by K. N. Banet
“No, they aren’t,” I agreed coolly. “What happened yesterday? The day of the breakout?”
“You showed up, and something felt off. Eliphas made himself scarce to work on new spells for the prison’s defenses. He never missed a visit with you. He liked to poke at you because he used his updates on you to help Nakul. See, Nakul really liked hearing about you for some reason.”
“I’m his niece and the last female of our species. Most of the nagas like getting news about me as long as it’s me not being dead.” I tried to smile, but it wouldn’t form. My face stayed in its blank state. “Then Tarak walked me through the prison.”
“Yeah. I went to Eliphas and caught him pulling down the defenses slowly, so no one would notice,” Kartane said, looking away. “I tried to stop him, but then the detonation spells went off.”
“Ah shit,” I said, rolling my eyes to look at Raphael and Monica behind me. “How did we all miss that only Eliphas would have been powerful enough to lower all the prison’s defenses?”
“Everyone was too busy trying to hide or stay alive,” Monica retorted. “Everyone outside the prison was worried about what the criminals would do in our city. You were worried about not getting killed while killing them. He had us distracted too long to notice it in time.”
“Yup.” I looked back at Kartane. “What happened to his eyes?”
“I have no idea,” Kartane said, shaking his head. “He had them when I saw him.”
“Do you think he…took them out himself for the ruse?” Raphael asked. “Think about it. Kartane reveals he knows Eliphas was dirty. He was being blackmailed by this healer, then Kartane threatened to expose him. He needed a real good act to get us to completely forget about him as a possible suspect in the breakout and the hit on you.”
“Ah, shit. Which means he’ll be able to put them back in. We kill Kartane, he ‘finds’ where Kartane hid his eyes, and everything is right in the world.” I shook my head slowly. “And it all would have worked if I had died in the prison during the breakout like planned. I’ve made it through every layer of their trap—the explosions, the first couple of inmates, and the one I interviewed under the same compulsion spell. Wesley was recaptured by the Phoenix Pack. I killed Levi and those two fucking werewolves Hasan was keeping. I survived Nakul, the ticking time bomb sent to me in case none of the others worked.”
“Who knows how many more are under compulsion spells to kill you. It sounds like everyone Eliphas did therapy with was subjected to it or at least had their memories wiped of his existence.” Raphael rubbed his face, looking away again. “This is deep.”
“To kill someone like Kaliya, it has to be,” Monica explained nonchalantly. “You don’t go after someone like an Executioner without contingency plans. That’s asking to screw it up and get killed. They did everything they could, so this would go off in the way they wanted. It’s ingenious.”
“And very supernatural,” I muttered, looking at my roommate. “It’s just not normally done with an entire prison of dangerous and deadly criminals in such an affront to the Tribunal at the same time. Or with this much magic. This is probably the largest assassination attempt I’ve ever heard of.”
“But why?” Monica asked, looking between Raphael and me. “Why does this mystery man want you dead?”
“Because if I die and Cassius isn’t available, interested parties get to put Raphael back into a lab for safekeeping,” I answered as that piece clicked into place. “And if a bunch of criminals are also on the loose, Cassius would be too busy, and so would the rest of the Executioners and Investigators. They would be able to secret him away.”
Raphael nodded slowly.
“All of this,” he whispered.
“All of this to get back at me and get you back in their control. Well…that’s really fucked up, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” he said, kicking a foot at the ground in obvious frustration. “I really wish we could stick them with this.”
“I’m going to assume this is where I’m not allowed to be in the conversation?” Monica asked politely.
“Yeah. Raphael, we’ll finish this conversation later.” He nodded once, then I continued. “We’re going to head out, Monica. Keep Kartane. Feed him. I’ll call one of the Tribunal and explain the situation. Keep Nakul in a secure room with no small openings or under a magically-induced coma, which would be safer for everyone. I’m not taking him back to the prison.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t either. We’ll keep him out for as long as you need and secure here. We won’t take anything from him. Who do we bill?”
