Chapter LV Powerless
LV Powerless
When we reach the Table of Kings, I can’t contain my shaking. I clasp my hands behind my back to hide it, but my legs shake, too. I don’t know how I’ll save Magnar. His fate is almost decided, and I must do something.
Yet, what?
I am almost desperate enough to pray, but that never helped before. Oh, damn. I should have made Arvi teach me the Agnidari prayers.
“Queen Caliane,” Sidonius announces my presence, then walks to the top of the table, where he stands to oversee the meeting.
The number of chairs is a slap to my face. Seven. A clear sign they’ve already decided Magnar will not take part in a Gathering ever again.
“Good of you to join us,” Richard says, giving me a small bow. His eyes glitter with triumph, and he can’t keep a pleased smirk off his face.
“What is the reason for my presence?” I ask, keeping my head high. My voice doesn’t tremble, but it sounds weak. I dig my nails into my palms.
Calm down. You’re a queen. Act like it.
“A most unhappy occurrence,” Richard says with glee that belies his words. “I must share unfortunate news of your husband. He has been found by the guards close to a house of pleasures. He was unruly and broke the Kings’ Peace.”
King Theodore, who’s mostly bald, his wrinkled hands spotted with brown stains, shakes his head with pious condemnation.
“That should have been expected, my friends. He showed no manners or good will from the start. He’s an Agnidari! Being unruly is in their nature.”
I clench my fists harder. It’s no use. My voice shakes when I speak.
“Where is he now?”
Richard sighs with insincere regret. “Dear Caliane, you know as well as we do what happens when the Kings’ Peace is broken. We have no choice in the matter. It’s a serious law, and your… husband… killed a man belonging to my personal retinue.”
I lift my chin higher. “What was a man from your personal retinue doing near a house of pleasures?”
He frowns, giving me a chiding look. Oh, right. Women can’t be loud or ask uncomfortable questions.
“That is none of your concern, my dear. Or mine, frankly. He had a night off and was on his private time.”
I take a step closer, sensing a weakness. “Then he was not actually employed by you at the moment of his killing. He was, as you say, on his private time. If Magnar killed him as you claim, he committed a murder, but he did not break the Kings’ Peace.”
Richard’s mouth falls open, and he stares at me with mild surprise. Xander scoffs, rolling his eyes dismissively, and Theodore, Susan’s husband, frowns, looking at Sidonius.
“An interesting point,” he says. “Master of Peace, what do you opine?”
“He should opine nothing,” Richard cuts in, having regained his composure.
He stares at me with vicious hate, illustrating clearly the point my father made long ago—about men hating to be bested by women.
“Why?” I ask, pretending to be genuinely baffled as I look to Sidonius for support. “I am sure everyone at this table has utter respect for you, Richard. We shall not disregard your words! You said your man was on his private time. It’s important. Please, do not sell yourself short.”
“Oh, you little…” He breaks off when Bernard, the king of Cassia, who sits next to him, puts a hand on his forearm.
“Manners,” he says simply.
Richard’s jaw works as he chews on the insults he wants to throw my way. I give him my most pleasant smile, and he sneers. Sidonius clears his throat.
“There is a precedent, gentleman, my lady,” he says.
“And according to the ruling of my predecessor, a man sworn into serving his king is that king’s man in all situations.
In that case, it was a question of whether he served his king or was his own man while he slept.
It was ruled he belonged to the king always.
Therefore, the murdered soldier from King Richard’s retinue was indeed in his king’s employ, even on his day off. I am sorry, Caliane.”
My insides freeze with terror, my hope crushed. Richard settles in his chair, giving me a cold, triumphant look. He won.
“Very well,” I say, my voice so weak, I have to clear my throat and repeat myself. “And why do you accuse my husband? Are there reputable eye witnesses, or are these just empty accusations?”
“There are,” Richard says with a smirk. He was ready for this question. “Three other men from my retinue, also on their day off. They saw your husband kill my man. Magnar is easy to tell apart, I’m afraid.”
“Were they in their cups?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“They were perfectly sober. They attended the same establishment as your husband, my dear, and alcohol is not the vice served there.”
I wobble and really wish for a chair. I’m standing while they all sit, and it seems like I’m the one being questioned when it should be the other way round.
“Magnar does not attend those kinds of establishments.”
Xander scoffs. “Sure, tell yourself that. Men have needs, darling.”
