“And less of a target,” Queen Marta said.
“A forlorn hope, I admit,” the king said. “The Silver Thrones will always be targets.”
“As indeed they are right now,” Danthres said.
Nodding approvingly, King Marcus said, “Down to business, then. Right. What is it you wish to discuss with us?”
Turning to face the queen, Danthres said, “First I must ask you a personal question, Your Majesty.”
Queen Marta blinked in surprise. “Very well, Lieutenant. Given that it is personal, I cannot promise an answer.”
Danthres did not reply to that caveat directly, but simply asked, “Did you have an older sister named Lillyana?”
The queen’s lengthy hesitation and look of abject fear answered Danthres’s question without her having to say a word.
Finally, though, the queen did speak. “I had a sister by that name once, but no longer.”
“And you’re aware that after she left Velessa she became a pirate, eventually becoming the legendary Pirate Queen?”
Slowly, Queen Marta nodded.
“Rumors have been circulating,” the king said slowly, “that the Pirate Queen was murdered in Cliff’s End. Is this true?”
Torin said, “She was actually murdered on the Garamin Sea, but her crew put in to Cliff’s End and specifically requested that Lieutenant Tresyllione and I investigate her murder.”
Danthres added, “I grew up in Sorlin, and the Pirate Queen often brought refugees to us from elf country. Her sailing master is an old friend, and—”
Suddenly the queen got to her feet and walked away from the table.
“Excuse me,” the king said, and he also rose. Danthres and Torin, out of respect, also got up.
Danthres watched as King Marcus walked over to his queen and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and fell into an embrace.
After a few seconds, she palmed a tear from one eye, and said, “My apologies, Lieutenant. I had allowed myself to believe that the stories we’d been hearing of the Pirate Queen’s death were just that—stories. I—I didn’t wish to believe that my sweet Lillyana was dead.”
“If you need some time—” Torin started.
“No,” the queen said quickly. “You are investigating my sister’s death, and I wish to do everything I can to aid you in that.” She walked back to the table and sat down. The king did likewise, a look of grave concern on his face. Danthres saw that he really didn’t want to continue this line of questioning until his queen had a chance to compose herself, but he wasn’t about to gainsay her, either.
A knock on the dining room door signaled Harbart’s return with the bottle of mead and four mugs, and the conversation ceased. Danthres assumed that this very private subject was not one the monarchs wished to have in front of anyone besides the two lieutenants.
Harbart poured each of them a drink—first the queen, then the king, then Danthres, then Torin—and took his leave.
After he was gone, the queen finally asked, “How did Lillyana die?”
“She was poisoned,” Danthres said. “Since it did happen on open water, and since everyone on the Rising Jewel is accounted for, it has to be one of her crew.”
The king sipped his mead and then asked, “Did her crew know she was Marta’s sister?”
Danthres shook her head. “No, we learned of that from her cook—who is far more than a cook.” She then outlined what Voran had told them about their Cabal.
Dryly, King Marcus said, “The pair of you have a knack for ferreting out conspiracies against our throne.”
“I’m not entirely convinced the plural should be used, Your Majesty,” Torin said. “Voran is from Iaron, and remember that Blayk spent his last few years living in Iaron. He said he was acting alone in his desire to rule the human lands, but that was never a particularly convincing claim. A plan as far-reaching as his requires an infrastructure.”
“So you believe that Blayk was part of this Cabal?”
“Possibly. Or the Cabal is simply the latest iteration of the plot.”
“Interesting.”
“And,” the queen added, “irrelevant. We’re here to discuss my sister’s death.”
“They are related, Your Majesty,” Danthres said. “Voran says he convinced Lillyana to return to Velessa and claim the throne, backed by the Cabal, and the following morning, she was found poisoned. I’ve no idea how much truth Voran is telling—my instinct says, not much, truth be told—but we needed first to verify that the Pirate Queen was indeed your sister.”
“If Voran’s story is true,” Torin said, “then we have a job ahead of us, as all forty-five remaining crew on the Rising Jewel is suspect. As the Pirate Queen, your sister has committed quite the litany of illegal acts, and it is quite likely that a frightened outlaw pirate might view her becoming queen of the human lands to be akin to a death sentence—or, at the very least, a prison sentence.”
Queen Marta took a long gulp of her mead, used a napkin to dab at the corners of her mouth, and then set her hands palms-down on the table. “I find it very difficult to credit this Voran person’s story. Not the Cabal—that is depressingly likely—but rather that he convinced Lillyana to replace me on my throne.”
Torin cocked his head quizzically. “May we ask why?”
“Because she did everything she could to avoid that particular responsibility.” She took a deep breath. “Lillyana was two years older than I. From infancy, we were both trained in being members of the royal family, but where I was simply being shown how to be a noble, Lillyana was the one in line for the throne as the eldest. Everything there was to know about statecraft, about diplomacy, about decorum, about deportment, and about the responsibilities of being a monarch, she was shown.
