I request we postpone any trial until we reach land,” Kamran said.
“And give the mantic traitors time to find more evenroot so they can attack again?” Wilek asked. “Do you take me for a fool?”
In the aftermath of the skirmish, Wilek had gathered Rayim, Novan, Dendrick, and what remained of his Wisean Council in the captain’s dining room for a quick vote to sentence the traitors, but it was already taking longer than necessary to reach a consensus. And Kamran’s presence here, rather than in the hold where he belonged, annoyed Wilek deeply.
“Everyone knows there is no evenroot on board,” Kamran said. “They can do no harm in the hold.”
“Master Harton found evenroot,” Danek said. “As did Duke Canden.”
“Yes, Oli,” Kamran said. “Where did you get your evenroot?”
“Kamran shouldn’t be here,” Oli said. “His mother’s involvement in all this is a conflict of interest.”
“Nor should I be here either, by that logic,” Danek said. “My son is also involved with these traitors, though I cannot fathom why. I apologize again, Your Highness.” He paused to compose himself, but when he spoke again, his voice trembled. “I don’t know what has come over him.”
“Oli has broken the law by his use of evenroot,” Kamran said. “He should be in the hold with the other mantics.”
“He saved the sâr’s life!” Rayim said.
“Magic is still against the law, is it not, Sâr Wilek?” Kamran asked.
Wilek rubbed his face. “We will discuss Duke Canden’s infractions another time. Right now I want to deal with the traitors in the hold. I intend to execute them first thing in the morning.”
“A wise decision, Your Highness,” Rayim said. “One should not harbor dissidents for long.”
“I agree in theory, Your Highness,” Danek said, “but wouldn’t it be fairest to conduct individual trials?”
“Would that change the outcome?” Novan asked. “If all are guilty in any way of plotting a mutiny, shouldn’t they all hang?”
“Indeed they should,” Rayim said.
“But if some were coerced . . .” Danek said.
“Hinckdan is guilty, Highcliff,” Kamran said. “He dragged Sârah Zeroah up onto the stern deck himself. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Danek buried his head in his arms and began to sob.
Wilek took a steadying breath. The situation with Hinckdan had gotten out of control. Perhaps it was time to confess the young earl was his spy. He certainly wasn’t going to let Hinckdan hang. “I blame myself for the earl’s involvement. The truth is, I sent him to—”
“—to Sâr Janek as a backman, we know, Your Highness,” Oli said, meeting his eyes. “But you could not have known what it was like to be part of Janek’s crowd. If anyone is to blame, let it be me for not warning Hinckdan to take caution.”
What was Oli playing at now? Why would he want Wilek to keep Hinckdan’s status as a spy a secret? He supposed another few hours would make little difference. “Let’s recess until dawn,” Wilek said. “I will have Captain Rayim question everyone again tonight and inform them they are to be executed in the morning. Perhaps such an appointment will inspire any hidden truths to be revealed.”
“Your merciful nature is a comfort, Your Highness,” Danek said.
Being known for mercy would not make Wilek feared by his enemies. He only hoped he would not regret stalling a bit longer. “Dendrick and Rayim, remain behind with Duke Canden. We must discuss his crimes next. Novan, stand guard outside. The rest of you are dismissed. If I determine there is reason to conduct individual trials, I will inform you at dawn.”
Everyone moved to obey. When Novan closed the door behind the last of them, Wilek folded his arms and regarded Oli Agoros, who sat at the end of the table on the right. “Why did you stop me from—”
“Six, Your Highness,” Oli said. “There are six traitors in the hold who must be sentenced.”
Wilek shivered, catching on to Oli’s message. There were four men present, which meant two shadir had entered the room. They could not have a private conversation if the creatures were here listening. Or did it matter? If the mantics had no evenroot, what could the enemy gain by eavesdropping?
“Might you have some ink and parchment?” Oli asked.
Hope kindled in Wilek’s chest. He waved at Dendrick, who brought forth both and set them on the table before Oli.
Wilek couldn’t wait. He rose and went to watch over Oli’s shoulder as he wrote.
If you reveal Hinck as a spy, he will be killed at some point by one of Rogedoth’s people.
Oli glanced up, peering from Wilek to Rayim to Dendrick until all three men had read his words, then flipped over the parchment and continued writing.
My shadir made Hinck a seer. If he were to escape before his execution, he could go to Rogedoth and—
Wilek interrupted Oli’s writing. “Now that would kill him,” he said. “You can’t be serious.”
“I have to agree with the duke, Your Highness,” Rayim said. “If he stays here, he’s already dead. At least this way he has a chance.”
Could that be true? Wilek had already asked too much of Hinckdan Faluk. Sending him to Rogedoth seemed downright cruel. “Why did you do this?” he asked Oli. “For that matter, you continued to take evenroot after I forbade it and used your shadir to do magic when you attacked Harton. How much root do you still have?”
“One flask.”
“Give it to me now.”
Oli reached for his belt, hesitated, then removed his hip flask and handed it over.
“Such carelessness risks Arman’s wrath against our realm.” Wilek walked to the window and dumped the contents. When he turned back, Oli was on his feet, staring longingly out the window.
“The evenroot is gone, Duke Canden,” Wilek said. “Now why did you disobey me?”
Oli slowly took his seat again. “I thought it was what you wanted.”
“I specifically said it was not!” Wilek said.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but your exact words were, ‘It is an order I cannot give.’”
“Sounds clear to me,” Wilek said.
“Yet a misunderstanding remains,” Oli said. “My father has said as much to me or his men time and again. Those words meant that while he could not ask me aloud for the sake of his reputation or the law, he wanted me to act anyway. It is a common practice in the military when something of questionable morals needs to be done.”
Wilek turned his attention on Rayim. “Is that true?”
“Not all officers make use of the practice, but it happens,” Rayim said.
How did Wilek not know of this? Because he was the Dutiful. No one would have dared suggest such a thing to him. “It is now a forbidden practice,” he said. “If something is of questionable morality, the Book of Arman will give us our answer. Is that understood, Captain?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Rayim said. “I will see that word is passed through the ranks.”
Wilek would have to do so much more to retrain his people. He needed the nation to submit to Arman, to obey his decrees. But how?
He would have to think on it. There had to be a way.
In the meantime he would execute the traitors, then get his father back aboard the Seffynaw. But first he needed to get a message to Hinckdan Faluk, and if the shadir were watching, he must take care how he communicated the possibility of sending the earl into the enemy’s lair. No matter what options were presented, he would let Hinckdan choose for himself how he would like to proceed.
Wilek would force him no longer.