The Executioner's Right (The Executioner's Song Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  The King had had the ability to rescue him from prison. Finn had thought he couldn’t reach him at the time, but he had gotten to Rock. It was more that the King had not wanted to help Finn. Which meant that Finn had been sentenced to death and would have been executed were it not for Meyer saving him.

  Why would I ever have thought the King could be his crew?

  He could not.

  Meyer had saved him. Meyer had protected his mother, attempted to heal her. Meyer had helped his sister when she had returned.

  Meyer was his crew.

  “Leon Konig, also known as the King, coordinated an attack on the palace on behalf of a man known only as the Client,” Finn started. “He stole a wooden staff from an upper-level library within the palace. He has been responsible for the theft of other items throughout the city, artifacts designed to instigate trouble with the Alainsith. The staff was a part of it.”

  Meyer looked over to Finn, holding his gaze for a moment. There was something unreadable in the expression. Finally, he turned to the King. “What do you have to say about this?”

  “You would trust him?”

  “Yes,” Meyer said.

  “This is laughable. I’m a business owner in Verendal. Anything with the Alainsith is beyond me.” The King nodded to the tools on the table behind Meyer. “Do what you need to question me. You will find that I am telling you the truth.”

  Meyer stopped in front of the King. “There is no need to question you any further.”

  “There’s not?”

  Meyer shook his head slowly. “No. I brought you here to allow you to confess. Seeing as how you have no interest in confession, there is no need for me to proceed any further. You’ll be brought before the jurors and the magister for sentencing later today.”

  The King glared at him. “You can’t—”

  Meyer turned away, ignoring the King.

  He motioned for Finn to follow, and they stepped out into the hall. The King shouted after them.

  “You aren’t going to escape your fate, Shuffles! You were in on this! When they learn what this was about—"

  The door closed behind them, and the King’s shouts were muted.

  He stared at the door, wishing he knew what that had been about.

  “You already knew what happened,” Finn said.

  “I knew,” Meyer said.

  He looked to the closed door. “I’ve wondered whether he had anything to do with the Lion’s death.” There was a time when he wouldn’t have believed that possible. Now he no longer knew. If the King were willing to sacrifice Finn and Rock, what else might he do?

  “I followed that lead before, Finn. There was nothing to it.”

  Which left Finn without an answer. He didn’t know why, but he thought he should understand who had killed the Lion. His death had given Finn an opportunity.

  Maybe that was reason to leave it alone. Meyer had said that some crimes went unsolved.

  He looked back to Meyer. “What now?”

  “That depends upon you.”

  “How?”

  “You have one more aspect of your testing.”

  When the magister arrived at the prison, Finn wasn’t expecting it. Dressed in the hat of his office, his jacket bearing the colors of the crown, the magister glanced over to Meyer, a frown on his round face. A priest of Heleth followed the magister, dressed in his formal robes of office, clutching the Book of Heleth in his arms.

  “Ugly business, this,” he said.

  “It’s always ugly business,” Meyer said.

  “Indeed. In this case, it’s even uglier. King Porman would like to have this dealt with as expediently as possible. Given that the attack took place within his palace, I think he would prefer to ensure that it is resolved before departing again. He has dealt with enough trouble recently, especially with the item discovered in the palace. I presume you learned it was Alainsith?”

  Finn straightened. That had to have been the seventh bowl Oscar had mentioned.

  As he looked over to Master Meyer, he saw him nodding but not saying anything. Finn had wanted to understand, but Meyer’s lack of reaction might be all he needed to know.

  It wasn’t his responsibility to understand.

  As Master Meyer had said, it was neither of theirs. They served as the arm of justice. He still didn’t know the Client's identity, but when he did, justice could be served.

  “That is what I was told.”

  “It seems someone wanted the treaty to fail. It would be a shame, of course. We’ve known peace with the Alainsith for generations. Losing that now…” The magister looked at the door, shaking his head slowly.

  “When will King Porman be departing?” Meyer asked.

  “He only planned on remaining within the city for a few days. From what I understand, now that this is over, he plans on meeting with Alainsith again.”

  Meyer nodded as if he had expected that.

  “I suppose he has not confessed?”

  Meyer shook his head. “I doubt he will. We have corroborating testimony from others who confirmed that Leon Konig, also known as the King, is responsible for coordinating the attack. In fact, he is responsible for coordinating other attacks as well.”

  “That is unfortunate,” the magister said.

  He nodded to the iron master, who pushed the door open, and the magister entered.

  “Do we need to go in there with him?” Finn asked Meyer.

  “No. The sentencing is going to be straightforward.”

  “The jury doesn’t need to be present?”

  “Not in this case,” Meyer said. “Given that the attack was on the palace itself, the king wanted to ensure that he had the right man, but he has dictated the terms of the sentencing.”

  “Death,” Finn said.

  Meyer looked over to him, holding his gaze before nodding for a moment.

  Finn took a deep breath. “What about me?”

  “Given your role in the testimony and your ties to me, King Porman granted you clemency. Now it is up to you to take advantage of it.”

