Oskar pulls up, “Then you must name him, Duke, or I shall have to uncover him before he joins you in the dankest cell anyone can find in the dungeons.”
Nelis trembles at the news but presses ahead in an unsteady voice, “It was Duke Basten Pleiter, Your Majesty. He had been blackmailing me for years. My desperate petition against Viscount Kenric was forced, a desperate attempt to protect myself from utter ruin.”
“Forced, how? By what means?” Oskar demands.
Still kneeling, Nelis continues, “The profits from the gambling had to be banked, but Basten wouldn’t touch it. He made me do it. Unwisely, I chose some banks in Vupis, and Basten threatened to expose me, to make me appear a traitor in your eyes.”
Nelis is shaking as he continues to explain this to Oskar, “The profits were huge because the games were all rigged. The debt you accrued, Your Majesty, was fraudulent. Basten controlled the dice, the cards, and the accounts. He was fleecing you with impunity, confident that your gambling losses served his coffers and that he could control you through your debts. When the trade deal was ratified, Basten feared you’d have enough profits to pay all your debts. He feared our entire scheme would be exposed. He threatened to frame me for the entire operation if I didn't derail the trade contract immediately.”
Duke Jellema watches Oskar closely as his face goes first pale and then nearly purple with rage. “He... He cheated me? He stole from the Crown? Not treason toward the throne, but treason toward my purse?”
Nelis nods, “Yes, Your Majesty. And he meant to profit greatly from your ruination. He meant to use your debts to force you to make decisions to favor him. I swear by my father's grave that the accusation against Viscount Kenric was a lie forced upon me to save myself.”
“Why involve Viscountess Víl? in this?” Oskar asks.
“I knew that the one person who might be able to reach you on my behalf would be the one whom I had wronged the most. She is, as all women are, soft-hearted, and she heard my plea. Given how I wronged her, she would be the most likely to be able to help me, since you would see a request from her, for me, as something outside normal court politics. When the opportunity arose to confess the greater crime of Basten’s theft against you and his planned manipulations, I seized it. I could not, in good conscience, let that viper continue to steal from the Crown.”
Oskar leaps to his feet and begins to pace, “Tell me, Duke. Tell me every detail of how Basten cheated me. Reveal every weakness in their system. Show me how to use their own tools against them. Do this, and you earn not only your freedom, but my favor. Fail, and you'll share a cell with Basten, while I figure out which of you to hang first.”
Doerr stands slowly, still shaking, “I will tell you everything, Your Majesty. But first, you must send for the Royal Guard. You must secure Basten Pleiter's holdings and confiscate his assets before he realizes his game is over.”
Oskar waves at the third guard, “Go and see to it.”
Duke Jellema nods to himself. Not only is Doerr neutralized, he’s now another of Víl?’s protectors, albeit an unwilling one. Basten, the other duke who thought to challenge her openly, is soon to be rotting in the dungeons, if not beheaded. Kenric now has a steady local source of income through the gambling operations. No need to ship funds or letters of credit from Imelenora. Duke Jellema considers this from multiple angles and can’t find fault with Víl?’s handling of the situation.
Hedde listens absently as Nelis details how Oskar was cheated, as he thinks.
“I was right to try to make Kenric one of my liegemen. That needs a bit more priority. I’ll have to talk to Visser and Pasma to see which of them is willing to name Kenric as his heir.”
Hedde continues to listen as Nelis gives details of the signals that they used to pass information around the table. Signals that Oskar was apparently oblivious to, too busy drinking, and distracted by the women Basten provided.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“This went off exactly as she predicted. She’s taken down one duke and forced another to side with her. Not because they pose any personal threat to her. All because they threatened her marriage. I doubt she’d have moved against them if they hadn’t done that. She’d have continued to ignore them, as if they were of no consequence. She only acted because they forced her hand over her marriage. I’m certain this was all her. Kenric doesn’t have that predatory instinct. Perhaps if I’m kind to them, I can get her to work for me instead of ending up like Doerr or Pleiter.”
Once I have everything I think Kenric will need, I place all the items in a small bag. I don’t know when Oskar will ask him to go gambling, but he’ll need to be ready. I’m not sure whether Doerr’s confession will be sufficient to deter him for a time or might spur him on. If it’s the former, I’ll have Kenric to myself in the evenings for a bit. If it’s the latter, he’ll need to be ready tonight. Now, I need to decide what to do about all the spyholes in the wall. If my ladies were here, I know exactly what I would do. We’d set to work on a grand tapestry.
