The other regents took the opportunity to stammer out apologies and excuses. Unlike Torneus, they didn’t want war, and they appeared to believe Alice’s words.
But the damage had been done.
Nathan caught Torneus’s eye as the regent wandered back to the table. Torneus raised his tankard in a mocking salute and winked at Nathan.
Torneus’s good cheer was for good reason. While he had received pushback, he had landed serious blows.
More to the point, he had revealed that he knew that Anna had been appointed to meet with Falmir. That was supposed to be a secret.
No doubt Leopold’s mind was racing with suspicions as to who the traitor was.
Who was Nathan kidding? Leopold immediately suspected Tharban. Everything led back to the Nationalists, and too many of Torneus’s plans had aligned with their political ploys. Nurevia’s appointment as Anna’s bodyguard made things too easy.
But Nathan felt differently. Torneus had thought that Alice had broken off talks with Falmir. If Nurevia was the leak, then Torneus should have known that didn’t happen.
And if Nurevia wasn’t the leak, had Alice accidentally revealed that Princess Charlotte was nearby?
The thought chilled Nathan to the bone. Relief ran through him that he had left Sen behind at Gharrick Pass.
Torneus rejoined the debate and immediately took over. “None of this addresses my issues. The Empire is seizing Federation territory under false pretenses. And there is plentiful evidence to suggest that this was planned in advance.”
“Bastion Leopold explained the heresy in excruciating detail yesterday, High Lord,” Alice said. “There are no false pretenses. The Federation invaded the Empire and attempted to cause a demonic invasion to weaken our defenses. That is fact.”
“Facts without evidence are supposition,” Torneus said, sneering. “And poor supposition at that. Bastion Theus is a dutiful servant of the Watcher Omria and has been for years. And while you used Bastion Leopold to accuse me, your evidence comes from a far less reliable man.”
Torneus spun and pointed a finger at Nathan, who stared back in surprise. Narime took several steps away from Nathan, her tails curling around her, although she glared daggers at Torneus as she did so.
“Bastion Nathan is not—” Leopold tried to say as he stood.
“He is the one who defended Gharrick Pass. He claims to have experienced the leyline disruption and to have dealt with the demonic invasion it caused. He even claims we attacked the Empire first.” Torneus scoffed. “But who is Bastion Nathan Straub? You left this out yesterday, but he is the son of the infamous Bastion Tharban von Straub. And if there’s anyone who supports the expansion of the Empire, it is the Crimson Warhound.”
Nathan remained silent, despite his desire to point out that his father had disowned him. This was political theater, and he had been instructed to remain out of it. No good would come of stepping in until somebody at the negotiating table instructed him to.
Especially because he didn’t know what Torneus’s game was.
Surprisingly, it was King George who spoke up first, while the rest of the table remained silent. He mopped at his brow as he said, “As you well know, Bastion Nathan has been disowned by his family. That is why he does not have the ‘von’ particle in his name anymore, despite being the firstborn child of the family.”
Torneus shot George a glare, and the chubby regent looked down at his half-empty platefuls of food.
Duke Terrius raised an eyebrow and glanced at Leopold. “May I ask why Bastion Nathan was disowned by the Warhound? I must admit that I was already aware of his connection to the Warhound, and it was quite disconcerting to me.”
“I am not at liberty to say,” Leopold said, but then winked. “But if you know me at all, and the politics surrounding me, then I will say that Bastion Nathan was disowned for the same reason that I supported his entry to the academy.”
Terrius snorted. “I suppose the beastkin knights should have been a giveaway. Not to mention that he stood within five feet of Narime without abusing her.”
Nathan was amazed that Tharban’s reputation was so terrible that even people half the world away knew what an awful person he was.
“That is a convenient cover,” Torneus continued, brow furrowed. “But it leaves out his inexperience. I questioned every Bastion in the Federation about the claims made about leyline disruption. Not even one agreed that a demonic invasion would result.”
