Harrowed Heir

by Sarah E. Burr

  Carriena hovered awkwardly near Jax, clearly not wanting to be parted from her friend, but not being a member of the formal Saphire delegation, she had no reason to remain behind.

  “Mistress Carriena, we have some questions for you, as well,” Ashcroft added after a beat. “You may take a seat.”

  Carriena promptly plopped down next to Jax and reached for her friend’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  Jax gave her a tight smile before turning her attention back to the Lord Praesidio and Headmaster Ezarath.

  Ashcroft met her expectant gaze with a light chuckle. “I can tell by your expression that you aren’t exactly pleased I’ve kept you.”

  “How very astute of you, Lord Praesidio,” Jax responded coolly, her words dripping with unbridled sarcasm. Now that they were alone, she didn’t bother hiding her displeasure at how the situation was being managed. “While you futilely question our party about whether or not we’re involved with this ridiculous scheme, you’ve let several possible suspects wander off, free to their own devices.”

  “Free to their own devices?” Lord Ashcroft cocked a dark eyebrow. “Well, if the others disregard their Praesidio escorts in the same manner you have, perhaps the culprit will slip up and reveal themselves before dinner.”

  Jax’s mouth popped open in muted surprise.

  George stroked his chin in mild bemusement. “Then you do suspect one of your professors could be involved with the missing documents?” He directed the question to both Ezarath and Ashcroft.

  Ezarath sighed, twiddling with the frames of his reading glasses. “You heard their statements as clearly as I did.” A frown enveloped his thin lips. “Each story had its fair share of holes.”

  “You,” Lord Ashcroft motioned individually to Jax and her friends, “are the only ones with a concrete alibi.”

  Jax kept her face neutral. “Forgive me for suggesting this about our gracious host, but you did part ways with Carriena for a time, Headmaster. Is your own alibi really so solid?”

  “There is nothing to forgive, Duchess.” Ezarath was unperturbed by her insinuation. “I know you’ve developed quite the talent for solving puzzles since leaving the Academy, and I imagine we will need your assistance weeding out Master Gautherd’s attacker. However, as Mistress Carriena said so herself, I was barely gone ten minutes. I could not possibly have made my way down to the archives, assaulted Master Gautherd, and escaped without being detected by yourself or Captain Solomon.”

  Jax conceded he made a fair enough point…if he disregarded the existence of the secret passages running throughout the fortress. She decided to keep her concerns to herself for now.

  Ashcroft must have read some sense of hesitance in her expression. “Headmaster, I’m sure old Gautherd would appreciate you stopping to check in on him. Leave this investigation to me. I’ll have a report ready before dinner tonight.”

  Ezarath’s gaze narrowed for the briefest of instances. “Very well. Perhaps Gautherd has recollected something else that may help us.”

  Ashcroft nodded. “If that’s the case, please alert me at once.”

  The headmaster gave Jax a deferential dip of the chin before gliding out of the grand study.

  Lord Ashcroft released a low whistle, and another member of the Praesidio poked his head in through the doorway.

  “Follow him,” the Lord Praesidio simply commanded before turning back to the assembled group.

  A few chairs down from Jax, Ziri spoke up. “So, even the headmaster is not above suspicion?”

  “I hate to think it,” Ashcroft growled, “but then again, perhaps he felt stealing the providence documents was the only way to keep them safe and secure.”

  “How could Ezarath possibly make it from his office on the main floor, down to the archives, and then back up to the second-floor lounge, Ashie?” Carriena scoffed, but then her lilac eyes grew wide. “Virtues, how could I not have thought of it sooner?” She turned to Jax, clasping her wrist. “The passages!”

  Jax met her friend’s troubling realization with a grim smile. “You and I both know there is a hidden entrance right near the professors’ lounge.”

  Carriena snorted. “Virtues knows we used it enough times ourselves to pinch something from that special liquor cabinet they have stashed inside.”

  Ashcroft rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

  Jax ignored memories of the past for now. “Now that I think about it, every professor mentioned being in or near a room where the secret passages are accessible.” She counted them off on her fingers. “The library, the conservatory, the kitchen, the lounge.”

