The Prince of Exiles (The Exile Series)

by Hal Emerson

  “Yes,” Raven said darkly as they turned left and made their way to a staircase leading down. He could see out a window that they were on a floor only one flight up - he supposed that made sense. It would be difficult to have the trauma recovery ward too high up lest people needed to be moved. “He drugged me and offered to take me for a drink – he said he wanted to bury the hatchet. He kept repeating that phrase.”

  “To bury the hatchet has a double meaning among the Kindred,” Tomaz rumbled. “In peace times it means putting aside your feuds, but in war it means attacking your enemy when they don’t expect it.”

  “Burying a hatchet in my back,” Raven said, making sense of the phrase for the first time.

  “Why would he take you for a drink though?” Leah asked, looking a little confused. “If he’d wanted to do you real harm, he’d have just actually hurt you.”

  “He didn’t want to hurt me,” Raven said as they crossed the Kindred hospital’s foyer toward the main door amid a rush of other activity. “He wanted me to hurt myself.”

  “He wanted to make you look like a fool at the very least,” Tomaz said, nodding. “Which is why he put you in the Lazy Duck.”

  “That’s a stupid name for a tavern by the way,” Raven said.

  “No denial here,” Leah agreed.

  “The Rose and Pearl is much better,” Tomaz said. “Though I haven’t been there in … wow, I haven’t been there in at least a decade now. More – a decade and some change.”

  “So he took you there and left you to make it look like you’d drank too much and then gone about town making a fool of yourself,” Leah said. “Even though he knew full well you might have done something to hurt yourself or to hurt an innocent person on the street.”

  “It’s what I would do if I wanted to destroy someone’s good name,” Raven said. Thinking about it objectively, the plan was tactically brilliant. Minimal risk on Perci’s part, maximum chance of something going wrong for Raven.

  They’d left the hospital now and found themselves on a large, wide street that looked to be located somewhere near the center of town. They turned down a side street, and despite Raven’s new, hard-won knowledge of Vale, he was soon completely lost. Leah and Tomaz obviously knew where they were going though, so he gave up trying to track the streets and focused his mind on the problem of Henri Perci.

  “What did Keri mean when she said I could have been triggered?”

  Tomaz and Leah exchanged a quick glance that spoke volumes.

  “It doesn’t just make you say your mind, does it?” Raven asked. “If someone had attacked me … I would have attacked back. I would have killed them, on the spot. That’s the danger of the drug, that’s why it’s illegal. And with the Raven Talisman … I would have been out of control and unstoppable. What is the penalty for murder among the Kindred?”

  “Death,” Tomaz said, eyes hard as stone. “A life for a life.”

  “What would have happened if I’d had more?” Raven asked.

  “More?” Leah asked, surprised. “You were at the limit – if you’d had any more, you would have gone insane, maybe even died. You certainly would have gone off on everyone in the drinking house.”

  He told me to drink more. He was trying to kill me.

  He almost told them, but then refrained. Something told him that this was information he had to keep to himself – if he told either of them, they’d go straight for Henri Perci. It was bad enough as it was – let them think he’d only been the victim of a drugging, not an attempted murder.

  And when the time is right, I’ll deal with him myself.

  “But you didn’t have more,” Leah said. “So let’s focus on the task at hand – pinning this on Perci, not on you.”

  “Is there any way to trace the dopalin back to him?” Raven asked.

  “He’s too smart for that,” Leah replied, speaking quickly. “Likely he never had any contact with the people who got it for him – the plant it’s made from isn’t hard to get, it grows all over the valley, though it’s hard to refine. Once you manage it though, you don’t need anything besides a heat source to melt it into a liquid form.”

  “And anyone could have done that,” Raven concluded. She nodded.

  “I have half a mind to make him disappear,” Tomaz rumbled with such venom that Raven felt chills go down his spine as these words confirmed his fears. “I don’t care what the law says, he did it, and who knows how many lives could have been lost.”

  “You’ll ruin your life, and make Perci a hero,” Raven said, speaking slowly, making sure the big man was listening to him. “That’s exactly what he wanted in the first place, to ruin me and the people I’m close to.”

  “Then what do we do?” He growled; his jaw was clenched so tight veins were starting to throb along his neck.

  “Nothing,” Raven responded quietly. “Like Leah said, I got lucky. Davydd found me – if he hadn’t, who knows what would have happened. As it is, no one got hurt – so we all escaped unscathed. That’s the worst outcome for Henri Perci – he went through all the trouble, took a risk, and nothing happened.”

  “No, something did happen,” Leah said, “you saved a boy’s life. Everyone is talking about that, not about anything else. The only ones who know you were on dopalin are the Healers, the Elders, and us. The Healers swear oaths not to discuss anything that’s happening with a patient, and the Elders wouldn’t talk about it outside of themselves. So as long as we don’t tell anyone, then no one will know. Perci’s plan completely backfired.”

