Finn headed to the door, and as he pulled it open, the magister started yelling at him. “You are going to finally hang for this, Mr. Jagger.”
“Why Sweth?” Finn asked. “That’s what I need to know. He’d lost his family. You coerced him into helping with this plan.”
“I did nothing.”
Finn crouched in front of him. “He was an apothecary.” That much Finn believed. He would have to have been. “And you turned him into a killer.”
“He was always a killer.”
“Because of the accident that claimed his family?”
The magister sneered at him. “Be careful where you dig.”
“I’ve heard that warning before. Who did you threaten?”
The magister chuckled. “All men have weaknesses. Even you, Mr. Jagger.”
Maybe Finn wouldn’t learn who the magister had threatened to force Sweth into helping. All that mattered was that he had. And now he was gone, all to hide the magister’s crime.
Finn pulled the door open. Shiner stood outside, but so too did Master Meyer, his face covered in ash.
Finn swallowed, letting out a relieved sigh that he was still alive. Hopefully that meant Lena and Wella had survived disarming the fire starters. Finn glanced over to Shiner. “Return him to his cell.”
Shiner nodded and headed into the chapel.
Meyer looked at Finn, who held out the papers. A look of concern crossed Meyer’s face as he took them, but Meyer scanned them briefly before nodding. “You got a confession?”
“Essentially.” Finn hoped it would be enough. And that Meyer would believe him.
“This is going to be difficult,” Master Meyer said.
“He’s guilty. Bellut as well.”
“That doesn’t change that this will be difficult.”
“Does it mean that we shouldn’t do it?”
“You know it doesn’t,” Meyer said. “I’m just warning you that there will be consequences. I doubt we can hold him here. Not for long. Prisoners like him often get held in the palace, where they have cells for men of his station. I would advise you to finish questioning him quickly, if that’s your intention.”
“You would permit it?”
“You don’t need my permission for this.” Meyer sighed. “I wish you had been wrong.”
They approached the palace slowly, and Finn glanced over at Master Meyer every so often, waiting. It had been a long day. After questioning the magister in Declan, they had returned home in silence. It was much later in the day when the letter had come from the king, demanding their presence. Meyer had taken it in stride, but Finn remained apprehensive. The magister had committed treason, and in Finn’s mind, he knew what should happen. Men like the magister, those who were as well connected as he was, rarely faced punishment.
In this case, Finn struggled with whether he wanted vengeance or justice. When it came to Bellut, he wanted vengeance as much as he wanted justice. The magister… He was someone who had masterminded the crime, but Finn didn’t feel as strongly about him. Given his role in what had happened, Finn wanted justice, but he also feared they wouldn’t have the opportunity to see it carried out.
“You know why he summoned us here?”
The street was darkened, with little lantern light illuminating it, and other than a few of the Archers patrolling, it was only them out in the city at this time of night.
“We are here because he requested our presence.”
“He hasn’t been here since—”
“I know the last time he came,” Master Meyer said.
As they neared the entrance to the palace gates, Finn looked over to the Archers, hesitating there for a moment before nodding to them. The palace Archers were much more skilled than those of the city, trained to protect the kingdom and everything he owned from threats within the city and outside. From men like Bellut and the magister.
“What if he pardons them?”
“Then he pardons them,” Master Meyer said.
“You would just allow it?”
Master Meyer looked over to Finn, holding his gaze. “I think we need to make sure that you understand that whatever else happens, the king decides. You will not question.”
“I won’t question, but—”
“You won’t question. You serve on his behalf. That is the only reason we are here.”
They headed along the path leading up to the palace, and Master Meyer walked quickly, though Finn was a little bit slower. More reluctant. Though that might only be because of what he had experienced the last time that he’d been there.
Meyer glanced over to him. “Are you ready?”
Finn just nodded.
When they reached the main doors of the palace, another pair of Archers waited. They pushed the door open and Finn stepped inside. He had last been there months before, and when he had, everything had been different. He had come to seek approval to serve as the executioner, and he had come hoping that the king would grant him that permission, though not knowing whether he would.
Now he was there, and now he no longer felt as if he were still trying to be a part of a crew and struggling with his role as executioner. He felt more confident in his role, but he also had questions about it.
Master Meyer stared straight ahead.
A balding man greeted them. He was dressed in the crimson colors of the king, a yellow stripe down the right lapel, and a sigil worked into his left lapel. His gaze lingered on Finn for a moment before turning to Master Meyer and tipping his head. “Master executioner. It is good to see you again.”
“And you,” Master Meyer said.
“If you will follow me…”
He turned away and headed straight down the hall.
Master Meyer joined him, moving quickly along the hallway. Finn followed, his gaze sweeping all around, darting to the ceiling, before looking to the walls, the portraits of past Kings, swords crisscrossed along them, and statues and sculptures and other such artifacts that adorned them.
Finn was guided forward by Master Meyer and the servant.