Sidonius shoots him a reproachful look. “King Xander, you are speaking to a queen.”
But Xander only waves his hand dismissively, a nasty smile playing on his lips. I see what their ploy is. They try to insinuate my husband went to the brothel for their services, and thus humiliate me further. If I hadn’t known what he was really up to, it might have worked.
As it is, all I can think of is that these vile men have no right to cast stones. They are all lechers and pigs, and I know that not just from Magnar, but from my father’s notes, too.
But that doesn’t help me. I can’t start hurling accusations or they’ll throw me out, and I’ll lose whatever chances I have.
“That must be such a shock,” Richard says with fake sympathy. “If it pleases you, my queen, we shan’t divulge the circumstances of your husband’s arrest. We’ll let you keep your honor.”
He expects me to thank him, but the words won’t go through my throat. I have another idea.
“It hasn’t escaped my attention that all witnesses are men in your employ, Richard. For an accusation this serious, an impartial witness should be presented. Do you have one?”
“Impartial?” he asks, raising his brows in mock bafflement. “Are you suggesting my men would lie, Caliane?”
“Of course,” I say with a scoff. “They are your men, therefore they should be loyal. If you tell them to lie, they will, unless they don’t respect your orders. So which is it? Do your men lie for you, or do you lack authority?”
Richard thumps his fist on the table, his eyes bulging with fury, all his polish gone. “Do not speak this way to your better, you slut,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “I will not be questioned by an Agnidari whore!”
The other kings mutter and shake their heads while Sidonius stands up in agitation.
“King Richard, please! If you don’t calm down, I will have to ask you to step out. This is no way to speak to a queen!”
“And the way she speaks to me is fine?” he roars, pushing away from the table.
He stands, his fist clenched. The table is a wide obstacle between us, and I feel safe with that barrier in place, though maybe I shouldn’t.
Maybe I should get Richard to hit me. Then he would be tried, too, and they would have to let Magnar go if they wanted to exonerate Richard.
“If it were my father, you would have been impressed,” I say cooly, trying to rile him up more.
My father congratulates me in my mind’s ear. “If you make them lose their temper, you win.”
“Your father is dead, and you let his murderer fuck your cunt every night,” Richard spits, his shoulders heaving with every breath.
“He is much more satisfying in bed than a human man,” I say with a nonchalant shrug.
“Oh, but I’m sorry, you must be so envious!
I know you feel so insecure about your manhood, you have to threaten your wife not to dally, because you know you can’t satisfy her yourself.
I apologize, Richard. This must be a sensitive topic for you. ”
“You… What…”
He makes to round the table, his face twisted in absolute rage. Bernard rises, ready for it, and grabs his arm. He’s a large, burly man, and Richard’s junior. He easily holds him back.
“Steady, or it won’t work,” he says quietly. “Remember what we’re doing here.”
“What won’t work, gentlemen?” I ask sweetly, stepping closer. “What are you referring to, Bernard?”
“Only the carrying out of justice,” the king of Cassia says, his face neutral. “It will not work if it’s disrupted by violence.”
I know my face must sour, because Xander snorts, shooting me an insolent look.
“We’ve been doing this for years, darling. You’re only a woman. Your mouth is good for one thing, and it’s not talking.”
“I will forgive you because I know your words stem from fragility,” I say with a sniff, twisting my hands harder and harder behind my back. “Such a lovely wife you have. You must feel quite humbled, seeing as her beauty is high above yours.”
I hit the mark. Xander’s face turns grim, and he levels me with a glare full of loathing. When he speaks, spit flies out of his mouth and stains the table.
“Careful, or you’ll hang next to your beast of a husband. You should be humble, little girl. In fact, you should beg for mercy on your knees. Under this table.”
“That is out of line!” Sidonius shouts. “Gentlemen, what is wrong with you? Need I remind you the Kings’ Peace can be applied to verbal exchanges, as well? Caliane has been abused horribly, and in my hearing, too! Have a care!”
“Shut up, Sidonius,” Richard growls, and I flinch back, my eyes wide as I look at the Master of Peace.
I expect him to rally and put Richard in his place, but Sidonius clenches his jaw, giving me a hard, regretful look, and sits down.
Still, he said enough.
“I accuse them of breaking the Kings’ Peace,” I say, breathless.
Is this it? Is it really my salvation?
When Richard snorts with scorn, it becomes clear this won’t work, either. Sidonius’ face is grim.
