Page 172 of A Weave of Lies
The agent leaned back against the wall. “Happy to hear it. Brutalizing people is on Sir Sevran Galdeli’s paycheck, not mine.”
Semras tensed, her chest tightening with concern. Her Wyrdtwined had faced that brute alone.
Alaran continued. “Speaking of which, your brother resisted arrest at the city’s gate. Galdeli might need our surgeon once he’s done dragging him to the House of Tribunals.” Chuckling to himself, he added, “Bet she’ll have a field day patching up her favourite Venator knight.”
Callum stared at him with the uncanny stillness of the Fey. “I anticipated it; Madam Mormara is already on her way.”
“Of course you did. Again. Why do I ever bother mentioning anything?” Alaran said, smiling. He looked entirely unfazed by his master’s quirks.
“I simply had a hunch,” the inquisitor replied placidly.
Semras scoffed with unease. It wasn’t Callum’s lack of human movements that gave her shivers of anxiety; it was the blatant, eerie display of power he had unknowingly just let slip.
Only the strongest of Fey could intuitively gather hints of what might come from the Unseen Arras, foreseeing the future with a disquieting accuracy—and yet Callum had done just that. His Fey bloodline was more powerful than she had expected.
“Just like I had a hunch you would bring our guest here today,” he continued.
Hisguest?Semras clenched her jaw. Her hands yearned to curl into fists, yet couldn’t, bound as they were in cold iron. “Remove my shackles, Inquisitor Callum,” she said with a venomous smile, “and see just what kind of guest I can be.”
Callum cocked his head, looking at her like she was some curious creature. “This hostility is why they are needed and why they will stay on until you are returned to your rightful place.”
“A cell, you mean.” She scoffed. “Charming.”
“No, not a cell,” the inquisitor replied flatly. “You may have chosen my brother, but I am a man of my word. You have fulfilled your part of our bargain, and it is now my turn to complete mine.”
“What are you …?” Semras paled.
He was talking about the papers she lost in her laundry. It was obvious now that Alaran had retrieved them before they ever made it to the cleaning room. How had she been so blind to his true nature all along?
Inquisitor Callum studied her closely. “You are going home, Miss Witch. Count yourself lucky. Had it not been for our deal, this meeting would have ended quite differently.” His voice stayed flat, as if this entire nightmare didn’t involve him. “As it is now, I need one last thing from you, and then you shall be released.” He retrieved a document from his desk and held it for her to read.
Semras only made it past the first few lines before her brow furrowed in confusion. “This … is a testimony against Estevan …?”
Before her eyes, printed letters stated in black on white that the witch Semras of Yore had heard the accused’s murder confession and reported it to Inquisitor Callum.
Her mind couldn’t make sense of it. It should have been her name next to that line identifying the accused—or rather, Leyevna’s. While the Bargain she unwillingly honoured compelled the half-fey to return her home, the older witch had no such promise protecting her from his scheming. He must have had her letter, so he knew the warwitch was the mostnatural suspect of the two—the perfect scapegoat to start his purge plans.
So then, why was he accusing Estevan?
“It is,” he replied with a hollow smile. “I need you to sign it before Mister Callhijo takes you home. Do return my agent to me intact; I still have use of him.”
Nothing made sense. “Why are you framing Estevan?” she asked.
Callum tilted his head. “Framing?”
“He didn’t murder Torqedan. You and I both know that.”
“Do we? Your own message told me otherwise.”
Semras remained stoic. It was plain to see that Callum was trying to confound her, but she couldn’t fathom his plan nor the angle he was trying to trick her with. Racking her brains for an explanation, she could only hazard one shaky guess.
After spending years trying to kick Estevan out of the Inquisition, the Seelie might have lost patience and resorted to more drastic measures … but she couldn’t make sense of why he’d sacrifice his grand war plans to gain so little in exchange. It felt illogical—even for one of the inscrutable Fey.
The inquisitor clicked his tongue at her continued silence. “Perhaps you believe you can retract your testimony by pretending you never gave it,” he said. “Or maybe Estevan told you that I framed him. Yet the facts do not lie: he killed Tribunal Torqedan. Everything I investigated pointed to him as the culprit.”
His stoic confidence staggered her. “What? No! No, you’re lying!”
Behind her, Alaran let out a frustrated groan. “We’re not the liars here, Velten is! Dammit, Semras! We’re trying to help you, sopleaselisten to Callum!”
