LII | ZIEL RUI
This wasn't as simple as sneaking into the library or tricking the guards to access the castle.
She needed to be methodical and intelligent—both things that were going to be tougher than becoming invisible or using a honeyed tongue, ironically.
Tucking her necklace beneath her shirt, she took a deep breath.
She didn't know if Ziel Rui would even be on the other side. But if Ziel Rui was in cahoots with Aleksandr, she would be. The weapons expert would be either planning a defense against Noriya, or she'd be on the offense to make the city look like it was trying to fight back.
Maybe she was cavorting around Aizasea—or another city entirely—upon hearing the news that she wouldn't have to create a retaliation to Noriya's siege. Celvene had no way of knowing.
And she had to be careful walking into a room filled with weapons—she had no doubts that Ziel Rui would use them if she felt threatened.
There was no use waiting any longer. She twisted the doorknob, and thankfully, it wasn't locked. Celvene pushed the door open and peeked her head inside. A few candles lay around the room, illuminating the sole table that sat in the middle of the room.
A large map was attached to it, with various colors of ink scattered across the paper. Glass cabinets full of weapons lined the walls, and different handheld swords and maces were hung from the walls. Celvene recognized the Blightbearer sword in the middle of the collection behind the glass.
"Ah," a voice said from beside the door. "A visitor. Why don't you come inside?"
Celvene stepped inside. The smell of floral and acidic smoke wafted over her. When she looked to the side, Ziel Rui had pushed the door shut. In her manicured hand was a lit cigar, rose pink smoke curling from the tip.
Ziel Rui placed the cigar in between her lips and inhaled before puffing out another cloud of smoke, and the smell intensified. Celvene's nose crinkled.
"What can I do for you, my dear? You don't look like you're from around these parts," Ziel Rui said, her accent just as buttery as it was the day Celvene met her. "Did you stumble into the wrong room?"
The tall woman placed a hand on her hip, eyes drilling into Celvene's soul. Celvene's skin pricked with apprehension.
"No," said Celvene, adopting a general Xidolarian accent.
She'd heard various versions of the accent growing up, and though the memories were fleeting by now, she could make it convincing enough for Ziel Rui not to raise an eyebrow, she hoped.
She cleared her throat. "I was looking for you, as a matter of fact. "
"Really?" Ziel Rui's voice dripped with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. She clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, far be it from me to not greet a guest. Welcome to our humble kingdom."
"Thank you. What is your position in this castle? I was pointed in your direction by the guards out front, and I want to make sure I have the right woman."
"I'm the weaponsmith. I supply the castle guard and the army with the finest weapons in Fellstride, and tend to them when they are not in use."
Celvene bit back her immediate reply—the weapons that are losing us the war—for a softer, "You are a merchant as well, correct?"
Ziel Rui's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
Celvene swallowed her nerves and forced her voice to be as smooth as she could manage.
"I cannot imagine that someone tasked with buying weapons for such a large kingdom does not know the inner workings of the trade.
You are constantly looking for price drops and the like for the cheapest quality weapons, are you not? "
Celvene's tense posture relaxed when Ziel Rui dragged her cigar from her lips and turned to the table. "You are correct. Are you here to offer a deal? Because I'm afraid Aizasea is off the market for the purchase of new weapons at the moment."
"Why?" Celvene asked, and the question slipped out before she could stop herself. She cringed.
Ziel Rui didn't respond.
Did I already mess this up?
"Apologies. I am not here for that," she continued, praying she could remedy her mistake. "I was merely curious. But I have something I think you would like to see, and I have a proposition for you."
"What is it?" drawled Ziel Rui.
Celvene walked up to the woman, undoing the scroll as she did so. "I have information on you. Information you wouldn't want getting out."
Ziel Rui's gaze landed on the letter, and her dark eyes grew cold and hard. "Where did you get that? That should have been disposed of."
"Right now, that does not matter. What matters is your cooperation with me."
Ziel Rui took a step back from the table and faced Celvene. Her features pinched in a frown. "Who are you? You're no stranger to this castle."
Celvene held up the scroll. Her muscles tensed, preparing for a fight. "Again, that does not matter. If you comply, I will not let this be released into your kingdom. Your job will be safe, and your family will be fed."
"And what do you want from me in return?"
"I want information on this kingdom's leader. Aleksandr."
"Aleksandr? He's hardly a leader, much less a king. But what would you like to know?"
"Don't you serve beneath him? Why are you speaking poorly of him?" asked Celvene.
Ziel Rui stood up straight, puffing her chest out.
