Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
The meeting room within the military base at Castle Venemer was filled with rows of chairs, and Jade and Theo took their seats in two free chairs near the back.
Jade scanned the room. She recognized several of the officers from her time on other bases or working missions that employed officers from more than one base, but many of the faces were new to her.
Officers continued to file in for a few more minutes, and once the door was closed behind the last of them, Grand General Devereaux strode to the front of the room. Immediately, the murmurings quieted and an anticipatory hush settled over the room.
“Early this morning, I received a communication that our great King Mervyn has finally passed on,” the grand general began, her voice strong and easily commanding attention.
“My colleagues who also work closely with the king believe he died sometime in the night.
It is a relief to all of us that he is no longer suffering.
The illness kept him in a state of paralysis for months, unable to move, to speak, to give any kind of ruling as our king.
“He will lie in state for twenty-four hours here in the castle for the royal family to come and pay their respects, then there will be a memorial service at Seven Saints Cathedral. The following day, the cathedral will be prepared for the coronation, and Prince Reynauld will be crowned king. Lady Fellsrin will be crowned as well, and the Fellsrin daughters will receive the new title of princess.”
Devereaux paused briefly, surveying the officers in orderly rows before her. No one made a sound, the members of the military knowing better than to whisper to each other while their grand general spoke. When Devereaux began again, her voice was ripe with a new intensity.
“This is a new chapter for our kingdom, and a strong military offers a foundation and a sense of security in such an unprecedented time. All officers, as well as a good number of troopers, will be present at both the memorial service and the coronation as we as a kingdom bid our past farewell and look ahead to our future.”
Maybe it was because Jade had recently read the notes from Devereaux’s meeting announcing the deaths of the queen and prince, but much of this sounded familiar to her.
Something in the grand general’s tough exterior made Jade wonder if the woman was just saying what was expected of her, the things she was supposed to say.
Or had her years of service had so hardened her that emotion couldn’t crack through the surface?
Devereaux continued with instructions for the officers regarding both the memorial service and coronation.
Jade tried hard to pay attention, but she found her mind wandering back to what she had discovered in the archives and what she had discussed with Theo in the carriage.
Still trying to piece the information together.
When Devereaux dismissed the officers and left the front of the room, Jade shot a quick glance at Theo, hoping he had paid better attention than she had and could fill her in on what they were supposed to do.
They stood in sync, and Jade turned her gaze to where she had last spotted Matherson on the front row, but he was nowhere in sight.
She stood in place as she peered through the crowd, Theo doing the same.
“Do you see him anywhere?” she asked, but Theo didn’t get a chance to answer her.
“Do you mean me, Captain Ni’ihm?”
The voice behind Jade made her whirl around, and she threw her arm up in a quick salute to Commander Matherson, and then to Grand General Devereaux, who stood beside him.
“Actually, yes, Commander,” Jade answered. “We were hoping to speak with you after the meeting.”
“Excellent. We were hoping to speak to the two of you also.” Matherson extended an arm toward the door.
Grand General Devereaux led the way, out of the meeting room, down the hallway, up the stairs, and into a room with a name plate on the door that read Grand General I.
Devereaux. She pulled a key out of her pocket to unlock the door and then ushered them inside.
Devereaux’s office was both larger than Matherson’s and grander, as was everything in these headquarters.
Tall, curtained windows on the wall opposite the door were battered with rain as the storm continued to howl outside.
The other two walls were lined with shelves and cabinets, accented by moldings and bronze light fixtures, with the occasional painting.
Her desk sat farther into the room in front of the windows, made of a rich cherry wood that was laden with stacks of papers, writing implements, and letters.
A telephone sat to one side, opposite an electric lamp.
“Have a seat, please,” Grand General Devereaux offered as she sat in her own high-backed chair upholstered with plush red leather. Jade, Theo, and even Matherson sat in three of the four armchairs that faced her desk.
Devereaux’s gaze settled squarely on Jade.
