Chapter Thirteen
I sat on the palace steps and watched the horns clear the courtyard, my tail swishing around my feet with my intense focus. The King sat beside me, his hands clenched into fists. Orro and Leera had gone to bed, fleeing the King's glare.
“What are you looking for?” The Dragon King glanced at me and then refocused on the clean-up.
“Evidence,” I murmured, scanning.
“Of a bomb?”
“Of anything that would have caused the wall to fall.” I looked at him. “How could someone have gotten past your guards to plant an explosive?”
“I don't know. There are races with a talent for going unseen.”
“Raltven.”
“Yes, and also Argaiv.” He leaned forward on his knees. “Why were you with Orro?”
“What?” I glanced at him.
“I found you out here with him. Why? After that incident in the dining hall, it surprised me.”
My tail curled around my leg. “I went to apologize to him.”
“You went to apologize?”
“Yes. I thought about my behavior and realized I'd been wrong. So I went to his room and apologized.”
“You apologized in his room?” The King's eyes twitched.
“That's where he was.”
“It couldn't have waited until morning?”
“I wanted it done as soon as possible, and he didn’t scare me.”
“No, but going into his room was inappropriate.”
“Why?” I turned to face him. “I apologized. He apologized. That was it. Then we heard the explosion and came out to investigate.”
“I see.” He glanced at my tail. “How is your tail?”
“Fine. I'm more embarrassed than hurt.”
“Don't be embarrassed. You were amazing.”
“Amazing?” I frowned. “For attacking someone?”
“For taking down a Ricarri. That's not easily done.”
“He turned out to be a nice man. I shouldn't have attacked him. I know better than to make assumptions about anything. It was unprofessional and rude. Ruder than him stepping on my tail.”
The King grunted.
I was about to say more when I saw a spot of black amid the gray stones. Jumping to my feet, I called out, “Stop!” Then I ran to the horns.
The pile was nearly gone. Most of the stones were in relatively good condition, considering, and roughly kept their original rectangular shapes.
So, they were stacked neatly against a wall.
But now that they were near the bottom of the pile, the stones were more damaged.
A Ricarri man bent over for a large piece, but straightened as I ran to him.
He looked over my shoulder at the King. I glanced back, seeing the King nod at the soldier.
All the soldiers stepped back as I crouched to examine the scorch marks on the stones.
“All right, move this one.” I tapped a massive piece of jagged rock.
The Ricarri soldier lifted it out of my way, revealing more black swaths staining crumbled stones.
But what I was interested in most were the chunks of metal scattered amid the rocks, some pieces embedded in the stone.
I picked up a twisted piece of metal and sniffed it.
The acrid stench of an alchemical explosive filled my nose.
Cursing under my breath, I gathered all the metal I could find, shoved it in my pockets, and stood up. I met the King's gaze and nodded.
“Someone caused this.” The King looked around the courtyard and then out of the hole where the gate had been. “Where is the Commander?”
“I'm here, Your Majesty.” Another Ricarri man hurried over.
“Commander Rongru, tell me how this happened.” The King pointed at the scorch marks. “How did someone manage to set an explosive device in the . . .” He looked around. “Where is this stone from?”
“From, Sire?”
“Where in the wall was it located?”
“It's impossible to say, Your Majesty.”
“No, it isn't.” I motioned at the smooth, rounded side of a broken stone.
“That piece formed part of the arch over the gate.
It was near the remnants of the device, which is why it's cracked, but there are no scorch marks, and the curved portions are still intact.
The explosion would have turned the closest stones into pebbles, marked the next closest, and cracked the stones just beyond those.
I'd have to determine the precise explosive used to determine its radius, but with this piece damaged, I don't need an exact radius. The blast origin was at least two feet away from this piece, perhaps more. Since two feet or more away from the sides of the gate arch would have been inside the wall, someone must have planted the device near the top of the arch, probably on the wall walk.”
“No one could do that without the horns on duty noticing.” The Commander stiffened.
“Either a Raltven or an Argaiv could manage it. Raltven are good at scaling walls, and Argaivs could simply fly up the side.” The King glared at the ruin of the gate. “That is, if they set it outside the walls. If they placed it on the wall walk, only a Raltven could slip past the guards.”
“Or a traitor,” I said.
