Casket of Souls

understood the tacit dismissal and took his leave. Leaning on the edge of the table, Korathan looked the three of them over, taking in their disparate apparel. “What’s all this about?”
    “I visited Klia last night,” Thero replied.
    “Ah, so you were behind all the uproar.” He held up a sheaf of parchments. “You’re a bit late. I’ve had reports from the queen and General Moraus already this morning. Wretched business. No one mentioned you, though.”
    “Klia and I agreed it would be better that way. I helped her question the courier, who gave up Salana’s name.”
    “Who died without giving up any others.”
    “Yes, Highness. Things would be a great deal easier if she had. But that’s why we’re here now. Seregil and Alec have uncovered evidence of a cabal working against Klia here in Rhíminee. Klia employed spies on her side and we on ours.”
    “And you didn’t think I should be informed of this?”
    “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve been trying to give them the greatest latitude in searching out the roots of this plot. Arresting the conspirators we know about now may let others escape.”
    “I see.” Korathan gave them a wry look. “As I recall, Phoria disbanded the Watchers.”
    “Indeed, she did, Highness,” said Thero. “But as an Orëska wizard, I have a duty to the Crown. I felt it was imperative to look after the safety of the royal family in any way I could.”
    “The same for us,” said Seregil, giving Korathan a wink. “And since we’ve rendered good service to your family before, I didn’t think you’d mind us sticking our noses in again.”
    “So, you’re just acting as loyal subjects? I suppose Phoria can’t dismiss you for that. What information do you have?”
    “We’ve sort of stumbled across information that we think points to two cabals—” Seregil began.
    “
Two?
I thought this was about Klia.”
    “That one is led, we think, by Marquis Kyrin, who supports Elani for the throne.”
    “Aside from plotting against my youngest sister, not a bad thing.”
    “But we don’t know what that support means, or how far they’ll go. Alec overheard something that might have been a threat against the queen herself.”
    “Bilairy’s Balls! I’ll have word sent to her at once to strengthen her bodyguard. Who else do you think is involved with him?”
    “Tolin, Stenmir, and—” Seregil hesitated, knowing Korathan was not going to be pleased. “And Duke Reltheus.”
    “Reltheus? Is that why he’s thrown his son in Elani’s way every chance he gets?”
    “No, I think he just desperately wants his line joined to the royal house,” Seregil replied. “And I believe he feels genuine affection for your niece. Kyrin has found a way to use that. He’s blackmailing Reltheus; it seems the duke was already passing out royal favors.”
    “That makes him no less a traitor to the royal family, if he’s conspiring against Klia! How far has this gone?”
    “All that we’ve learned makes me wonder if that attempt on Klia’s life was actually made by assassins disguised as Plenimaran soldiers,” replied Thero.
    “Attempt on Klia’s life!” Seregil exclaimed. “Why weren’t we told of this?”
    “Perhaps I should have—” Korathan looked sharply at Alec. “But you two already knew, didn’t you?”
    Alec colored hotly. “Well, that is …”
    “Only recently, Highness,” Thero told him. “And only because they uncovered evidence of their own as to the perpetrators. Seregil, tell the prince what you heard on the island.”
    “Reltheus, Tolin, and Stenmir went off into the woods on their own and I followed to see what they were up to. I overheard Stenmir ask Reltheus if he’d had any more news from ‘the north,’ which I assumed were the messages from Danos.Then Reltheus said that if someone he referred to only as ‘she’ had been killed, they’d have heard by now.”
    “And you assume that this ‘she’ was Klia.”
    “Yes.”
    “And still you kept this knowledge to yourselves?”
    Thero hastened to Seregil’s defense. “As far as we knew from the evidence Seregil and Alec found up until then, they were simply keeping an eye on her to see if she was making any move toward claiming the throne. We had no idea a plot was afoot to kill her.”
    “What other evidence
do
you have, beyond an overheard conversation with no names?”
    Seregil showed him the copies of some of the coded messages and purloined letters they’d found so far.