A tingle went up Jade’s spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.
The woman’s intense green-eyed stare wasn’t as severe as it had been before, when she and Jade had last been in such proximity.
Instead, a certain ease seemed to have settled in the corners of her eyes and mouth.
As if she was—dare Jade think it—pleased?
“Your excellent work in The Claim has not gone unnoticed, Captain Ni’ihm.
” Devereaux folded her hands on the desk in front of her.
“Commander Matherson has been keeping me updated with your missions and their outcomes throughout these past seven months. The promotions you have already been granted speak to that.”
Jade’s stomach clenched. Did she know Jade hadn’t earned those promotions solely through skill of her own?
“Your commander also made me aware of your work with this informant you identify as Nicolas Camarata.”
Her blood might as well have frozen in her veins.
“I have to agree with Commander Matherson that you were misguided in your decision to trust someone outside of the military so implicitly. Sending this man evidence in an active investigation is enough for you to lose your position.
“However, I have come to the conclusion that you were doing what you believed was best and ultimately helped lead us to the mastermind of the rienevoir murders. Therefore, your punishment as administered by Commander Matherson is the punishment you will receive.”
Jade couldn’t so much as make a sound. Matherson must have brought Jade’s deception to Devereaux’s attention after Marchand’s death.
Did Nicolas have something to do with this?
He had said he had ways to protect her job.
It was the only way Jade could fathom she was hearing these words from Devereaux.
With Jade’s lack of response, Devereaux continued. “It is primarily due to your work that we brought an end to these murders and have brought peace to the conflict.”
Peace. Jade mentally scoffed. Peace came at the cost of ten lives.
“Therefore, your commander has come to me to recommend you for the rank of major.”
Jade stilled. A promotion? The promotion she had believed she could achieve by the end of this conflict?
She’d begun to think major was even farther away after everything she’d done, with a demotion more likely.
But now, the rank of major was on the horizon, and Matherson, the one who knew her betrayal, had been the one to suggest it.
Jade couldn’t help but feel even guiltier to achieve the rank.
A soft smile broke through Devereaux’s strict veneer. “And I have chosen to grant it.”
Conflicting emotions warred within Jade, but she couldn’t let it show here or now.
She would discuss it with Matherson privately later.
Instead, she inclined her head toward Grand General Devereaux.
“Thank you, Grand General,” she said, then angled her head toward Matherson.
Nothing in his expression spoke of disagreement or disapproval. “And you as well, Commander.”
“Captain Redman, you’ll also be receiving a promotion to major,” Devereaux continued, turning her attention to Theo.
Jade’s eyes widened as the corners of her lips curled, but she immediately straightened them back out. Theo had been a captain much longer than she had and was entirely deserving of the promotion, and she was thrilled to see him getting the recognition too.
“Thank you, Grand General,” Theo said, a measured amount of surprise in his voice.
Devereaux’s smile lingered, giving her an appearance that was oddly unsettling to Jade.
Perhaps she was too used to seeing the woman as stern and matter-of-fact.
“You have earned it. Of course, we won’t be able to hold the promotion ceremony until after both the king’s funeral and the coronation, but it will come next.
You and a few others who played critical roles in The Claim will receive your promotions as a fitting conclusion to this time of hostility and dissension. ”
“I’m honored and grateful, Grand General,” Jade said, unsure of what else to do.
“As am I,” Theo added.
Devereaux nodded once in satisfaction before her demeanor shifted back to business.
“Now, there’s also the manner of Lord Grannam’s associate that you encountered on more than one occasion, Captain Ni’ihm.
We had troops search through the duke’s files and records pertaining to The Claim and found information about a man Lord Grannam had hired to blackmail Lady Arabella. ”
Jade didn’t dare interrupt, though a dozen questions ran through her head. So he really wasn’t the assassin, then? Did they find any records of a hired killer? What was Grannam using to blackmail Arabella?