Chapter Sixteen
It took longer than expected to examine the ship.
Diaya was thorough and wanted to go over everything he'd found.
He had also taken statements from the survivors, which I read, but I still wanted to interview them myself.
There wasn't time for that, though. Feilen looked furious when I stepped off the ship, and he insisted we return to the palace immediately.
I agreed, and we took the carriage back to the palace. We hurried down the corridor toward the main stairs, but a palace attendant stopped us before we reached them. He said the meeting was over, and both kings had requested my presence.
I headed to King Saric first, Feilen still dogging my heels.
Up the main stairs we went, this time going right off the landing.
On the second floor, I led Feilen down a corridor that ended in a set of arched doors, carved more intricately than the palace's main doors.
A pair of Dragon knights stood guard on either side.
One opened a door while the other stepped forward and stood in Feilen's path.
“Only Lord Nadar may pass,” the Dragon said to Sir Feilen.
The poor guy was having a hard time spying on me. I mean, looking after me.
This time, Feilen didn't protest, only moved to stand against the right wall to wait.
“He's in his study,” the other guard said to me.
“Thank you, Sir Alahn.” I headed into the royal apartments and went straight to the King's study.
The door was open, but I paused in the doorway. The King's concubine was with him. Lady Seysara lay sprawled across a leather couch near the fireplace, her head on the King's lap. King Saric was stroking her long, platinum hair, but his gaze was on the fire, and his hands seemed to move by rote.
“Your Majesty?” I called softly.
The King flinched and looked up. “Ah, Lord Nadar. Come in.” He waved at a nearby armchair. “What did you discover?”
Lady Seysara sat up and then stood up, bowing to the King before leaving without a word. They'd been together long enough for her to know when she needed to leave the King to his duties. I waited until she was gone before I shut the door and took a seat.
“Claw Mahdred is a damn fine investigator. My help was meager. He showed me around the ship and shared the evidence he'd found.”
“And what evidence did you find?”
“My findings matched his. There were signs of a battle.
That much is certain. The Talons removed the bodies before I got there, but I saw the blood and the damage done to the ship.
A broken mast appeared to have been snapped by a cannonball, and there were gouges in the railing from grappling hooks.
It looked like the aftermath of a pirate attack with one obvious difference—the blood.
Pirates don't kill unless forced to. I read the statements of the survivors, and they say that the attackers didn't give them a chance to surrender. They boarded the ship, slaughtered most of the crew, stole the cargo, and left enough survivors to sail the ship.”
“They left enough sailors alive to sail the ship? Why not kill everyone if you're going to be so savage?”
“Exactly. It has the feel of a performance.”
“What about the claim that they were Sea Dragons?”
“The survivors say the men wore the crest of Ilshi. But why would anyone attack a ship wearing their kingdom's crest? It just doesn't make sense. If King Jucai sent his men to attack your ship, he’d want them to be as anonymous as possible.”
“Unless those men wanted to frame Ilshi,” King Saric said.
“Yes, sire. That’s what we concluded. Because not only does the attack make no sense, but there was also no sign of Sea Dragons on that ship. Not anywhere.”
“No sign of them?” His eyes widened. “You mean there was no scent?”
“Yes, sire. Both Claw Mahdred and I could detect no scent of Sea Dragons aboard that ship.
Or rather, I should say there was no old scent.
I had Sir Feilen, one of King Jucai's knights, with me, and he briefly came aboard.
Instead of contaminating the crime scene, his scent helped us to verify that there was no other like it on that ship.
As an Eljaffna, Claw Mahdred's sense of smell is even better than mine. So, I trust his findings more than my own.”
“Then the survivors are lying.”
“Not necessarily. We didn't find any evidence of Sea Dragons, but we did find magical residue.”
“Magical residue?”
“Yes, I was as unaware as you are that magic leaves a residue.
Evidently, the type of magic used can be determined by the residue it leaves.
Claw Mahdred employs a pair of glasses he purchased from an alchemist to see remnants of magic.
I didn't believe it until I looked through the glasses and saw it for myself.”
“What did you see?”
“Glowing trails. I could follow them across the ship, and they took me to the blood evidence. I believe the glasses are genuine.”
