Kerrion frowned as he strode through the palace, alarmed by the uproar he had discovered upon his return from the funeral. No advisors were about to tell him what had caused the ruckus, and he knew that questioning servants or sentries would do him little good. Soldiers ran around, maidens wept, and servants scuttled from his path as he headed for the harem to collect Minna and Kerra. Fearful that something had happened to them, he trotted down the last stretch of corridor and burst into the harem. The women fell to their knees and prostrated themselves, all except two, who hastened to him, looking anxious. Minna reached him first, her eyes filled with worry.
"What has happened?"
"I do not know. I feared that something had happened to you."
"Only a rumour has reached us. Apparently a group of Jovan's men came into the palace, and some guards were killed. Perhaps they could not find us, or the guards prevented them. Is Blade all right?"
The King took her hand and headed for the door. "I intend to find out."
Kerrion hurried down the corridor to the wing where Blade was hidden as fast as he could while still retaining some dignity, the queens trotting beside him. The hubbub grew more intense as they neared Blade's rooms. Soldiers crowded the corridors and servants ran around with messages or mops, some in wide-eyed confusion. The throng parted for Kerrion, and all activity ceased as servants fell to their knees and soldiers stepped aside and saluted. A couple of junior officers took it upon themselves to run ahead and announce his arrival. He headed for the empty rooms where Blade had chosen to stay during the funeral.
Kerrion's heart sank as it became clear that this was the epicentre of the furore, and the two guards at the end of the corridor lay dead. He ascended the stairs two at a time, Minna and Kerra close behind. The rooms where Blade had been spending the day were crowded with officers and judges, all of whom turned and bowed at the King's entrance. Kerrion swept the room with a glance, the four bodyguards' corpses confirming his worst fears. Minna stifled a gasp of horror and Kerra covered her mouth to muffle her moan of despair.
Kerrion scowled at the nearest judge, and then spied Jadar hovering in the background. "Jadar, where is the man these soldiers guarded?"
"Nowhere to be found, Sire."
"He is not dead?"
"He may be, but not here."
Kerrion glanced at Minna, whose eyes were filled with a terrible foreboding.
One of the judges stepped forward and bowed. "Sire, who was this man?"
"A Jashimari lord."
"And why was his presence here a secret?"
Kerrion frowned. "I am not obliged to disclose my private business to you or anyone else. He is a friend of my wife's."
The judge glanced at his comrades. "And do you know who would wish to harm him?"
"No."
"Might it have something to do with the rumours of a Jashimari assassin hiding in the palace?"
"It may, although those who listen to idle gossip will inevitably be misled."
The judge's eyes flicked to Minna-Satu, then away. "Is it not strange, Sire, that your wife's kidnapper and Prince Chaymin were both assassinated?"
"Prince Dravis murdered Trelath, and Chaymin's assassination remains a mystery. What is more, I did not come here to answer a lot of questions, but to find out what has happened. Explain that, or leave."
The judge hesitated, then inclined his head and gestured to the bodies. "Three of the soldiers were killed by crossbow bolts; the fourth was stabbed in the belly, and died a short time ago."
"With a sword?"
"No, with this dagger." The judge held up a black-hilted dagger that Kerrion recognised as one of Blade's. The judge gestured to the window, where drops of blood spotted the floor. "It seems that your guest put up a fight, and wounded at least one of his attackers before he was subdued. According to the witnesses, a group of soldiers wearing Jovan's colours abducted him."
"That dagger belongs to my guest, which means that this soldier was a traitor. That explains how they knew where to find him. I am certain Dravis is behind this, and Jovan is helping him. Dravis probably thinks he can claim that Lord Conash is this supposed assassin, and use him to clear his name of Trelath's murder."
"Why would he think that, when he was seen in the garden where Trelath died?"
Kerrion spread his arms. "Who knows how his mind works? He is either devious, or mad. But I will wager that he will bring Lord Conash to you with a ludicrous story about him being the assassin. I shall expect you to arrest him when he does."
"If he does come forward with this claim, he will request witness privilege, and will be immune from arrest until his claim is disproved or he is exonerated."
"How can you grant it, when he is not only a murderer, but a kidnapper too, now?"
"Because we seek the truth, Sire. If this Jashimari lord is the assassin, we must know it. Prince Dravis deserves to be heard."
Kerrion snorted. "Even if he is forcing this poor man to take the blame for his crime?"
"How can he do that? If the man is innocent, he will say so."
"Unless he is being coerced, or blackmailed."
The judge smiled and glanced at his fellows. "Sire, no one would be foolish enough to allow himself to be blackmailed into taking on another man's death sentence. What is in it for him?"
"Perhaps the life of someone he thinks more important than himself."
"Who?"
"My wife."
This time the judge snorted, shooting Minna an amused glance. "How can a woman be more important than a man?"
"Because she was his queen, or have you forgotten? The Jashimari respect their women, and their queen is the most important person in their realm."
"I see." The judge glanced at his cohorts again, who shifted and shrugged. "Then we will try to persuade him to tell the truth."
"He will not if he believes she is in danger. You must arrest Dravis. Set a trap and imprison him before he can cause any more harm."
The judge shook his head. "We cannot do that, Sire. If we refuse him witness privilege, he will probably kill this lord. If we grant it, we must honour it, and so must you."
"You would let an innocent man die for Dravis' crimes?"
"We will make every effort to find the truth, Sire, but if the man confesses he has only himself to blame."
Minna touched Kerrion's arm. "Do not bother arguing with them, they will not heed you." She shot the judge a glare, and the man stiffened with indignation. "Such as these are always a hindrance to rulers. They cling to their petty power with fanatical zeal. Let us set about finding Lord Conash ourselves. The courts are useless."
