A Warrior's Path (The Castes and the OutCastes) (16 page)

Amma smiled just as coldly upon hearing Nanna’s words.  “It begins then.  I want a report on Suge Wrestiva from each of you, everything about his birth, his habits, his friends, his training, his girlfriends…everything.  I want a detailed dossier so complete that we know Suge better than his own father.”

“I’d like to be present at Suge’s autopsy,” Bree said, speaking up suddenly.  “There’s something about his death that’s bothering me.”  She blushed.  “Other than his dying, I mean.  I don’t know what it is, but I think it might turn out to be important.”

Nanna considered her words.  “I had planned on being at the autopsy myself.  I see no reason why you can’t accompany me.”

“I still want your report,” Amma warned.

“I’ll have it ready,
” Bree replied.

“One last thing,” Jaresh said.  “If Suge had lived, how much would have been demanded of him in payment for the insult paid to Bree?”

“He got off easy,” Durmer growled.  “He should have been beaten senseless even after he offered a public and groveling apology.  Until then, he wouldn’t have been safe anywhere in Ashoka.”

“We should play that up then,” Jaresh said.

“Wasn’t there some rumor about Suge and a Rahail courtesan?” Bree asked.

“
Let’s not dredge up old hearsay unless we can prove it,” Amma said.  “I want absolute verification first, with as much documentation as possible before we assassinate his character.”

“Let’s get to work,” Nanna said.

*****

“
T
hey must be mad,” Bree said upon hearing Nanna’s words.  “They admit Suge acted dishonorably enough to be found Unworthy?” she asked.  “Why would they do such a thing?”

“Because the story we released yesterday is true,” Jaresh said, smiling smugly.
  “The past week has not been a good one for House Wrestiva, the death of Suge and the destruction of the thug’s already poor reputation.”

“It was clever finding the Shiyen physician,” Garnet said, chuckling dryly.

Once more, House Shektan’s advisors were meeting in Nanna’s study.  Since Suge’s death, each of House Shektan’s councilors had ferreted out every possible nugget of information about Suge Wrestiva.  What they had learned, when put together as a portrait of the man, had made for ugly reading.  The son of the ruling ‘El of House Wrestiva was a braggart, a bully, a drunk, and a coward.  All of this was well known, but the depths to which he had sunk were absolutely appalling.  Even worse, he had fathered a ghrina, an abomination: a child conceived with a woman not of his own Caste.

Jaresh had managed to confirm the rumors about Suge and his Rahail courtesan.  The woman had disappeared two years earlier, but the Shiyen physician who had helped care for the woman during her pregnancy had remembered her well.  During one of her appointments, the courtesan had tearfully confessed her sin: the father of her child was Kumma, and no less than the son of the ruling ‘El of one of Ash
oka’s oldest Houses.  Afterward, the Shiyen only saw her a few more times, and then she was gone, vanished as if she had never existed.  The City Watch had been unable to find any sign of foul play, but coincidentally, at around the time of her disappearance, Suge was known to have exited the city, alone apparently and on a training exercise.  A small Ashokan Guard contingent had come across him as he passed Ashoka’s Outer Wall, and according to the sergeant in charge, Suge had been driving a small, covered wagon.

It hadn’t taken much to get the rumor started about what
might have truly happened.  Suge had probably murdered the courtesan to hide his disgrace, and his thin excuse for leaving the safety of the city had likely been to get rid of the courtesan’s dead body and that of his murdered child.

The city was abuzz with every new lurid piece of gossip about Suge’s dissolute life, all of it provided courtesy of House Shektan. 
Of course, the Wrestivas were furious, but they could do nothing to counter the claims made about the deceased son of their ruling ‘El.  The Shektans had been meticulous, carefully cultivating multiple sources and testimonies for the stories they produced, seemingly one every day, each one more shocking than the one before, with the most recent tale acting as a capstone.

“I still don’t understand why Hal’El would say
such a thing about his own son,” Bree said, glancing at the other advisers.

“Because Hal’El knows what we claim is true, and it doesn’t do him any good to try and argue the point,” Sophy replied.

