by Dawn Peers
“I do not think the phrase, a heavy heart, even begins to cover the way I feel about the news I had to break to Lord Broc this morning. No father expects to bury a son when the land is in peace. But this is going to happen. Tomorrow, dignitaries from Broadwater will leave the Meet early. Whilst this is unheard of, the circumstances are wholly justifiable. If I lost any of my children—especially my son and heir—I would raze the kingdom in fire and blood until I found the man responsible. Broc cannot do this. We are meant to be in an era of peace. I, however, am the king. What is the law, if it is not for the king to bend at times of extreme need? We would not usually hunt out petty criminals, but this is no minor crime. The province of Broadwater has lost its heir, at a time when the mantle of leadership was ready to be passed. Broc was going to step down at the end of this meet. Now, he must endure to ensure his next son is educated in the art of leadership. We will all do what we can to help him. And that includes finding his son’s murderers and bringing them to justice. Do not doubt, I don’t believe this person acted alone.”
“How did this happen? Aren’t the Royal Guard meant to keep us safe?” A defiant voice cried from the back of the room, joined quickly by a chorus of accord.
“If you think people are safe just because there is no war, think again. There are still thieves, but they are controlled in their own guild. There is no guild for assassins. There is no guild for kidnappers. There are men out there that still want to bend the law for their own will. Someone wanted to see the succession at Broadwater disrupted.”
“But how? You’re not answering the question!”
Quinn looked over her shoulder, but couldn’t identify where in the crowd the dissenter stood. They were defended though, not suppressed, as a raucous cry of agreement came out in response. Everyone wanted answers. If one of the most guarded men in the kingdom could be killed in the dead of night in the castle of the king, then surely no one was safe. Vance fought again for control of the room and only found it when the guardsmen standing around the perimeter started rhythmically banging their wooden staffs on the hard concrete floor. The anger turned to a nervous energy, as the gathered commoners began to wonder if the king would turn his men on them first. The guardsmen, to their credit, kept themselves controlled; their faces neutral, and their eyes straight forward. The wrong move from the wrong person, and that room could have easily become a bloodbath of innocents.
“We do not know how Broc was taken. The last time he was seen, he was within the royal suites. Therefore, we have to assume that the person who killed him, or arranged for him to be killed, is one of our own.”
This brought a further flurry from the crowd, which again needed intervention from the waiting guardsmen. Quinn sank down in her seat, trying to make herself smaller. She didn’t want to be here. She was getting nervous, just as the crowd was getting restless. This could in no way end well. The last time she had seen Broc, he had been unconscious on the floor of Sammah’s quarters, and the blow that Elias had dealt him could well have been fatal.
Men began slinging accusations at each other. Even the nobles seated at the high table couldn’t restrain themselves, men each accusing the other of breaking the pact of peace that had rested over their lives for so many years. Shiver was particularly vocal. Sammah had stood back, and even now was still slowly retreating across the hall. Quinn had noticed it, even if the others around them hadn’t. It was only a matter of time until the fury that was currently pointed inwards and at each other was directed towards the only notable foreign presence in their midst; the ambassador from Sha’sek. Broc himself was the one to throw the first metaphorical stone. He turned and pointed to Sammah, his gesture throwing a similar wall of silence as the baron stopped his retreat.
“What do you have to say about this, Baron Sammah?” Broc’s voice was quiet and shaky, though somehow the din settled as this very pertinent question was levied across the hall.
“If you think I’m stupid enough to kill a noble with none of my own people here to protect me, then you picked the wrong man to be the peace ambassador here.”
“Where were you though, Sammah? Have you got excuses for your own actions last night? Can you account for all of your retinue? They have enough of a reputation.”
“That is why we’re here, my lord. If you’ll just let the king get on with proceedings, I’m sure we will start getting to the bottom of this most heinous matter. I am as concerned to find the murderer of your son as you are; we cannot have such a dangerous person running lose around our court.”
The mumbling from the crowd came back with this comment, but it was now restrained whispers, as the gossip-mongers started concocting their tales to throw around the inns in the town later that night. Vance heaved a great sigh, probably at relief that the pensive atmosphere pervading around the hall had been finally brought to a close.
“Right. Are we done? Can we start this circus now, or does anyone else have something to add in to this already poisonous mixture?”
No one was brave enough to answer him this time. Vance nodded, apparently reassured of his authority in the situation, though it was clear to everyone present that he had none.
“As the audience has so cleverly suggested, we are here to go through the evidence provided already to find the murderer of Lord Alec of Broadwater. One suspect named was Elias, of Sha’sek origins, a member of the retinue of Baron Sammah. Sammah, please be seated whilst your guard is questioned.
“You’ll have a job questioning him.”
This brought some snorts from those in the crowd that already knew of Elias's mute status. These people were shushed and elbowed by their compatriots as the massive man was brought forward. Elias was still shackled, and rightly so, given his recent conviction for the attempted murders of Quinn and Maertn.
Vance beckoned Ross forward and, as with all formal appointments, the chamberlain spoke on behalf of the king. This was essential in this instance, as Ross was perhaps the only other man in the city that wouldn’t be belittled by the sheer size and presence of the mercenary.
