SnaredbySaber (18 page)

Either way, it didn’t bode well for her
audience or her petition.

“I wish Saber had turned up with the proof
he said he’d get,” Robbie said. “It would make all the difference.”

“I know.”

“The evidence we have now mightn’t be
enough,” Robbie continued.

“I know,” Eva repeated. “We’ll go with what
we have and make the best of it.”

The courtier in white came out and called
the next name.

“How much longer, you think?” Robbie asked.

“I couldn’t say. You said we were at the
end of the list.”

Robbie sighed loudly. “Yes.”

“Then we wait, and hope for the best.” Eva
studied her hands and concentrated on her breathing. She could do this. She
imagined Pryce standing at her shoulder and urging her to do her best. In her
mind, she heard Pryce encouraging her to face his parents and stand tall.

That was all anyone could ask of her.

“Eva Henry,” the courtier intoned.

Robbie stood. “I’m coming too. I’m not
letting you face them alone.”

“Thanks.” Just knowing Robbie intended to
stand with her lent steel to her spine. She strode toward the waiting courtier,
garbed in a scarlet gown Pryce had purchased for her to wear to a court
function. Chin up in a determined jut, Robbie limped at her side.

“Only you,” the courtier said.

“No. I need my assistant to come with me
since he has pertinent information to my petition.”

The courtier looked Robbie up and down,
took in the well-worn but clean black trews and shirt, his cane. He sniffed but
nodded grudgingly. “This way.”

The king’s audience room made Eva’s steps
falter. Gold glinted off every surface and blue stones—the color of royalty—ran
around the wall in a decorative trim. Pryce had visited the king here. They
were of a similar age and had known each other well. They’d been friends, which
still caused wonder to well in Eva.

Her gaze hit the king where he sat on his
ornate throne, and it flitted away when she recalled that Pryce used to joke
and say he’d seen the king naked. He was a royal, all right. No doubts there,
since his equipment was apparently also blue, as rumor held.

Heat flooded her cheeks, and a sharp nudge
from Robbie’s elbow jerked her back.
Frying fungus
, she thought as she
sank into a deep curtsy.
Mind out of the drain
.

“Your m-majesty,” she managed. After long
seconds, she rose, her tongue flicking out to dampen her lips. What now? How to
start? Did she plunge right into her grievance or did she wait for the king to
signal she should start?

Before she could decide, the courtier
dressed in white started to read from his genic mini-tab. “Eva Henry, widow of
Lord Pryce Dearbhorgaill,” he intoned. “She is here to air her grievance
regarding Lord Loeiz and Lady Almeda Dearbhorgaill. I have taken the liberty of
summoning the Lord and Lady so they might rebut her words.”

The king sent her a piercing look, a
warning he was no mere figurehead in this principality. His eyes were a vivid
violet, and so pretty she wanted to stare. She didn’t. Instead she took a deep
breath and waited.

“Bring Lord and Lady Dearbhorgaill into my
chamber. We will hear the charges together to expedite the matter.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The courtier marched
to the door and opened it.

Eva heard him ask the Dearbhorgaills to
enter. Before he could shut the door, muffled screams and curses rose. Male
shouts. Women’s screams.

The king rose, hand planted firmly on a
laser weapon strapped to his side. “What is it, Turlow?”

Before the courtier could reply, a large
black cat charged into the room. A satchel was tied around his neck and it
bounced as Saber ran.

In her peripheral vision, Eva saw the king
take aim. “Don’t shoot!” She jumped in front of the laser weapon. “Please. He’s
with me.”

Saber halted by her side and licked her
hand before sitting on his haunches.

“A-are you s-sure?” Robbie whispered,
backing away. “He’s awful big.”

“He’s fine,” Eva said and petted Saber on
his head, scratching behind his head. She ignored Saber’s sharp snarl of
protest and continued to run her hand over his soft fur.

The king hesitated, but when Saber pressed
against her and purred, he thrust his laser weapon away and sat on his throne.

Lord and Lady Dearbhorgaill entered the
audience chamber at a dignified stroll. They came to a halt, their faces
bearing identical appalled expressions.

“Your majesty,” Lord Dearbhorgaill said.
“Is that creature safe?”