That drew gasps from the regents. Leopold grimaced.
This was something they knew could happen, particularly after Narime had revealed that even she hadn’t known about it. Whoever Seraph had learned it from had kept it secret enough that it hadn’t spread within the Federation. And while Leopold was aware of it, it wasn’t common knowledge among Bastions. The Empire had far more advanced magical scientists than the Federation, and it barely understood how reverse cascades occurred.
“Furthermore,” Torneus said, his voice rising in triumph, “how can we believe the word of a Bastion whose evidence comes from Champions who defected from the Federation? Champions Sunstorm and Seraph betrayed us. You haven’t even brought them up, princess.”
Alice remained quiet on this point. It was one of those that Nathan had briefed her on. As tempting as it was to claim that Seraph and Sunstorm were reliable because they had been part of the Federation, that wouldn’t help during negotiations. Defectors were considered reliable by the nation they defected to, but despised by the one they defected from.
There was a reason Seraph wasn’t in the tent.
“I see,” Torneus said. “You don’t leave me convinced. How disappointing. I had come prepared to hand over Theus if you had produced even one whit of evidence against us, as a gesture of goodwill.”
“Goodwill?” Theus shouted. He shut up when everybody glared at him.
Torneus coughed, and resumed his speech, “But this is all you have. Baseless claims of heresy from traitors and a greenhorn. Connections to one of the most infamous of imperialists in the Empire. And a claim for peace while seizing territory that isn’t your own.”
With one last sneer, Torneus said, “Is there anything else, princess, or are we done here?”
Alice stared back at Torneus, her face expressionless. Her eyes flickered to Nathan, who grimaced but held his tankard tightly.
In the end, Torneus had come prepared to torch the peace treaty. The other regents knew his game. He had only needed one solid bit of footing to keep the war going.
How frustratingly similar to the method the Nationalists had used in the Diet.
Then Alice said, “I do. Or rather, Bastion Nathan does.” She laid an arm out toward Nathan, palm open. “If you would, Bastion.”
Leopold’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Anna looked between Leopold and Alice in shock, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. The regents appeared confused.
“I do not believe he is part of the negotiation, princess,” Torneus said blandly.
“You attacked me for allowing Leopold to speak on his behalf earlier, High Lord. Or was that merely a rhetorical device, and all of your efforts to undermine him as empty as your pretenses for peace?” Alice said. Her tone didn’t raise or lower by even a beat.
Torneus remained silent. Then he waved a hand at Nathan. “Fine, make a fool of yourself.”
But Torneus’s eyes told a different story. His smug expression evaporated, and he glared at Nathan with all of his fury.
Nathan drained his tankard, then held it out to Narime. She looked around in confusion for several moments, before creeping up to him and taking it.
Then he looked back at Torneus and matched the man’s gaze once more. That same terrifying sense of conviction stared back at him.
“Tell me, have you forgotten about those nobles and soldiers that we captured outside of Lady Nair’s tower?” Nathan said.
Torneus blinked, but said nothing.
“Allow me to remind the regents that the land
immediately to the east of the pass had always been Imperial territory. How could the Empire have attacked first if we fought a major battle to take back a mage tower that belongs to one of our sorcerers?” Nathan shook his head. “Never mind that we have Federation nobles in Aleich that have admitted that they were ordered by their regents to invade the Empire.”
“They’re under duress and fear for their lives,” Torneus said.
“And the other soldiers? And every officer we captured?” Nathan smirked. “What about all the bandits in our land that admit that they were being paid by the Federation? You don’t accept your former Champions’ testimony—fine—but dozens, if not hundreds, of other people say the same thing.”
“That doesn’t mean heresy—”
“A demonic invasion happened almost the moment I stopped your leyline disruption. And if you’re so confident, why don’t you ask Bastions from Arcadia or the Spires about what you did?” Nathan asked.
Torneus clammed up.
The other regents began to murmur. Leopold leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed.