“And she hated every moment of it.” The queen chuckled. “She was genuinely interested in some of it, truly—the history, certainly, and diplomacy—but the rest bored her. She refused to take to her lessons, and deliberately sabotaged herself in them. When she reached her teen years, she came out and stated that she did not wish to be queen. By that time, my father realized that he needed a backup plan, as it were, so I was belatedly brought in to the royal training as well. I did decently at it, at least.”
Placing his mead mug back on the table after gulping some, the king said, “My queen is far too modest. She was brilliant.”
“I let others make such judgments,” Queen Marta said with a shy smile at her king. Then her face grew serious again. “I was fifteen years of age, and Lillyana was seventeen, when my father took ill. While he lay sick, he pleaded with my sister, but her pleadings were even greater.” Again she used her napkin, this time to dab her eyes. “I remember the conversation vividly. ‘Please, Lillyana, think of the people,’ Father said. And she replied, ‘I am thinking of them, Father. I would make a terrible queen. Please, don’t make me do what I am not fit to do. Marta is a beautiful soul and as noble a person as you will find in Velessa. She will rule our people with compassion and dignity—I fear all I shall do is annoy our allies and provoke our enemies.’“
“That sounds like the Captain,” Danthres muttered.
“I beg your pardon, Lieutenant?” the queen asked archly.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I knew your sister later in her life, and—well, that sounds very much like her.”
“Yes, Lillyana preferred to do as she pleased. In truth, she would have made a fine leader, but a terrible ruler, as she was incapable of doing what she was told. And—as my husband can attest—there is no one in Flingaria who must do what they are told, rather than what they wish to, than a monarch.”
“She was, in fact, a very fine leader,” Danthres said. “Her crew is devoted to her—which is why it’s so difficult to figure out which one of them killed her.”
The queen nodded an acknowledgment to Danthres. “That does not surprise me. Lillyana was very charismatic. Everyone loved her. I think that’s why Father was so disappointed that she rejected her birthright. In
any event, Father was very insistent that, if she not take the throne after he died, that it be abundantly clear that she was abdicating her position as heir.”
“I assume there’s paperwork,” Danthres said. There was always paperwork.
“Of the most binding kind, Lieutenant,” the queen said gravely. “Before she left Velessa never to return, she signed a Fealty Contract to the Silver Thrones, with the Brotherhood of Wizards.”
Danthres frowned. “I don’t know what that is.”
“I do,” Torin said, “but only as a concept. I wasn’t aware that such things actually were made.”
“Oh, it’s very real,” King Marcus said, “and very rare. Primarily because it’s also very expensive. Typical of magick.”
Queen Marta nodded. “My father thought it worth the expense.”
The look on the king’s face indicated that he did not agree. The look of distaste on his face indicated a revulsion for magick that rivaled Danthres’s—and hers was considerable. That may have been why he had avoided glamours to improve his appearance.
“What,” Torin asked, “are the terms of the contract that Lillyana signed?”
“That she would make no claim to the Silver Thrones, that she rejected her birthright as the heir to King Tomsim, and that she would never set foot in Velessa again for all her days.”
“And if she violates any terms of the contract?”
“A Misfortune Spell would be cast on her.”
Torin’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t aware there was such a thing as a Misfortune Spell.”
The king smirked. “Yes, well, it’s not a spell they sell commercially, as the potential for chaos is tremendous. It’s forbidden to be cast except on Fealty Contracts, and even then, it takes a wizard of tremendous power and with very expensive spell components to create it.”
“Which,” Danthres said, “would explain why it is such a pricey contract.”
Nodding, the queen said, “However, what it does is give extremely bad luck to both the person the spell is directed at and anyone that person has affection for.”
Danthres winced. “That would mean her entire crew would be affected—as well as, I assume, the pair of you,” she added quickly.
“Not me,” the king said. “We only met a few times. But my queen would definitely be adversely affected, at a time when she had already, in theory, lost her throne.”
“Still, she would never risk that.” Danthres finally gave in and took a sip of the mead. It coated her throat with honey and was far too sweet, but as mead went, it wasn’t that bad.
There was a long, awkward pause after that. Danthres found she had no idea what to ask the monarchs next.
Luckily, the queen herself came to her rescue. “What is to become of her body?”
“We haven’t addressed that, yet,” Torin said. “At the moment, we’ve kept her crew confined to the Rising Jewel, along with the body.”
“With respect,” said Danthres, “I believe that her crew should have first say in the disposition of her remains.”
“Of course.” Queen Marta nodded. “However, there is a burial plot for the royal family here. If her crew would allow it, I wish her to be buried here. The Fealty Contract only affects her during life, and is now void.”
Danthres blinked. “Wait, so it wouldn’t affect any of her relations?”
“No. She was very specific that it only be directed at her, as she did not want any potential heirs to be denied a chance to be part of the royal family if they so wished. Why, does she have children?”
“She has a son, Rodolfo.”
The queen looked at the king, who nodded. “If this Rodolfo wishes to come to Velessa and claim his place as a prince of the realm, he is welcome to do so. We will not challenge that.”
Danthres suspected that Rodolfo would decline the honor, but it was his choice, at least.
She then looked at Torin, who nodded, and Danthres was amused that she and Torin had a silent communication similar to that of the two married monarchs.
