Iโm rarely called to the Hold when the sun is in the sky, and now itโs been twice in one week. Itโs never a particularly pleasant place, but during the nights itโs usually cool, which keeps the odor manageable, and quiet, because even the most o๏ฌensive criminals must sleep occasionally.
During the day, itโs hell.
โYou really must do something about the smell,โ Allisander says, a handkerchief masking his face as we walk through the gates.
Maybe itโs only hell because heโs here.
Or maybe itโs hell because I am. I should be in the palace. I should be watching over Tessa. I keep thinking of the way she tossed that glass of brandy at me, and I imagine her doing something similar to my brother.
Itโs too easy to imagine. And despite all evidence to the contrary, I really am a lot more tolerant than Harristan is.ย Lord, Tessa.
โYou havenโt said anything about the girl,โ says Allisander.
๎ปe girl. I bristle at his dismissive tone, and it takes e๏ฌort to hide it.ย ๎ขeย girlย is brave. Brilliant. Strong. Compassionate.ย ๎ขeย girlย does more for Kandala than the spoiled consul standing in front of me. โ๎ขe young woman you assumed spent the night in my quarters?โ
A guard steps forward to hold the door to the staircase.
โWell . . . yes,โ says Allisander. โAccording to Arella, you wereโโ
โI know what Arella thinks I was doing, just as I know what you think I was doing.โ I glare at him, and he has the grace to look surprised. โShe was wrong. So are you.โ
He stares at me over the handkerchief. โRumors say she snuck into the palace to kill Harristan.โ
๎ขereโs an undercurrent of concern to his tone that makes me wonder, just for a moment, if the tiniest spark of their friendship remains. But then he
adds, โShe could have been working with the smugglers I captured, and now youโve allowed her access to the king.โ
Ah. Of course. I keep my eyes forward and stride down the stairs. โSheโd hardly be alive right now if that were true.โ
Heโs all but hissing at me behind his handkerchief. โWell, itโs certainly not commonplace for you to bring a smuggler to your roomโโ
โConsul, I hope you didnโt drag me to the Hold before breakfast for a discussion we could have had in the palace.โ We reach the bottom, and I glance at him. I need him to stop digging for information about Tessaโat least until I canย nd out what she said to my brother. โTell me about your prisoners.โ
He hu๏ฌs for a moment, like a discomย ted toddler. โWell.ย ๎ขey struck in the Wilds. We had six wagons full between Lissaโs shipment and my own.
๎ขere were dozens of them, all at once.โ
I stop short in theย nal hallway before the turn into the lowest level. A lone lantern hangs from the wall here,ย ickering shadows across Allisanderโs cheeks.ย ๎ขere isnโt much that could drag my thoughts away from Tessa, but that does it. โDozens?โ I say. โYour supply run was attacked byย dozens?โ
โYes. Far more than the small pack you unearthed from Steel City.โ He coughs, and he must be grimacing behind the handkerchief. โWe couldnโt capture them all, of course. And lord knows how many parcels they were able to escape withโโ
โYou donโt keep an inventory?โ
โOf course we do. But they set one of the wagons onย reโโ โOnย re?โ
โYes.ย ๎ขey hadย aming arrows. Torches.ย ๎ขey were organized, and they must have known we were coming. We just authorized this shipment two days ago, and because of its size, few people knew we were coming.โ He makes a disgusted noise. โI knew thoseย rst eight wouldnโt be the end of it.
๎ขere must be hundreds more, waiting to destroy our supply runs.ย ๎ขey endanger all of Kandala, Corrick.ย ๎ขey must be stopped.โ
โI agree.โ And I do. If Allisander and Lissa are spooked, theyโll stop making shipments at all. Or theyโll require the sectors to spend money and manpower they canโt spare to come get medicine themselves. I wonder if any of the prisoners were those who escaped during the riot. โIโll question them. Weโll unearth whatโs happening.โ
โGood.โ
We turn the corner.ย ๎ขe smell is worse down here than usual. Itโs quieter, too. For midmorning, I was expecting shouts and curses to be coming from the cells, but no one is talking. Four guards are stationed down here, and they nod to me, but they look . . . bored. I stop at theย rst set of bars and peer inside.
