Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2) (37 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

A
shadow fell on them from the doorway. Jayden had returned, and with him, in dark blue and silver robes of State, all pointed sleeves and winged horse sigil on his chest, stood First Counsellor Basten. He marched into the room and stopped a foot away from Venn, staring down at Brady.

“What is going on here?”

Jeff’s jaw fell at the blatant lack of consideration. He felt the tears in his eyes dry with the shock of it.

“Our friend has died,” Jasmine replied with a calmness Jeff could never have matched. Jasmine closed her eyes and pressed her trembling lips together. Her spine straightened, and her shoulders shifted backwards and her chin rose. When she opened her eyes again, the emeralds staring back at him were void of emotion, her expression cold.

It hurt to see the change. For the first time in books or in person, he felt he’d finally managed to see the woman beneath the ruler, and now he’d forced her to revert back. She was the head of Feldall House, a leader who had no time for feelings or personal consideration.

She rose to her feet. “We’re saying our farewells.”

Jayden balked, and Jeff noticed him grab the edge of the table beside him to keep on his feet.

“I see. And you are?” Basten asked, so obviously uninterested in their grief that it would have been amusing if Jeff weren’t using every ounce of self-control to keep from punching the guy in the mouth. He squeezed Cassie tighter to resist the temptation. She returned the pressure, and he guessed she faced a similar urge.

“Lady Jasmine of House Feldall. And you,
sir
?” Although Jeff knew she had no doubts about who stood in front of her.

“I am the queen’s advisor, Theodore Basten. An honour to meet you, my Lady.” He bent over Jasmine’s hand in a brief bow, more traditional courtesy than sincerity. “I am sorry for your loss. Was it an accident?”

“It was Raul.”

A greying eyebrow arched. “Oh?”

Jasmine stretched a hand out towards the door. “Perhaps it would be better to discuss this elsewhere. Out of respect for our friend.”

“Of course.” Basten bowed and left the room.

Jayden started to follow, but turned back and kneeled down beside Brady. Jeff hesitated, and then rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I don’t understand what happened.”

“We’ll explain everything,” Jeff promised. “It’s possible he didn’t die for nothing.”

“We hope,” said Cassie, voice filled with bitterness. She gave Jeff a final hug before taking Maggie’s hand to go after Jasmine. Jeff felt colder after she let go and crossed his arms to fill the void. He wished Jayden would step away so he could also say goodbye.

Jayden called in a passing servant and ordered him to the medical ward to arrange plans to transport Brady.

“Between the healing ward and the death house, the Keep is filling up,” said Jayden, words husky with emotion. “So many people lost in such a short time, and all because of one man’s bid for power. How is it possible that he can have an impact on so many?”

“Because people have let him,” said Jeff. “But not any more.”

They waited in silence until the physician’s aides turned up with the stretcher and carried Brady’s body away. As the scholar left the library, the room took on a feeling of abandonment. In time, someone would take his place, maybe Maggie’s son William, but it would never have the same life that Brady had given it.

Jeff pulled his sleeve over his hand to wipe his eyes, and then followed Jayden into the corridor, closing the door behind him. Together they walked towards Jasmine’s office, where Basten’s voice could be heard hollering down the corridor.

“How could you just let them leave? Does this Keep have no security? Murder, assassination attempts. Just what kind of household do you run here?”

They hurried into the room in time to see Jasmine clasp her hands on the desk and lean forwards, the patient professor with the bull-headed student. Basten was on his feet, looming over her. His robes looked tentish over his portly frame.

Maggie, Cassie, and Venn stood huddled together against one wall, three of the Queensguard against the other. The two outer chairs contained Basten’s men, the third presumably claimed by the first counsellor himself.

“My Lord, I understand that you have a very high position in court,” Jasmine said, her voice low, “but we have just lost a very important member of our House, and I ask that you show the appropriate respect and keep your voice down. Take your seat.”