“Only a king who sits at this table can accuse the others, queen Caliane,” he says with regret that seems sincere. “You cannot.”
“I see.”
There is a silence, and I struggle to come up with something, anything to fill it. As long as we talk, they won’t vote. I search the faces of the kings, desperately looking for an ally. I suppose I could offer them something. The mines? Our wealth?
I think back to my father’s notes. Xander used to be heavily indebted, but he bolstered his coffers with Molly’s dowry. Richard and Bernard are doing well, and Theodore, Susan’s husband, thrives off the overseas trade.
Wait. There was something. Something about Theodore.
“Do you have any other questions, Caliane, before we put your husband’s culpability to vote?” Richard asks, having regained his composure.
“Yes. I want to see him before you vote and hear his version of events.”
Richard scoffs. “That is not necessary. You are not a judge in this matter—we are. The accounts of the witnesses are enough.”
“But you still don’t have an impartial witness!” I exclaim, panic clawing at my throat.
What was it about Theodore?
“I have not told my men to lie,” Richard says, lifting his chin proudly. “And I resent your accusations. Maybe you should be tried next.”
“There is no cause,” Sidonius says instantly.
“Yet.”
Oh, I’m going to be sick. Not only will I not save Magnar from death, I’ll get myself and my people killed, as well. I swallow and swallow, keeping the bile down while Richard watches me with a sly, pleased smirk.
My vision blurs. For a moment, a page from my father’s journal flickers in my mind’s eyes. There’s a doodle of a ship. I remember that page. And I remember…
I look at Theodore with wild eyes, and he frowns at me, confused by my attention.
“The Cove of Two Moons,” I whisper, my lips barely moving.
For a moment, no one reacts. Then Xander scoffs, folding his arms on his chest. “Mutterings of a fool.”
But Theodore grasps my meaning. His mouth falls open in fear, and he shakes his head slightly. I give him a faint nod, pursing my lips. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and nods back.
My father gathered all kinds of secrets, large and small—whatever he could get his hands on. One such secret is that Theodore, who rules Amber Port, the kingdom with the longest shoreline, steals the other kings’ wares.
They ship their goods through his ports, and he lets them use his robust trade flotilla for a fee.
What they don’t know is that once a year or so, Theodore keeps a ship full of luxurious goods to himself and lies to the kings that pirates robbed it.
He waits a time before moving the wares for fear of being discovered.
And the place where he hides the stolen goods is called the Cove of Two Moons.
“What was that?” Richard asks, throwing me an impatient look.
“Oh, just a silly thing I remembered.” I muster as much carelessness as I can, but my voice is tight, my body on the verge of giving out. I’ll either vomit or faint.
“So female,” Richard scoffs, rolling his eyes.
Ah, yes. Because women can’t stay focused and always say silly things. Richard just proved to himself I am exactly as he expects me to be, and all is well in his world.
He’s about to crush me.
“If you have no more questions, we shall vote,” he says, a nasty smile curling his lips. “Who votes for Magnar to be removed from the Table of Kings?”
I don’t dare blink, and my eyes burn as I stare at Theodore, my heart pounding so hard, I barely hear anything other than its sound. Is Theodore cowed enough, or is that secret too weak to hold him on a leash?
“Raise your hands,” Richard says, instantly raising his arm as high as it will go.
Everyone follows him, hands rising around the table. Only Susan’s husband sits still, staring at the tabletop in front of him.
“Theodore?” Richard asks. “Do you vote for Magnar to be cast out?”
The elderly king takes a deep breath and folds his hands meticulously, one on top of the other. When Richard makes an impatient noise, Theodore clears his throat.
“I do not. I believe we need to look into this matter some more. Such decisions cannot be made in haste.”
“But we’ve agreed!” Xander bursts out, slamming both fists on the table.
“You’ve ruled before the Gathering?” I ask with my last strength, even though the world grows blurry, my vision swimming strangely. “But that is illegal.”
Sidonius raises his head, his lips pursed, eyes determined.
“No, we haven’t,” Richard snaps before he can speak. “Shut up, Xander. Theodore, what the fuck?”
“I spoke,” Theodore says primly, turning away. “I propose to reconvene in two days.”
He looks at me, his eyes cool and narrowed, and I understand he intends to vote differently in two days. In the meantime, they will have plenty of options to manufacture a way to remove me, too.
I bought us two days. And it’s not enough.