A young woman lies on theย oor, facing the rear wall. I see brown hair
rst, in a messy pile beside her head. Iโm so used to watching for Tessa among the smugglers that are dragged to the Hold, so for an instant, my stomach clenches. Itโs not her. I know itโs not. It canโt be.
๎ขis woman doesnโt look quite right anyway. Sheโs older than Tessa, with beige skin a few shades darker. Her jaw is bruised heavily, her lips cracked and bleeding. Aย y alights on her mouth and she doesnโtย inchโmeaning sheโs unconscious or asleep. One arm seems twisted at an unnatural angle.
I canโt shake the tension in the pit of my stomach.
I say nothing and move to the next cell. A man this time, easily in his thirties. Eyes closed, his nose crooked and crusted with blood. His clothes are torn and stained crimson in so many areas that I canโt tell where his injuries originated. Both arms are deย nitely broken.
My jaw tightens.
Next cell. Another man, this time in his twenties. Broken, bloody, and bruised. Also unconscious. His leg is broken.
Next cell. A third man, even older. His beard is speckled with gray.ย ๎ขe side of his face is awash with bruises and swelling, and it looks like his eye is crusted shut with blood.
A woman is in the next cell, her breathing rough and ragged. Her face is dirty but unharmed, and her feet are bare and bleeding. Sheโs also pregnant. While Iโm standing there, her eyesย utter open, and she coughs against the straw-coveredย oor. She sees me watching her, and I wait for fear to bloom in her eyes.
It doesnโt. Resignation does. โIย gured dying here would be quicker than the fever,โ she croaks, then blinks slowly.
Allisander said they were organized, that this was a planned attack, but none of these people look like organized criminals. I wonder if theyโre all sick.
โWeโll make sure itโs more painful,โ says Allisander. He kicks at the ground, sending a cloud of dust and grit rattling into the cell.
๎ขe woman coughs again, then spits blood onto the stoneย oor. โIย gured.
You proved that when we surrendered.โ
It takes a moment for the impact of that to sink in. I turn and look at Allisander. โ๎ขey surrendered?โ
โOf course. We had a heavy contingent of guards. Once we realized what we were under attack, we were able to corner half of them.ย ๎ขough most were able to escape into the Wilds.โ
๎ขe woman smiles, blood on her lips. โ๎ขanks to the Benefactors, youโll see them again.โ
I freeze. I remember the shouts during the riot in front of the gates. โWho are the Benefactors?โ
Her eyes fall closed.
Allisander slams a hand against the bars. โYou will talk.โ She doesnโt.
Allisander inhales as if heโs going to spew more vitriol, but sheโs not going to talk, and he wonโt be satisย ed unless I start creating nightmares to get answers. Iโll do it if I have to, but not for his private indulgence. I head for the next cell. Allisander shuts his mouth and follows. Another man this time. Heโs sitting upright in the corner, cradling his wrist in his lap, but his eyes are heavy-lidded. Heโs pale and sweating, his breathing a little too quick. With a start, I realize heโs a man Tessa and I used to bring medicine to.
His name is Jarvis, and he has a pretty wife named Marlea. I wonder if Iโll
nd her in one of the cells.ย ๎ขey live in Artis, just outside the Wilds, and he works as a bricklayer while she mends clothes. Heโs large and thick with muscle, but heโs also one of the most gentle men Iโve ever met. While most of the people who rely on us for medicine are quick to condemn the kingโand meโJarvis was one whoโd always say, โIโm sure the man is doing the best he can.โ
I canโt see him attacking a supply run.
๎ขen again, I couldnโt see Tessa sneaking into the palace either.
Tessa. Tensionโs grip on my insides grows even tighter. I look at the consul. โIf they surrendered, why are they all so heavily injured?โ
He cocks an eyebrow, like weโre brothers-in-arms and Iโllย nd all this amusing. โDoes it matter?โ
I donโt play. โYes.โ
What I can see of his face turns serious. I want to rip the handkerchief away. โWhy?โ he says.
