The Courtesy of Kings | ☑ Queenkiller, Kingmaker #2

27.1

They kept him in a separate cell, far from the prying eyes and ears of the other prisoners. It was a dark corridor made of large stone slabs, walls gripping a steady line of torches. The guards would be making their rounds of the eastern block right about now, then they would rotate for the next shift. Ten, perhaps fifteen minutes. Isla did not have much time.

She stepped before Arya's cell. The silver-servant sat hunched in a corner, arms chained to the back wall. It took a moment before his brows furrowed in recognition. 'I doubt you have come to break me out of here.'

'Your defence of Rajini Dhvani only sealed her fate.'

'I doubt you are here to commiserate with me, either. It is your lies that sealed it.'

'You could have lied and told them it was you who wielded the dagger.'

'My word against the written testimony of Rajini Chei and her countless soldiers? And yours on top of it?' Arya sniffed. 'Now tell me why you are truly here.'

'I wanted to meet you.' Before Kiet does. Before he asks you more questions. Isla buried her fingers deep into the pocket of her cloak. 'The agent you spoke of during trial ... the one who gave you the note ... tell me about him, and the maharaj will reduce your sentence.'

'Interesting how everyone assumes it was a man.'

'So it was a woman.' Isla studied his face, only caught a glimpse of a smile in the darkness.

'I did not say that, either.'

A threat, indeed. How far would Kiet go to extricate information from this man? If he learned that it had been a salamander who gave Rajini Dhvani that note ...

She had been so close to silencing Arya, back then during the trial. Of course she had counted on his loyalty—both to the House he served as well as to those who in turned served the same House—but he could just as easily have broken his oath.

And what would I have done, then? Either she would have had to coerce his mouth shut—in which case Kiet and anyone in the chamber perceptive enough would have immediately recognised something afoot—or she allow him reveal the salamander to the Bench. Only few people had known of Pep. Master Chendra, her chambermates, her grandmother. And Kiet. Most importantly, Kiet. She did not doubt he would have played it off for sake of the court, but afterwards ...

'Betraying a fellow servant might be against your code, but rest assured Maharaj Kiet wishes only to speak on matters pertaining the murder of Maharaj Kiaan and his family. I believe his next venture is to investigate and bring to trial his half-brother's death.'

'Of course. Until he decides he does not like the answers.'

'It need not be damning information. Anything ... small ... that jumps to mind. What he looked like, any ... defining traits ...' Reign it in, Isla. Even she felt it was too heavy-handed. If only his mind was not so addled with aqhla, the silver-servant would certainly have put the pieces together.

'You will never find him.' His laughter was low and slurred. 'Not in all the epperstrom.'

At that he slapped the floor and let out all his laughter, breaking the stillness of the dungeon. Isla looked quickly into the darkness, shook the bars on the cage to quiet him. 'Your rajini will be brought to the weeping fig tomorrow at midday, but you—you will rot here until the end of your days!'

'A fate ... worse than death,' he coughed out between laughter. Any longer and he might just bring the guards down. 'Still that I choose over sharing information with the Lotus Mandala or their servant.'

But someone else, then? The possibilities swarmed Isla's mind. The crown prince, intent on discrediting Kiet ... one of Dhvani's daughters, seeking to restore their mother's name ... Omana Obusirjan, even, who had been stripped of her title and stewardship over the Obusirjan ancestral home following Kiet's announcement of her part in abetting a regicide ...

Any one of them could have been piqued by what they heard at yesterday's trial. Any one of them could seek out this mysterious agent, and only too gladly would Arya assist them.

Isla tossed a coin and chain into the cell. Silver flashed in the shadows.

The laughter died in an instant. 'How—'

'They keep all confiscated items in the same room, so it was not difficult to find.'

'Why are you giving me this?'

An image of Haana flashed into mind; the silver pendant she, too, once owned ... but Isla shook it away along with the niggling voice in her head. Instead she watched Arya, who watched her back just as intently. If he had no desire to do it of his own accord, she would have to use her theurgy ... 'To give you the opportunity to honour your oath.'

'How do you know what we keep in our pendant?' Arya asked before she could rouse her core. His voice was low, his eyes narrowed. 'Who are you?'

'The question is who are you? A coward who will renege on his oath, live while his rajini dies? Or a true silver-servant to the end? You can only hope you will rot here, alone and forgotten for the rest of your life. More likely, they will gouge the information out of you, and you will die an oath-breaker and traitor. Or you can take matters into your own hands here and now. The choice is yours. But there will be no second chances once they find that pendant in your cell.'

Footsteps echoed faintly in the quiet that followed. How long had it been? Eight minutes? Ten? Isla stirred her core awake. Of course the choice was already made for him; she simply preferred not to add another murder to her tally.

Finally Arya spoke, his voice cold. 'Stop spinning your lies. It is clear the maharaj wishes to silence me forever. I thought him a man of honour. Apparently not when his family name is concerned.'

I don't have time for this.

'Just remember me in this cell,' he continued. 'Whatever the maharaj promised ... just think of me in this cell. Perhaps then you'll think twice before treading deeper into the crocodile's lair.'

She forced herself to watch as he slipped the silver coin between his teeth.

Is this truly necessary? A part of her reached out to still his hands, but it was too late. A distinct sound cracked in the air as Arya bit down on the coin.

He was just a man, a servant, caught too deep within his master's webs. He knew too much ... too much Isla was not yet prepared to divulge. It needed to come from her, not extricated from a prisoner. But now is not the right time.

Arya choked. Isla sunk low on her knees, finding his hands between the inscripted bars. 'I'm sorry it had to be this way.'

   
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☆ this chapter is dedicated to yooddle ☆

Video: Ambience Lab
Image: Original artists unknown