiment at dawn. A full report was sent to the queen.”
“Damnation!” Alec set his empty cup down with an angry thump. “That certainly tips our hand to Phoria.”
“It can’t be helped,” Seregil replied. “But this does put a different light on the assassination attempt on Klia. Plenimaran uniforms aside, the poison they used on themselves-”
“Could have been Wyvern Blood, like what you found in Kyrin’s secret room,” said Alec. “You thought a bottle might be missing from the box.”
“If it had been on the knives they struck Klia with, she’d have died on the spot. Perhaps on themselves, however. Whatever the case, we have no way of knowing what was in that third bottle.”
Alec let out a frustrated growl. “Still, I think we should assume it was Kyrin. It could be why they were tracking her movements so closely. They weren’t just looking for something they could accuse her of treason for; they needed to know where she was so the assassins could find her!”
“Yet there’s the problem of time,” said Seregil. “It takes days, even weeks for those messages to get back and forth, unless they have a wizard working for them. It’s not like Kyrin could order an assassination from Rhiminee and have it carried out immediately. Or that he’d even know where she was at that moment.”
“Someone on the spy’s end might have just been waiting for the go-ahead,” Thero pointed out. “Could you have missed something in the coded messages you found?”
“I suppose so. Although with Caem’s capture the line of
communication is cut off, at least for now.” Seregil gave them a crooked grin. “I suspect Commander Danos will be a bit more careful with his correspondence from now on.
Klia’s left him in place?”
“Yes,” Thero replied. “After the general’s truth knower vouched for him, and after making him swear fealty to everything but the tent pole.”
“All the same, that rider and the major can’t possibly be the only ones in the regiment in on the plot, and now we’ve lost the only person who could have connected them with Kyrin and the others,” said Alec. “There’s probably a whole nest of snakes Salana knew about. For all the good that does us now.”
Thero shook his head in disgust. “That’s what comes of torture.”
“Did Klia speak to anyone about Kyrin’s cabal, or us?”
“No,” Thero replied. “When Salana refused to speak, Klia thought it better to leave you to work from this side.”
“Reltheus and Kyrin are sure to hear about the loss of their spy. What do we do about that?”
Seregil shrugged. “We’d better work quickly. Have you spoken with the prince yet, Thero?”
“No. I’m on my way there now, and I want you two to come with me and tell him what you’ve learned before things take a turn for the worse.”
“Yes, it’s time.” Seregil tucked his bakshi bag under his belt. “We’re going to see Elani anyway.”
“Oh, and remember,” warned Thero. “You two know nothing of the assassination attempt on Klia.”
They rode together in a hired carriage through the pouring rain. At the Palace, a page led them not to the main audience chamber, but to one of the many rooms set aside for private business. Leaving the three of them in the corridor, the page knocked and went in to announce them with instructions from Thero to tell the prince that they had news of the utmost importance.
They were admitted, and found Korathan in his robe and chain of state and black velvet hat, talking with bluff, bearded
General Sarien. That wasn’t good, seeing as how the protector general was one of the people Atre had reported as conspiring with Duke Laneus.
Knowing this, Thero bowed to both men, then to Korathan. “We bring you a matter of the utmost delicacy, Highness.”
“The general and I were just finishing,” Korathan replied. Sarien understood the tacit dismissal and took his leave. Leaning on the edge of the table, Korathan looked the three of them over, taking in their disparate apparel. “What’s all this about?”
“I visited Klia last night,” Thero replied.
“Ah, so you were behind all the uproar.” He held up a sheaf of parchments. “You’re a bit late. I’ve had reports from the queen and General Moraus already this morning. Wretched business. No one mentioned you, though.”
“Klia and I agreed it would be better that way. I helped her question the courier, who gave up Salana’s name.”
“Who died without giving up any others.”
“Yes, Highness. Things would be a great deal easier if she had. But that’s why we’re here now. Seregil and Alec have uncovered evidence of a cabal working against Klia here in Rhiminee. Klia employed spies on her side and we on ours.”
“And you didn’t think I should be informed of this?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve been trying to give them the greatest latitude in searching out the roots of this plot. Arresting the conspirators we know about now may let others escape.”
“I see.” Korathan gave them a wry look. “As I recall, Phoria disbanded the Watchers.”
“Indeed, she did, Highness,” said Thero. “But as an Oreska wizard, I have a duty to the Crown. I felt it was imperative to look after the safety of the royal family in any way I could.”
“The same for us,” said Seregil, giving Korathan a wink. “And since we’ve rendered good service to your family before, I didn’t think you’d mind us sticking our noses in again.”
“So, you’re just acting as loyal subjects? I suppose Phoria can’t dismiss you for that. What information do you have?”
“We’ve sort of stumbled across information that we think points to two cabals-” Seregil began.
“ Two?I thought this was about Klia.”
“That one is led, we think, by Marquis Kyrin, who supports Elani for the throne.”
“Aside from plotting against my youngest sister, not a bad thing.”
“But we don’t know what that support means, or how far they’ll go. Alec overheard something that might have been a threat against the queen herself.”
“Bilairy’s Balls! I’ll have word sent to her at once to strengthen her bodyguard. Who else do you think is involved with him?”
“Tolin, Stenmir, and-” Seregil hesitated, knowing Korathan was not going to be pleased. “And Duke Reltheus.”
“Reltheus? Is that why he’s thrown his son in Elani’s way every chance he gets?”
“No, I think he just desperately wants his line joined to the royal house,” Seregil replied. “And I believe he feels genuine affection for your niece. Kyrin has found a way to use that. He’s blackmailing Reltheus; it seems the duke was already passing out royal favors.”
“That makes him no less a traitor to the royal family, if he’s conspiring against Klia! How far has this gone?”
“All that we’ve learned makes me wonder if that attempt on Klia’s life was actually made by assassins disguised as Plenimaran soldiers,” replied Thero.
“Attempt on Klia’s life!” Seregil exclaimed. “Why weren’t we told of this?”
“Perhaps I should have-” Korathan looked sharply at Alec. “But you two already knew, didn’t you?”
Alec colored hotly. “Well, that is…”
“Only recently, Highness,” Thero told him. “And only because they uncovered evidence of their own as to the perpetrators. Seregil, tell the prince what you heard on the island.”
“Reltheus, Tolin, and Stenmir went off into the woods on their own and I followed to see what they were up to. I overheard Stenmir ask Reltheus if he’d had any more news from ‘the north,’ which I assumed were the messages from Danos.
Then Reltheus said that if someone he referred to only as ‘she’ had been killed, they’d have heard by now.”