โBecause I canโt question prisoners who are barely conscious.โ I pause. โMy guards know that. If someone surrenders, theyโre brought to the Hold. Unharmed. Did you give them di๏ฌerent orders?โ
Allisander hesitates. Heโs trying to read my face.
I donโt give him the chance. I look to a guard stationed by the wall. โStanton. Have the prison doctor treat their wounds. Feed them all. Iโll return late this evening.โ
He nods. โYes, Your Highness.โ
Allisander hasย nally lowered that handkerchief. โYou canโt be serious.โ
โI am,โ I say. โIf you want information, they need to be in a condition to give it.โ I turn for the stairs.
Heโs not following me. โFirst you bring an assassin to your room, and now youโre caring for prisoners? Why isnโt that girl down here in a cell, too, Corrick?โ
I ignore him and look at Stanton again. โHave the guards who were assigned to the supply run report to the palace. Iโd like to speak with them.โ
๎ขen I step close to Allisander, and I shove every thought of Tessa out of my head. I send my thoughts to the dark place that reminds me of how I felt a๎er my parents were killed in front of me. โWould you like me to prove that I havenโt turned so๎, Consul?โ
My voice is cold, but he doesnโt back down. He may have been friends with Harristan, but his relationship with me has always been a bit more politically weighted. I sometimes think he avoids my brother, as if their stando๏ฌย from so many years ago still stings, but he and I have always met on a level playingย eld. But now he looks like he wants to challenge me, and that is unlike him. I wonder how much gossip is already swirling in regard to Tessa. I wonder if the fact that prisoners escaped during the riots is being seen as a weakness on my part. I wonder if Iโm going to be forced to do something terrible, just to quiet the rumors.
Without warning, my thoughts summon the image of Tessa on theย oor of my room, shaking and terriย ed. Her thoughts are always of the people. Mine are too, but not the way hers are. She used to look at Westonโat meโ
with such devotion. I didnโt deserve a moment of it then, and I deserve it less now.
๎ขe thought comes as a blow.
Something mustย icker in my expression, something that exposes aย ash of vulnerability or weakness, because Allisander steps forward and says, โYes, Corrick. I would.โ
โVery well. You are banned from the palace until you can remember that I am Kingโs Justice, and you are Consul of Moonlight Plains. You will not countermand my orders with guards I provided for your protection, and you will notโโ
โYou cannot ban me from the palace.โ He looks like he wants to knock me into the wall.
โShall Iย nd you a cell among your friends?ย ๎ขey seem crowded. Perhaps you could share.โ
His hands have formedย sts, and his eyes are cold. โNo,โ he says through gritted teeth.
I raise my eyebrows.
โNo,โ he says again, โYour Highness.โ
โRemember that,โ I snap. โYours is not the only sector with the Moonย ower.โ I turn and head for the stairs without waiting to see if he follows or not.
 |
Iโve been waiting for Harristan for twenty minutes, and Iโm about ready to tear the wallpaper from the walls. Instead, Iโm looking at stacks of paperwork that are accumulating in front of me: detailed accountings of each sectorโs medicinal allotment, along with the most recent census per town, as well as death records and health records and crime records. More information than I could ever care to need.
โWhat is all this?โ I ask a page as he carries yet another stack into my quarters.
โBy order of the king, Your Highness,โ he says, before o๏ฌering a quick bow and leaving the roomโjust to reappear minutes later with more. He looks at the laden table doubtfully.
I want to tell him to toss it all in theย replace.
โJust stack it on theย oor,โ I say.
I sent word to Quint, hoping heโd bustle through my doorway with information about Tessaโs meeting with my brother, but apparently heโs been dealing with some kind of issue with the kitchen sta๏ฌ.
I have no idea what Harristan is doingโor why heโd send me all this. I sent word to him, too, and my brotherโs response was a terse, โLater.โ
I move to the side table and pour a glass of wine.
๎ขe page returns with another stack. Lord. I pour the wine back into the bottle and switch to brandy.
I enjoy details, and Iโm not opposed to digging through mountains of documents, but this . . . this is a bit much. Iโm not even sure of the purpose.