“Adhar,” I answered because I was a petty bitch, and he was also a leader of the nagas. “I’ll send you his information so you can.”
“Thank you. You know how to leave?” She opened the door, and I nodded, walking out.
“Come on, Raph. I’ve got work to do, and I know you’ll want to be there.”
He followed me out as if we had been partners for years, and by the look on his face as we climbed into my BMW, he knew exactly what was going to happen next.
“Terry, put our bags in the back already,” he said, his face stoic.
28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I called Hasan as we hit the road toward the prison. Both Raphael and I were amped up but in a quiet way. He knew I was going to kill the Warden, but I didn’t tell him the plan yet. I needed the drive to really figure it out.
But first, I needed to speak to Hasan.
“Kaliya, these long absences of yours are growing concerning,” he snapped when he answered. “I’m alone, so feel free to speak freely. Tell me what the fuck has been going on in that damn city.”
“Eliphas is the one who orchestrated the breakout at the prison. He was being blackmailed by the ‘healer’ he brought in. I wouldn’t doubt your Investigator could find illegal monetary transactions if he looked for them.” I didn’t waste any time, nor did I give Hasan a chance to speak. “But none of that matters because I saw him commit the crime of using a compulsion spell on Nakul to kill me, and as an Executioner, I have the right to kill anyone who I know makes an attempt on my life.”
“Excuse me? You witnessed him?”
“I rode Nakul’s memories. Hasan, this is ugly, and before you take everything to the other Tribunal members, I have a favor to ask.”
“Ask away. I’m sure you’ve earned a favor during this mess somewhere.”
“Have you told the Tribunal about the third-party healing group Eliphas and Tarak brought in?”
“Yes, but we’re all stuck on that. Eliphas has told Johann the team was heavily vetted and uninvolved, so they believed him. Eliphas, for all his eccentricities, is somewhat of a golden child.”
“I don’t want to press the issue of the team in the investigation,” I explained, licking my lips. “I want Eliphas to take the fall for all of this right now.”
“Why?”
“Raphael recognized the doctor in Nakul’s memories. He might not officially work for Mygi, but he works with them or something. If he goes down for the prison stuff, I might not be able to use him to help Raphael.” I needed this man, whoever the hell he was. And before I killed Eliphas, I planned on getting information about him, if the damn witch gave me the option. If I had to kill him outright, that was okay, too. I had a feeling Eliphas kept information somewhere on him.
“Hmm, well, we can’t hide the involvement of the third party forever. My recommendation is to take down Eliphas tonight. I’ll do a full briefing with the Tribunal tomorrow about this healer and his connections to other situations you and Cassius are heavily invested in. You will continue the hunt for him at a later date when this has settled.”
“That works. In the end, based on the Law, Eliphas is already a dead man. They can’t use the healer he hired to somehow shield him.” I nodded slowly. “Okay. That works for me.”
“Good. I’m going to head to the meeting room and call them all in. I want you to hash out the executio
n of Warden Eliphas with the entire Tribunal.”
Ah, fuck. He’s not going to cover for me until after I do it. He’s going to make me argue for it. Asshole.
I was put on hold. Raphael gave me a look as the aggravating saxophone music played through my speakers.
“Really?” he asked, half-chuckling. “I thought you were important, and they can just put you on hold?”
“They’re more important,” I reminded him. “And they like to subtly remind people that they’re in charge when some of us get a little too wild. I’m the definition of a little too wild.”
“I can tell,” he murmured. “Do you think you’ll get there okay before we get there?” He looked at the time, and my eyes followed.
“Yeah, but first, I have to argue with them.” I went silent, preparing my arguments. It wasn’t hard. I had contingency after contingency, just like the men who tried to kill me did, and I had my traps to kill others laid in waiting much longer. My entire life was based around finding the loopholes and reasons to kill anyone who might threaten me or my people.
