by Logan Jacobs
I got the sense he was stalling, but I didn’t know why.
“What do you mean?” I frowned. “I’m the one looking for the traitor.”
“A perfect position for a traitor to be in,” Dumas observed with a sage nod. “You have risen through the ranks of power and prestige in a matter of months. It has taken others many years to get a fraction of the power you’ve acquired. It seems you are ambitious. Maybe your eyes are set upon the throne?”
In a way, he wasn’t wrong, since I had demanded the king give up his throne to me at one point, but I’d reset and went a different direction, and King Frederick had no memory of the encounter. Dumas didn’t know about any of that, though, and he was probably just assuming things based on what little he knew about me already. He was playing the same game I was, and I had to admit, he was a tough nut to crack.
“I have earned the king’s trust through my actions, not my words.” I shrugged. “What have you done to prove your loyalty to the throne?”
“My loyalty lies with Sorreyal first and foremost,” Dumas admitted in an ominous tone. “And I have done plenty to prove my loyalty to the realm.”
Maybe our definitions of loyalty were a little different, but I didn’t think cowering behind the king while his own experiment ran wild was a good place to start.
“Is that why you stood back while your undead was headed toward the king?” I leaned my elbows on the table and pressed my fingers together beneath my chin. “How exactly did that little mistake happen?”
“A lapse in oversight.” Dumas shrugged. “A servant of mine inspected the glass casket for signs of weakness. Next time, I will handle the task personally.”
“Do you know much about glass?” I asked in a condescending tone. “It tends to break. Why did you choose that particular kind of casket for your presentation?”
“Why, to show the nobles the effects of my spellwork, of course.” Dumas looked at me like I was an idiot. “How else were they to see the full scope of my abilities?”
“Why not put him in an iron cage or something he can’t break?” I suggested. “You’re seriously claiming it was an innocent mistake and not purposefully done?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Dumas said in a solemn tone. “I apologize for my lapse in control. It shouldn’t have happened.”
I was skeptical of the necromancer, but as with Zorya, I had nothing to back up my gut feelings, so I’d have to leave it be for now. I decided to follow him after the interview, and thanks to the invisibility potion I’d snagged, I could be a fly on the wall while he went about the rest of his day.
With that settled, I reset back to my save point before I asked Dumas a few more harmless questions, and then I released him from my presence with a dismissive wave of my hand. As the necromancer closed the door behind him, I pulled the potion vial out of my pocket, and I made a new save point before I took a good swallow from the potion. I didn’t want to chug it all in case I needed to use some again, but even though I didn’t know how long a small drink of the potion would work for, I could always reset if things went south.
My throat burned slightly, and I was amazed Eva hadn’t cried out in discomfort during the presentations. It was certainly an uncomfortable sensation, but I was quickly learning to expect that from magical experimentations. Everything with rewards also came with risks, after all.
I waited until I was sure my limbs were beginning to disappear from view, and when I glanced down and saw an empty chair instead of my lap, I knew I was ready. Then I slipped out the door, and I hurried my pace down the corridor as I caught up to Dumas. I ran into the necromancer at the entrance to my wing of the palace, and I let out a breath of relief when I spotted the back of his gray-black head of hair.
The necromancer swiveled his head around, and his pale-green gaze swept over the empty hallway behind him. I held my breath in an effort not to be detected, but a moment later, Dumas turned back around and continued on his way.
I stayed a little further behind him after that, since I didn’t want my breathing to give away my presence, but I wanted to stay close enough to keep the necromancer in my sights.
Dumas made his way through the palace to rooms on the far side of the building. I hadn’t spent very much time exploring this side since it was always full of other nobles, and I didn’t want to interfere with their personal belongings. It looked like I was about to get a chance to explore without any consequences, though, and excitement coursed through my veins.
I noticed the uniforms of the servants changed as we moved further away from my wing of the palace, and among the colors of the king were some people wearing brown and green tunics emblazoned with Edinburg’s crest on it, but I also noticed a few servants wearing purple and silver. They could only be the entourage of the Duchess of Mistvale, since the majority of the summit had already left Vallenwood.
To my surprise, I followed Dumas to the room where Zorya stood over a table littered with strange plants and fungi. The lady wizard jerked her chin in greeting to the necromancer, and I barely managed to slide inside the door before Dumas pushed it closed.
“I have just barely finished the potion you requested,” Zorya said in an exasperated tone. “The Archduke kept me longer than I anticipated.”
“Really?” Dumas tilted his head to the side, and he narrowed his pale-green eyes at the alchemist. “Maybe he found a crack in your mask.”
“I doubt it,” Zorya snorted.
I frowned. This was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to find out for myself.
What was this potion Zorya had made going to be used for?
“You said it was ready?” Dumas eyed the alchemist’s workspace pointedly. “I do not have a lot of time.”
“Here you are,” Zorya said, and she handed the necromancer a black vial. “One berserker elixir, as promised.”