  Finn nodded. “How will Leon’s sentence be done?”

  “He took pity on him. He offered him the rope.”

  “What about the others? Wolf and Rock?”

  “Use their names, Finn,” Meyer chastised. “And as Luca Grobbe offered testimony, he has been given leniency by the king himself. Exile from Verendal, though probably less than he deserves.”

  Finn shook his head, relief sweeping through him. Finn didn’t think it less than Rock deserved, but at least he wouldn’t die. “And Wolf?”

  “That is to be determined. You will be a part of the questioning—and the sentencing.”

  It might have been easier were Meyer to keep him from it, at least when it came to Rock.

  The magister pulled the door open again and stepped back out into the hallway. “You may begin,” he said, nodding to the priest.

  He entered the chapel, leaving Finn and Meyer with the magister.

  “An odd thing,” the magister said.

  “Indeed,” Meyer said.

  “We have no idea why he would have taken the staff rather than other valuable targets in the palace?”

  “Not yet. The Archers who interrogated him have been unable to ascertain the reason. I suspect he’s telling the truth about that much.”

  “He doesn’t know,” the magister said.

  “If we find the one known as the Client, we may be able to understand what he intended, but until then, we will not have any answers about who is ultimately responsible.”

  The magister nodded slowly. “Dangerous times, it seems. Even if we find this person, who is to say this Client will provide us with any answers?”

  “He hired Mr. Konig for other similar jobs.”

  “Indeed?”

  “There have been several, including the one that involved the theft at Bellut’s home.”

  The magister pressed his lips together in a tight frown. “It’s unfortunate this has ta
ken place in such a sensitive time for the kingdom. The king has instructed us to be particularly firm on crime during these times. He didn’t want anything to interfere with the meeting.”

  “The timing is certainly suspect.”

  “I imagine you have shared that with his Archers?”

  “I have.”

  The magister offered a curt nod. “Preparations have already begun. I imagine there won’t be quite the festival as there is most times, but perhaps that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

  He left them, and Finn glanced over to Meyer. “You know this is not over. The Client—"

  “That isn’t for us to determine,” Meyer said.

  “I thought the magister suggested—”

  Meyer raised his hand. “It isn’t my responsibility. Nor is it yours. Others offer that protection for the kingdom. The threat has been revealed. That is enough. And we merely serve as the arm of the throne empowered to carry out his sentencing.”

  The priest pulled the door open and stepped back out into the hallway. He glanced at Meyer. “Master Meyer. Unfortunately, the condemned does not wish to seek the blessing of Heleth.”

  “That is unfortunate.”

  “I will continue to pray with him as we venture to the gallows. As you know, I wish to offer a prayer before the sentencing is carried out.”

  Meyer glanced to Finn. “Mr. Jagger will be carrying out the sentencing.”

  “Your apprentice? On such a significant criminal?”

  “Each of us must start somewhere,” Meyer said.

  The priest regarded Finn before nodding and heading back into the chapel.

  “Can you do it?” Meyer asked.

  Finn looked toward the closed door leading into the chapel.

  When it had been Rock, he hadn’t been sure that he would be able to do it. Even now, he wasn’t entirely sure that he would be capable of carrying out the sentencing. It involved killing another man.

  It involved exacting punishment. Revenge.

  Even if it wasn’t truly revenge, it felt that way.

  The other option was his own death.

  “I can do it.”

  “Good.”

  Meyer nodded as if there had never been a doubt. They headed out of Declan Prison, making their way out into the street. Some of the vendors had already begun to get established, setting up their places, and a sense of activity and festivity filled the streets. Finn looked over to Meyer, who had a solemn expression on his face.

  Finn mirrored it.

  It wasn’t long before the door to the prison opened, and the priest guided the King out. He was dressed in the clothing of the condemned, the dark gray of the Sinner’s Cloth that Finn had worn for so many days. The King glared at everyone, looking all around, forced forward by the Archers, but making a point of showing how reluctant he was to follow. When he reached Finn and Meyer, he spat at them.

  “You will suffer for this, Shuffles.”

  The Archers shoved him forward.

  Behind him, the priest read from the Book of Heleth. His words rose and fell, crying out against the crowd, a prayer for the condemned. The last time Finn remembered hearing those words had been when he had been led to the gallows. At that time, he had spoken them himself.

  Surprisingly, he found himself repeating the prayer, speaking the words of Heleth along with the priest. Meyer glanced at him but showed no look of surprise.

  A crowd followed them. He was far more aware of the crowd this time than he had been during his own execution. He was far more aware of the crowd than he had been when he had followed Dalton Pegg during his sentencing. The throng of people pressed up against them, a crowd all surrounding them from all sections within the city. Only during the Gallows Festival did all of the sections of the city come together.

  They passed through the gate. The gallows loomed into view, along with the Raven Stone. The priest continued to pray, and for the first time, Finn noticed a hint of fear from the King. His hands trembled, though he tried to make it seem as if they did not. He squeezed his hands into fists, balling them up, but when he straightened them, the ends of his fingers twitched. His gaze darted from side to side, looking all around them. When it settled on Finn, he glared at him.

