Chapter Thirty-Four
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Scarlett’s sleep was fitful, and she rose the next morning feeling worse than she had before going to bed.
While Charlie drove her and Cass into the city via speedboat, she was notified that the morning session, earmarked for a debate on education spending, had been postponed in favor of an open-forum discussion of the incident at the National Theater.
Scarlett stared out the window of the boat’s cabin trying to imagine how the day would unfold. She dreaded listening to the peers debate whether Brayden was a dangerous criminal or deserving of clemency. Maybe people would surprise her though. She hoped they would.
“Everything okay?” Cass asked.
“The session this morning has been switched to a discussion of the National Theater incident.” She shared a look with Cass as she patted her handbag, which held the thumb drive full of evidence. “But this might derail plans. We’ll see, anyway.”
When they arrived at Elestine’s office, several prominent Cerulean lords were already there, including Lord Garfield, Lord Navarre, and Lord Bombardier.
Cass found a spot by the door and stood with her arms folded.
Alastair was sitting in the far corner, his computer on his lap.
His gaze caught on Scarlett, and he studied her intently.
What’s he looking at me like that for? Her stare was icy, and he looked away, frowning.
“Probably looking for signs of weakness that he won’t find,” said Nori.
Scarlett certainly hadn’t softened toward him, if that’s what he was hoping for.
Otis Garfield shuffled toward her, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Are you all right, my dear? What Elestine mentioned over the phone—ghastly stuff.”
“It was horrible. Thanks for your concern. I appreciate your support.”
Otis patted her shoulder. “We’ll see what we can do.” His kindness and optimism bolstered Scarlett.
Lord Mayweather slipped into the office. The small space was now crowded with the most influential members of the Cerulean Party. It still hadn’t fully sunk in that she was now undoubtedly one of them. She wondered when it would.
“Right,” said Elestine. “We have everyone I expected. Let’s begin.
There’s been a new development. Last night, Lady Heroux obtained evidence that the Soleil Bureau worked with Lord Federsin to frame Sigur Vieur for the assassination of Lord Heroux.
We believe this was done at the behest of Lady Ashworth. ”
Lord Navarre gasped.
“What’s the evidence?” Lord Mayweather sounded more quizzical than shocked, and he leaned forward in his seat eagerly.
Scarlett faced her colleagues. “Files pulled directly from the bureau show that the IP addresses of the alleged messages between Sigur Vieur operatives are actually both native to Soleil. Police databases were used to match the IP addresses to the homes they’re registered to.
They pointed to Lord Federsin’s home and a residence out in the marshlands registered to an unknown name.
Whoever they are, we’ll come for them too, but they aren’t a peer. ”
There were murmurs of shock in response amidst the swirls of black and gold smoke—mostly gold—floating in the air.
“How reliable is this information?” demanded Lord Bombardier.
“Unless the bureau planted this in their own systems as a misdirection, it’s extremely reliable,” replied Scarlett.
“We must take this to the police,” said Lord Mayweather. “And the head of the bureau? Perhaps he wasn’t aware of the cover-up.”
Scarlett shared a glance with Elestine. “Given we have a dangerous conspiracy on our hands, Lady Spencer and I would like to propose something more… clandestine,” said Scarlett.
“Right now, we have the element of surprise. If we take this to the police, there’s a chance they manage to dismiss the evidence.
We need more proof, both of the cover-up by the bureau and the violence against me and my family.
” Speaking about the plot against her family out loud was strange, but it was refreshing to be able to tell the truth now that Elestine had told the lords everything.
The smoke above them was almost exclusively gold, bolstering Scarlett’s confidence.
“You’re right,” said Lord Bombardier. “We don’t know which parts of law enforcement to trust. We need a case so solid it can’t be ignored.”
The other lords nodded.
“Are we all in agreement?” asked Elestine, scanning their faces for tacit consent. “Good. Scarlett, go ahead and tell them your plan.”
Scarlett cleared her throat. “I’ve got a team assembled that includes a couple of ex–intelligence agents and some talented individuals who are used to operating in secret.
” She didn’t turn to look at Cass. The less the lords knew the better, in case it all went sideways.
“I propose we send them tonight to raid Lord Federsin’s home, as well as the Goldenrod headquarters, in search of evidence. ”
“Any questions?” asked Elestine.
Otis’s brow pinched. “You realize if this goes badly, it’ll be traced back to you?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take. If we get caught, I’ll own it,” said Scarlett.