“Also, accusations are most potent when made for the first time,” Nanna added.  “By admitting Suge’s corrupted nature now, Hal’El hopes to minimize the outrage such an allegation will raise when we bring it up again in the Chamber.”  He shrugged.  “Perhaps we should have held back this final detail.”

Durmer cleared his throat.  “I find myself troubled by something else,” he began.  “I spoke to the masters at the Fort and the Sword, the military school favored by the Wrestivas.  They all make mention of how significant Suge’s improvement has been over the past few months, in all aspects of combat, both armed and unarmed.  It makes what happened with Jaresh even more difficult to understand.”

“Any idea on how to explain such a discrepancy?” Dar’El asked.

“No,” Durmer said.  “Suge’s autopsy…you mentioned he had been drinking but not enough to be drunk.
  Was there anything else that could have caused a reduction in his skills?”

“
The autopsy turned up nothing,” Bree said.  “Suge had dilated pupils and possibly cyanotic digits, both of which might indicate a poppy-based drug, but nothing like that was found in his body.  As far as the pathologist could tell, Suge was completely healthy.”

“Nothin
g else at all?” Durmer asked in a hopeful tone.

“That was it.”  Bree
shrugged.  “I’ll do my best to make sure we aren’t missing anything, but I wouldn’t hold up much hope on that end.”

“
It may not matter,” Garnet said.  “From my initial polling of the Chamber, the numbers are swinging our way.  It’s still close, but if we’re effective in presenting our case in the actual tribunal, we should be fine.”

“
I would prefer if we had something more concrete,” Amma said.  “This entire tribunal is a farce.  The Wrestivas haven’t paid nearly enough for what they claim Jaresh can do.”

No one had a respose to Amma’s words, and the room fell silent for a moment.

“Perhaps we should play up the differences between Suge and Jaresh,” Garnet said, breaking the quiet.  “Consider: we have two scions of ruling ‘Els, but only one of them was leaving for the Trials, and it wasn’t the Wrestiva.  It was the Shektan,” he finished in satisfaction.

Bree was surprised by the older Kumma’s statement.  All knew how little Garnet had cared for Jaresh’s admittance into House Shektan, but ever since House Wrestiva’s challenge, the old councilor had been painstakingly diligent in searching out every angle through which Nanna and Amma could defend their Sentya son.  More surprising, though, were the complimentary words he occasionally paid to Jaresh.  It was unusual but welcome.

Her brother had always had a difficult time with many of the other Shektans.  Perhaps this would be a turning point for him.  Perhaps others in their House would start seeing him as the asset she knew him to be and accept him as someone worthy of respect.  She hoped so, but it would have to be a dream for another day.  First, she had to help him get past this stupid charge.

“That particular piece of information is not well known,” Nanna said, “ and I think we should hold off on releasing it until the actual tribunal.”

“We’ve done well so far, but we must ensure the Chamber never comes to believe House Wrestiva’s lie about Jaresh and his supposed Taint,” Amma reminded them.  “And we still lack the final nail with which to hammer the Wrestivas to their yoke.  For what they’ve done, Hal’El Wrestiva must face utter humiliation for even bringing up such a possibility.”

Bree shared a smile with Jaresh.  Amma had always been the more hard
-nosed of their parents, unwilling to give an inch when she believed a point needed to be made.  It was an attitude seen in her child-rearing as well.  The three of them – Rukh, Jaresh, and Bree – had quickly learned that Amma’s word was law, and to cross her was to invite serious consequences.  Nanna could be a disciplinarian as well, but he was also more flexible and more willing to compromise.  And besides, Bree had him wrapped around her finger.

“I don’t know if we can do what you want,” Sophy said to Amma.  “I understand your anger and your frustration, but you’re asking us to prove a negative.”

Nanna sighed.  “Sophy may be right,” he said.  “But we need to keep looking for any other oddities surrounding Suge; something which might explain what happened that night.”

The room quieted as they digested Sophy and Nanna’s words.

