Chapter 54
Carver
“My gambling debts overcame me,” Morelli said into the brittle silence that filled the townhome’s sitting room. “I owed a great deal to a lot of people. Dangerous people.”
A single lantern glowed, illuminating the deep lines carved onto Morelli’s face. It was only Morelli, Cregon, and Carver in the room. Amryn was with Carver’s mother, who had looked absolutely shattered as Cregon had brusquely ordered Morelli to follow him down the hall.
The only other word Carver’s father had uttered since they’d entered this room was a terse, “Explain.”
Carver stared at Morelli as the man began to do so, feeling nothing but shock. This was a man he’d known his whole life, but Morelli was a complete stranger in this moment.
“I didn’t sell my estate in Westmont, like I told everyone,” Morelli said, his voice cracking.
“I lost it. I was losing everything. But someone came forward and offered to buy my debt.” His hands flexed on his knees.
He was sitting in a cushioned chair, weaponless and with his head bowed.
He looked utterly defeated. “I couldn’t say no.
I was ruined. If anyone found out, I’d lose everything.
My reputation. My rank. All respect.” His face crumpled. “I had no choice.”
“Who bought your debt?” Carver asked.
Morelli’s throat bobbed. “Chancellor Morav.”
A chill swept through Carver. A sudden knowing, wrapped in dread. “She’s part of the Brotherhood.”
“No,” Morelli said. “She’s their leader.”
If Carver had thought he couldn’t experience more shock tonight, those words proved him wrong.
Chancellor Morav, the emperor’s senior advisor, was the leader of the mysterious Brotherhood.
“She didn’t tell me that in the beginning, of course,” Morelli said quietly.
“Morav said she’d keep my gambling debts a secret if I helped her from time to time.
Small favors. Nothing consequential. Writing recommendations for soldiers who were looking to become captains in the city guard—here in Zagrev, and elsewhere in the empire.
Looking the other way if I heard complaints about certain investigations.
Making sure specific guards were on duty at specific times.
” He swallowed hard. “I didn’t see anything overtly wrong or treasonous in my actions. Not until Trevill was murdered.”
A sick feeling twisted in Carver’s gut. “You influenced who was guarding his cell that night.”
Morelli’s tongue darted out, swiping over his lips. “I had no idea what they planned. I was just following orders—”
“How long?” Cregon bit out. “How long have you been working for the Brotherhood?”
Morelli’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he glanced at his friend. “Five years.”
“Blazing Saints,” Cregon cursed, turning away. His hands were on his hips, tension bleeding from him.
Carver forced himself to remain focused, even as a single tear dashed down Morelli’s cheek. “How long have you known Morav was the leader of the Brotherhood?”
“About two years.” Morelli scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know every member, but I can give you the names Morav has mentioned to me.”
“You remained involved in Trevill’s murder investigation to protect Morav and the Brotherhood,” Carver guessed. “And yourself.”
“Yes,” Morelli admitted quietly.
There was a sudden sinking in his gut. “Did you tell Morav about Hector’s investigation? Everything he and Kulver shared with us?”
“Not everything.” His tongue darted over his lips. “She already knew Hector was asking questions, so when she learned I’d met with him . . . I had no choice but to confirm he was looking into the Brotherhood. But that’s all I told her. And I didn’t mention Kulver.”
“Can you confirm Trevill was a member of the Brotherhood?” Carver asked.
“Yes. Morav told me as much when I confronted her after he was killed.”
“Do you know why he was killed?”
“Morav said he knew too much. That he was a risk to the entire Brotherhood.”
It was exactly what Carver had suspected. And yet, this was far worse than he’d ever imagined. “You’ve known all this time. When we linked the Brotherhood with the sonne dealers—”
“I didn’t know they were profiting off the drug trade!” Morelli burst out, the edge in his voice almost frantic. He looked to Cregon. “You have to believe me. I never would have stayed silent if I’d known that. Not after what happened to Berron.”
A growl vibrated through Cregon. “You came here tonight to kill one of my sons. Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“No,” Morelli protested. “I never would have hurt him!” He turned pleading eyes to Carver.
“I came here to confess. To turn myself in, and warn you. Morav knows you’ve been asking questions.
You’ve gotten too close to her secrets. With the increased guard on you and all the Chosen, she knew she couldn’t reach you easily, so she ordered me to kill you.
” He choked on those words, the tears falling freely now as he gripped the chair’s arms. “She told me that if I did it, I could do it painlessly. A last mercy for you. But if I didn’t kill you, she swore that whatever assassin she had to hire would make your death as painful as possible. ”
The sound Cregon made in his throat was chilling.
Morelli barely seemed to hear it. His attention was fixed on Carver, the words pouring out of him now.
“When I still resisted, Morav said she’d make sure I was arrested for Trevill’s murder.
I was the one who signed off on the last-minute guard change, so it would have been easy enough for her to do—especially if she exposed my debts and made it look like I’d been owned by the sonne dealers in Westmont for years. ”
Carver hardly knew what to say to any of that. Thanking Morelli for not killing him hardly seemed right in this moment, so he settled for asking, “Is Morav a supporter of the Rising?”
“No,” Morelli said, quite confidently. “If she had been, she would have asked me to compromise my work against them, but she never did.”
It might not have been firm evidence, but it was a compelling enough argument. Carver moved on to his next question. “Is Morav responsible for the attacks on Jayveh and the other Chosen?”
