Page 82 of The Warrior Priest
Giselle spat on the ground. “Self-righteous bitch. You two are perfect for one another.”
Brother James returned with his medical kit, but Rhys hadn’t finished extracting a confession from Giselle. Once her wound was stitched, he ordered his men to help her to her feet then search her.
They found the dagger she stole from the high priest, but Rhys seemed disappointed. He must have wanted a note from my uncle too. Without evidence, we had no proof. Giselle might no longer be able to assassinate me, but he could hire another, if he still wanted to get rid of me.
Rhys hadn’t yet given up, however. “The governor hired you, too, didn’t he?”
Her smile was twisted. “He did, but he’ll get away with it. There’s no proof.” She shrugged, unconcerned.
“His guards followed you after you met with him upon your return to Tilting. He knew if he found where you were staying that Jac would be there, too. He realized she was working for you, and he wanted to kill her without paying you. That’s the sort of person you do business with.”
“What does it matter now?” she sneered. “I still can’t produce proof from thin air. You’ll have to take my word for it.”
We both knew it wouldn’t be enough.
The sheriff arrived with several constables in tow and demanded to know why he’d been summoned. Rhys spoke quietly with him, but not so quietly that I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Even if I couldn’t, it would have been clear from the direction of the sheriff’s gaze. It flew to Giselle, held prisoner between Vizah and another warrior, then shifted to the high priest, still seated with an expression of regal arrogance in his carriage. He cut a lonely figure, isolated even from his guards. I doubted any of the warrior priests, or indeed the priests and priestesses from the other orders, would stand by his side now. He’d brought shame on them and on their faith by breaking the oath to not take a life. He wasn’t the man they wanted representing the Glancian-based orders.
The sheriff directed some of his constables to accompany the high priest and Giselle to the holding cells. The warrior priests lined the side of the street and hissed or jeered as the high priest’s carriage drove past.
Rhys turned his back and joined me. He tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled wanly. He looked weary in both body and heart. “All right?”
I nodded. “The shoulder is still a little sore.”
He touched my cheek. “You disobeyed my order,” he said without any heat in his voice.
“I thought you went to kill the high priest in revenge, which would have given the sheriff a reason to arrest you, if the guards didn’t kill you first.”
“I suspected the guards would come to my side once I explained, but if they didn’t, I was prepared to face the worst outcome. I judged them correctly, though. They trust me.”
My heart lifted at the echo of the words I’d said to Giselle, pointing out that her unwillingness to accept friendship had led to her ignoring people and ultimately misunderstanding them. “And the risk of arrest, if it came to that? How were you going to avoid it?”
“Charm and wit.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was wonderful seeing a flash of the old, carefree Rhys again. I’d missed that side of him more than I realized. “What happens now?” I asked.
“The high priest and Giselle will face trial. The supreme priest in Vytill will need to be notified. I’ll write to him tonight. But first, there’s other business to be concluded. I’m paying the governor a visit.”
“You can’t!”
“I won’t be alone.” He nodded at his three friends, hovering nearby.
Another warrior priest joined them. “I’ll come with you.”
“As will I,” said a second.
More men joined, then soon the entire cohort of Merdu’s Guards stood behind Vizah, Andreas and Rufus, and several of the high priest’s guards, too. Dozens of large, muscular men in prime fighting condition were a powerful sight. Only yesterday, he’d had the support of just over half. Today, he had them all waiting for his order. It was a reminder of why Master Tomaj and the high priest had so much faith in him becoming the leader at such a young age. He was a natural.
As the men all repeated their oath to follow him, Rhys put up his hands for silence. “I only need some of you. But there are two things you need to know before you support me.”
I walked off to visibly separate myself from him. I didn’t want my presence to dilute their support.
“First, we have no proof the governor hired Giselle,” he continued. “Nor is he likely to confess. I don’t yet know how we’ll bring him to justice, but we will. I won’t let him hunt Jac any longer.”
I slipped past the sheriff, who was listening to Rhys’s speech with two constables at his side. He gave no inclination of his thoughts, but at least he didn’t demand Rhys stop his pursuit of my uncle. I doubted Rhys would stop for anyone, anyway. Even me.
“Secondly,” Rhys went on. “You need to know that I’m resigning.”
The warrior priests murmured amongst themselves. More than one asked the same question. “Then who’ll be master?”
