Page 36 of The King of Koraha
Yiesha smoothed her hair even though not a strand was out of place. “Now, if I may continue. Once the monks arrive, I’m fetched to supervise the transfer of the coins. A dozen guards accompany me and the monks, who carry the chests down to the vault. Then I count the coins to ensure the amount matches what was reported by each city’s Water Prince or Princess. Counting the shiny coins is fun. Each one is tossed into the pool as it’s counted.” She flexed her fingers. “Plink, plink, plink. Then we all leave. The vault is locked until the King needs the coins.”
She was telling the truth. “No one else supervised the transfers during the last two circuits?” Shyla asked.
“No. I was there for both of them. I was the only one who had the keys.”
“Same guards each time?” Rendor asked.
“No. Just who was on duty at the time.”
“What about the monks? The same ones?”
Yiesha snorted with amusement. “The monasteries all take turns collecting the taxes. Even if the same monks returned, I doubt I’d recognize any of them.”
“Which monasteries collected the last two rounds of taxes?” Shyla asked.
“The Monks of Callow from Nintri did both circuits. The second time they were filling in for…” She waved a hand. “I can’t remember. One of the cities was having a crisis and the monks needed to stay close to home.”
Shyla wondered if the city was Zirdai.
Yiesha continued. “And to answer your next questions, no, nothing unusual happened during those transfers. No one was there that shouldn’t have been. No one showed any suspicious behavior. The keys never left my person.”
The woman was still surprised and angry about the theft, and she was still telling the truth.
“Did you go into the vault at any other time?” Rendor asked.
“No. Since the King was not lucid, the only time the vault was opened was when the taxes arrived.” She stabbed a finger at him. “And don’t you believe the new King’s claim that the castle staff was okay with waiting for their pay. As each sun jump passed and the old king still drew breath, they grew more discontented. Many of them left. Only a couple dozen guards and a few of the others remained.”
“Why didn’t the king-in-training ignore the law and pay the staff?” Shyla asked.
“You can’t ignore a law. He has no authority until the King dies. That’s how it is and always will be.”
And Shyla could well imagine Advisor Yiesha ensuring no one broke that law, adding tension to an already difficult situation. Shyla doubted the new King would keep that particular law intact for long. Perhaps he was waiting for Yiesha to join the Sun Goddess before altering it so this exact problem didn’t happen again.
They asked a few more questions, but it was obvious Yiesha wasn’t involved in the theft. Shyla and Rendor thanked her for her time and left. Hakana was waiting for them in the tunnel outside the ex-advisor’s door. She held a half dozen skeins of velbloud yarn, all dyed different colors.
Hakana dashed inside to deliver the yarn before returning. “Where to next?”
“I’d like to interview the guards,” Rendor said.
“We have to wait until after the danger zone to get to the castle.”
Rendor stared at the young woman. “There’s really no passage between the castle and the city?”
Interested in the answer and whether Hakana would tell the truth, Shyla lowered her shield.
Hakana squirmed and dropped her gaze to her boots. Shyla sensed her inner turmoil. Advisor Najib told her to take the consultants anywhere they asked, but the King made her swear an oath not to divulge the location of the secret tunnel.
“No matter,” Rendor said, taking pity on their guide. “We can wait until after it cools down on the surface. I’ve another place I’d like to visit.” Then he whispered in Hakana’s ear.
Hakana’s head snapped up and she grinned. “Good choice, sir. This way.”
“Hey,” Shyla said. “Don’t I get to know where we’re going?”
“No. It’s a surprise.” Rendor took her hand.
And since she’d loved the last one, she replaced her mental shield, blocking out any stray thoughts or emotions.
Taking note of the information carved into the tunnel walls, Shyla kept track of the distance they traveled. Her stomach growled when they’d walked about three kilometers. She hoped the surprise was near a dining cavern. It’d been at least ninety angles since she last ate.