“Wait, what do you mean, they took you to the blood?”
“I walked the path of the attackers, sire. That residue was everywhere they had been. I believe they were using magic to make themselves look like Sea Dragons.”
“I've never heard of magic that can transform you into another person.”
“I have, but from what I remember, it's a long, complicated process employed by sorcerers.”
“That makes sense. Sorcerers develop their skills; they aren't born with them.”
“Precisely, they create their spells. Hopefully, I can find a sorcerer familiar with the spell. Then I'll know what they need to cast it. That might help me find them.”
“Then you are certain this isn't the work of Sea Dragons?”
“Sea Dragons wouldn't need magic to change their appearance, and they would have left their scent behind. So, that rules out Sea Dragons. I considered the possibility that a Sea Dragon hired others to do the job, but that seems unlikely. When I was in Kansu, I saw no reason for any of King Jucai's dread to rebel, and the city guards didn’t see any Sea Dragons leave the city within that time. And as for the other sea kingdoms, King Jucai said that with their awakening, the Sea Dragons have been busy reestablishing their rule. Also, the sea kingdoms are vast. There’s no need to conquer another kingdom, nor would it be easy to rule one that is half an ocean away.”
“Thank the Gods you returned, Nadar. I might have accused the Ilshi Dead falsely if not for you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, but your Claw had already figured it out. He just confirmed his conclusions with me. I'm sure you wouldn't have accused Ilshi of any wrongdoing.”
“Still, it's good to have your help. I know you were only down there a couple of days, but what was it like? What are the Sea Dragons like?”
“They are kind and welcoming. Did you know they hunt sea monsters to protect the undersea people?”
Saris raised his eyebrows. “Sea monsters? How exciting.”
“These monsters have terrorized the undersea folk while the Sea Dragons have been hibernating. They capture people to torture and eat.”
“What?” The King's expression tightened into horror. “Those poor people.”
I nodded. “And that is why the Sea Dragons are so revered underwater. They are heroes. And the city, sire, its beautiful. So wondrous. I saw a lake in one of their parks.”
“A lake?” The King chuckled. “A lake under the sea, how amusing.”
“Yes, and they are very civilized. They have libraries, schools, and training academies. King Jucai oversees the welfare of his people.”
King Saric sighed. “If only I had the time.”
“I didn't mean to imply that you are lacking, Your Majesty. You are wise enough to establish an organization to help your people.”
The King snorted. “That wasn't my idea. Our ancestors established guidelines for city governance long ago.”
“Still, you ensure it continues.”
He nodded and then gave me a knowing look. “So, you're enjoying your time in Kansu?”
I cleared my throat. “I am, Your Majesty.”
“Be careful, Lord Nadar. It’s hard to love a king, even more so when he lives underwater.
“I assure you, I'm not falling in love, sire. I have no interest in a romantic attachment with King Jucai.”
With a raised eyebrow, he asked, “Are you sure about that? Because you certainly don't look at each other like men not interested in romantic attachments.”
“He is a very handsome man.”
“And a hero?” King Saric smirked. “I'm just teasing you, Lord Nadar. We are Dragons. We take our pleasure wherever we find it. Enjoy yourself. Just don't get too attached. I don't want to lose my best diplomat.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Now, back to the issue at hand. We know who didn't attack the Blue Heron, but who did?”
“That is indeed the question, sire. I will speak with the survivors and track down a sorcerer tomorrow.”
“Perhaps you could ask Duke Daha for help.”
“But he's a necromancer, not a sorcerer.”
“He knows many things, Lord Nadar. He's been studying sorcery. After facing the Brujai sorceress, Daha became interested in the art. I think she made him feel powerless, and to reclaim his power, he learned how to best her with her own magic.”
“That sounds like the Duke.” I nodded. “Very well, I'll check with him first.” I stood up.
“Lord Nadar?” The King held up a hand to stop me from leaving. “Could the survivors be in collusion with the attackers?”
“Anything is possible, sire. That's why I need to speak with them.”
“Should I have them arrested?”
“Not yet, Your Majesty. We don't want to spook their friends if they are guilty.”
“You're right, but you need to figure this out soon. Have Claw Mahdred help you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sure he'll be delighted to help.” I bowed and left the room.