“Or, during the tribunal, maybe we don’t attack their claims about me, but just brush them off as though they’re unworthy of rebuttal,” Jaresh said, breaking the silence.  “Instead, maybe we should work to expose the feelings Hal’El has toward the other Castes.  If we can get him to admit to them, it will cost him and his House quite a lot in public opinion.”

Durmer cackled.  “It will ruin them.”

“Him,” Sophy corrected.  “Not them.  Their House still contains men and women of great cunning and wisdom.  They may limit the damage by doing away with Hal’El and choosing another to head House Wrestiva.”

“And the Chamber would have no choice but to look past
all
of House Wrestiva’s charges, including this supposed Taint simply to get the matter behind all of us,” Bree noted.

“And having House Shektan known as the defender of the interests and voices of the other Castes won’t hurt our standing with the general populace,” Jaresh said.

“A secondary benefit,” Nanna noted.

“Cunning,” Sophy said after a moment’s thought.  “Let them see the fist and hide the knife.”  She laughed.  “I like it.”

“I’m impressed,” Bree said to Jaresh.  Her brother was smart and studious, but in the ways of a Sentya: all accounting and math.  Politics was not his forte.  “You came up with this by yourself?”

“Nanna helped.”  Jaresh grinned.  “But I’m allowed to have a good idea every now and then.”

“I would rather we had something more…forceful,” Amma said, still looking dissatisfied.  A moment later, she sighed her acceptance. “But if this is all we have, then we will have to make it work.”

*****

A
fter the meeting ended, the council members left to go about their other tasks.  Jaresh left as well.  He felt pretty good about his chances, but a twinge of doubt and worry still preyed on his thoughts.  Besides which, Amma was right: the House needed to do more than win through lack of evidence or fears about public opinion.  They needed – he needed – to erase the Wrestiva claim, utterly and completely.  Both he and the House needed to come through this tribunal with a spotless reputation.  Otherwise, other jackals would test them, seeing their weakness and inability to defend themselves against what was an otherwise stupid and ugly accusation.

Despite his desire for action, Jaresh ending up spending the next t
wo days cooped up at the House Seat.  It was on Nanna’s orders.  He wasn’t to be seen in public where he could come across the Wrestivas.  Nothing good would come about from such a confrontation.  Being confined to the House Seat was deadly dull and did nothing to settle his nerves.

He did receive several visitors
to help pass the time, including Mira Terrell.  She had finished her internship with House Suzay, and Nanna was including her in some issues related to their own House.  As a result, she had to visit the House Seat more regularly, and occasionally the two of them would cross paths.  Along with Bree, she had kept him apprised of the mood of the city.  Not surprisingly, the upcoming tribunal was the talk of Ashoka.  Suge’s death had been scandalous enough – no one had been intentionally killed at the hands of another within the city in over fifteen years – but most people couldn’t believe that House Wrestiva was pursuing its case when all agreed it had been Suge who had instigated the fight.  The stature and standing of House Wrestiva was taking a beating, but Jaresh knew Hal’El’s primary audience wasn’t the general public: it was his fellow ‘Els, especially the reactionary ones.

Nevertheless
, Hal’El had members of his House prowling the streets, telling everyone with an ear House Wrestiva’s version of the truth.  And the Shektans continued the war of words, ensuring the dissolute nature of Suge’s character remained prominent in everyone’s mind.  The situation was tense whenever a group of Shektans came into contact with a group of Wrestivas as the two camps sniped at one another like angry dogs.  Luckily, no blows were exchanged, thanks to heavy patrols of the Ashokan Guard, which had been called in to help the City Watch maintain the peace.

Jaresh spent the last night prior to the tribunal sitting on a bench in the back gardens, looking out to sea.  It was one of his favorite spots in all of Ashoka.  So peaceful.  The gardens took up much of the grounds behind the Shektan seat, curving around to cup the main house.  A copse of trees bordered the gardens to the north and a large, red barn did the same
for the west.  Beyond them, a tall retaining wall, meant for privacy and security, could be seen edging the entire property.  The drop-off to the east, where the hill fell down a steep cliff toward the rest of the city, was left unobstructed, giving a glorious view of the Sickle Sea.