“Speaking of the Spires, if you didn’t attack first, shouldn’t they be supporting you? They could have seen the battle in Forselle Valley from their windows. But they backed away from your defensive pact. And this is after you spent years greasing the wheels of the Council of Aurelia to gain their support.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Torneus shouted.
“How else did you get a defensive pact from a city-state that famously despises humans?” Nathan shook his head. “In the end, though, none of this means anything.”
Silence overtook the tent. Even Alice appeared confused by Nathan’s last line.
“I assume you want me to take your bait and ask ‘why?’” Torneus drawled.
“I had hoped you would ask with a little more spirit, but I suppose that works,” Nathan said. “None of this matters because you will never accept peace. Your schemes have failed, everybody has seen through your lies, and your allies have abandoned you. Did you tell Korvell to stay behind, or did he refuse to come because he couldn’t back you, but wouldn’t betray you?”
“Bold words, with no substance.”
“I am all substance.” Nathan pointed a finger at Torneus. “You had a chance to wriggle out of this. Theus is even here as a political sacrifice, but you refused to offer him up. The idea of sacrificing anything appalls you. You have to be in control. And you’ll see everything burn before you’ll release even one of your fingers over the Federation that you’ve ruled with an iron grip.”
The regents stared at Nathan in shock. After all, he had just said that Torneus was their ruler and that they were pointless.
After several moments, Torneus raised his head and gave Nathan an upturned look. “And are you any different?”
Nathan blinked. What?
“I asked you a question,” Torneus said.
“I’m the one trying to organize a peace treaty,” Nathan said.
“Of course you are,” Torneus purred. “And I signed a defensive pact with the Spires and Arcadia. But, in truth, you are the puppet master here. Everybody dances to your tune. That’s why you had to be the one to step in at the end, after lurking in the corner and organizing everything. You are the only one who opposed me. Everybody else is a pawn in a match between us.” Torneus chuckled. “My mistake has been failing to realize it until now. But know that this game is far from over.”
With those final words, Torneus swept out of the tent.
The regents rose from their seats, roaring with rage and confusion as they chased after Torneus. They wanted answers that they wouldn’t get. Slowly, Theus trailed after the regents like a stupid lost lamb.
“Well, that didn’t go like I expected it to,” Nathan said.
Nobody said anything. Those at the table likely hadn’t heard him over the shouting, but Narime should have.
Looking around, Nathan couldn’t see the fox anywhere. She and her six silver fluffy tails had already vanished. He was left to pick up the pieces of the failed negotiation.
Chapter 16
The return to Gharrick Pass was swift. Torneus and the other regents left almost immediately, leaving their soldiers behind.
As tempting as it was to send Sunstorm after them, Theus’s Champions were too great a threat. Nathan let the Federation retreat.
He debriefed his officers, who were confident they could dismantle the encampment without issue. Once the Federation soldiers began to leave, Nathan considered his job done.
With that, the negotiations were over. They had gone as well as he had expected, if worse than he had hoped.
Narime was missing and had presumably returned to the Federation. Alice had retreated to her tent, although Anna and Leopold were with her. The camp was being patrolled by Nathan’s Champions, just in case something went awry.
Within hours of Torneus’s tantrum, they set off for Fort Taubrum.
Nathan received no midnight summons from Alice. The failure of the negotiations hit her hard, and he worried that Torneus’s words had affected her. More to the point, he wondered if she had expected him to somehow salvage things at the end there.
Once back in the fortress at Gharrick Pass, Nathan assembled everybody in one of the larger sitting rooms.
Leopold, Anna, Seraph, Fei, Sen, Sunstorm, and Vera were present.
“Where’s Alice?” Nathan asked, feeling he already knew the answer.
“She is with Princess Charlotte. Nurevia and Mae are with her,” Leopold said, nursing a finger of brandy. Mae was the duogem Champion that Leopold had left here during the negotiations, and who often accompanied Leopold in the shadows.