Kerrion resisted her gentle pull on his arm to glower at the judges, then allowed her to lead him from the room. Minna took him downstairs to her quarters, where maidens waited to serve them, some red-eyed and trembling from their earlier fright. The sight of dead bodies and fighting so close at hand had unnerved the timid girls, and many still wept.
Minna dismissed them and sank down on the cushions beside the low table that held the omnipresent wine bottle, pouring three cups. Kerra stared across the room with dazed, horror-filled eyes, and Minna pressed a cup into her hand, which she gazed at for several moments before she took a gulp. Kerrion glanced at her with concern and settled on a cushion, fury and frustration warring for supremacy within him. Minna handed him a cup, and he slugged back half of its contents. She sipped hers, watching him.
"Last time we found him purely by chance," Kerrion muttered. "This time we will not be so lucky, I am sure. Jovan and Dravis are working together in this, and they have many friends in the city."
"But your spies must know all of them?"
"Most, but it would do no good to search their houses. Dravis knows that I know them. He will find somewhere else to hide Blade. He will want to hand him over for execution, but he will not if he believes that Blade will speak against him. Then he will just kill him. What will Blade do?"
Minna sighed and shook her head. "I wish I could predict him, but in all honesty I cannot. Just a short time ago, I mistook him. He is a clever man, perhaps more so than I know. He claims not to care about his life, but he also lies, so I do not know what to believe. His hatred for Cotti is such that he may spit in Dravis' eye and be killed, or he may lie his way out of it."
"He must survive!" Kerra burst out. "He cannot die at the hands of Cotti scum!"
Kerrion's brows shot up, and he turned to stare at his daughter. "You have spent too much time in Blade's company. Dravis is your uncle."
"He is a vile pig! How can you defend him after what he has done?"
"I am not, but nor do I resort to name calling."
Minna shook her head at the girl. "Be still, child. It does no good to rail at your father."
"Blade will find a way out. I know he will escape."
"I would not wager on that," Kerrion muttered. "Dravis is no fool. He will take every precaution."
Minna sipped her wine. "But, just as you once did, Dravis has captured a man whose deadliness is only surpassed by his deviousness, and whose unpredictability led to Armin's downfall. What he does depends upon what Dravis wants of him, and with what he threatens him. If Blade wishes to claim this mysterious reward that Shamsara has promised him, he will try to stay alive."
"Then he will agree to do as Dravis wishes, and be handed over to the court."
"And what will Dravis want?"
"My downfall."
Minna looked aggrieved. "Blade will not be averse to that, but nor will he wish to aid a Cotti. If he is brought to the court, can you free him?"
Kerrion shook his head. "Not without implicating myself. I can claim that he is not the assassin who killed my brothers, but his mark will make it difficult for the judges to believe there is more than one Jashimari assassin in the palace. They will think I am trying to protect him, and if he tells them I am his employer, as Dravis will want, I will be in trouble."
Kerra raised her head. "I will claim to be his employer, before he can blame you, father."
"No. No one knows who you are, and I want to keep it that way."
"As the Jashimari Queen, I am immune to your courts. They know that if they attempt to arrest me it will start the war again."
"And many would like that," Kerrion growled. "You will keep quiet, or I shall confine you to your rooms."
Kerra gasped and glanced at Minna, who shook her head. "Do as your father says. He is right. Kerrion, you must speak to Blade when he is brought to the palace, can you do that?"
"It will be difficult, but yes, if he is brought here, I can."
"I hope Blade will trick Dravis into handing him over to the court. He must know that it is his best chance of escape."
Kerrion's brows rose. "I cannot free him."
"Why not? You are the King and he is a Jashimari lord. It is a political decision, regardless of the criminal charges."
"He will be accused of killing half a dozen Cotti princes. If I order his release, Dravis will cite it as proof that I am his employer, and the rest of my brothers will back him up. I have used him to blackmail them, and now that he has been captured they will turn against me.
"They will vote against the new laws and accuse me of treason. Blade must tell the courts that I am not his employer. I wish he could claim not to be the assassin, but they will not believe that. Dozens of nobles saw him kill Ronan, and his mark proclaims his profession." Kerrion rose and walked to the window to scowl at the sunset that bathed the white city in ruddy light, making it look like it had been washed with blood.
"You must send someone to free him, father," Kerra said.
"He will be too well guarded. It would be impossible."
"Then what will you do? You cannot allow him to be killed. He saved mother, and you swore to repay him."
Kerrion ran a hand through his hair. "And this is just the sort of repayment he would demand. But I cannot do it without jeopardising my throne."
Minna murmured, "Perhaps it is a risk worth taking, considering the services he has already performed for you, albeit reluctantly. If not for him, you would have been executed before you took the throne."
"You sent him."
"But he did it."
Kerrion groaned and rubbed his face. "I know! I know! My memory serves me just as well as yours." He swung to face her. "But I am surprised you would have me risk everything for him. Just how important is he to you?"
She lifted her chin, her eyes sparkling. "Of what do you accuse me?"
"Loving him."
Minna-Satu stood up and frowned at him. "Then I am guilty. He held my hand when I lay dying, and he made all of this possible. Without him, we would not have met, Kerra would not have been born, and your father would still be king. We owe him."
He closed the gap between them and gripped her arms. "But it is more than that, is it not?"
"Yes, it is. I have called him my brother."
"And doubtless he laughed in your face. He is like an infernal disease, and a cold, uncaring bastard. No one in his right mind would risk everything to save him, especially a king."
"You love him too."
Kerrion stared at her with frustrated anger. "Where does he get the power?"
"It is a gift from Tinsharon, to make up for what he lost. You must save him, or blood will flow. I feel it in my bones."
"I am not sure I can." Kerrion released her and turned away, running a hand through his hair. "I will send troops to search the city again. Perhaps there is a chance that they will find him."