“I believe that is all we need, Your Majesties,” Torin said, getting to his feet. “We will not take up any more of your time.”
However, the king waved his hand up and down. “Don’t be absurd. Please, sit. Our business is concluded, but that doesn’t mean we wish to be removed from your fine company. It is rare that we are able to get immediate impressions of the other city-states—it’s generally rumors that are difficult to substantiate and reports we don’t receive until months after the fact.”
“Besides,” Queen Marta added, “you have done us another great service today. Rarely does a day go by when I do not think of my wonderful sister. I have followed the Pirate Queen’s exploits secretly—publicly, of course, we have always condemned her—but in private, I have enjoyed the tales of her adventures. In truth, I’ve always been envious. But I’m glad that you were able to confirm the truth of her demise to me. It would have been devastating to continue to hear those rumors for weeks until the official report came here.”
“Of course.” Torin sat back down. “It was our pleasure.”
They spent several hours conversing after that, answering various questions about day-to-day life in Cliff’s End, including the difficulties with Barlin refugees.
“We’ve had some people from Barlin also, but it’s true, Cliff’s End has borne the brunt,” the king said after finishing off his mead. “Lord Doval might be well to consider some new laws.”
“With respect,” Danthres said, “I disagree. You can’t legislate behavior, you can only punish it. But most of the behaviors being brought about by this hatred are already illegal. Possibly we could make punishments harsher, but that would only increase the population in Manticore Precinct.”
“Perhaps.” The king sounded thoughtful, but not entirely convinced.
“People dislike change,” Torin said. “When everything is the same as it’s been for a long time, they get comfortable. But when there’s a major change, many people react badly. Any disruption they view as a personal insult.”
“Then what do you suggest be done about this ill will toward the refugees?” King Marcus asked.
“Wait it out. It’s possible that time will ease the tensions, as people adjust to the new reality. But we also need to be more vigilant. Lord Doval just opened a new precinct in New Barlin, which will help matters considerably. The Castle Guard was stretched far too thin to deal with the influx until a week ago. If matters grow worse even with the new precinct, then we should consider more drastic action.”
Queen Marta nodded approvingly. “That is a very philosophical attitude, Lieutenant. Obviously, your training in Myverin has served you well.”
Danthres assumed that the queen knew of Torin’s home from his name.
Holding up his mug of mead in a toast, Torin said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The timechimes—which were higher pitched here than they were in Cliff’s End—rang twenty-three, and before they were even finished, the king said, “I’m afraid that our lovely evening must cease now, as we must prepare for bed. Tomorrow, we see petitioners first thing in the morning, and that always requires a good night’s sleep in advance.”
“Of course.” Torin rose, as did Danthres. “Thank you ever so much for your hospitality.”
The queen also got to her feet, and gave them each a short bow. “The gratitude is ours, Lieutenants. You have done a great service to our kingdom today. And I wish you luck in finding the perpetrator.”
“I believe,” Danthres said, “that we have a fairly good notion who it is at this point.”
SEVENTEEN
Aleta really hated it when they ran.
It had started out so simply. They went to the boarding house on the River Walk with the giant fish on the door—the Becpar Arms. It was a large house with three floors and a huge wraparound patio. Aleta walked up the three stairs to the patio and knocked on the fish, while Dannee waited on the staircase up to the patio.
A dwarf
answered the door. “What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I need to speak with one of your tenants, name of Xeros.”
“Xeros, you say?” The dwarf suddenly started speaking in a louder tone. “I’m not sure if he’s home. Maybe come back later?”
Aleta sighed. “What room is he in?”
“Not sure. I think it’s one of the ones on the top floor, but— uurrrrrrrk!”
That last was all the dwarf could say once Aleta wrapped her hand around his neck. “Once more, what room is he in?”
From behind her, Dannee said, “Aleta, I hear a window opening on the first floor, around back.”
“Top floor, hm?” She unceremoniously dropped the dwarf to the floor and went back out onto the patio. “Go around that way,” Aleta said to Dannee, pointing to the west side of the house. She herself starting running around the east side.
“Right,” Dannee said, and started moving that way.
Aleta ran around to see a person who looked just like the image in the crystal falling out a first-floor window.
“Xeros!” she cried out.
Without even turning to look, Xeros clambered to his feet and ran.
Aleta gave chase. She used to regularly identify herself as Castle Guard when she chased down someone she wanted to talk to, but after a month, she gave that up. They knew from the armor who she worked for, and they ran anyhow. So why waste breath?
The River Walk was the border between Goblin and Mermaid Precincts. Xeros jumped over the back fence to a building on the thoroughfare parallel to the River Walk. Undaunted, Aleta undid her cloak and let it drop to the ground and then followed suit—the cloak would just get in her way, and she could just say that she lost it while pursuing a murder suspect.
She leapt to the top of the fence that Xeros had had to climb to get to, then jumped down to a small yard.
Xeros was running between two houses toward Ferd’s Way, a thoroughfare filled with shops. Aleta followed as Xeros weaved his way between the throngs of people walking up and down Ferd’s.
Mermaid Precinct (ARC) Page 14