“Kaliya?” Hasan came back seconds after the music ended. “I’m going to put you on speaker.” I heard chatter in the background all of a sudden, and Hasan shushed people. “Kaliya is of the mind Warden Eliphas should be executed at the soonest opportunity and is probably already on her way to do the job. Kaliya, please explain to the rest of the Tribunal what you told me.”
“Oh, isn’t that interesting,” Matilda, the female witch, said airily. “Eliphas? That’s going to be a fun story.” She was already skeptical.
“I have irrefutable proof Eliphas was behind the breakout and the person who used compulsion spells on not one, but at least three different prisoners to kill me. I rode Nakul’s memories with the help of the Phoenix Coven. I saw Eliphas use the compulsion spell and felt the way it made Nakul react. Then a memory spell was used on Nakul to block out the compulsion spell and replace it with a semi-false memory.”
“Then you didn’t witness anything, Nakul did,” Johann, the male witch, snapped. “And that’s—”
And we’re off to the races. Time to argue with the Tribunal…again. I need to stop finding myself in this position.
“I was Nakul. You know how riding memories works,” I hissed. “And let me tell you, there is nothing more disgusting than that feeling. You know how compulsion spells work, sir. On top of that, there’s no stipulation how Executioners need to witness anything. None. You wrote the Laws before technology, and you probably didn’t think about this happening. I’m one hundred percent certain I am under threat directed by Eliphas.
“Going back to the prison break, he’s the only witch powerful enough in the prison to lower the defenses the way they were. Maybe he had help from guards under compulsion, but he’s the guy who orchestrated this. And if you don’t want to believe he did all of this, fuck it. I’ll execute my right as a naga to kill all those who make themselves enemies of my people. As the female representative of my people, that is not only my right but my duty. This witch and his friend dug into the memories of one of my kind, possibly breaching the security of my people in hiding. Eliphas broke the fucking rules, and now he gets to pay for it.”
My rant over, I panted softly, glaring at the road before me.
“We lost a good Alpha in this breakout,” Corissa said softly, possibly to one of the other Tribunal members like her peer, Callahan. “Tarak was a good Alpha, and he was obviously pulled into this scheme.”
“Hard to prove since he’s dead,” Johann snapped.
“Beyond that, Tarak couldn’t do compulsion spells,” Callahan growled. “We have reasonable evidence that Eliphas did, though. How do you answer for that?”
“The fae—”
“The fae aren’t involved in this,” Hasan growled like an angry parent. “Don’t drag them into this. The fae units of the prison have been some of the most cooperative because their Warden is away on business.”
“Convenient, isn’t it? All the fae are missing, then the prison outbreak happens,” Matilda pointed out.
“Actually, I think the prison outbreak happened because the fae were gone, which took players off the board,” I said, cutting in. “Cassius, one of the most powerful Investigators, works with me, and he has a lot of political sway. Alvina is one of the most compassionate of you, while Oisin is one of the most ruthless. I think the fae left to do their own thing, and it was a good time to get to me. Because that’s all this is, a massive attempt to kill me.”
“You are full of yourself,” Hasan mumbled. “But not wrong.”
“That’s why we all dislike Kaliya,” Callahan commented softly. “She’s not always right, but she’s just paranoid enough to make all of us look like fools on occasion.”
“It’s not hard to make you look like a fool, Callahan,” Hasan muttered.
“Sometimes, I miss the War. I was kicking your ass,” Callahan growled back.
“Moving on. Kaliya, you are set on this path, are you not?” The clear voice of the male vampire, Isaiah, cut into the call. He had been notably silent, and I realized so had the female vampire.
“I am,” I declared.
“I vote for, and so does Maria. I will also recommend since you have such a small species and the trust of the Tribunal and our facility, the prison, has been compromised, you keep Nakul under the care of your people. Send him back to your homeland and put him under house arrest for the rest of his life. After what we have done to him, I’m certain that might help make amends in some way.”