“Now, I’m not stupid. You’re going to nod your head once for yes, and shake your head from side to side once for no, so that everyone knows what you’re about. If you don’t have an answer, put up both hands to me, palm first. Do you understand?”
Elias was a sensible man. He gave a slow and solemn nod.
“You have been brought here as a suspect in the murder of Lord Broc. However, you have an alibi. Is this correct?”
Elias nodded.
“And that alibi, is that you were in fact attempting to murder Quinn Sammah and Maertn Sammah, of the House of Sammah. Is this correct?”
Elias nodded once more.
“And do you admit to this charge?”
Elias nodded, and Ross grunted. The questions were too simple, and Elias, such a tower of a man, shouldn’t be implicating himself this easily. Ross was almost compelled to ask the man if he had truly understood the question, but the answer had come clearly enough. Ross ploughed on, regaining the room quickly after an uncharacteristic stumble.
“The penance from the crown for this crime of attempted murder is five years labour in the quarries. You are accused of this crime twice. Therefore your sentence is ten years. Given the statement from your owner, who is held in high regard by the crown, our sovereign the rightful King Vance has seen fit to reduce this sentence by two years. You, Elias, mercenary of Sha’sek of no house, will therefore serve eight years under the chain in the Hearthstone quarry in Daggerdale. You will be taken out in the morning. Do you have…any way to ask any questions?”
Elias gave a broad grin that sent a ripple down the spine of anyone unlucky enough to witness it. Ross immediately thought that sending Elias to a place that would allow him to improve his already significant strength for years was potentially a very bad idea. Sammah was iron-faced at the sentence. He had known it was coming, and had bargained very hard with the king for the minor reduction.
“Take him away. The Crown now ca
lls to witness, Eden of Sevenspells.”
The hushed mutters returned as Eden took himself to the stand. Quinn sat up slightly in her seat at this point; a move that was not missed by Sirah. She smirked, keeping a more interested eye on Quinn so she could report each juicy little detail back to her baron.
Eden took his chair, as you would expect the son of a noble to; slowly and with dignity. Ross waited without fuss for the noise to abate. It would do so it its own time. The initial flurry of excitement had already run its course; they were getting down in to the more boring proceedings now.
“We’ll try to keep this brief, Eden. I’m sure no one here is going to question the credentials of a son of Sevenspells.”
Ross paused for a second, just in case someone did want to give in to a lapse of sanity and speak up at that point. Quinn looked around, and saw that Sammah had now taken a seat with the rest of the king’s senior retinue. Safety in numbers she thought. People would think twice about pointing a finger at a crowd, for fear of provoking the wrong person. Strutting around behind the King, Sammah had unwittingly made himself a target. How out of character for such a perfectionist.
“Now, Eden, you have already given written testimony to the fact that you witnessed the crimes of Elias, already sentenced here today?”
“I did.”
“And what led you to be in the courtyard at such an hour? It seems a high coincidence.”
“Well, as the man is already sentenced, I’m not sure why I need to answer. But I was practising my drills, if it makes any difference to you.”
“In the dark?”
“Does the fighting in your world stop when the sun goes down?”
Shiver smirked as an affirmative roar went up from the Sevenspells contingent present. He elbowed Rowan who returned the grin. That, apparently, was the right thing to say as a son of the legendary Lord Shiver.
“Very clever Eden. There’s no question of your patronage, that much is clear.”
Quinn was curious. Such ostentatious bravado didn’t match the man she had sensed that handful of times. Whilst it would fool anyone listening, especially anyone familiar with Lord Shiver’s reputation, Quinn though she already knew this Eden more than anyone else present. He was clearly different to his father. She sent out a tentative whisper of a touch, to see if she could sense how he was feeling. What she thought she felt, was embarrassment. A light sensation of pins and needles tingled across her fingers, which warmed up ever so slightly. Quinn smiled to herself. Eden might have been practising his drills in the courtyard in the dead of the night, but it wasn’t to please or emulate his father. She was relieved. She would have hated to be so intrigued by a man who was drilling himself in the same mold as a man as deplorable as Shiver.
A small ripple of applause, led by Shiver himself, had run around the hall at Ross’s affirmation of Eden’s lineage. Sevenspells was proud of its history, and still claimed to raise the fiercest sons, chasten wives, and the ambitious children.
Lost in her reverie, she snapped back to the courtroom. Even with Eden taking the chair, she was becoming bored with what was an evident formality. Some people had even started yawning. Quinn thought that they had perhaps been expecting some spectacular affair; what was emerging was nothing short of sleep-inducing.
“The excuse of being in a courtyard going through sword drills in the middle of the night would probably only be accepted from a man of Sevenspells. So, Eden, in your own words, tell us what you saw next.”
“I heard two people arguing.”
Quinn tensed. Had Eden heard of her intentions to leave? Was he going to tell the entire court? How would that make Sammah look, then? Would that put Eden in danger, as well as Quinn and Maertn?
“Who were these two people? What was their quarrel?”
“They were both servants of the king’s retinue. I did not know their names at that point. Their argument was of no consequence to the room. I did not hear it all.”