I want to send word to Tessa, but I canโt think of anything to say that wonโt be read and gossiped aboutโand I need to know how her meeting with Harristan went so I can decide how I want our interactions to be viewed.
I also canโt stop thinking about these Benefactors, and what that means. Is someone behind these attacks, these raids? For the people to take such a risk would require funding of some sort. Or medicine. Otherwise the risk to the people is simply too great.
If these attacks continue, Allisander will slow his shipments.ย ๎ขe risk to Kandala is too great.
On myย nal night as Weston Lark, I asked Tessa if she knew who they were, and she didnโt. She wouldnโt have lied to Wes. I wish weโd had one more night, one more chance to talk to the people.
But of course Iโve undone any chance of that.
I drag my hands through my hair. Iโm exhausted, and itโs hardly the middle of the a๎ernoon.
When the page appears with more, I snap, โEnough.โ Heย inches and almost drops them all.
I sigh. โPut them on theย oor. Iโll send for you when Iโve reviewed what youโve brought.โ
In a year, most likely.
Finally, an agonizing hour later, the guards announce my brother. A๎er the way he made me wait, I expect him to come storming in, but instead, Harristan strides into my room casually, letting the door fall closed behind him.
โCorrick.โ He takes one look at the stacks of folios and paperwork and frowns. โWhatโs all this?โ
โYou tell me.โ I take a sip of my drink. โIt was sent here by your order.โ โOh. Yes.ย ๎ขe girl claims our dosages in the Royal Sector are too high.
Will you see if we have data that may corroborate this?ย ๎ขe palace physicians are looking into it, but youโre better with all this.โ He waves a hand at the piles.
Meaning he doesnโt have the patienceโor the timeโfor it. I donโt either, really. My heart is thumping at what Tessa told him. โAnd when would you like this analysis?โ
He eases into the chair across from me and li๎s the cover on a folio before letting it fall closed. โTomorrow.โ
I choke on my drink. โAn entireย day, Harristan? Why not in an hour?โ
โI will not have her staying in the palace if her reasons for being here are not valid.โ
I set my drink down and stare at him. He stares back at me.
Last night, in the quiet darkness of his quarters, he said that I was keeping secrets from himโbut he didnโt demand answers. He doesnโt demand them now either. But his position is clear.
I am both surprised and not that Tessa was able to somehow convince my brother that her reasons for being in the palace were valid. Not just valid, but . . . beneย cial.
โIโll go through the reports,โ I say quietly.
โGood.โ He reaches for my glass of brandy and takes a sip. โYou do realize you canโt ban Allisander from the palace indeย nitely.โ
I grimace. โI didnโt realize the news would reach you so quickly.โ โHe issued a complaint almost immediately.โ
โFrom the palace steps, I imagine.โ
Harristan doesnโt smile. โAs a matter of fact, yes.โ He hesitates. โEven if our dosages are faulty, we cannot alienate our primary supplier.โ
โAllisander grows too bold.โ
โFor all of Arellaโs demands for leniency, her sector is not a major supplier for Kandala. Nor is Roydanโs.โ
I know this. He knows I know this. He sets the glass on the table and I take it. โStringing people up outside the gates hasnโt stopped the smugglers,โ I say. โIf anything, they grow bolder.โ
โFor certain.ย ๎ขey sneak right into the palace andย nd themselves in my brotherโs room.โ
I drain the glass and look away. โLord, Harristan.โ
For a moment, I think heโs going to press me for more information. My brother is no fool. He knows thereโs more to Tessa than what Iโve said. He admitted as much last night.
But he simply glances at the papers and stands. โYou have much to do.โ He claps me on the shoulder before turning for the door. โIโll take care of Allisander.โ
โ๎ขank you.โ
I canโt say it aloud, but Iโm thanking him for more than just handling an irritated consul. Iโm thanking him for his trust. For allowing me to keep my secrets.
For allowing me to protect Tessa.
He knows it, too, because he o๏ฌers a small smile. โYouโre welcome, Cory.โ
๎ขen his smile is gone, and heโs reaching for the door.