My frown deepened. Had I heard her correctly? A berserker potion would have someone fighting with extra strength, but I didn’t understand how that was supposed to overthrow the king. Maybe the wizards had a champion they’d hired to assassinate Frederick and me. Questions ran through my head, but I wasn’t getting any answers just standing there.
“It’s about time,” Dumas scoffed. “We were supposed to spike his drink at the banquet.”
“I understand, but I had no idea I was going to be put on display until the last minute.” Zorya glared at the necromancer. “I had to prepare my samples first.”
“Fair enough,” Dumas sighed.
The necromancer slid the potion into a pocket of his robes, and he nodded his farewell to the alchemist without much friendliness in his expression. Zorya waved a dismissive hand, and then she returned her attention to her experiments.
I followed Dumas back out into the corridor, and then we made our way toward another area of the palace.
As we turned down a connecting hallway, we were suddenly surrounded by people dressed in Edinburg’s colors, and I had to be extra careful not to bump into anyone and give away my presence. The necromancer took me directly to the duke’s private living quarters, and I worked the muscle in my jaw as I dodged all the servants and guards wearing brown and green.
Edinburg certainly had a good-sized entourage, and I wondered if he even knew any of their names. The old man seemed like the typical noble as far as I could tell, but I wanted to be different.
I especially didn’t want to be anything like Edinburg.
“You’ve returned,” Edinburg observed when Dumas lowered himself into a bow.
“Yes, my lord,” Dumas murmured. “I retrieved the potion as well.”
“Good work.” Edinburg nodded. “We can finally continue on with our plans.”
“Are the others prepared?” The necromancer spoke in a soft voice, but I was close enough to hear him clearly.
“As ready as they can be,” the duke replied. “Did she make it to our specifications?”
“Berserker.” Dumas nodded.
“Once the berserker potion takes effec
t,” Edinburg said, “the king will rage out on the courtiers, and the people’s trust in him will falter.”
“No longer will he be the kindly king,” Dumas agreed with a wicked look in his eyes.
My suspicions had been confirmed. Edinburg and Dumas were trying to overthrow the king, and it was more than a simple assassination attempt by a spiteful enemy. They were trying to undermine Frederick’s reputation among the people before they killed him. The attack on Viceroy had weakened the throne, but his fate would be sealed if he went full berserker on a room full of courtiers.
I turned to leave since I’d learned all I needed to know, but I heard Dumas inhale sharply behind me.
“Is someone here?” the necromancer asked as he stared right through me, but then his pale-green eyes flickered with recognition, and his mouth fell open. “Y-Y-Your Grace!”
I glanced down and saw I was visible again.
“Guards!” Edinburg shouted at the top of his lungs, and I cursed under my breath as I pulled my feather sword free from its sheath. I was glad I’d decided to wear the blade to the interviews, but I’d grown to feel naked without it on my hip.
Four armed guardsmen trotted into the room with their swords drawn, so I stomped my foot to activate the fleetness ability of my griffon feather boots, and I quickly cut them down, but I knew more would come. If I wanted to let this timeline continue then I had two options: try to run, or fight my way out.
Images of the masses of green and brown clothed guards and servants that stood between me and freedom flashed through my mind, and I groaned. Either way, it was going to be a challenge, so I decided just to reset back to my save point instead.
However, before I could even think the complete thought that ripped me backward through time, Edinburg swung at me with an ancient looking dagger. The short blade was engraved with crests along the flat edge, and gold wire twirled around the hilt. It looked more ceremonial than functional, but it made a threatening swish through the air in front of my torso as I jumped backward.
I parried his next blow with my feather sword, and the dagger flew from the duke’s hand. My weapon moved instinctively, and the next thing I knew, it was buried to the hilt in the Duke of Edinburg’s abdomen.
The duke stared unblinkingly at me in confusion for a long moment while a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips to his chin, and I realized he was dead.
Fuck.
I’d killed the Duke of Edinburg before being able to prove he was trying to overthrow the king. My word meant little without proof, and now I just looked guilty of murder.
Fortunately, I was the God of Time, and I could always fix my mistakes with a simple respawn.
Chime.
Chapter Sixteen
I was back in the interview room in the moment right before I’d drank the invisibility potion. I still had the entire vial remaining to use at a later time, and I tucked it back into my pants pockets as I thought over my next move.
Dumas and Edinburg were trying to overthrow the king, and his majesty needed to know who was working against him, so I headed toward the throne room. It seemed as though Zorya at least was involved in the plot, but I still wasn’t sure if the Duchess of Mistvale played a role in the scheme or not.
While I wished I had more foolproof evidence to take to the king, what I knew so far would have to do for the moment, but I’d figure out my next step after I made sure his majesty was safe.
I traversed the corridors of the palace in the direction of the throne room, and I nodded to the sentries at the entrance to the audience chamber. They nodded back and allowed me to pass through, and then I strode across the empty room toward the dais where the throne sat.
King Frederick sat upon his throne with a bored look upon his face, but his eyes brightened when he noticed my approach.
“Sir Sebastian, are your interviews completed?” The king rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Who do you think should perform the role of court wizard for the Arginold holdings?”
