Pendant of Fortune (42 page)

“
So it would appear. But again, we have no proof.”

Volle growled again, softly. “He can’t get away with it.”

“
He can. It is my job to see that he doesn’t. I don’t anticipate needing your help, but I may ask you some questions. Please remain quiet otherwise.”

“
You said that already.” Volle nodded grimly. “I can do that.”

“
Good.” Nero smiled and heaved himself to his feet. “I’ll bring some food as soon as I can. Get a good night’s sleep tonight, Lord Vinton.”

“
Thank you, Captain Nero.” Volle smiled and felt his tail wag slowly. He got up as well. “I appreciate all your work.”

Nero gave him an enigmatic, thoughtful smile. “I wonder if you do.” He shook his head and waved a paw. “Please forgive me. I am in a frightful mood today.”

Volle watched him leave, and then curled up amidst the debris, keeping his growling stomach as compressed as possible. He watched the clouds in the sky and tried to find peace there, and he did find calm for a time. The clouds rolled and turned like his thoughts, but much more slowly, and he found himself lulled into their graceful rhythm. The hours drifted by, and he’d almost forgotten his hunger when he heard a noise downstairs.

Nobody appeared at the stairway, so he descended cautiously to investigate. Nero—if it had been him—had come and gone, but he had left behind a tray piled high with food, steaming from its own warmth and nothing else.

Volle fell on the tray, attacking the plate and gorging himself, pausing after a few mouthfuls to carry the tray to the other side of the room. His hunger returned with a vengeance as he grabbed the warm bread, the steaming pieces of chicken, and the roasted vegetables that filled the plate. He knew he was spilling food on his fur, but he didn’t care for the moment.

His stomach protested finally, and he slowed down, letting himself taste the food. He really needn’t have bothered; it was similar to what he’d eaten at the castle before, but the chicken and vegetables were older and only the bread was really fresh. He finished about two thirds of the tray and then pushed it aside, feeling bloated and a little queasy.

Mindful of Nero’s advice, he walked slowly back up to the upper room and stretched out in the open space beneath what was left of the roof. He’d gotten used to the smell there, and didn’t mind the chill in the air. As darkness set in, he wanted to lie awake and think about the trial, but the food in his belly made him sleepy. He found himself yawning, and thought, “I shouldn’t go to sleep just yet,” and a moment later he was blinking in the morning light.

The door downstairs opened about an hour later, and he heard the gruff voice of the wolf guard. “Lord Vinton? Time to go.”

He got up and stretched, and made his way down the stairs. The wolf guard and another he didn’t recognize, a raccoon, were standing at the door, both looking grim. Volle paused at the foot of the stairs. “Where’s Captain Nero?”

“
He’s better things to do this morning than waste his time playing escort.”

Volle stood firmly. “Get Archie, then. I’m not going without one of them.”

The wolf bared his teeth. “We are allowed to bring you there by whatever means we need to use, Lord Vinton.”

“
And it will be a lot easier if you get Archie.” Volle folded his arms. He certainly wasn’t inclined to make things easier for the wolf.

The raccoon tugged on the wolf’s jerkin, and the two held a hasty discussion that ended with the wolf slamming the door shut. Volle sat down on the bottom stair and waited, tail twitching nervously. He didn’t really think the wolf would’ve harmed him on the way to the trial, but he wanted to be sure he arrived safely, and at the moment there were few people he trusted.

He stood up again when the door latch clicked a few minutes later, and Archie stepped in. “What’s this all about?” His ears were back and he looked annoyed.

Volle shrugged, feeling a bit foolish now that the weasel was facing him. Archie obviously would have had other things to worry about. “Sorry. I just felt like I needed a bit of extra protection.”

Archie considered that, and nodded. “All right, let’s go.”

The wolf and raccoon flanked them as they walked through the corridors. Volle essayed a question about the trial, but Archie cut him off, and he took the hint. For the rest of the way they walked in silence, until they came to the throne room. The guard at the entrance, a scruffy-looking rat, pulled one of the doors open for them to enter.