Basten’s face turned red, and he tugged at his moustache before he complied.

Jasmine cleared her throat. “I know our efforts here appear half-hearted, but I assure you, that’s not the case. Without any strong leads to go on, we sent a good number of our scouts to find some trace of Raul. We took in six of your guard that returned, injured, from the southeast road and are currently in our Healing Ward. Our scouts corroborated their information and have gathered forces to take the road together. More corpses at more empty homesteads, all going down that same road. If he’s trying to hide, he’s not doing a very good job.”

“Then why are you still here? Why haven’t you gone after him?”

“Because, my Lord,” said Jayden, coming up to stand at his sister’s side, “we only received this report earlier today when our scouts returned, at which point we had other priorities to attend to. There is also the concern of how to approach him.”

Jasmine nodded. “Our House enchantress has discovered the spell Raul is using to regain his power. She was able to guard herself against it, but unfortunately our scholar ….” She stopped, swallowed, continued, “He was not as fortunate.”

Basten crossed his legs and folded his hands over his knee. “You’re saying the young man in the library was killed by Raul? Is this a national threat?”

“Only to those with magical talents or abilities,” said Maggie. “He’s absorbing their power. I sent a message to everyone nearby in my circle, but at this point we don’t know how far he’s cast his net.”

“And what about Harold?” Basten demanded. “How is it that his murder has been slotted as such a low concern? I understand you lost your man, but he was the best I had.”

Jayden clenched his jaw, and Jasmine drew in a sharp breath, releasing it slowly.

“He was killed by the men the queen sent with us, Michael and Darcy Dorning. We have evidence they’re behind the conspiracy to depose Queen Ansella.”

One of the Queensguard standing against the wall snorted. “Impossible,” she said. But Basten’s face paled and he softly cleared his throat, picking at a hangnail.

“What sort of evidence?” he asked.

Jayden pulled the dagger that he had taken from Michael’s wardrobe out of his jacket. “This was found in my sister’s blood after she was stabbed by a stranger in the dark.”

He handed it over, and Basten’s eyebrows raised with interest, eyes roaming over Jasmine, assessing her. She straightened her shoulders under his appraisal, showing that the injury hadn’t softened her.

“He told us it was Harold’s blade,” Jayden continued. “Managed to convince us that you were the head of the conspiracy.”

“This isn’t Harold’s dagger,” Basten said, setting it back on the desk. “He always preferred a more utilitarian style, like mine.” Reaching into a pocket in his robes, he pulled out a simple, slim blade that looked more like a letter opener than a dagger.

Jayden nodded. “We realise we were mistaken. But by then, your man had already gone off, we guess to do some investigating of his own as to Raul’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, we were never able to hear what, if anything, he learned.”

“Why would the Dornings want to take down the queen?” Jeff asked, surprised to hear his own voice. But the question was there and no one else seemed to be asking it. He came closer so Basten didn’t have to crane his neck to see him.

The first counsellor looked down his nose at him.

“Do you have any voice here, young man?” he asked, his tone pompous. “In spite of what we’ve heard about you, it doesn’t seem you’ve done much to protect us from Raul or his compatriots.”

Jasmine tapped her thumb on the back of her other hand. “Jeff is a member of this House, and in that regard his questions have a right to be answered. Why Dorning?”

Jeff felt a flood of warmth and gratitude in his chest, but he kept his face blank. Or thought he had. Jasmine’s faint rolling of her eyes made him realise the grin in his mind had come through on his lips. He pressed them together and narrowed his eyes at the counsellor.

Basten remained silent for a moment or two, features contorted with frustration, and Jeff guessed he was trying to find a reason not to tell them. Finally, he exhaled a slow breath through his nose and shifted in his seat.

“Michael Dorning is my cousin,” he began, and Jeff felt his jaw drop. Similar expressions, if more subtle, crossed Jasmine’s and Jayden’s faces.