“I am here on other business.” I frowned. “I told you I would look into the possible treason going on around here, and I found out who is responsible for the recent attempts on mine and the royal mage’s life.”
“Be careful, Sir Sebastian,” the king said in a warning tone. “I have already told you I require proof.”
“How about an eyewitness account of scheming to overthrow you?” I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“The accuser cannot also be the witness.” The king shook his head. “That is merely hearsay, Your Grace.”
“Look, Frederick, with all due respect, we don’t have time for that.” My frown deepened. “You need to trust me. The Duke of Edinburg and his wizard, Dumas, are plotting to make you look unfit to rule.”
“The Duke of Edinburg has been one of my staunchest supporters since I took my father’s place,” the king argued. “He and Dumas are loyal to the crown, I can assure you.”
“You’re wrong,” I countered. “They’re playing a long game, Your Majesty. They want your throne, and they’re willing to play nice for a little while in order to get what they want.”
“Then you will just have to be extra diligent in your protection of me,” the king shot back as he shrugged his shoulders and picked at a piece of lint on his lush red cloak. “I trust you to predict any attempts on my life with your abilities and thwart them before they can occur.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” I pointed out in an exasperated tone. “I followed Dumas when he fetched a potion from Zorya. It’s supposed to make you go crazy and get violent on the courtiers.”
“I’m sure you misunderstood,” the king persisted. “Now you’re accusing the Duchess of Mistvale’s court wizard as well.”
“What about the assassination attempt on your royal mage,” I reminded the king with a stubborn lift of my chin. “It was poison, right? Who better to supply a poison than one of the best alchemists around?”
“I see your point,” the king allowed in a reluctant tone. “But there is still no evidence other than your word. While I trust your judgement, your word alone is not enough to arrest a duke or duchess for treason. If I am seen as unfair or corrupt, it would cause discontent among the court and could lead to uprisings, riot, war. I require proof not only for myself but for my people.”
“Your court has been corrupted a long time ago,” I said in a hard voice. “It’s about time we take out the garbage around here and put people we can trust into the positions of power.”
“I trust Mistvale and Edinburg,” King Frederick said. “There are many enemies of the crown both foreign and domestic. The warlords of the south constantly harry our borders, and criminals often strike back against those who passed judgement on them. The assassination attempts could have come from any one of them. This is the last I’ll hear of it until you bring me physical proof of treachery.”
“If I catch them in the act, then you’ll have to believe me,” I insisted, and a wave of determination filled my gut.
I would make sure the attempt to overthrow the king was unsuccessful if it was the last thing I did.
I didn’t want the king to have any recollection of our interaction, at least not until I could produce the tangible evidence he required, so I reset back to my save point with a wave of my will.
I was back in the interview room, and I let out a deep sigh as I considered my next moves.
How was I supposed to get proof?
The question haunted me as I made my way into the main living area of my wing of the palace, and the friendly smiles of my entourage greeted me as I entered the room. It was hard to be frustrated when I had such awesome followers, so I grinned back and plopped myself down on the couch beside Riondale.
“You look upset, husband,” Elissa observed from across the room.
Eva sat at her side, and the duke’s daughter straightened as she gave me an analytical look. “She’s right. What’s wrong, Gre
at One?”
“Ugh.” I hesitated, but then I found myself being pierced by Mahini’s ice-blue gaze. Her eyes beckoned the words out of me, and I found myself word vomiting to my followers about my current dilemma.
After I’d explained the full scope of my challenge, my women and my entourage fell into a thoughtful silence as they considered all I’d said.
“It seems as though the king is in grave danger,” Riondale said, and his eyes were as hard as flint. “We need to save him.”
“I agree,” I sighed. “But he won’t listen to reason unless I bring him physical evidence.”
“What about the Duchess of Mistvale?” A thoughtful frown creased Mahini’s brow. “How does she play into the scheme?”
“I’m not entirely certain,” I admitted, and while I knew it wasn’t very god-like for me to confess my frustrations, I’d already decided to reset to my save point after this conversation anyway.
“You said you followed Dumas back to Edinburg,” Bron pointed out, but then the former store owner’s eyes flickered with self-doubt. “Never mind, I’m sure you already thought of everything.”
“Go ahead, Bron,” I urged. “This is a free space to say anything you think could be helpful. None of you will remember it anyway.”
“O-Oh, okay…” Bron frowned in confusion, but then his wife Sarah elbowed him to encourage him to continue. “I was wondering if you already tailed the Duchess and her wizard to see what part they play in the scheme?”
“I should have absolutely thought of that already myself,” I laughed. “That’s a good idea, Bron. Thank you.”
“What if the Duchess is innocent?” Eva bit her lip. “I’d hate to get her in trouble for no reason.”
“That’s exactly why the king is wanting proof first,” I explained. “Don’t worry. The second Edinburg or Dumas slip up, I’ll be there to catch them, and in the meantime, I’ll figure out who all they’re working with. I’ll figure out who is responsible, and then I’ll bring them before the king.”
Then I reset back to my save point with a wave of my will, and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the interview room once more while the chime sounded in my ears.