Chapter 40 Kasira
KASIRA
VERA WASTED NO TIME.
She spread a series of papers atop the podium, her blue eyes two piercing lights set upon her audience.
“It is no revelation to those gathered here that Kalthos has been protesting the Library’s favoritism against and negligence toward our kingdom for months.
In the course of Allaster St. Archer’s short tenure, Kalthos has sent the Librarian no fewer than fifteen mage applications, all of which were denied without consideration. ”
Allaster stood, and Vera paused with a curl of her lips. It was his right to provide counterevidence to any point she made, and she had no choice but to allow him to speak. With a wave of his hand, a stack of folders appeared on the table, the over my dead body labels blacked out.
He flipped open a file and began to read.
“Rendrik Dellos. Retired Malik. No further experience.” He tossed the file back atop the pile and picked another at random.
“Deklin Arksen. Ten. Young enough not to be involved in the Malikinar himself but descended from a family of honored hunters.” He discarded this one too.
“Eventually you grew more subtle.” A file from the bottom appeared in his hand, and he read, “Hyla Havloc. A rancher from northern Kalthos with a, quote, ‘love of animals.’” At this, Allaster actually rolled his eyes.
“Reportedly studied at the Arcadamium for two years under Professor Navdanya. A strange enough move for a woman of her background, but stranger still, when I asked Navdanya about Hyla, she swore she never had a student by the name.”
Vera’s jaw worked. “Kalthos lacks the proper infrastructure to train mages for the Library. We should not be penalized as a result.”
“Neither should we.” Allaster sent the files away with a wave of his hand. “The work done at the Library is delicate, vital, and not for the faint of heart, Ambassador. I would never forgive myself if I admitted a mage unprepared to face its difficulties.”
Kasira actually had to smother a smile. Allaster might not be able to lie, but he was particularly skilled at eviscerating someone while simultaneously remaining diplomatic.
Vera hardly looked deterred. “Very well. Then perhaps you can explain why, weeks past, you responded to a call of aid from your brother, High Mage Ambric St. Archer, at which point both you and the Assistant Librarian took up arms in defense of a town in Miraval?”
“Simple,” Allaster deadpanned. “It was under attack.”
Vera plodded on as if reading from a script. “Library law prevents the intervention in a country’s internal affairs, including using Library resources to defend against rebellions and criminal activity.”
“Then it is a good thing Spenshire was not under attack by an internal force.” Allaster let his gaze wash over the gathered dignitaries as he spoke.
“I’m sure some of you are familiar with the Ryveren, a group of mercenaries that has been plaguing Kalthos.
We have reason to believe they were hired by the Kalish government to attack Miraval with the intention of pressuring me into granting magic and authority to their spurious Kalish mage. ”
Vera lifted her chin. “Your evidence?”
Kasira knew what came next. Knew, and did nothing to stop it, even as her heart twisted.
“I have the testimony of the Assistant Librarian.”
All eyes fell on her, and she bore them without expression as Vera let out a short laugh.
“Ah, yes. Let us speak of Kasira Vitalis. The thief who stole the candidacy from Kalthos. We believe the Librarian hired her to take Lady Eirlana’s place as Assistant Librarian in order to deny our right to select a candidate. ”
“Your evidence?” Allaster spat back in mimicry.
Vera’s smile was nothing short of cutting.
“I would point out that the Librarian rather effectively just explained he doesn’t accept unqualified mages, both for their safety and the safety of the Library, and as such, I cannot see why else he would have allowed someone so untrained to take the position. ”
The Ambassador had woven her trap well. Allaster had no choice but to tell the truth as he saw it: that Kasira had conned her way into the Library without his knowing.
It wouldn’t paint him in a favorable light, as it would mean admitting he had been tricked, but it was better than everyone thinking he had known she wasn’t Eirlana from the beginning.
Not only would that make it seem as though he’d accepted an untrained candidate after refusing to do so for other Kalish mages, but it would lend credence to Vera’s claim that he’d done it intentionally to defraud the Kalish.
Then Allaster said the words that damned him. “I call the Assistant Librarian to testify.”
Kasira made her way toward the podium, aware of every set of eyes that followed her. She had run through this moment a hundred times. Knew every word that stood between her and the end of this nightmare. She didn’t want to speak a single one.
Allaster thought she would lie for him. Thought she planned to twist Vera’s words with every skill she possessed, until the dignitaries didn’t believe a single one.
He didn’t realize that Vera had been waiting for him to call Kasira forward.
Didn’t realize how much more condemning it was when your own witness testified against you, for he had no reason to suspect she would.
Vera peered at her from the podium. “To your knowledge, did Allaster St. Archer have a bias against Kalish mages?”
Kasira did not look at Allaster as she answered. “Yes.”
“To your knowledge, did he knowingly risk both his own life and yours in defense of his home, despite knowing the attackers were an unaffiliated mercenary group?”
“Yes.”
Satisfaction bloomed across Vera’s face. “And finally, did he hire you to con your way into the position of Assistant Librarian?”