The hall had been reconfigured drastically. The large throne was gone, replaced by several smaller tables on the dais at one end and about ten rows of chairs on the end closer to the door. Half of the chairs were occupied by nobles, all of whom turned to look as Volle was led into the room. He saw Tish and Tika among them, but refrained from acknowledging them, just as they made no signal to him. Their presence was a comfort, anyway. Helfer was there too, but Volle didn’t respond to his encouraging smile. He noticed that in addition to the guards escorting him, there were two at the table where Streak was already seated, two more behind Nero, seated at the opposite table, and no fewer than ten more scattered throughout the audience.

Archie led him to the table where Streak was sitting and gestured to the remaining empty chair there, then walked across the room to join Nero as Volle seated himself. The guards remained behind him as he did. To his right, the King and Queen sat at a table with Alister and Lord Alacris. The King met his eye as he looked in that direction, but if he intended to communicate anything with that look, Volle didn’t understand it. He gave Streak an encouraging smile, and the wolf responded weakly. His ears were back and his tail was lashing agitatedly. He did reach out and take Volle’s paw in his, and squeeze it hard.

When Archie had seated himself, Alister stood up and the murmur of voices died down. “Attention, please. I hereby call to order this inquest into the murders of Jatha Malion and Arnut Xefor. His Majesty King Barris presides.”

“
Thank you, Alister,” the King said. The coyote bowed his head in reply and consulted his papers.

Volle whispered to Streak, “That’s good. It’s an inquest, not a trial. That means we’re not formally accused.” Streak nodded in understanding, and his ears came up a bit.

“
The principal investigator in these matters has been Captain Nero of Divalia Law Enforcement.” Alister had selected a paper and was reading from it. “He will present his findings to the King. After his presentation, he may call witnesses to support his conclusion. Any member present may then present an alternate conclusion or a challenge, supported by witnesses, and Captain Nero will have an opportunity to rebut. When there are no more challenges, the King will make his decision. Which is final,” he added, glancing about the room.

Nobody spoke. Alister waited for a moment, and then said, “Captain Nero, you may proceed.” He sat down.

Nero levered his bulk out from the chair and stood. “Your Majesties, gracious Lords, fellow children of Gaia,” he began. “I had hoped that this retreat would be a welcome holiday. Instead I find myself hard at work. Fortunately, I enjoy my work.” He paused, as if expecting a response, but when none came, he proceeded smoothly.

“
Here are the facts of the cases as I understand them. Five days ago, Jatha Malion, a guest of Lord Fardew, was murdered in the chamber she had been given in his quarters. The murder was committed with a pair of scissors that, as best I can determine, belonged to the victim. The first to discover the body, the wolf known as Streak, was also accused of the crime and imprisoned.

“
Three days later, Streak’s host, Lord Vinton, negotiated with Lord Fardew to visit Streak in his cell. As Lord Fardew returned, he discovered that the guard, Arnut Xefor, had been killed with a knife from Lord Fardew’s quarters. Lord Vinton, the first to discover the body, was accused of the crime and imprisoned.” After this speech, there was a great deal of muttering from the guards, so much so that Alister had to stand and call for silence again.

“
Thank you,” Nero said, bowing to the steward. “On the face of it, both cases seemed very simple, as indeed they proved to be. The scents of the accused were found on the murder weapons. They were among the first to see the victims dead; whether they were indeed the first is the matter to which I turned my investigations.”

“
They proved to be simple?” Streak whispered to Volle, a note of panic creeping into his voice. “He’s going to arrest us.”

Volle just shook his head and cocked an ear toward Nero. Streak looked uneasy, but did the same.

