Page 54 of The Study of Fire
Harun Sandseed stood up. “Were you and Ferde part of the massacre of my clan?” he demanded.
“What?” Cahil gripped the podium. “What happened?”
“The vermin killed my clan!”
“I’m…so sorry, Councilor. I’d no idea. We weren’t there. When did this happen?”
“Harun, please sit down,” Roze said with compassion. “I know it’s difficult for you, and for all of us, but let Cahil report what he knows. Go on, Cahil.”
Cahil took a breath and said, “I went down to the special cells in the Council Hall to check on Ferde Daviian. My people had been hired to increase the number of guards watching him, and I wished to see how they were faring. When I arrived, Ferde was missing, and the guards were unconscious. Captain Marrok had been on duty, yet he was nowhere to be seen. I tracked him down. He refused to answer my questions. I knew time was critical, so I…” He swallowed, then cleared his throat. “Sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days. May I please have a drink?” His scratchy voice added a nice touch to his plea.
Cahil was quite the actor. Despite his hatred of the man, Valek was impressed.
“Yes, of course,” Roze said.
Pitchers of water had been set on the conference table. Cahil poured a glass and returned to the podium. After gulping half the liquid, he resumed his story.
“I forced…” He performed another emotional pause. “Marrok to answer my questions. He admitted to me that he helped Ferde escape, and that he planned to meet up with the Ferde at Blood Rock in the Avibian Plains.”
“Did he say why he committed this crime?” Councilor Sandseed asked. “Why he planned to collude with the Warper?”
“Marrok wanted to frame me for Ferde’s escape. He wanted to take my place, leading my people. He also confirmed I’m the King’s nephew and the true leader of Ixia.”
Denial? Or was Cahil angling to be put in charge of Ixia when Sitia finally decided to attack Ixia?
“What did you do next?” Harun asked.
“Once I knew where Ferde was heading, I reported everything to First Magician Roze Featherstone.”
A collective gasp sounded as all gazes turned to Roze.
“I asked him to travel to the rendezvous location and convince Ferde that he wanted to join him,” Roze explained. “The goal of the mission was to learn the Daviian’s plans, to identify their leaders, and learn the location of their camps.”
A murmurer of unhappiness rumbled. Valek approved of the scheme, it was something he’d assign to a pair of his corps. But he didn’t believe Cahil’s story for a second. Which meant, either Roze was somehow involved in the escape, or she had seen it as an opportunity to learn more about the Daviians.
Roze raised her hand. “I didn’t inform the council because the mission was top secret. These Daviians have magical powers, and they could have learned of the plot from any one of you. I did inform the other master magicians of Ferde’s escape. Except, I said Cahil helped him escape. I didn’t tell them about Captain Marrok. If he recovered from his injuries and thought he had gotten away with freeing Ferde, I wanted to track his next movements. I found it very interesting that he joined Yelena and Leif when they left to visit Moon Man.”
Smooth. Too smooth. Valek studied Bain’s and Irys’s expressions. Both of their faces were creased with concern and a bit of confusion. Unfortunately, Zitora was all in. She stared at Roze in amazement.
“Was your mission a success?” Bain asked Cahil.
“Partly. I managed to discover some of their plans. Again, Councilor Sandseed, I didn’t know about their scheme to attack your clan. But I managed to recruit a few Daviians to our side.”
“And their plans?”
“The Daviians are in league with the Commander of Ixia. Together, they plan to assassinate the councilors and master magicians. In the ensuing chaos, the Daviians will take over control of Sitia and, with the Commander’s help, turn Sitia’s government into a dictatorship.”
Nice twist. Cries of dismay ringed the room. Except for the conspiracy with the Commander, it was exactly as Roze had predicted just a day ago. How very convenient. There was a conspiracy all right, and Valek would bet a dozen gold coins it was between Roze and Cahil.
It took a while for everyone to calm down. Valek waited for them to sort through the logic. Bain Bloodgood didn’t disappoint him.
“Do you have any evidence of this treachery with the Commander?” Bain asked.
“They wouldn’t have been so bold to attack the Sandseed Clan if they didn’t have the Commander’s support. Otherwise, it would be suicide. I would have gotten all the evidence you’d want, but I was interrupted. Yelena and Leif swallowed Marrok’s lies. They joined with Moon Man. The Sandseeds had spotted the Daviians in the plateau. Oh”—Cahil glanced at Harun—“Is that when…the attack happened?”
“We are still working out the timeline,” Roze said. “Please continue.”
“At the time, I was in Booruby with Ferde, trying to get more information. Yelena and her goons attacked us there.”
