Call of the Colossus: An epic fantasy novel (The Mindstream Chronicles Book 2) (6 page)

She described having Observed Gilon after his death and witnessed the confrontation, learning also that Gilon had discovered Elder Sonnis’s treachery by Observing the plants that had been present for Elder Kassyl’s murder.

“Plants,” the king mused. He glanced around the office at the number of potted plants that graced the room. “That’s disturbing. I’ll have these removed. What I don’t understand is how Elder Kassyl’s murder relates to the smuggling that your friend thought he uncovered. Boden Sayeg, yes? Son of Gunnar?”

Her eyes widened. How did he know about that?

“My Minister of War has apprised me of the situation. I’m not notified every time a soldier is taken to Jolver for court-martial, of course, but in this particular case, the soldier’s claims were brought to my attention.”

She nodded her understanding.
Of course he would be apprised. He
’
s the king.
“Elder Sonnis thought he could manipulate me.” Elder Gastone’s words whispered in her mind,
I
’
m sure you
’
ll find her… pliable
. She balled her hands into fists. “Captain Kyear knew it was only a matter of time before I would read Boden’s journal and learn of the smuggling, and he went to Sonnis—then only an adept—to request I be slain before I could tell anyone about it. Adept Sonnis saw something special in me, and so he approached Elder Kassyl to discuss the alternative—killing all of Kaild. Elder Kassyl refused, and so Sonnis killed the elder so that he could assume the power to issue that order.”

“Why?” the king asked. “What had the Kailders to do with it?”

“Nothing,” Jora said. The tension in her hands crawled up her arms to her shoulders. “It’s so maddening. The Legion had Boden under control—he wasn’t in a position to tell people about the smuggling. Sonnis thought that giving me no one to turn to was the way to keep me silent. He assumed that if everyone I knew and trusted was dead, I would tell no one outside the Justice Bureau. He assumed that he could control me if I had no one to turn to.”

King Yaphet nodded slowly, fingers tapping the arm of his chair. “It was a poor choice on his part. I say that not only in retrospect, considering where he is now, but from a tactical standpoint. His reasoning was flawed, whether you’re easily manipulated or not. I can understand his motivation, however.”

Her eyes flew wide. How could he say such a thing?

“As an adept and elder in the Justice Bureau, he was privy to all kinds of military plans and schemes, tactics and strategies. He was not, however, trained or experienced in conceiving and executing them. Sometimes people think themselves much more competent than they truly are, and their lack of competence and excess confidence make them dangerous. I believe he meant well, however.”

“By killing two thousand innocent people?”

“Of course not,” he said, holding his palms toward her. “His intention was to protect the people of Serocia and, I suspect, me.”

Does he have anything to do with smuggling godfruit?
Jora wondered.

“I see that surprises you. Let’s talk about the so-called smuggling for a moment, and I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean. Tell me what you know about it. What did Boden uncover?”

She told Yaphet what she’d read in Boden’s journal and what she’d witnessed when she Mindstreamed into his past—the initial sighting of men carting godfruit off to boats in the dark of night, his reports to the sergeant, his confrontation with the smugglers later, and his first death at the hands of the march commander over the incident. When his journal was discovered, he was hauled away in shackles to be court-martialed. Later, Boden’s friend Korlan came forward with the same concerns about the godfruit being smuggled to their enemies. He, too, was arrested. Jora arrived before he could be sent to Jolver for his court-martial. She took advantage of his willingness to get to the bottom of it.

“I see,” King Yaphet said, nodding slowly. “Did the Legion commander have any explanation for the movement of godfruit during the night?” He seemed genuinely interested and concerned.

“He said only to drop it. My impression was that he’d known about it but for some reason was looking the other way. Someone who out-ranks him must have told him not to interfere—or perhaps to ensure its continuation.”

King Yaphet stood and began to pace silently. For a long moment, Jora watched him, his expression thoughtful and his gaze directed at the floor in front of his feet. After a long moment, he turned to her with a dim smile. “I apologize for falling silent all of a sudden. I do my best thinking on my feet.”