  “But these are respected Academy professors,” Ziri countered. “Do you really think they could be involved with something so sinister?”

  Carriena propped her elbow on the table, leaning forward. “I’d certainly like to vouch for my peers, but honestly, I hardly know most of them.”

  Jax waited for her friend to elaborate more on her cryptic statement.

  “With Ezarath’s decision to close the Academy in light of all the turmoil,” Carriena continued, “many of my colleagues sought employment elsewhere. Scholars do not enjoy being idle for long. Many of them took up new residencies at their native duchy’s libraries or archives.”

  Lord Ashcroft took over. “When the headmaster abruptly decided to reopen the Academy at the start of the year, we had many professors write that their returns would be delayed, due to other commitments. We also had several permanent vacancies to fill.”

  Carriena nodded. “Masters Casimeer, Daghir, Gautherd, and I are the only returning professors to make the sojourn back in recent weeks. Yokudran, Nightingale, and Lotus are very new to the institution, hired to replace those scholars who won’t be returning.”

  George rose and began pacing around the table. “What can you tell us about them?”

  “About the new professors?” Lord Ashcroft asked.

  “About them all,” Jax clarified.

  “Well, besides Gautherd and Ezarath, Daghir is the most tenured among us.” Carriena’s brow wrinkled at the mention of the deputy headmaster. “After graduating from the Academy, he served the Kwatalarian court for a time as a historian, chronicling the reign of Duchess Amyra. He returned to the Academy five years ago as a professor of cultural studies. However, within three years, he had secured himself the coveted position of Deputy Headmaster.”

  An impressed intake of breath came from Ziri. “He climbed the ladder rather quickly, didn’t he?”

  Jax had to agree with her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Board of Trustees appoints the deputy headmaster, not Ezarath, yes?”

  Both Carriena and Ashcroft chuckled. “You picked up that Ezarath isn’t the biggest fan of Daghir’s?” Ashcroft smirked. “My, my, your powers of perception are quite amazing, Duchess.”

  Jax allowed herself to smile at his blatant sarcasm. “They didn’t display the most united front.”

  “Daghir has been waiting for Ezarath to retire since he sweet-talked his way into the deputy headmaster role. The man is a formidable force when it comes to persuasion. Well, against everyone except Ezarath, that is.” Ashcroft rapped his knuckles rhythmically on the back of a chair. “Mind you, they usually get along well enough, but Daghir has ideas for the Academy that Ezarath simply refuses to entertain. It’s made him quite bitter.”

  “Do either of you know what these ideas are?” George asked, propping himself against a nearby bookshelf.

  Carriena shook her head, deferring to the Lord Praesidio.

  Ashcroft shrugged. “Something about expanding the Academy’s influence in the realm by establishing outposts in each duchy.”

  Jax frowned. “No wonder Ezarath’s so dead set against the notion. Something like that would completely undermine the Academy’s sovereignty within the realm. If outposts were erected on ducal land, the Academy would be at the mercy of the dukedoms.”

  “If Deputy Daghir is so bitter over the headmaster dis
regarding his ideas, why does he stay?” A frown had etched itself on Ziri’s face, and it took Jax a moment to figure out why. Before leaving the Knights of Grace to serve as Saphire’s spymaster, Ziri had been in line to become the next Prelate, the group’s revered leader. Was she regretting her decision now? Unlike Daghir, Ziri had not been unhappy with the Knights of Grace. Was she possibly rethinking her decision to leave? Jax hoped that wasn’t the case. Perhaps Ziri was simply bewildered as to why anyone would choose to remain unhappy when it was within their power to change their own circumstances.

  Carriena held up a finger. “One, he may be bitter, but he’d never let go of the power his position entitles him to. All he has to do is wait for Ezarath to retire…or to die. And two,” her calculated expression softened into something more tender, “he would never leave his beloved Casimeer behind.”

  “The two of them make a striking couple.” Jax smiled in agreement. “What is Master Casimeer’s story?”