  They reached the base of the Stone.

  Finn recognized several of the men standing there. Executioners, all of them. There was one woman, the same woman who had been present at his testing.

  “The Executioner Court is here?”

  Meyer nodded. “This is the final stage in your test.”

  Regardless of what the King had put him through, this was still someone he knew. His crew. Someone who’d helped him all the years he’d been with the crew.

  Who I thought helped me.

  Someone who had been willing to let Finn hang.

  Still, complex emotions rolled through him.

  He knew the King.

  A stranger would have been an easier test. Which made this the right test. He understood that. Do this, and he could prove himself to the court. To Meyer.

  He would have his crew.

  Not just Oscar, but Lena and his mother. Meyer.

  Finn’s real crew.

  “I won’t fail you.”

  Meyer smiled tightly. “I know.”

  In addition to the Executioner Court, the jurors and the magister were all there, standing in a row in front of the Raven Stone. All were dressed in their markers of office, a formal air to them.

  Bellut glanced at Finn, and he glanced over to the Executioner Court, his brow furrowing even more. The jurors had wanted him to die. They’d wanted him to suffer. Meyer had saved him. And now Finn would complete his own salvation. It meant that he would become an executioner in full, but Finn was ready for that.

  He had no choice but to be ready for it.

  The priest continued his prayer, and Meyer nodded to Finn.

  They took up a position on either side of the King, leading him up the Raven Stone.

  “I still don’t understand why anyone would attempt to break into the palace,” one of the jurors said.

  Their voice was loud enough for Finn to hear above the din of the crowd.

  He reached the top step of the Raven Stone, guiding the King with him.

  “I can’t imagine the reward was worth the risk.”

  Finn glanced back, realizing that it was Bellut who had spoken.

  He stumbled, suddenly remembering where he had heard that phrase the night before.

  The Client.

  It had been Bellut?

  His heart pounded a moment, and he resisted the urge to look back at him. Could it be?

  Breaking into his own home would draw attention away from him.

  He would have to tell Meyer. He might know what to do with the information.

  Not now, though.

  After.

  Complete the sentencing. Finish the test.

  Then deal with Bellut and the other juror the King had bribed.

  Finn gathered himself, and he finished the climb up the stairs and guided Meyer to the gallows. He and Meyer turned the King so that he faced out toward the crowd and the jurors. The priest continued to pray to him while Meyer handed Finn the rope.

  Finn held it in his hand.

  He had practiced tying knots. Meyer had wanted him to work through the technique for how best to hang a man.

  “What kind of knot was he sentenced to?” he whispered to Meyer, stretching the rope out and debating how to tie it.

  “The king took pity on him. For a crime such as he committed, it is often the case that he would be subjected to much more severe punishment. You may decide how to tie the rope.”

  Finn looked down at the rope. There were two options. Suffering or a quick death.

  He carried it over to the King. He ran the rope around the King’s neck, determining the length.

  “This should have been you, Shuffles.”

  “This was me,” Finn said. “Because of you. You could have saved me
.”

  “There is no saving someone like us.”

  Finn glanced over to Meyer. “I’m not like you.”

  He stepped back and quickly tied the rope, looping it up over the gallows and securing it. He nodded to Meyer, who helped guide him up the stairs, where Finn slipped the rope over the King’s neck.

  His heart hammered.

  He hadn’t known how he would feel doing this. His hands were steadier than he would have expected. Maybe his anger with the King—Leon, he corrected himself—made it easier. Still, his mouth was dry, and nausea threatened to overwhelm him.

  Finn had to take a moment and steady his breath. He could feel Meyer watching him.

  He wouldn’t disappoint him.

  “Do you have anything else to say?” Finn asked.

  “The gods might have protected the Hand, but they won’t watch over you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn asked, but he already suspected he knew.

  The King had been responsible for Oscar almost getting caught at the viscount’s manor. Because of him, Finn had been sentenced—and was now there.

  The irony was almost enough to elicit a smile but now was not the time.

  “This is bigger than you know. Beware of who you trust.”

  Finn hesitated, but when he saw the cold look in the King’s eyes, he knew what had to be done. There was no remorse.

  “Goodbye, Leon.”

  Finn stepped down, and he nodded to Meyer.

  Taking a deep breath, he removed the steps, and the King dropped.

  It happened quickly. He fell. The rope pulled tight, the length accurate. His neck snapped.

  Finn took a long breath, watching the King as he hung dead.

  Finally, Meyer nodded to him. “A good death. Quick.”

  “Probably more than he deserved,” Finn whispered.

  Meyer regarded him a moment. “I chose well.” He guided Finn forward, and they made their way down the stairs. They stopped in front of the Executioner Court. “My apprentice, Finn Jagger, has completed his first execution. He has passed the testing of the Executioner Court. I hereby claim that my right has been fulfilled.”

  The bald executioner stepped forward. “Your right has been fulfilled.” With that, he clapped Finn on the shoulders. “You will bring him to the court to celebrate later.”