They reached a grand doorway, and the servant held one door open, waiting for Master Meyer and Finn to step inside.
Finn followed Meyer inside, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. The lights inside the room were bright, candles blazing, lanterns glowing, and a thick carpet spread across the floor. It was nothing like the throne room where he had visited the king before. This was almost comfortable, were it not for the ornately decorated chairs surrounding a heavy oak table in the center of the room. A hearth blazed with a bright fire along one wall, and two statues rested on either side of it, the shape strange.
King Porman was a dark-haired man in a long velvet robe standing off to the side of the room, swirling a glass of wine as he watched them enter. Meyer bowed deeply to him before looking up.
Finn hurriedly bowed. He hadn’t expected the king to be there without anyone else. There were other servants, no guards standing watch, no one other than the three of them.
“Would you like something to drink?” King Porman asked.
Meyer shook his head. “That isn’t necessary, sire.”
“I find a glass of wine in the evenings helps me sleep, especially after traveling as far as I have. The road gets long, but it is necessary to visit all of the kingdom.”
It was more than just visiting the kingdom. The crown jewels were stored in Verendal, though Finn suspected there were other reasons for the king to come.
“I received your summons,” Master Meyer said.
The king turned to Finn. “And you? I remember you from when I was here the last time.”
“You do?”
The king smiled slightly. He had a wide face, but there was a hardness to it, along with an air of authority. Finn was accustomed to trying to read the people he encountered, but with the king, he found himself struggling. “My dear Master Meyer decided to follow a tradition of his brethren. It took me aback, but from what I understand, you have progressed
nicely.”
“Thank you,” Finn said carefully.
“I understand I have you to thank for the current predicament.”
“Predicament?”
“He won’t be charged with treason. I can’t have others thinking the city vulnerable,” the king said, glancing from Finn to Master Meyer. “The death of my citizens is enough to sentence him. From what I understand, he was implicated in the fires in the city. Anywhere from one to two dozen people died, depending upon the reports. That will be grounds enough to prosecute him.”
“As far as Finn discovered, it was five who died,” Master Meyer said. “He was diligent in his research, looking to ensure he had all of the information needed so we had the right man.”
“Very well. You have both served well.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Finn asked.
Meyer shot him a hard look, and Finn realized that maybe he shouldn’t have spoken so freely.
“I will leave that to the jurors to decide.”
“He was not the only one guilty,” Master Meyer said.
The king’s brow darkened. “Unfortunately, that one has disappeared. He’s gone south, I suspect, to rejoin Yelind. They had a spy among us all that time.” King Porman stepped forward, handing a glass to Finn. He took it, too startled to do anything else. “You have served well,” the king repeated. He glanced to Master Meyer. “Enjoy the drink.”
With that, he strode out of the room, leaving Finn and Master Meyer alone.
“That’s it?” Finn asked, looking around.
“Were you expecting something more?”
“I guess I…” Finn shook his head. “I don’t know what I expected.”
He hadn’t even the chance to ask the king about his father.
Finn took a sip of the wine. He was more of an ale kind of person, but he couldn’t deny the wine tasted delicious, slightly sweet, with a hint of oak and an earthy note buried within it. It was probably incredibly expensive. When he finished the glass, he looked over to see that the bottle remained resting there.
“I would not steal from the king,” Master Meyer said.
“Is it stealing if he let me have it?”
“He let you have a glass. He didn’t let you have the bottle.”
Finn just chuckled. “Now what?”
“Now we prepare.”
“For what? We don’t know when the jurors are going to sentence him, and we don’t even know what they will sentence him to.” There was a part of Finn that feared they might decide to simply punish him, which might involve jailing him indefinitely within the palace. While it was still prison, it wasn’t nearly as hard a sentence as what Finn thought he deserved.
“We don’t know what they will do, but we must be ready.”
“What happens if they choose not to sentence him?”
Meyer looked over to the hearth, shaking his head. “That is for the jurors to decide. We have prepared enough evidence that he should be convicted.”
They left the palace, making their way quickly to the wall surrounding it, and from there back into the city. As they headed through the streets, Finn slowed.
“There’s something I need to do. What are you going to do?”
“I told your sister that I would begin her lessons. I think it’s time for her to train, don’t you?”
Finn didn’t necessarily love some of the aspects of his lessons, but he suspected Lena would enjoy every bit of it. She would thrill at the idea of learning how to heal, learning what it took to become an apothecary. Perhaps more. She didn’t have the extra baggage Finn did with his job. She could simply enjoy what she was asked to learn and study, and from there…
From there, Finn didn’t know. She had possibilities, though. For the first time in a long time, Lena could be whoever she chose.
As he made his way across the river, he headed toward the Olin section. It had been a long time since he’d been there. Long enough that the streets were familiar, but they weren’t comfortable the way they once had been. When he reached the Wenderwolf, Finn paused. There was the same energy around it that there always had been. He could hear the music drifting out of the tavern, and could feel the energy of the tavern itself, even if he weren’t there. He was tempted to rush inside, take a seat at his old table, order a mug of ale from Annie, and see if he could find a sense of normalcy, though Finn doubted there was normalcy for him.