“I am assuming the animal is harmless,” the
king said. “Ms. Henry seems to have it under her control.”

Eva wasn’t so sure about that. With each
stroke of her hand, she felt the tension in Saber’s muscular body. Robbie
wasn’t accepting her assurances either, because he moved to her other side, his
stance as stiff as a fire poker.

“Ms. Henry,” the king said. “Please give me
a précis of your grievances.”

“Lord and Lady Dearbhorgaill have made my
life a living hell, your majesty. They have gone out of their way to create
difficulties for me and my restaurants.”

“Preposterous,” Lord Loeiz snapped.

The king held up a hand, and Lord
Dearbhorgaill’s face took on a pained expression.

“While I was away recently, Lady
Dearbhorgaill barged into one of my restaurants and stole three blank currency
forms. I also have reason to believe they arranged a contract on Lord Pryce,
and as a result, my husband was murdered in the market. Lastly, they have
called in favors from their contemporaries to ensure I was unable to borrow to
finance my third restaurant. Only one company offered me finance, and I have
since discovered the Dearbhorgaills are behind the offer. They make it
difficult for me to meet my loan repayments by ordering their underlings to
vandalize my existing restaurants. They create disturbances to drive away my
customers, spread rumors of food poisoning. You name the means, and they’ve
used them to damage my businesses and my reputation.”

“I see.” The king glanced at the
Dearbhorgaills, then back at her, and stroked his chin. “Do you have proof of
your accusations?”

“Your majesty!” Lord Dearbhorgaill sent her
a murderous glare. “Surely you don’t believe the word of this…this common
trollop?”

“She’s a guttersnipe!” Lady Almeda snapped.
“Brought up in the market. She has no morals. She’s a thief and a liar.”

Saber snarled, and Eva pressed a firm hand
on his furry shoulders. “Stay,” she whispered.

“Quiet,” the king said to the
Dearbhorgaills in a firm voice. “What proof do you have, Ms. Henry?”

“I have documentation in my bag, your
majesty. They prove Lady Dearbhorgaill stole currency certificates from me. I
also have statements from people who live in the market. They witnessed the
vandalizing of my restaurants plus some of the other bully tactics employed by
the Dearbhorgaill underlings.”

The king held out his hand. “I’ll see
them.”

Lady Almeda sent her a vicious glare.
“But—”

“Quiet,” the king barked.

Eva retrieved the documents she and Robbie
had collected during the previous day. “These are sworn statements of witness
accounts, plus I have retrieved the cancelled currency certificates from my
banker. I should explain that before my recent absence, I wrote with special
ink on the currency certificates, and this was witnessed by my banker and two
employees.” She handed the certificates to the king.

He peered at the certificates. “I see
nothing out of ordinary about the certificates.”

“May I, your majesty?” Eva stepped closer.
“Firstly, each certificate is numbered. You will see that the numbers match the
numbers recorded in the witnessed document here. The ink requires heat in order
to be read. I have a steam apparatus in my bag. It will produce enough heat to
react with the invisible ink.”

“Intriguing. Turlow, I shall require you to
witness this process,” the king said.

“Your majesty,” Lord Loeiz protested. “Are
you truly going to believe the word of this trollop?”

Eva noted Lady Almeda’s cheeks were scarlet
with fury, her hands curled like claws at her sides. “Everyone knows she’s a
liar! She tricked our son into marriage and now she seeks to destroy our
lives!”

“Quiet!” the king thundered. “Or I’ll have
you forcibly removed from the audience room.”

Lady Almeda’s mouth snapped shut, and she
glowered in Eva’s direction. And perhaps looked a little worried.

“Show me the ink,” the king ordered.

Eva pulled the steamer from her bag. Robbie
held the certificate as she waved the heat across the portion where she’d
written in the special ink. Slowly, words formed on the paper.

“Amazing.” The king exchanged a glance with
the courtier.

“What does it say?” Lord Loeiz demanded.

“Whatever it says is a lie,” Lady Almeda
snapped.

“Read the words for Lord and Lady
Dearbhorgaill,” the king said to his courtier.

The man retrieved a pair of eyeglasses from
an inner pocket, accepted the certificate from Robbie and started to read.
“This certificate is the property of Eva Henry. It is to be used for petty cash
and the amount of this certificate must not exceed twenty-five shillars.”

