Queen's Shadow || Kingdom at the End of the World - Book II

[17] Traitor Within

Lord Simon Barton made for a sorry sight. If one did not know his identity, and ignored the relative opulence of his office, he would appear as but any other overworked clerk flipping papers well into the night. The man consumed his dinner and barely tasted a bite, mired by his work. The fingers that held his fork and knife were stained with ink.

The door opened without notice. Lord Barton did not immediately raise his head; only one person was allowed past the guarding Zero soldiers, so he made no attempt to hide the documents he was perusing. Lady Kiku's breathless invocation of his name did however grab his attention.

"Michiko, is something –"

"Sabina has returned," Lady Kiku interrupted.

Lord Barton very consciously kept his smile. "Wonderful news. We ought to prepare a feast and celebrate. It has been seven years, has it not?"

"Simon," Lady Kiku whispered, "She knows."

Lord Barton did not respond. Silence stretched between them, Lady Kiku's haggard breathing lending tension to the air.

A gunshot broke the quiet. Lady Kiku turned with a start, and would have raced toward the sound if not for Lord Barton's arm around her wrist. The man moved with startling quickness.

"Allow me," he said.

The Zero soldier stationed at Lord Barton's door made to follow; Lord Barton dismissed her with a sharp look. The sound had come from Lady MacLean's own quarters. They found the door open, and could mark the pool of blood marring the threshold from afar. Lady Kiku inhaled sharply.

"Steady, dear friend," Lord Barton said lowly.

Lady Kiku composed herself. By the time they stood in Sabina MacLean's doorway, both wore only expressions of alarm and surprise, as befitting the situation.

Sabina MacLean watched them quietly from her seat atop a large desk. She was a tall woman, her blonde hair loose around her head, still wet with rain from a storm that had raged all week. An intricately-carved gun lay in her hand.

Lord Greoff stood at her elbow. Lord Barton was somewhat relieved to see him up and about – Lady MacLean was skilled with firearms, and would not have missed had he been her target. The corpse of a Zero soldier that lay between the door and the desk proved the point quite vividly.

"How did the guard displease you, to earn his death?" Lord Barton asked.

Lady MacLean's pale eyes pierced him. "It appears my status was reduced in my absence," she said quietly. The words were a rasp that hurt the ear.

"Nonsense!" Lord Greoff snapped. "I told you, we'd just need Simon's permission!"

"Permission?" Lady MacLean repeated. She tilted her head, her eyes falling on Lord Greoff. The man's jaw fell shut with an audible click.

Lady MacLean turned to Lord Whiteand and Lady Kiku again, body so still she seemed carved from stone.

"Do I need permission to see the man responsible for the deaths of my family, Simon?" she asked.

"You do not," Lord Barton said. "Sabina, we did not mean to keep this from you. Our only concern was the effect the news may have on you so soon after your return. The journey home was surely exhausting."

Lady MacLean's lips curled, but not in a smile. She stood from the desk; Lord Greoff took a hasty step back, eyes darting to the gun she held. Lady MacLean paid him no mind. She stepped over the dead man on her way out of the room.

"I thank you for your concern," she said in passing.

Lady Kiku glanced at Lord Barton. Upon receiving his slight nod, she hurried after Lady MacLean.