“No one got in, Sire! Not even a Raltven. And there are no traitors under my command.” The Commander looked from the stones to the hole in the wall. “Who could build such a weapon?”
“I could,” I said.
The King and his commander looked at me.
I took a piece of metal from my pocket. “This bears the distinct scent of brukrim, an explosive reagent. Whoever made this bomb was an alchemist.”
“Are there reagents that can make someone invisible?”
My thoughts spun back to the Okon I had saved in Tabaa and their chief. The chief's mentor had made cloaks with Raltven bone marrow that would render the wearer invisible.
“Master Sevarin?” King Falken leaned closer.
“There's no potion to make someone invisible.” I lifted my chin. “Not that I know of. The easiest explanation is usually the correct one in my experience.”
“And what is the easiest explanation?”
“One of your alchemists set the explosive. No one would think anything of them taking a stroll on the wall walk, would they?” I looked from the King to the Commander.
The Commander swung his head, cursing. “I'll interview the horns on duty tonight.”
“It could have been set to explode later.”
The Commander narrowed his eyes at me. “How much later?”
I shrugged. “There are explosives triggered by fire or water. Did it rain tonight?”
“Holy fuck,” the Commander whispered. “Yeah, just a light drizzle.”
I nodded. “Do you know when it rained last?”
The Commander shrugged and looked at the King.
King Falken shook his head. “Wait. I recall it rained the day you arrived, Master Sevarin.”
“Yes!” I pointed at him. “I recall the grass being damp when I fell on it.” I turned to the Commander. “That gives us a window of three days.”
The Commander grimaced. “Three days. Well, at least it isn't a week. I'll do my best.”
The King leaned closer to the Ricarri man. “Do better than that. I want a thorough investigation. You have my approval to interrogate every alchemist in the palace.”
“I can give you my whereabouts for the last three days now, Commander,” I said.
“The first day, I was with the King until I retired for the night.
The second day , I breakfasted with the King and then went into town to investigate several sites infected with the Silver Rot.
Then I went to a cafe for lunch, where the King joined me.
We returned to the palace together and remained in each other's company until I went to sleep.
Today, I was in my laboratory until dinner, which I believe the servants who brought me my meals could corroborate.
When I arrived in the dining hall, I had an altercation with Lord Orro.
I went to my room, and then later went to apologize to Lord Orro.
That's when we heard the explosion and came out here.”
“Thank you, Master Alchemist.” The Commander bowed. “That wasn't necessary. I think we can rule out your involvement.”
“You shouldn't rule out anyone, Commander.
Anyone could be angry with the King, or maybe there's another reason for the attack.
You never know what people are thinking.
Verify my story and check with your men that I wasn't on the wall tonight during those hours when I have no one to verify my whereabouts. Only then can you be sure I had nothing to do with this.”
The Commander gaped at me as the King chuckled.
“He's right, Commander Rongru.” The King smirked at me.
“And I'd like him cleared of any suspicion.
Speak to the other alchemists tonight, before they come up with a lie to save themselves, and then speak to your soldiers.
That will give the horns time to clear this rubble and relax a little.
It's easier to recall things when you're relaxed.”
“Yes, Sire. I just need to speak with the men clearing the courtyard and then I'll go speak with the alchemists.” He bowed and strode over to the men still waiting to be told to continue.
The King and I went inside the palace and up the stairs toward the royal apartments. But I left the stairwell on the fourth floor.
“Where are you going?” the King called after me.
“To analyze this metal.” I tapped my jacket pocket.
“No, you're not.” He held a hand out to me. “It's late. You need to sleep.”
“By morning, many traces of alchemical ingredients will dissipate. I must conduct the tests immediately.”
“Then I will join you.” He left the stairwell.
“That's unnecessary, Your Majesty.”
The King strode past me.
“There's no reason for both of us to lose sleep.” I hurried ahead to the lab door and unlocked it. But I didn't open it. Instead, I turned to look at the King. “You can't help me with this.”
“I will keep you company.” He leaned around me to grab the door handle and paused with his face an inch from mine. “I will be very unhappy if you fuck that Ricarri.”
“What?” I drew back. “Which Ricarri?”
“You know which. Orro.” The King opened the door and went into the lab. “If you fuck him, we're done. If you fuck anyone but me, we will be done.”
“I didn't realize we had begun.” I walked in and shut the door.