  “Who’s to say he won’t try again?” Tomaz asked. The expression on his face was still dark and severe, and Raven was forcibly reminded that this man was a BladeMaster in all but name. He felt a strange, reluctant flash of pity for Perci. Tomaz was not a man you wanted as an enemy.

  “If we tell the Elders, won’t they be watching for anything strange that might happen?” Leah asked, though she seemed less than certain.

  “They’ve got a whole nation to run,” Raven said. “I doubt they’ll have too much time to spare for me. No – I just have to make sure I pay more attention. I’ll be careful.”

  “It’s funny,” Leah said to Tomaz, “he keeps miss-speaking and saying “I” instead of “we”. That’s a strange quirk don’t you think?”

  “Strange indeed,” Tomaz replied,” but certainly not in an endearing way.”

  “We then,” Raven conceded, though they were right that he’d been trying to avoid bringing them into this. What would happen if Henri Perci tried something else and it got one of them instead?

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Tomaz said. “We’re here.”

  Raven looked up and saw they were standing outside Goldwyn’s manor. Leah stepped up and knocked, rapping her knuckles sharply against the hardwood door.

  “Who calls?” Asked a feminine voice from the other side of the door.

  “Marcy, it’s Leah,” she said, “I’ve got Raven with me – the Elders are expecting us.”

  The door opened and Raven saw that a number of men and women in dark gray clothing were stationed inside.

  “Who are they?” Raven asked Tomaz quietly.

  “Aides to the Elders,” the giant replied as softly as he could, sounding for all the world like a bumblebee caught inside a window. “Each Elder has at least two, though most have more. They handle sealed letters, official notary work, things like that.”

  Raven found his mouth suddenly dry again. Was it possible they would find him guilty and provide him with a sentence of some kind? He couldn’t prove Henri Perci was the one who’d drugged him, couldn’t prove anything besides that he’d ingested dopalin, which was a crime.

  They entered the manor through the familiar book-encrusted entrance hall and found themselves steered by the Aides through a door to their right that led down a long corridor to a study. Inside were Elders Spader, Ekman, and Goldwyn. Their faces all bore unreadable expressions.

  “Raven, son of Relkin,” said the female Aide who�
�d spoken at the door, announcing him to the Elders. She stepped aside and let them enter – at least, she let Raven enter.

  “I would strongly suggest you move,” growled Tomaz.

  Raven turned and saw that the first Aide and a number of others had formed a barrier between the big man and the interior of the room, and looked quite unafraid of him.

  “What are you two doing here?” Spader asked in his dry, unaffected tone.

  “We’re here to vouch for him,” Leah said, speaking respectfully from just outside the door. “As he is a ward of the state, he has no family to speak on his behalf. Tomaz wishes to provide character testament, and I can provide a relevant eye-witness account of the episode.”

  There was a pause as Spader seemed to consider this, and then a small smile creased the corner of his mouth and he nodded. The Aides moved aside immediately, now ignoring Leah and Tomaz as if their presence had already been forgotten. The room itself was small, with only one chair and a large, carved wooden desk. All of the walls were covered with books, just like the rest of the house, the only exception being a large window just behind the desk that looked out on the courtyard.

  Elder Goldwyn was seated in the chair, his face blank even when his gaze passed over his daughter; Elder Ekman, tall and gangly in long sky-blue robes, was standing at the back of the room, perfectly situated in the corner, where he could see and observe everything that was going on; and Elder Spader, in his deep amber robes, was leaning casually against the desk, holding his customary glass.

  Spader is the Lawful Elder, Raven thought, putting it together. This is a criminal proceeding. Elder Goldwyn is Elder of State, and Ekman is Elder of Truth, he can tell when someone is lying. I’m on trial.

  All of the Elders had grim looks on their faces as they examined him, and Raven felt his shoulders tense. His eyes flickered to the window, and he mentally took note of where the door was. If he had to, he would fight his way out of here. He wouldn’t be put into another cell. He would die first.

  It won’t come to that. Will it?

  “I see you’ve healed well,” said Spader, apparently the one who’d been elected to steer the conversation. “Were there any adverse side-effects to the dopalin?”

  “That’s the second time I’ve been asked that,” he said, “though I still feel losing all sense of judgment is a pretty serious effect on its own.”

  None of them cracked a smile, not even Spader.

  “Have you experienced any side effects?”

  “No,” Raven said, pausing only a moment before adding, “Elder.”

  There was the scratching sound of a quill on paper, and Raven looked over to see one of the Aides scribbling notes at a writing desk set up in the corner.

  “Very good,” Spader said. “All of this will be recorded by my Aide, Alver, as it is an official matter.”

  “I understand, Elder,” Raven said immediately. He may not be accustomed to Kindred laws and customs, but he knew a serious situation when he saw one. The only thing he could do here was be respectful and firmly insist he had done nothing wrong. Anything else would only get in the way.

  “You understand too that ingesting dopalin, either whole or in liquid form, is against the laws of Vale and the other four Cities of the Kindred?”

  “I was not made aware until recently,” Raven said, “but I am now.”