“A lover’s quarrel?”
Eden shrugged off-handedly. “No doubt.”
“Go on.”
“I stopped training and watched them. I was curious. One of them was a woman, clearly in distress. I wanted to make sure the lady wasn’t in any trouble.”
“A noble thought,” Ross nodded agreeably. “What happened next?”
“I saw someone sneaking up on the pair. There was no mistaking it. He exited the main castle building and was making his way around the shadows so that he was neither seen nor heard.”
“He didn’t manage to escape your apparently careful eye though, Eden. Can you be sure he was trying to hide?”
“He wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out there. Why would he? Yes, I have peculiar training habits, but it seems that this time they have held me in good stead. He was sneaking up on them, and when he got close enough, he charged the pair. He had a dagger in hand.”
“Just a dagger? No sword?”
“No sword. I’m positive of that.”
“What did you do then?”
“I was already moving by that point. I’d decided before he made his move that he was up to no good. The attacker barged the man of the pair to the ground and turned his knife on the lady. I tackled him at that point, before any blood could be drawn.”
“Except the lad's?”
Eden nodded regrettably. “Except the lad’s. I had perhaps underestimated how quickly the man could move. With the size of him, that’s not something I’d considered.”
“Understandable under the circumstances. I’ve known plenty of men with no prior knowledge of Elias underestimate his speed and lose in a bar brawl. It’s never pretty. Can you identify the two he tried to attack?”
Eden pointed out Maertn. He looked around the witness box for Quinn, and was briefly confused. Ross picked up on this. “You cannot find the second victim?”
“She’s not with the other witnesses, chamberlain.”
“Ah no. She is not standing witness with the others. To alleviate the stress she will suffer, you see.”
There was a snigger from more than one of the court hands present. Quinn coloured, but did not move from her seat. That would bring her more attention than she wished for at that point.
“Can you name her for us, with the knowledge you have now?”
“I can. Her name is Quinn, and I understand she is in the household of the Baron Sammah.”
Ross nodded. “She is. Thank you captain, that will be all.”
Eden left the chair, to be replaced with Sammah himself.
“Baron Sammah, I don’t believe you need any particular introduction to the court. There are few formalities to go through now, and I think this little fool’s show can be dismissed so we can discuss in private how best to go about capturing this killer. You understand what we are going through here. When reviewing the evidence from that night, every single potential killer was in your household, and your servant Elias was the first name mentioned by every person questioned. We know that in the past Sha’sek has held very little love for Everfell and its people. If you or any of your retinue are found guilty of this crime, it will be considered an act of war, and the king and his lords will have no choice but to regard it as such. Do you understand the gravity of these accusations?”
“I do, Chamberlain.”
“And what is your response to them?”
“As earlier. I do not have to be flowery in my language to get across to you just how stupid it would be for me to do such a thing. Not only would I plough my people in to a war they have not asked for, I would also put in jeopardy the lives of a people that I have grown to love. I have lived in Everfell for the majority of my adult life, since the end of the Empath War. I do not want to see her razed in fire and smoke. Nor, should the war go the other way, would I want to see the seas around Sha’sek bleed red. How would I win, by acting in such a foolhardy manner?”
Ross turned to the king, looking for his ruling on the matter. Quinn felt sick. This was all for show. Sammah
wasn’t even vaguely suspected for arranging Broc’s killing, but the king and the court had to display some outward effort of tracking this person down. Sammah didn’t stop talking though, and as he continued, Quinn went steadily numb.
“I have heard the talk in the halls though, chamberlain, and I think it behoves me to be honest. A lot of people here have gossiped about the Satori. I think it would benefit the king and his commanders to have a serious look at this source of gossip, and ask themselves whether or not it is a real man.”
Most of the crowd erupted with laughter, much to Quinn’s relief. There were some calls, however, amongst the masses, which rose in volume to eventually beat every other noise down. Their words carried through to the front of the hall, to a frowning Ross, a concerned king, and a stone-faced Baron Sammah. What was he doing? Quinn had heard the tale of hiding in plain sight, but this was insane!
“It’s true! I was taken and questioned! The Satori was answering my questions before I could answer them myself!”
“It’s true! He wanted to know about the king and the meet! He is planning something I’m sure!”
“Listen to the baron! The Satori needs to be stopped!”
Quinn didn’t recognise any of the voices. She didn’t talk to many people. She knew that these men had to be under the employ of Sammah, or one of his under-the-thumb nobles. Shiver again, maybe?
“Calm down everyone! I will have silence, or by the spirits themselves I’ll have you all escorted down to the cells!”
Ross could bellow in a way that Vance couldn’t manage, and it hadn’t been a hollow threat. The room huddled once more in to quiet. Ross turned to Sammah, his chest now heaving with the ire that shone through his eyes.
“Here now Sammah, what are you about, bringing a child’s tale in to the king’s own courtroom?”
“It’s not a tale, Ross, it’s true. I’m convinced of it. I only heard the rumours myself recently. Stories like that are usually kept to the town taverns. But the more I have heard of this Satori the more it makes sense. Can you all remember the reasons behind the war with Sha’sek?”