“You don’t get to make those decisions. She doesn’t get to make those decisions. Nakul is dangerous, and his crimes were—”
“I will not have abuses like this happening in that hell hole you have created,” Isaiah roared at the female witch who had just tried him. “Why do you think I don’t send many vampires to your prison? Do you think I should trust power-hungry supernaturals with the safety of my kind? What Eliphas and possibly Tarak have done is disgrace us in the eyes of another species, one that has supported the Tribunal since its inception. We all forget that Kaliya is the representative of the naga, not only our Executioner. She is due the respect of that, and we have broken a sacred trust to her.”
My personal dichotomy. I was in several different ranks of the social hierarchy, using each when needed. I was a representative of a species, a ruler in the eyes of the Tribunal. I was their employee, an Executioner who followed orders. I was also a scum bounty hunter, depending on how busy work was keeping me.
“My friend—” Hasan tried to break in to end the vicious words of the vampire, who sounded like he was going into a blood rage.
“No! Even if Kaliya has been kind enough not to say it, we all know Adhar will come to us before the week is out. This entire affair has been disgraceful, and every single one of you involved in the prison who choose the Wardens should be ashamed of yourselves, especially you fucking witches. You’re still trying to protect them, and I haven’t even begun to figure out why. Kaliya has never been wrong in her estimation by the time she comes to us with it. Never. She is one of our most intelligent Executioners, and we owe her our trust to do what is right, not only for the supernatural world we rule but our own reputations.”
I turned the volume down and glanced at Raphael, my eyes wide. His were too.
“I completely agree,” Hasan said softly. “Please sit down, old friend. Please.”
“Disgraceful children,” he growled softly. “Not you, Hasan. It’s good to have you back, my ancient friend. I forgot how much I appreciated your wisdom in times such as these.”
“Thank you for that.”
Things settled down on the other end. No one said a word, and after a few minutes of silence, I decided it was time to get this moving again.
“So…I’m going to kill Eliphas, then I’m going to send Nakul back to Adhar for safekeeping. Then I’m going on a vacation.” I nodded slowly. “Yeah, a vacation sounds good right now.”
“Of course
,” Hasan said carefully. “We can discuss time off for you once this is said and done…” He didn’t sound very positive in the matter.
“No, I think I need a vacation. Most of you haven’t mentioned or realized it, but this entire time, I’ve also had to drag around and risk the life of Raphael Alvarez. Raphael, say hi to the Tribunal.”
“Hello, everyone.” Raphael was awkward and had every reason to be. None of them had realized he was there, and he had heard their massive internal conflict. Fights like that in the Tribunal were not common, but they pointed to divisions among the group the public didn’t need to see. They tried to present a united front.
“I’m going to take a vacation so I can resolve the situation with him, then come back to work without getting him killed. Shit, I should have done it when the decision was made that I should keep him with me.”
“Well, this is embarrassing,” Callahan mumbled.
“Let’s just take it to a vote,” Corissa said, sighing. “Alvina and Oisin are unavailable, so their opinions on the matter are null. Majority wins at four votes. All in favor of Kaliya’s judgment that Eliphas should be executed?”
Five said yes. Both werewolves, probably pissed about what happened to Tarak and Wesley. Both vampires, who apparently hated the prison to begin with. Hasan, who was running by his own code. He was definitely an outlier, who the rest either loved or hated. Being the only werecat to fill one of the two seats for his kind, he made the Tribunal an odd number. He was literally the swing vote.
“You know she’s right,” the female vampire finally said, probably directed to the witches. “You know she is. You didn’t vote in favor because you’re being petty.”
“We didn’t vote in favor because it doesn’t matter. She’s pulled the naga privilege, and that massive power obviously needs to be curbed. We vote against out of principle,” the male witch snapped, hostility his number one emotion of the night. I had never seen or heard either of the witches this angry or this human, but tonight, their masks had fallen.