“That could mean jail time,” said Lord Navarre.
Scarlett shrugged. Maybe she could have the cell next to Brayden’s if it came to that. But she also had the same exit opportunity he did. “I’m a dual citizen and could ask to be extradited.”
Lord Navarre’s eyes lit up. “That does help somewhat.”
“Anyone else?” asked Elestine.
The room was silent.
“All in favor, say aye.”
Every person in the room, aside from Alastair, murmured, “Aye.”
“Thank you all so much,” said Scarlett, her shoulders relaxing. If they’d all been against the idea, she didn’t know what she would have done.
“There’s no thanks necessary,” said Lord Bombardier. “If this is all true—and I believe what you’ve told us—the integrity of the senate and the future of Soleil are at risk, and we must act accordingly. We should be thanking you for taking this risk.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the room.
“Before we disperse,” said Elestine, “let’s discuss how to handle the National Theater situation.”
Lord Navarre frowned. “Lady Ashworth will be trying to resurrect her old proposal to make violent magic a capital offense.”
Scarlett’s stomach clenched.
“Exactly,” said Elestine. “She’ll want to use this to her advantage, and she might have some votes swing her way, given it’s an election year. However, the damage control Scarlett did with the press yesterday will shift public opinion, so today’s strategy is to prevent a vote.”
“May I ask a question?”
Heads swiveled to Alastair in the corner. Scarlett narrowed her eyes, and several lords looked like they’d only just noticed he was there.
Elestine’s mouth was drawn in a tight line. “Go ahead.”
“Forgive me, but are you all condoning what Lord Maddox did?” asked Alastair.
Elestine sighed. “The Cerulean platform is against outsized punishments for magic. The punishment should be tied to the crime—assault, murder, damage to property. All of those have wildly different categories within the law, particularly if there’s a case for self-defense.
Lord Maddox believed he was fighting for Lady Heroux’s life, as well as his own. ”
“But he burned down the entire lobby—”
“Is my life less important than a lobby?” Scarlett’s voice overrode Alastair’s. “Property can be replaced, and I’ve offered to fund the repairs.”
Alastair opened his mouth to reply, but Elestine put up a hand to silence him. “Because he had no other choice. Wouldn’t any of us have done the same if our family were at risk?”
“I would’ve done the same, I reckon,” said Otis.
“Absolutely,” agreed Lord Mayweather. “If I had fire magic and balls as big as Lord Maddox’s, I’d do the same.” His elegant diction made the brash comment sound somehow refined.
Scarlett smiled in surprise as the men around her chuckled. Alastair’s expression was stony as he stared at his computer.
Elestine suppressed a smile. “Glad to know we’re all onside.
Alastair, to bring this full circle for you, the Goldenrod desire to label violent magic a capital offense is political grandstanding to their base.
They’d put Lord Maddox away for using fire magic to light a candle.
It’s unreasonable. Does that answer your question?
” Her authoritative tone said he’d better be done asking questions.
“Yes.” Alastair’s cheeks were tinged pink.
Scarlett wrinkled her nose, certain that if she’d spoken those words instead of Elestine, she’d be seeing black smoke above Alastair’s head.
“He looks like a reprimanded child,” said Nori.
The meeting ended, and the peers left Elestine’s office. When it was just her, Scarlett, and Cass left, Scarlett gestured for Cass to come closer. They sat opposite Elestine at her desk.
“My bodyguard, Cass, is going to head up the break-in tonight,” said Scarlett. “Do you have any questions for her?”
Elestine’s eyebrows drew together. “Why in the world would you go without protection? Wasn’t there anyone else available to help?”
Scarlett’s shoulders kept tensing up, and she had to force herself to relax. “We need this to be a success, and she has special abilities.”
“Special abilities?” Elestine’s eyes flashed with interest.
“That’s right,” said Cass. “I’m from Zahara, and I have magic that prevents detection.”
Scarlett felt confident in their odds of success as she thought of the darkness Cass wielded. “If Cass is leading them, they’re much less likely to be caught.”
“Understood,” said Elestine. “We need to head to the meeting, but let’s regroup later and firm up the plan for the evening. I’m still concerned about your safety tonight, but we can worry about that later.”
Scarlett spent the bulk of her morning reviewing the incident at the National Theater. She was called to the podium multiple times, first to tell the chamber what happened, and then again, after an initial debate, to take questions from her peers.