Basten rubbed his fingers in his eyes. “You may know my family used to rule Andvell. Michael always loved that story, so I’ve no doubt he told you the entire sordid tale. The king was my grandfather’s uncle, and I have no sympathies for what happened to him. In my opinion, King Ansel was more than generous in leaving anyone with the name of Basten alive. But my grandfather proved himself and had the privilege of sitting in the High Counsel after the fiasco died down. Considering he was twelfth in line for the throne after all of the king’s direct descendants, I don’t believe he was too disappointed with the promotion.”

He sniffed. “Dorning’s grandfather and my own were cousins. At the time, he also held the name of Basten. While a more distant claimant to the throne by blood, he was privy to the king’s plans due their shared, twisted ambition. When Ansel took the throne, Dorning’s grandfather was among the first to be rounded up. Somehow, he managed to protect his infant son from being included in the execution. His wife died with him, so a servant took Michael’s father. Ansel kept his eye on them, but allowed him to go, believing the sins of the father ….”

“So now Dorning wants to claim his rights,” Jayden concluded.

“It would seem so,” Basten said. “Although why the fool thought bringing Raul into his plans would make them more successful, I’ve no idea. The best we can hope for him is that Raul makes his death slow and painful. Before we kill Raul, of course.”

“Of course,” Jasmine agreed.

“You believe that’s where he’s gone? To find Raul?”

Even as Basten asked the question there came a knock at the door, and a messenger scout came in, panting, and face flushed with sweat. Jasmine nodded to the servant standing in the corner, and he poured a cup of wine, bringing it to the young woman so she could catch her breath.

“You have something to report?”

“Yes, m-my Lady,” she stammered, and then took a few quick sips of wine before returning it to the servant and standing at attention, hands behind her back. “Captain Dorning and his son were moving down the southeast road.”

Jeff wanted to point out that this was hardly news, when she added, “But they veered off. The rest of the path we followed to the village must have been a decoy. They’re now headed southwest.”

“He must have known we’d follow,” said Jasmine. “Do you think he’s trying to lead us the wrong way?”

Jayden considered her words, thumb tapping against his upper lip. “No, I think it’s the opposite. I think the Dornings want us to find him. I think they want him to kill us. Get us, and Jeff—” he added, with a pointed glance, “—out of the way as one less obstacle to burden him once he takes the throne.”

“And then what will he do with Raul?” Jasmine asked, scornful. “Give him a position on the High Counsel?”

“I suspect he plans to kill him.”

“Then he’s a fool.”

“As fascinating as this banter is,” Basten cut in, “what do we intend to do about it? If Dorning has associated himself with Raul, then he is no longer an issue. No matter how this ends, he’ll be among the first to die.”

“We follow,” Jayden said without hesitation.

Jasmine nodded. “He knows where Raul is, we need to find Raul. This is the best opportunity we’ve had since Raul returned.”

“And you volunteer to lead this venture?”

“Yes.” Both siblings said at once, their voices firm and sure.

Jeff froze. He didn’t know why he felt surprised—it had been the plan all long—but somehow, now that they had a real lead, he was afraid for them. Raul had had over a week to gain his strength, and he suspected it may as well have been a month. Brady was—he stumbled over the thought, refusing to settle there for too long—and they’d almost lost Maggie as well.

When Venn spoke up with an “I’m going, too,” his heart nearly pounded out of his chest. It only calmed down when Jasmine shook her head.

“No, you’ll stay here.”

Venn crossed her arms. “You have no say in what I do. I swore an oath to help. And now I find I might get to avenge my sister. I won’t stay behind.”

“Yes,” said Jayden. “You will. We can’t have untrained vigilantes going out and causing trouble. Trained men only. And you, I assume?” He posed the question to Basten.

The advisor smoothed his moustache. “No, I’ll return to the palace in the morning. Someone needs to update the queen on recent events. I’ll leave my men at your disposal, however. I brought fifty with me, not knowing what we’d find once we arrived.”