Violet Shadows

26

"Why?" Solamaand asked, curious as much as Christine. But far more wary. "Don't enjoy a late-night swim?"

"I do enjoy one, and while the lavender of my fabrics match the blue of the marine, tonight I plan to leave with my clothes dry. This treaty gives you a lot more leeway than you thought." Henri said, "Consider it a favor to you."

He didn't so much as look back to acknowledge it. "What favor?" Solamaand spat out like arsenic.

Henri kept his voice high, as if giddy with the newfound freedom to talk. "The square we took over is just one of the many you own, but that's not the reason why you're mad at us. We know about the papers, you know." Nicol made no attempt to intervene. This was Henri's game now.

Felix's brow furrowed. "Papers?"

"What is he talking about?" Christine whispered to a much-reserved Eric.

"Yes." Henri nodded, excited as if he spotted a pouch of butterscotch. "The forgeries you made to cross immigrants through the west channel to your ports.  Illegally transported here from Dajha so that they may escape the cruelty that imperialization has changed.Where they were collected and used under the guise of common bakers and glass blowers. Because you've hidden the immigration papers of all your workers in the square we took, it could ruin your entire business."

Christine wasn't foolish enough to interrupt but the pour of information left her lips twitching. I think I missed five steps somewhere in all of this.

"I offered them jobs." Solamaand argued, "Helping this kingdom's economy and building more shops—they wouldn't charge me for that."

Henri shrugged. "Yet you pocket the highest profits to yourself. Embezzlement is one crime, but that's only the minor one."

"And what are the major ones?" Felix demanded, eyes focusing on Henri and the offenses, not the cover the treaty offered them. It appeared Christine was not the only one ill-informed.

Solamaand turned, "Son—"

"The illegal immigrants you brought over have been conscripted in anti-imperialist crimes." Henri cut in, unsure if such information was meant to be revealed to Felix later on. When he was older, more mature to handle the cruelties of the family trades. But it didn't matter now. "Crimes which you fund. Gaining clientele for those who hold your same beliefs. Those clients that ran away from our recent attack, as well as convincing more brokers to launder even more immigrants to your ports. We know everything, Mr. Solamaand."

Christine murmured to Eric, "You four certainly have been busy."

He nodded, but Maze was the one who answered. "It's been busy. We can't do everything with you."

"No kidding." This was an entire new edge for them to infect. They might actually make this work.

Christine didn't understand why Henri never took charge. He was the genius out of all of them—ingrained into his character archetype—and so it made no reason to hide such a beautiful thing.

Now she saw why. Unlike Nicol, Henri wasn't the sort of negotiator that took pride in the victory. Better yet, he stated fact as fact. Affected by the reaction supplied, but never discarding it. Perhaps that made him the better strategist, or more susceptible to the severity of his actions. Henri went on, "There is not a heavier crime for citizens according to Valltore law. To deny the King's authority and then undermine his divine ruling is something even nobles are not immune to. You may not be native to this kingdom, but the sentences are severe for treason. Worse for foreigners. You could hang. If not," His eyes trailed to Felix, wincing, "Three generations of your own kin will."