  “He came to the Academy by way of Zaltor to start a life for himself. His mother was noblewoman who fell in love with a family farmhand. A common-born, mind you.” Ashcroft looked pointedly at the group as if this were a great offense.

  Jax’s gaze narrowed. “If you’re expecting us to react to this as if it were some great scandal, you’re speaking to the wrong crowd, Lord Ashcroft.”

  Ashcroft’s eyes widened momentarily in horror, as if he’d just remembered that the majority of the Saphire party were common-born. “Apologies, Your Gra—”

  “It is not me you should apologize to.”

  Ashcroft appeared chastened by her clipped tone. “I am sorry. You must know,” he said, speaking directly to George and Ziri, “that I personally hold nothing against you. However, poor Master Casimeer’s family was not so forgiving, and they disowned his mother. From what I’ve gathered, Casimeer grew up in a loving but poor home, a shadow of scandal always hovering over them. When Casimeer was old enough to fend for himself, he left Zaltor behind and came to work here at the Academy. He started as a simple scribe, gleaning whatever knowledge he could from the scholars for whom he worked. He grew quite interested in bloodlines, mostly because he knew so little about his own noble roots. After several years, it became quite clear he had a miraculous memory, able to recount centuries of ancestral lineages off the top of his head. Ezarath offered him an associate teaching position in exchange for a proper education, and once Casimeer graduated, he became a full-time professor. He’s now considered one of the most prominent experts in the field of ancestry.”

  Carriena rolled her eyes. “Leave it to you, Ashie, to only cover the boring parts.” She gave Jax and Ziri a conspiratorial wink. “Casimeer and Daghir’s love story is far more interesting. When Kareem first came back here to teach, Casimeer served as his scribe. It was Kareem who convinced Ezarath of Casimeer’s potential.”

  Jax’s nose wrinkled with doubt.

  Carriena saw her reaction and nodded. “I know. You’d think, given that Kareem is such a noble-born snob, that he would have hardly given Casimeer the time of day, but instead he championed the young scholar. The two worked closely together for several years before announcing their engagement last autumn.” She let loose an adoring sigh. “Love really does conquer all. If a man like Kareem Daghir can overlook bloodlines, anyone can.”

  The comment resonated deeply with Jax. There had been a time when she, a royal, had wanted to do the very same. She had been ready and willing to throw her future away for such a great love. Her flushed skin suddenly began to prickle as if someone were watching her. She risked a glance at George and found his warm chocolate gaze staring directly at her. She hadn’t imagined it; his fathomless stare was a phantom touch.

  His dark eyes held hers a moment before breaking away.

  Jax took several deep breaths to calm the fluttering nerves inside her chest. You must stop this, Jax. You cannot change the past. You made your choice. You chose to move on. With Perry.

  And yet, a darker side of her thoughts sliced their way forward, where is this gallant husband of yours? He has abandoned you at the first sign of hard times. He should be here with you, yet here you are, alone.

  Jax pushed the black cloud away. She did not want her feelings and memories of Perry tarnished by his grief-stricken actions. He was certain to come around, once he’d had time to grieve with his family. She was sure of it. His confusing silence couldn’t last forever.

  “What about the others?” Jax was eager to focus on the situation at hand. “What do you know about the Academy’s newer arrivals?”

  Lord Ashcroft’s broad shoulders fell with a sigh. “Not much, I’m afraid. Ezarath did not consult me during his search for new staff. Master Yokudran comes to us from Isla DeLacqua.”

  Carriena perked up. “That’s right. I think Ezarath mentioned that he was referred to him by your very own Master Vyanti.”

  A smile of reminiscence stretched across Jax’s lips. Master Vyanti had served as the Saphire court physician for as long as she could remember. However, for much of the past year, Vyanti had been overseeing and training the healers of Isla DeLacqua, now that the island nation was under Jax’s rule. She trusted Vyanti with her life, and thus, his recommendation of Yokudran added a mark in the man’s favor.

  “Vera Nightingale comes from Tandora and is a savvy political scholar. Rowan Lotus in an herbalist hailing from Mensina,” Lord Ashcroft continued. “I’m afraid other than that, I know very little about them, other than they came highly recommended to Ezarath.”