  “Good,” the Elder continued, watching him closely. Raven shot a quick glance at Goldwyn, but saw that the man was quietly studying his folded hands. He felt a flash of fear – it wasn’t that he’d expected help from the man, but the fact he hadn’t even chosen to recognize Raven did not bode well.

  “So did you ingest dopalin?”

  “Yes, but not on purpose. I was in Vale on an errand for Tomaz,” Raven began, “when I was stopped by Henri Perci, who offered me something to drink, something that tasted –“

  “Hold!” Spader called out, slashing a hand through the air. His eyes were wide and they were staring at him so hard he felt as though the man were trying to pin him to the wall. He looked nervous, even frantic.

  Raven, completely thrown off-balance by this abrupt departure from formality, could only stare at the man.

  “We’re in a state of war,” Spader said slowly, making every word land. “Henri Perci is a lieutenant General, and he has the respect and good opinion of most, if not all, of our citizens. If you accuse him of any wrongdoing, I will be obliged to call a trial, a court martial, which will require a good deal of hard evidence. Were I to do this, I would be trying a highly popular general, a hero among the Kindred, with whom you have a well-known antagonistic relationship.”

  He paused and watched Raven carefully, his eyes full of intense emotion, so different from his usual heavy-lidded irony. Raven looked around the room again … and wondered suddenly why this hearing, if it was one, was being held in Goldwyn’s manor, and not in a formal courtroom.

  There was something going on here that he didn’t understand, a trap of some kind, and Spader was trying to show him a way out.

  “I am of course,” the Elder said carefully, “not advocating a course of action. But, as the Lawful Elder, I feel it is my duty to inform you that should you attempt to shift the blame of your actions to any particular party, that party will then become the subject of this investigation.”

  Henri Perci would be investigated? But then wouldn’t he be caught … ?

  He’s too smart for that, Raven realized. Leah said there was no way we’d trace the dopalin back to him, so if we open a case it’s my word against his, and there’s no evidence on my side. The drug affects cognitive functions, which means even if Ekman confirms I think I’m telling the truth, I’m willing to bet there’s legal grounds for throwing that testimony out.

  “Do you wish to continue with your statement?” Spader asked. “If not, then I would have some questions for you.”

  Was it a trap to tell the truth here? Raven’s head was spinning. He was out of his element – he didn’t know enough of Kindred law to see the entirety of what was happening.

  And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leah shake her head. It was barely a hint of movement, and very easy to miss, but he knew it was meant for him, and that she had seen the answer when he couldn’t.

  “I do not wish to continue my statement,” Raven said.

  Spader visibly relaxed, taking a fortifying sip from his glass.

  “Elder Ekman, please step forward.”

  Ekman was a tall, thin man, almost gaunt, with short gray hair and eyes that never seemed to blink. He had a kindly expression on his face, though it looked strangely out of place, giving the impression that someone had painted it on him when he wasn’t looking. When Spader said his name he gave a little jump, and then came forward quickly.

  “Will you please attest to the truth of what you see?”

  Ekman nodded, and turned his unblinking gaze on Raven.

  “Did you ingest dopalin?” Spader asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Truth,” Ekman said immediately, startling Raven, who began to wonder how deeply Ekman’s abilities ran. He didn’t posses the Snake Talisman Symanta did, but if his dagger contained hundreds of years worth of study on lying….

  Your only hope is to tell the truth. It’s the only safe bet.

  “Did you do so unknowingly?”

  “Yes.

  “Truth.”

  “Do you intend to do so again in the future at any time?”

  “No,” Raven replied immediately, quite earnest.

  “Truth.”

  “Good,” Spader said, “thank you Elder Ekman.”

  Spader turned to Elder Goldwyn, who looked up stoically from his clasped hands. And yet … maybe not so stoically. Raven thought he caught a hint of a smile about Goldwyn’s eyes.

  “It is my opinion that this case should be closed without further investigation,” Spader said, once again back to his dry, smooth delivery. “There is no reason to continue this line of inquiry; both
myself and Elder Ekman feel that the man in question, Raven son of Relkin, should be pardoned.”

  “Elder,” said one of the Aides, a small ferrety man, as he stepped forward, looking very confused. “Don’t you wish to hear the testimony of the witnesses?”

  “No need,” Spader said quickly, not even turning to look at the man, who looked stunned, even scandalized, by what was no doubt a breach of protocol.

  “On the recommendation of the Lawful and Honest Elders,” Goldwyn said in his mellifluous baritone, “I dismiss the case. Thank you for your time.”

  Everyone just stood there for a moment, clearly taken aback by the abrupt end to the proceedings, and then Spader turned and left, waving goodbye to Goldwyn, and motioning for Ekman to follow. Ekman, the most surprised-looking of them all, followed quickly, awkwardly glancing around the room as he did as if unsure what had just happened. Raven felt himself breath easier when he was gone – the Elder made him nervous the same way his sister Symanta did. Forcing truth at all times was unnatural, as though one’s privacy was somehow being invaded.