“It’s quite all right. I understand.” In truth, she was relieved that he was giving the matter so much consideration. The justice officials would probably have buried it once they pronounced her guilty and executed her for her crimes.

At last, the king took his seat again, but this time he leaned forward, looking earnestly into Jora’s eyes. “I believe I understand why they handled the matter as they did. If something untoward is going on, they’d want to keep it quiet. Imagine the civil unrest that would break out should this information become public knowledge.”

Jora nodded. It was the rationale she’d heard before, the reason Sonnis had executed the Kailders.

“Military dissent and civil war are the last things we need. I’m sure you can imagine how quickly Mangend and Arynd Ban would overrun the Isle of Shess, and then battle each other over whether to cut down the Tree of the Fallen God or take its fruit for themselves. It would only be a matter of time before they stormed up the coast and attacked Jolver. Meanwhile, our soldiers would be overrun and slain, our citizens would be at the mercy of our enemies, and Serocia’s entire government would fall. I’m as interested in self-preservation as anyone—perhaps more so. The very foundation of Serocia’s existence depends on maintaining order and trust in our leadership, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, of course,” she said. “But what about the smuggling? It has to stop. If someone is profiting by sending godfruit to our enemies, it’s only prolonging this war.”

“I absolutely agree with you,” the king said. “If someone is undermining our efforts to defend the Tree and its fruit, then by the might of the challenger, I will stop him.” He struck the arms of his chair with the undersides of his fists to punctuate his words. She noticed a gleam of silver on his wrist inside his sleeve and concluded he wore a wrist cuff like the princess did. A symbol of leadership, perhaps. Or was it something more?

Jora relaxed, feeling a measure of relief she hadn’t known in months. Finally, someone with the power and inclination to get to the bottom of this matter and stop it.

“The nerve of him, whoever he is.” His face, so kindly when he’d first walked in, was now red with anger and indignation. “And on my word, he will be caught and punished.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

He cocked his head and regarded her pensively. “Yes,” he said, wagging one finger at her. “Yes, there is. I would like to strike a bargain with you, if you’ll hear me out.”

A bargain?
Jora nodded, intrigued, hoping he was about to ask for her help. She would gladly give it, but she hadn’t considered that he would offer something in exchange.

“Despite your unassuming manner,” King Yaphet said with a gentle smile, “I’m not going to pretend you’re just another citizen. You’re the most powerful person in the kingdom, perhaps in the entire world. I’d dearly love to count you among my allies.”

Jora flinched, but she recognized a moment later that the word allies meant something different to him than it did to her. She swallowed and nodded, returning his smile. She appreciated his honesty. Elder Sonnis had wanted to treat her like a silly girl whom he could order around and control. Though she wanted what was best for Serocia, she was the Gatekeeper, and she would use her powers to do what was right, whether they liked it or not.

“To that end, I need your–”

The door swung open. Jora and King Yaphet both flinched in surprise. Dominee Ibsa swept into the room with a wicked smile on her face. Jora groaned inwardly.

“Dominee,” the king said, rising to his feet. “What is it?”

Behrendt followed her in and gave the king an apologetic shrug, his lips pinched together in regret.

“The topic of this conversation interests me. I am, after all, the Minister of Truth, and it’s the truth that we’re concerned with here, is it not?”

King Yaphet pressed his lips together and nodded. His entire demeanor changed. No longer was he the relaxed, smiling man Jora had met moments earlier. Now he seemed tense and guarded. “I was just telling Miss Lanseri that I intend to get to the bottom of the smuggling.” He gestured to the sofa as an invitation for her to join them.

“The alleged smuggling,” Dominee Ibsa said, her voice smoothly patronizing. She sat demurely, taking her time to arrange the length of her robe over her legs before turning her gray eyes to Jora. “Your investigators can handle that. The Gatekeeper’s extraordinary talents should be put to use otherwise.”

“Investigators, yes,” the king said. “I’ll assign a team of them to the matter. People I trust. If—and when—my investigators find evidence of it and trace it to its roots, the perpetrators will face charges of treason.”