This time, Kasira forced herself to meet Allaster’s pale gaze. To witness the confusion melding into stark, sharp understanding as she said, “Yes, he did.”
A murmur danced across the room, forcing Talthari to restore order. But Kasira watched only Allaster, who even in the midst of enemies, couldn’t stop the look of pain etching itself through every inch of him.
“Why?” he mouthed, staring at her with those too-bright eyes. And as he waited for an answer she could not give, she knew unequivocally that she had given a piece of her heart to this place, and it was breaking.
Talthari managed to call the room to order, and Vera wasted no time in capitalizing on Kasira’s testimony.
“Allaster St. Archer has been discriminating against Kalish interests from the day he took his position as Librarian.” She paced before the podium.
“We have months of documentation of his refusal to admit applicants, his denial of meetings with our delegates, and open support of our political adversaries to the detriment of our kingdom.”
She let the words hang for a moment, as skilled an orator as the Paratal she propped up.
“The Assistant Librarian herself witnessed his execution of each of these crimes, including hiring her to take the position of Assistant. And lastly, we have written testimony from Ambric St. Archer about the attack on Spenshire.”
Kasira expected Allaster to defend himself, but he’d collapsed into his chair, still staring at her as if he expected her to explain everything, as though if he only gave her a chance, she would make it all make sense. But she had nothing left to give him, no lies left to spin.
“The Librarian believes he can do whatever he wants.” Vera clasped the edges of the podium in each hand.
“He thinks he knows best, better than any of you. He exercises his power without consideration for the impact it has on our homes.” This, for Ambric.
Kasira had told Vera of the High Mage’s frustrations over his brother’s refusal to negotiate, how the consequences falling on Miraval had driven a wedge between them.
Allaster may have come to Spenshire’s aid, but to Ambric, he was the reason it had even needed saving.
Vera’s voice rose above the crowd’s growing murmurs. “We will not rest until he has been removed from the position he so openly desecrates.” This, for Arch Minister Cernos, who was so afraid of the outbreak of war.
“Vote to remove Allaster from his position as Librarian before his whims shift toward you.” For Queen Sarren, who by now would have heard Elyae’s tale of a leader who refused to listen and had unfairly sent her home.
This was where Kasira expected the Ambassador’s speech to stop, the blows dealt.
It didn’t.
“Allaster St. Archer is dangerous.” Vera’s voice took on a fervor fit for the Paratal before a vast crowd. “Dangerous to the Library and to us. To that end, I levy a third charge: the murder of Kalish mage Thane Ryarch.”
Kasira’s head snapped toward her. This hadn’t been part of the plan.
In fact, in their communications prior to today, Vera had said she intended to keep mention of Thane out of the Conclave so that Kasira’s name wouldn’t be sullied by what had happened.
After all, once Allaster was removed, Vera still needed Kasira to be able to take his spot as Librarian.
“We were told Thane’s death was the result of a beast attack on an untrained mage,” Vera continued. “In truth, that beast was set upon Thane by the Librarian himself because Allaster believed him to be a spy, and his death was passed off as an accident.”
This was a very different accusation. Vera didn’t even have to prove it.
If Allaster was found guilty of the other charges, he would be relieved of his position as Librarian and lose with it all its diplomatic protections.
He would be turned over to Kalthos to face trial for Thane’s murder, where Kasira had no doubt he would be convicted.
He would be condemned to death.
Vera took her seat to the stunned silence of the Conclave.
Kasira knew she needed to also, but she could not bring herself to take a single step toward Allaster.
Could not even bear to look at him. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Vera had lied. She might let the rest of the Library go unharmed, but she had never intended to relinquish Allaster. He was too great a threat to her.
Talthari retook the podium unsteadily. Their face was slack, and they gripped the wood as if to hold themself upright. “Lord Allaster,” they called shakily over the whispers of the crowd. “Your response?”
For the first time since she had known him, Allaster St. Archer was speechless.
At his back, May’s expression was a thunderstorm of anger and disbelief. Fen held Carlia back in her chair, their own face slack with shock. All Kasira wanted was to tell them it was going to be okay, that they didn’t have to worry.
Lie, screamed her thoughts. Lie lie lie lie.
Talthari looked as though they didn’t want to speak, but forced themself to say, “In light of the new accusation, the rules of the Conclave demand the accused be restrained until the verdict is delivered.”
Allaster stood, and more than one set of dignitaries’ guards tensed.
But the Librarian only pressed his wrists together and held them before himself.
Two mages who had been standing at the entrance came forward to bind his hands, a move more damning than any of Vera’s arguments.
Kasira and Thane had done their work well, and it made her heart ache to see.
She expected to see the same pain on Allaster’s face, but he didn’t so much as react, made no move to run. It was his silence that terrified Kasira. The way he seemed to have broken down to his core.
He didn’t look at her as the mages led him away.
The council followed Talthari into an adjacent room, where they would begin deliberations. The remaining crowd broke into smaller groups, some throwing furtive glances in Kasira’s direction, other voices already rising into heated debate.
Kasira fought to control her quickening breath, anxious claws tearing into her chest. May started toward her, and Kasira fled into the magic.