“You can go in,” a voice said out of the darkness.
Finn turned to see Oscar standing behind him. “I was just trying to decide what to do.”
“You don’t think you should enter?”
“I don’t know if I would necessarily be welcome.”
“The crew is gone, Finn.”
“It’s not the crew. It’s more about Wolf. He’s still out there. The Archers have been looking for him, but we haven’t found him yet.”
“And the others?”
“Bellut is missing. The magister”—Finn shrugged—“he’s going to get what he deserves.”
“And what is that?” Oscar stepped into the light, shadows darting along his face. “I only ask because he is someone of status, and given what I’ve seen in the city, people with status tend to get an exemption when it comes to following the king’s laws.”
“Not this time.”
Oscar smiled bitterly. “Are you sure about that?”
“I just met with the king.”
“Seeing as how Leon is dead, I presume this is Porman?”
Finn nodded. “He gave me a glass of wine.”
Oscar started laughing. “That’s not what I was expecting you to say. How was the wine?”
“Amazing, in fact.”
“Well, lookie here. Finn Jagger has decided to join the upper class of society.”
“I doubt I get to join any upper class,” Finn said. “I might be honorable, or as honorable as I will ever be, but that doesn’t mean I’m accepted.”
“And that’s what you’re after?”
“Shouldn’t I be after acceptance?”
“There are lots of ways to be accepted,” Oscar said.
“Such as?”
“You’re concerned about being accepted in the city, and I think you are accepted. You can travel freely, both in the city and outside of it. You have a measure of authority, which gives you even greater privilege. What does it matter if you aren’t beloved by everybody?”
“I guess I was thinking of something else.”
“What? Women?” Oscar shrugged. “You’ve got time, boy.”
“That’s reassuring, coming from you.”
Oscar started to smile. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve known you a long time, Oscar. You’ve never been with anyone.”
“Only by choice.” He glanced over to the Wenderwolf. “There’s another kind of acceptance, though. It’s the most important, especially for you, Finn.”
“What is that?”
“You need to accept yourself. You might not be the person you thought you were going to be, you might not have the life you thought you were going to lead, but from where I stand, I think you have quite a bit to be thankful for. Proud of, even.” He shrugged. “I didn’t get to talk to your mother much over the last few months, though I did visit once.”
That was news to Finn. “I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t make much of a deal of it. I snuck in one night.”
“Let me guess. I slept through it?”
Oscar shrugged. “Can’t say I know whether you were even there. It was late enough that you probably were. I think you’re on the lower level, aren’t you?”
“In the room in front. Why did you stop to visit my mother?”
“I wanted to see how she was doing. I did everything I could to help your father,” Oscar said.
“I know.”
“I don’t know if you do or not, but I don’t want you to think that I abandoned your mother when she needed help. I was trying to bring you alo
ng, knowing the King had jobs where you could get the money you needed. I figured…” Oscar shook his head. “I suppose that don’t matter now. I tried. Didn’t always do the right thing, but I tried.”
“I suppose I should thank you for doing everything that you did for my family, anyway.”
“I don’t need thanks,” Oscar said.
“We’ll be fine now. Both Lena and me. Lena is going to train with Master Meyer.”
Oscar frowned. “Is that right? I didn’t think she had the makings of an executioner.”
Finn smiled at the idea of his sister taking part in questioning, or even doing more. She could never be a part of sentencing. “Not an executioner. A healer.”
“An apothecary?”
Finn shook his head. “I don’t even think she’s going to be an apothecary. Meyer intends to work with her, and Lena has a quick mind, so she’s probably going to be better at it than I ever could be.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Oscar said.
“It’s not selling myself short. I know my strengths.”
“And what are those?”
“Stubbornness, I suppose. Like my father.”
Oscar laughed. “The old Goat. Stupidity, if you ask me.”
Finn regarded Oscar, trying to come up with the question that had been bothering him. “What job were you and my father pulling when he got pinched?”
Oscar inhaled slowly. “You don’t need to talk about that kind of thing, Finn.”
“That’s just it. I think I do. There aren’t many reasons for a man to be moved to a different prison.”
Oscar stared at him a moment, saying nothing. Finally, he sighed. “Your father didn’t tell me. Now I know what you’re going to say, but it’s true. Said I had to trust him. It was one last score, and something that paid more than any we’d ever tried. Then he planned on getting out.”
“How much?” Finn asked, his voice a whisper.
Treason.
That was what sat with him, though he had no idea what his father could have done.
The idea that they’d have been paid more than on any other job…
That was too much like what had happened with the King.
“Fifty crowns.”
That would have been enough to pay for a physician. Healing for Finn’s mother. Even to move them out of the Brinder section for good. They could have had a life.
The Executioner's Apprentice (The Executioner's Song Book 2) Page 39