Again, Jora nodded. He seemed sincere and honest as well as warm. She liked him. “I appreciate that, Your Majesty. It relieves me that you’re as upset as I am by the idea of someone smuggling godfruit to our enemies for profit. Thank you for believing me. I wasn’t sure the elders and adepts in the Justice Bureau did.”

“Perhaps they do and are afraid to speak out. If Elder Sonnis knew about it, then chances are good others within the Justice Bureau do as well.”

“We’ll interview them thoroughly,” the dominee said, “to find out which among them—if any—are involved. I highly doubt any of
my
people would be.”

“Elder Sonnis was,” Jora said, mostly under her breath, though it came out louder than she’d intended. Elder Sonnis had been her pet. In fact, Jora wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Dominee Ibsa was leading the whole thing. Was that why she’d barged in on this conversation uninvited?

“Sonnis was a rogue,” Ibsa returned in a brusque tone. “A number of his other unscrupulous acts have come to light since the worm incident. Had you not already exacted your revenge upon him, he would be facing trial himself.”

King Yaphet made a waving gesture with one hand as if to dismiss the diverging topic of conversation. “If anyone withholds information that would help bring the guilty parties to justice, then I’ll dismantle the whole damned department if I have to.” His face reddened. “The notion of it sickens me—that people within my own administration could undermine me and the country this way.”

Dominee Ibsa pinched her lips into a tight pucker as if she were about to kiss the air, but she said nothing.

The king visibly relaxed his shoulders and arms, settled back into the chair cushions, and crossed his ankles. “But I need something from you, Miss Lanseri.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. What would you ask?” Her heart thumped in her eagerness to accept his request to investigate and find the traitors.

The king tapped the arm of his chair. The crinkles beside his eyes deepened as he regarded her. “I need you to trust me as your king. Trust me to handle this. Trust that I will assign the appropriate resources to the investigation and won’t relax until I’m satisfied that no stone has gone unturned.”

She blinked a few times in surprise. She’d misread him. “Yes, Your Majesty. This is your kingdom. I absolutely trust you to run it.” The heat of embarrassment flooded her face and neck. It had been ridiculous and arrogant of her to assume he would assign the task to her, but what troubled her more was the insinuation that she would use her allies to usurp the throne. “You don’t think…” She swallowed. “You don’t think I would try to take Serocia from you, do you?”

Dominee Ibsa nodded slowly, as if the subject had come up before.

King Yaphet’s eyes widened, and he put up his hands. “Oh, no. I don’t think that at all. Gracious. Forgive me if I chose my words poorly. I meant only to remind you of the danger of speaking about the smuggling to anyone. Rumors spread like wildfire, and mentioning it to the wrong person, even in confidence, could have devastating effects. No matter how well-meaning people are, they don’t always consider the wider ramifications of their actions. Something like that could give way beneath us.”

“Oh, no. Of course,” she said. “I won’t say a thing, though the information did come out as part of my trial.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. They wanted to know why I slayed those men. I asked that only the adepts and elders serving as judges witness the events in my past, but I think the justice captain did, too.” In fact, she was certain of it, though she didn’t want to sound like she was accusing him of wrongdoing.

He waved her concerns aside. “I realize you needed to defend yourself in the courtroom. I should have summoned you before the trial began. I’ll have a talk with the officials presiding over your trial and let them know about my investigation. What I meant was that it’s imperative you don’t reveal your suspicions to anyone who doesn’t have an official need to know.”

“I understand.”

“In exchange for your word that you’ll leave the matter in my hands…”

Jora blushed. Did he think she had no confidence in his ability to rule? “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“In exchange,” he repeated, “I will suspend your sentence for the murder and vigilantism charges.”

Suspend it? “Wh-What do you mean?”

“Yaphet?” Dominee Ibsa drawled. “This is unwise.”

He shot her an annoyed scowl but returned his gaze to Jora without admonishing Ibsa verbally. “Oh, let’s call it a conditional pardon. As long as you keep any thoughts of godfruit smuggling to yourself from this moment forward, you’ll be free to continue your life as before, pardoned for any crimes of which the court has found you guilty.”

Free?

“Your Majesty,” the dominee said, standing, “may I have a word with you?”