“When I asked her, she denied it. But that hardly means anything—she’s a proficient liar.” Morelli shook his head. “She always told me the Brotherhood wasn’t against the emperor. That they were protecting him.”
“From what?” Carver demanded.
“Undue influence from the church, mostly. And political in-fighting among the advisors, which would have weakened the emperor’s rule.
Morav always told the Brotherhood how to vote, and which ideas to champion or condemn.
” Morelli paled slightly. “It wasn’t until I saw Trevill’s tattoo that I realized he was one of them.
But if he was fighting to tear Esperance down, it would have been under her orders. Of that I have no doubt.”
“You could have prevented all of this,” Cregon seethed, his breathing tight and thin. “If you’d said something, the Brotherhood could have been dismantled before the Chosen were ever sent to Esperance. Everything Trevill did there—those deaths he caused—are on your head.”
“I know.” Morelli’s face contorted as emotion gripped him. “I never should have stayed silent. I . . . I was afraid. Desperate—”
“You were a coward,” Cregon bit out. “And my children have suffered for it. Carver and Amryn could have died because of it.”
“I’m sorry,” Morelli said hoarsely. He looked to Carver, appearing thoroughly wrecked as he repeated, “I’m sorry. But I’m coming to you now. Morav must be arrested immediately. I can give you the other names I know.”
Carver hated that Morelli had played any part in this, but at least the Brotherhood could be dismantled right away. Tonight, even. They’d found the leader, which was all Hector had been waiting to confirm.
“I truly am sorry,” Morelli whispered. “Cregon . . .”
Carver’s father stiffened. He pivoted to Carver. “Watch him while I fetch some guards,” he said gruffly. Then he strode from the room, not looking back at his best friend.
Seventeen arrests were made that night, including Morelli. Nine were chancellors, the rest were nobles in the emperor’s court and a couple high-ranking captains in the city guard.
Hector, Kulver, and Morelli were confident in the guilt of each person they’d helped arrest. Offices and apartments had been searched.
Documents and messages were found. In Chancellor Morav’s desk, she had correspondence from known sonne dealers—Janson was able to confirm that.
More arrests were expected to be made as the investigation continued.
When the emperor had learned about the Brotherhood, he’d immediately ordered that every chancellor be searched for the damning tattoo on their ribs. It happened so quickly, there was no chance for any chancellor to run to avoid the search.
They’d discovered two more corrupt chancellors that way.
The Brotherhood had been so confident in their conspiracy, so imbued with their own power and wealth, they hadn’t feared wearing that mark. Now, Kulver would be the only advisor permitted to carry it.
If his smirk was any indication, he would wear it proudly—and in a much higher position of power, since he had indeed been promoted.
A part of Carver wondered if at least some of the man’s insufferable personality might have been part of his ruse to infiltrate the Brotherhood—if he’d used false charm and forced flirtations purposely to get close to the people he suspected.
But Carver had no intention of interacting with the man willingly again, so he may never know.
Hector had been put in charge of overseeing the questioning of all the imprisoned chancellors.
Even though they didn’t have evidence of wrongdoing for the latest two to be arrested, Carver was certain Hector would discover their specific crimes.
The emperor’s steward was, if nothing else, meticulous.
While Morav largely maintained her silence, it had only taken a night in prison for some of the weaker members of the Brotherhood to begin to talk.
They’d confirmed Morelli’s claim that Chancellor Morav had killed Trevill, and that he’d been following Morav’s orders at Esperance.
The senior chancellor was the one who had wanted the Craethen Council to fail—not just because the Council would have stolen power from the chancellors, but because the idea had been so supported by the church.
And above all, the Brotherhood had opposed the church’s growing influence over the emperor.
Ironically, the emperor was relying on High Cleric Lisbeth more than ever as he grappled with this huge betrayal.
The only thing Morav spoke to—and vehemently denied—was the accusation that she had hired all the assassins targeting the Chosen.
Carver thought she was doing so simply to avoid the chance of execution.
Because if the emperor believed Morav was responsible for trying to kill Jayveh—multiple times—he would surely order her death.
Carver didn’t know how his father was coping with the revelation that his best friend was a traitor. He was clearly in turmoil, but he wasn’t ready to speak of it yet.
When Carver asked his mother if there was anything he could do, she gave him a sad smile as she patted his cheek. “Your father needs some time. He’s blaming himself, I think. For not noticing sooner that Morelli was in such trouble.”
Carver wanted to tell his father he wasn’t to blame.
It had been Morelli’s pride, and then his fear, that had kept him isolated and vulnerable to Morav’s control.
But even he felt like he should have noticed something was wrong—or at least recognized the signs of Morelli’s increased stress—so he could only imagine how his father felt.
Morelli had hidden so much behind a quick smile and an easy laugh.
Carver had to keep reminding himself that, if nothing else, Morelli had done the right thing in the end.
To save Carver’s life, he had essentially given up his own, trading freedom for a cell.
It was yet another thing Carver wasn’t sure how to feel about.
“In the end, he chose to protect you,” Amryn whispered one night in their bed. “That’s worth remembering.”
He knew she was right. Just as he knew it would take time to fully process everything that had happened. For now, he needed to focus on getting Amryn safely through the emperor’s ball, and then he could take her away from here.
He was ready to take his wife home.