Her lip curled as she said, "If you're coming in here asking about information against Aleksandr, I doubt you care about how loyal I am to a man who's threatened my job multiple times in the past week alone.
At this point, I'd gladly lose my job if it removed that tyrant from my life.
But even if I quit, he has ways of keeping an eye on me. "
Celvene adjusted the cuffs of her jacket, bowing her head.
She wanted to seem submissive enough that she didn't appear as a threat, but not so passive that Ziel Rui believed she could win against Celvene.
"It was a simple question. I want to make sure you are someone I should align myself with, not against."
"You know you can work with me. I told you to find me when you wanted to work together." Her voice grew cold as she sneered, "Celvene."
It was a single word, yet it was enough to make Celvene's breathing catch in her throat. Her eyes went wide, and her hands tightened around the letter. It crumpled beneath her hands into a wrinkled mess, but Celvene hardly noticed.
She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, then opened it; she certainly looked like a fish out of water, and she felt like one, too.
"Calm yourself, child," said Ziel Rui. "You might burst a blood vessel if you grow any more red. I'm not working against you. Our values align, for now."
"How did you know?" was all she managed to ask.
"I have my ways," Ziel Rui responded. She flashed a tight, sharp smile. "I told you during the first ball we could make a deal. I'm not sure where you went after that, but we don't need any intel on Aleksandr's current intentions. We've figured them out."
"So you're against him?" she asked, dropping her feigned accent. She smoothed out the paper in her hand. "Because if so, I won't need to take these to someone with appropriate power."
Not yet, at least.
"Tax evasion isn't going to make anyone worry. Not when crimes like Aleksandr's are being committed."
"It's impressive you've gone this long without being caught. It's been years."
"I would have, but castle staff is easy to persuade if you have the right amount of money.
They've kept quiet, and I've had my documents kept in a safe space where no one can find them.
No one but you." Ziel Rui walked to the other end of the table and placed her hands on the wood, leaning forward.
"Which is exactly how Aleksandr hasn't been caught.
He paid off the librarian, who promised the safety of his crimes.
She's complacent with anything less than legal as long as she's paid accordingly.
And she had too much faith in her security. "
"I was almost caught."
"But you weren't, and that's what matters. You're far more of a leader than Aleksandr can be if you're willing to go to these lengths to deliver justice."
A mixture of justice and bitterness.
Ziel Rui's hands curled around the table deeper. "In return, I want my safety sworn. What you found does not leave this room."
"You've still committed crimes," said Celvene. "You're a servant of this kingdom, as am I. What you've done is almost as bad as what Aleksandr has done."
Not true in the slightest.
"I want nothing to do with you or this castle once Aleksandr is gone, omihesa. This palace is already corrupted. I'd rather not associate myself with its filth. I'll be leaving once Aleksandr is gone, and I want your word that I will be able to do so freely."
Celvene sighed. If she refused, she could be missing out on vital information—but if she accepted, she could be playing into Ziel Rui's traps.
She had enough evidence as it was to incriminate Aleksandr, though; Ziel Rui was a failsafe.
If her words didn't hold weight, Celvene didn't have to use them.
If they did, then she had another leg up tomorrow. "Fine. Continue on."
"Aleksandr has gotten rid of half the castle's staff.
Whether that's from firing them or more malicious means of disposal, we don't know.
He's kept the housekeeping staff, and he's gotten rid of almost every means of defense this city has left.
It's H?rge and me left, and that's because we've been appeasing his ego.
" Ziel Rui's fingers dragged inwards, dragging against the wood.
Her taloned fingernails left behind sizable indents in the table.
When Celvene looked at her face, it was twisted with rage.
That was... mildly terrifying. What kind of strength did Ziel Rui possess?
"He's planning something. What that is, we haven't been able to figure out.
He's covering his tracks. And he's doing it well. "
"Not well enough. I found documents in the forbidden section of the library. He's working with Noriya and their king, and they've planned more attacks on Aizasea. They're going to strike soon."
Ziel Rui's twitching fingers stilled. Her face grew dark. "How soon?"
"Two more times before the end of the month.
My guess? Tomorrow, at the ball, when everyone is relaxed, and the edge is taken off because of alcohol.
He'll have a free strike at the heart of the city.
I plan to stop it, or at least warn the guests to disrupt the attack.
But to do that, I need information. Information that can take him down. "
Ziel Rui exhaled, her sandy skin flush with anger.
Her gaze held Celvene's for a moment before she gestured to one of the fragile chairs pushed against the table.
"Sit. I will admit, I don't know much. And what I do know may not help you.
But regardless, if you're taking down that menaku of a man, I'll tell you everything I know. "