“And how much is the certificate made out
for, Turlow?” the king asked.

“Ten thousand shillars, your majesty.”

“Check the ink on the other two
certificates, Turlow,” the king said.

A weighty silence pulsed in the audience
room while the courtier activated the ink with Robbie’s help.

“They are the same, your majesty,” the
courtier said. “Except they are made out for higher amounts. Twenty-five
thousand shillars and fifty thousand shillars.”

The king focused his glare on the
Dearbhorgaills. “What do you have to say about this?”

“We have no knowledge of these
certificates,” Lord Loeiz said. “This is a travesty!”

“They didn’t sign the certificates,” the
king said. “I presume that is your signature?”

“Yes, your majesty. But when I left Dalcon,
the certificates were locked in a safe. They are also dated during the time I
was away, and the writing on the certificates—apart from my signature—belongs
to neither me nor my assistant. I believe you’ll find it is Lady Almeda’s
writing.”

“It’s a forgery!” Lady Almeda snarled and
took two steps toward Eva, her expression murderous.

Saber snarled and shifted position to place
himself between the two women. Lady Almeda froze in place.

Eva continued, “I believe you’d also find
Lady Almeda’s fingerprints on the certificates, were you to have them tested,
your majesty.”

“And the other, more serious matter of
murder?” the king asked. “What proof do you have the Dearbhorgaills are
responsible for the murder of their son?”

Eva glanced at Saber. The air around him
started to sparkle and an instant later, he stood before the king.

Naked.

Eva slid a quick glance at the king, saw
his lips twitch once before his gaze went upward and fastened on Saber’s face.

Unfazed by his nakedness, Saber took the
bag from around his neck and removed several sheets of paper. “My name is Saber
Mitchell, your majesty. I come from Middlemarch Resort on the planet of Tiraq,
and I’m a friend of Eva’s. This morning I interviewed Huw Yolland, and took his
signed and witnessed statement. He was employed by Lord Dearbhorgaill to
assassinate his son, Pryce.”

“He confessed to the crime?” the king
asked.

Saber nodded. “The Dearbhorgaills forced
him to murder their son. Huw’s wife and young son both worked in the kitchens
at the Dearbhorgaill residence. The lord and lady incarcerated his wife and son
in a dungeon on the lower floors of their residence, and only released them
after the deed was completed.”

Lady Almeda gasped at her husband. “Fool!
You told me you’d settled that
problem
.”

“Quiet,” Lord Loeiz snapped.

“I will read the statements,” the king
said.

“I’m not listening to this slander.” Lord
Loeiz wheeled around and headed to the door. Lady Almeda fell in behind, her
long skirts rustling in an agitated manner.

“Hold,” the king ordered. “Turlow, summon
the guards.”

“This is ridiculous!” Lord Loeiz shouted.
“It’s trickery! This woman tricked my son, stole his businesses and now she
wants to claim our currency for herself.”

“The matter will be investigated,” the king
said.

“Rumor on the street says the
Dearbhorgaills are in debt,” Saber said. “They murdered their son in order to
get their hands on his wealth, but he left everything to his widow. This
created a problem.”

“I see.” The king’s voice was hard. Angry.

Eva edged nearer to Saber, ready to intercede
should the king decide to take action against him for some reason.

“You knew this? Suspected this?” The king
fired the questions at Eva.

“I went to the authorities. They dismissed
my concerns and told me I was hysterical.”

“You had a legal marriage with Pryce?”

“Yes.” Eva glared at the king.

“Turlow, take this information and start a
royal investigation.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Turlow said. “And the
Dearbhorgaills?”

“Hold them under house arrest until the
investigation is completed. I expect this matter to be settled by tomorrow.”

The couple shouted their outrage as guards
escorted them from the chamber.

The king turned to Saber. “I can give you
some clothes,” he said with a slight grin.

“That would be excellent,” Saber said.

The king cocked his head. “Where do you
come from again?”

“My family lives on Tiraq, but we were
originally from Earth.”

“Where on Earth?” the king asked.

“New Zealand,” Saber replied.

“That’s where my brother lives. Prince
Alexandre,” the king mused. “Have you met him? He lives there with his wife,
Lily.”