“
I will discuss the cases separately. The matter of Miss Malion seemed very simple at first. Streak had known that Miss Malion was to be presented as a witness in a hearing to decide the fate of Lord Vinton. Because of their relationship, Streak was quite agitated by this. The witness was a heretofore unknown quantity, as I understand it, and the only witness Lord Fardew intended to present. It is not hard to imagine the passion of youth, ignited by the noble desire to protect his Lord, driving him to do away with the single obstacle to his Lord’s reinstatement in one quick spontaneous blow. That, in fact, seemed to be the prevailing opinion among those aware of the case.”

Volle couldn’t be sure whether Nero’s glance at him then was intentional or not. He felt ashamed of any doubts he’d ever had of Streak. A paw squeezed his knee, and he looked over to see the wolf smiling gently at him. He returned the smile, abashed, and held Streak’s paw as they listened to Nero continue.

“
I ran into obstacles when I first questioned Streak. His demeanor did not fit with the ‘noble act of heroism’ theory. One would have expected him to be proud and defiant, or perhaps scared of what he’d done. He was neither. The story he presented was simple and equally convincing. I left unconvinced of his guilt or innocence.

“
Which raised the question of how else the murder could have happened. By Streak’s own account, there was nobody else in the chamber with him. He heard the victim scream, and opened the door a few moments later. The only possible exit from that room that he would not have seen—if he were telling the truth—was a medium-sized hole in the wall.

“
The victim could have fit through that hole, but the idea that she was pushed in there across the room after being stabbed was ludicrous. The room was clearly hers. Lord Fardew could have fit through it.” Here Dereath sat a bit straighter, and his eyes gleamed warily. “But I met Lord Fardew shortly after the murder. He had been in the company of one person or another nearly since the murder, and would not have had the chance to change clothes. His clothes, I noted, were clean of any marks that might have indicated he had gone through the hole.

“
Adding to the confusion was the presence of Streak’s scent on the scissors. I was prepared to believe that he had picked them up out of confusion when he discovered the body, but he denied that. A curious denial, for I would have expected him to clutch at that explanation. I believed, more strongly, that he was telling the truth. But he would not explain why he was in Lord Fardew’s quarters. Lord Fardew professed no knowledge of the reason, and so it remained a mystery. But Streak told me he would talk to Lord Vinton.”

Nero faced Volle. “Lord Vinton, who will later this week be facing a hearing on the charge of treason if he is not convicted here. Lord Vinton, whom, I learned, was imprisoned for six months recently by the current Lord Fardew before he held the title—without the knowledge of the King. The more I investigated, the more bad blood between the two of them was uncovered. In my experience, when a murder occurs in proximity to a long-standing feud such as this one, it is nearly always related.

“
I tried to convince Lord Fardew that letting Lord Vinton talk to the prisoner would be beneficial to the case, but he refused, saying that he didn’t trust Lord Vinton. This seemed reasonable in light of their history, so I pressed Lord Vinton to agree to Lord Fardew’s terms—a signed agreement that he would reveal any information gained from the prisoner. Lord Vinton, for his part, was reluctant to accede to those terms, but two days ago, he finally did.

“
He was taken to see Streak, and the two of them talked. While they were talking, Arnut Xefor, who was guarding the prison, was killed. By Lord Vinton, it would seem, in the course of helping Streak to escape. A plausible theory: he had motive and opportunity, and his scent was on the knife. But again I remained unconvinced. There were small discrepancies that did not seem to add up.”

Volle found himself kneading his paws on the table. He knew where Nero was going, but he still felt tense. He didn’t know what could still go wrong, but he was trying to remain aware of everyone in the room, so that nothing unexpected could creep up on him.

Cautiously, he looked around the room. Dereath was staring fixedly at Nero, rigid in his chair. His smile could have been one of anticipation, or it could be masking anxiety. Volle couldn’t see his tail clearly, but his ears were half-back. Tish caught his eye as he looked and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. To his right, the King was absorbed in Nero’s narrative. He probably had heard very few details of the crimes up to now. Nero was obviously aware of this and enjoying the attention. Archie was the only person in the room not fixed on Nero; he was tapping his fingers impatiently on the tabletop.