Something big enough to cover the entire wall and thick enough to require a wooden frame. That should do the trick. It’s something that I can add a little magic to. Fey silk takes well to enchantments. I can ensure that the only thing Oskar hears is the sound of donkeys braying and goats screaming. I can also ensure that he’ll see nothing. Oskar’s no better than a teenage boy hiding to watch the women bathing in the river. A few layers of Fey silk, and he won’t be able to cut through it either.
As a plus, we can involve other women in the palace and perhaps even pay them for the work. While women can’t have money here, as Ellisar’s ambassador, I’m perfectly within my rights to open accounts for them with one of the Fey banks, which will happily accept deposits from female customers. That will allow the women to keep their earnings safe from any greedy male relatives. The more I think about it, the more pleased I am with this plan. I’m pondering this when Melina shows Duke Jellema in.
Jellema looks agitated, and that immediately sets off my alarm bells.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Jellema swallows hard, “Kenric was supposed to meet me to go over the papers for his recent acquisition. He didn’t show up, so I started searching for him. One of the palace guards saw him with Aart Lindeman, but Aart swears that he hasn’t seen Kenric since the two of you left court.”
My mind is spinning and I’m thinking furiously.
“If Aart were to hold Kenric prisoner, does it benefit him?” I ask.
“It depends on what he can force Kenric to sign over to him,” Jellema says.
I consider this for a moment and nod. “If Aart had him, where would he keep him?” I ask.
Jellema frowns, “Assuming that they’re both still in the palace, Aart would have him in the only place here he could secure him, which would be his own rooms.”
I flash Jellema a predatory grin, “Tell everyone that I’m hysterical and inconsolable. Spin whatever fable keeps them the most occupied.”
Jellema nods, “What are you going to do?”
I chuckle darkly, “I’m going to go get my husband back. Aart’s seeking to capitalize on the power vacuum left by Nelis and Basten. He might not even know that Nelis has been freed. He wants to either seize or overturn the trade agreement himself to oust Oskar. You’ll need to warn Oskar.”
Jellema leaves, and I pull out Grethe’s map. The dukes are two floors above us, but her map doesn’t show which rooms are Aart’s.
It doesn’t matter. I know Kenric’s smell. I send the ladies into the adjoining rooms with two of my honor guard. I post two more in the hallway to turn away visitors. I walk swiftly up the stairs to an almost hidden alcove. I pull in my magic and make myself small. I go up, seeking Kenric’s scent. I catch his scent on the duke’s floor just where I’d expect to, based on what the guards told Jellema. I follow his trail like a bloodhound. Aart has posted his guards at his door.
“He’s definitely up to something. He wouldn’t have guards in the hallway to chase off visitors otherwise.”
I slip through the stone into Aart’s rooms, near the ceiling. Kenric’s smell is stronger here, tinged with fear. I am still shrouded in magic when I slip into Aart’s private chamber. That bastard has Kenric tied to a chair and gagged. I check carefully for guards, but they’re all outside. Aart is busy telling Kenric how he’s going to sign everything over to him, including me.
“Fool of a human. Do you think I can’t protect what’s mine? Make no mistake about this, Kenric is MINE!”
I drift downward behind him until I’m in position. Before he can react, I’m on him. My claws sink in deep, and he gurgles as he tries to scream. There is immense satisfaction in ripping out your enemy's throat with your claws. I can’t teleport so much mass all in one go, but I can get Aart and Kenric out of this room. Aart goes first since it will leave less to clean up later. I move him into one of the secret passages that’s nearby before I go back for Kenric. I wave a hand at the mess, and it vanishes. I don’t even shift back since Kenric doesn’t fear me, even like this. I use my claw to slice through his bonds and his gag.
I pull Kenric into the same place where Aart’s lying on the floor, still bleeding.
Kenric wants to hug me, but I wave him off. “I’m covered in his blood. Wait right here and don’t move.”
Kenric nods. I don’t want Kenric showing up, covered in blood. I shove Kenric’s bindings and his gag into Aart’s pants before I throw him over my shoulder.
“Where are you going?” Kenric asks me.
I wave a hand at what’s left of Aart. “To dispose of the trash in the midden. Just sit there, and I’ll be back soon.”
- What would you do with Aart?