Page 34 of Dead Crown
“No, m’lord.”
He didn’t drink like his Father, or actually, his half-Uncle. A shot or two of whiskey would help chase away the cold, and he’d be satisfied. “Has anyone been hurt in an odd way lately?”
“Like you?” She approached to set down a tiny bottle. “No, not at all. No one here has been attacked. I’ve heard of stuff in the city. Theft, assaults, and that sort of thing. You need to drink all of this. I’d also suggest water.”
“I’m cold.”
The whiskey bottle clinked against a small glass as he poured out a couple of fingers' worth. Crime had gone up, and it likely wouldn't go down anytime soon. He turned with the glass in his hand. “I don’t mean in the city. I mean in here, in the court. Has anyone here been injured at all?”
She shook her head as she perched on the couch and folded her hands. “No.”
“Think real hard.”
“Nobody’s been severely hurt.”
“Has there been anything odd?”
“No.” She shifted uncomfortably.
“You can tell me.”
“Well…” She flushed. “One of the lords had a brutal cane mark on his hip because he asked his wife to punish him for fun. They had never used a cane before.”
Fools. The cane wasn’t something for inexperienced people to wallop their lover with. The end must have wrapped around his hip, and that would hurt like a bitch. Jaki shook his head and took the tiny bottle she’d left for him.
“What else?” He popped the cork with one hand and swallowed the contents in one go. Nasty.
“Someone had warts. Let’s see…the pleasure slave had a terrible scrape on his forehead a few days ago. It looked like he’d already put something on it hours ago when he saw me. It was shallow and easy to deal with. He said he fell after drinking a bit too much.”
Jaki winced inside before taking a sip of whiskey to chase away the medicinal taste. He’d tossed his half-brother out into the open hall after the truth resin had made him so out of it. He was one of those rare ones it wouldn’t work on, and it had made him completely incoherent within seconds.
Jaki had been cruel to him as a message, and he’d hoped it would make Lumi quickly break and spill his secrets. Treasonous people typically won’t admit anything when nicely asked.
Now, he regretted being so cruel to him despite the treason.
“I’ve seen him quite a few times over the past three years,” added the healer.
“Why?”
“Because he was the pleasure slave, and people were rough with him. They whipped him and left welts and bruises on him sometimes. He had to look fresh, so he’d come to me to be taken care of.”
“Did he have any injuries that didn’t seem like they were from rough play?”
“No. He had a scar down his torso that he said was from an accident when he was a kid, and he didn’t remember it. I guess he couldn't get a healer for it then.”
That was probably a lie. Jaki had seen the mark plenty of times when Lumi was railed after dessert in the Hall by whoever, and he’d often wondered. Lumi hadn’t cared if anyone asked about it.
Tivar had probably done it to him as a threat or a punishment. Tivar was known to have healing magic. It didn’t mean he’d always use it.
“I noticed he had a few faint white marks on his wrists,” he added.
She shrugged. “I assumed it was from being restrained before he worked here. Inexperienced people make mistakes. A cuff or a rope is too tight…I think the cane incident proves my point, Your Majesty.”
“True. Anything else about him?”
“No.”
“What about the other lords? Anything else strange or unusual? Anything that would make you think one hurt another on purpose?”