  “By whom, do you know?” Jax rose from her chair and stretched her legs. She was anxious to leave this room and begin her own search, but she needed to understand who they were dealing with.

  Ashcroft shook his head. “I do not, Duchess.”

  “Have their rooms already been searched?” George studied Ashcroft with his intense gaze.

  At that, Ashcroft’s cheeks colored slightly. He cleared his throat, suddenly looking sheepish. “Yes. I ordered everyone’s rooms to be searched while I had everyone gathered in here.”

  Jax’s reasoning overrode her indignation at the invasion of her delegation’s privacy. “A sensible move, Lord Praesidio. Do you know if your men found anything incriminating?” She vaguely remembered one the Praesidio knights whispering in Ashcroft’s ear when they had appeared in the study to escort the other professors to their afternoon activities.

  “Alas, I’m afraid that would have been too easy.” Ashcroft stroked his beard in thought. “Not that it clears anyone of fault. There are a thousand places within these walls where someone could have hidden those providence documents.”

  Jax surveyed her friends, seeing the eagerness shining in their eyes. “Then we’d better get started.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Ashcroft said he’d come find us once he checked in with his men.” George held open the door to the archives as Jax and Carriena crossed the threshold.

  Carriena’s lilac gaze flickered down to George’s hand. “I cannot believe Ashie gave you his spare key. I must say, he’s quite besotted with you,” she teased. “I haven’t seen him so happy in ages.”

  George rolled his eyes. “He’s just excited to have some competition in the sparring ring once again.”

  “Are you planning on joining him?” Jax grinned, picturing Ashcroft and George engaged in fencing each other.

  George reached for the back of his neck. “If the circumstances were different, I might. But I’m not as carefree as I was when you attended class here.”

  Carriena chortled. “When have you ever been carefree, Captain Solomon?”

  Ignoring her, George surveyed the sprawling archives, his hands on his hips. “Do you think the documents are still somewhere in here? That the culprit stashed them nearby?”

  Jax shrugged. “It’s highly unlikely. No thief would want to return to the scene of a crime unless absolutely necessary. Ashcroft is right; the providence documents could be anywhere in the fortress at this point.” She le
d the way through the stacks. “I want to take another look at the processing room and see if there’s anything we missed. Perhaps our culprit dropped something.”

  “Ziri didn’t look too pleased to be missing out on this little excursion.” Carriena followed closely behind her. “What’s the point of having a famed Knight of Grace in your service if you aren’t going to use her talents?”

  Regret bubbled inside Jax. She had asked Ziri to watch over their rooms whilst she, George, and Carriena investigated the archives. Even her unruffled demeanor hadn’t entirely concealed Ziri’s disappointment at not being able to explore the archives with the others.

  George matched Jax’s quick strides. “Ziri understands Saphire’s best interests must be placed above her own.” His calm, thoughtful remark managed to assuage her guilt.

  She gave him a secret smile. He never fails to come to my rescue.

  The processing room looked relatively untouched from when she and George had last been there. If the Praesidio had searched the room in the hour that had passed since the incident, they hadn’t disturbed much. A dried pool of Gautherd’s blood on the floor was the only evidence there had been a struggle.

  “We found Master Gautherd lying face down here.” Jax pointed toward the blood, orienting Carriena with the room.

  George knelt on the stone floor, pressing his head to the ground.

  “Hoping the slate will speak to you?” Jax mused.

  George shuffled his body closer to the front of the worktable. “No,” came his muffled response. “Trying to see if anything might have rolled underneath the table.”

  Carriena glanced around the floor as well. “Did you find whatever hit Master Gautherd on the back of the head?”

  George sat back on his heels. “No. I believe the culprit fled with both the documents and whatever they used as a weapon.”

  Jax sighed. “I was hoping we might find some torn scrap of fabric or a fallen clasp. Something to indicate who might have been here.” She began to wander around the room, trying to figure out how to pursue their quarry, but before she could get very far, the sound of echoing footsteps grabbed their attention.