Nathan grimaced. Even now Alice was unwilling to meet with them. What a mess.
“You don’t trust Nurevia,” Anna said suddenly.
“After what happened, how can I?” Leopold said bitterly.
Seraph raised an eyebrow and looked at Nathan questioningly. The lamps flickered for a few moments, but nobody gave them more than a glance.
Shrugging, Nathan took a seat and raised his own glass of brandy. “Torneus somehow knew that Anna had been sent to smooth relations with Falmir. I assume that was a secret.”
“Yes,” Leopold grumbled. “It was frustrating that you even knew that she was aligned with His Majesty. But knowing her movements? That is a bridge too far. Somebody leaked some of the most sensitive information from within the Empire to the Federation.”
“Would Tharban betray the Empire?” Seraph asked. “I thought he wanted the restoration of Imperial Glory. How would selling us out help him?”
Anna frowned, swirling her red wine. “A lot of the movements that the Nationalists made aligned too well with Torneus’s moves. If Tharban is working with Torneus, it’s probably because they have some sort of deal. It’s not like Tharban can’t betray the Federation later.”
There wouldn’t be a later, Nathan thought. The Federation had planned to effectively destroy the Empire, even if by accident.
But that’s also why Nathan was suspicious of Tharban’s involvement.
“We’re jumping to conclusions,” Nathan said. “Seraph’s right. Tharban’s an ass, but he hates foreigners as much as he hates non-humans.”
“Nurevia is his Champion,” Leopold pointed out.
“I don’t see Torneus bending over and begging to be whipped,” Nathan drawled.
The eyebrows of every woman in the room shot up.
“Thank you for that awful mental image,” Leopold said with a grimace as he slugged back his brandy. He poured another finger into his glass.
“More to the point, Torneus knew that Alice met with Falmir, but didn’t know that she had brought Charlotte here,” Nathan said. “He seemed surprised when Alice countered him. If Nurevia was the source, then Torneus would have already known.”
Leopold froze. “I hadn’t thought of that. But that raises further questions. If not Tharban, then who else? And did Alice possibly leak the loca
tion of Princess Charlotte?”
“She didn’t mention Charlotte,” Nathan said after a few moments.
“No, but it’s possible that Torneus knew that Alice was meeting with her. Her safety may now be at stake.” Leopold scowled. “This was easier when it was just Tharban. Now this has become a series of shadow games.”
“Should we all start searching for strings on our backs? I already checked for mine,” Anna said. “Sorry, Nathan, but if you’re my puppet master, then you must have forgotten to attach any to me.”
“If you feel left out, I can add them now.” Nathan made threading motions in the air. “No?”
“No, thank you. But I’ll take great joy in being your countess. Once you take control of the Empire, I’ll be de facto Empress.”
Leopold rolled his eyes. “Do not joke about that.” He thrust a finger at Nathan. “You shouldn’t have riled up Torneus like that. I have never seen or heard of him acting like that. There’s no telling what he’ll do next.”
Nathan couldn’t help but agree. The closest that Torneus had ever come to acting like that in Nathan’s timeline had been in the moments before Narime had incinerated him. The aftermath had been the complete destruction of the Federation and a mass evacuation.
“Wasn’t Nathan right?” Fei asked. She avoided alcohol and instead nursed a black coffee.
“There’s a difference between correct and doing the smart thing in the moment,” Anna said. “If I stood up in the Diet and called Tharban a warmongering monster that was plotting against the Emperor, hated non-humans, and can’t even run his own county, I’d be correct. It would also be very stupid and possibly life shortening.”
“Oh.” Fei’s eyes widened.
“I feel like I missed some genuine fireworks,” Vera said.
“Nothing really happened here. I did see the princess a few times.” Sen shrugged.
“The negotiations weren’t supposed to be about fireworks,” Leopold said. He sighed.
“I don’t think they’re a complete failure, even if Alice is upset about them,” Nathan said.
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