by M J Sherlock
Zoe gave a soft cry and fell to her knees in her rush to examine Sofia. 'Ask Annie to fetch Morgan, she is our resident healer.'
India ran off and returned with Morgan, a blonde Cloaken we had met in the First Aid tent. Morgan’s white-blonde hair was cut close to her scalp, emphasising her dark eyes. I had met her without registering her. Why? Unlike Zoe, she put us all at ease. Morgan skimmed her hands over Sofia, checking for injuries, before calling her aide, Hope, to help move her. Ironic. I learned another name, taking the Cloaken names I knew to seven out of nineteen. They used Cloaken energy to form a stretcher and took Sofia back to the infirmary.
'There’s nothing more we can do for Sofia right now.’ I tugged Zoe to her feet. ‘Let’s go and update Wyatt.’
‘Alex and I will stay and protect the scene,’ said Taine.
‘Be careful.’ India rubbed Taine’s arm.
I said, ‘We will need to question everyone-’
‘-Zoe, you shouldn’t be alone,’ said India, ‘you may be a target.’
Zoe inclined her head. As we made our way back towards the dining area, she set off hidden alarms. 'François and Titus - head to the Library and guard it,' said Zoe as they ran towards us. A couple of Cloaken elite forces came next. ‘Please watch over Sofia in the infirmary, Venator may have breached our walls.' They ran off to do her bidding.
Her words rang false. The Venator would have rampaged their way through and not stopped with the library. Subtlety was not in their vocabulary. If they breached the walls, there would be outright war. Yet there was no sign of anyone who had not been with us for days. My suspicions narrowed to the nameless group. Why had they avoided us? Why did I feel so unnerved? It wasn’t only the attack on the library, on Sofia, there was something more. What was it?
Pierre came over and I filled him in. 'There’s been an attack, François and Titus are helping out in the library and a couple of Cloaken are guarding the infirmary, but we need some sort of guard rota. Has an enemy entered the distortion field?'
'When we arrived, I suggested setting up a ring of motion sensors. I have some with me. Wyatt said not to bother.'
'The Venator have made it past distortion fields before, that’s how they killed Vashtin. Perhaps Alex and Taine could help you set out the sensors. They’re worth a shot.'
'Will do. Take care now.' Pierre gave me a quick hug and then he was off.
I broke away to check on Stella in the kitchen and give her an update.
'The medical team isn’t your problem. They often chat with me. One of them may be a royal.' Stella washed dishes as we talked and soon handed me a tea towel.
'Another? Is Zoe not enough?' I dried the glasses, putting them away in the marked cupboards.
She paused, her arms deep in suds. ‘Morgan may be the other.’
'I thought the crown was meant to pass to the oldest child?' I dried a heavy frying pan and hung it from a rack.
'Maybe. I’ll let you know if I remember anything else.'
‘Be careful, we don’t know friend from foe.’
Chapter 26: The Cloaken Council
My brain was as sluggish as an early computer hooked up to an old printer using sheaves of paper to print incomprehensible noughts and ones. I was searching for patterns and deciphering clues, but I needed more data. Leaving Stella, I headed for the War Room. Most of the Cloaken were there jabbering away about the alarms. Without waiting for permission, I grabbed a glass and a knife and used it to chime for attention. Ting, ting, ting. The glass cracked. Whoops. I put it down before anyone noticed.
'We may not have much time, so forgive me if I come straight to the point. There’s been an attack tonight on Sofia and the Library has been ransacked.’ I pulled the flip chart up next to me, heedless of the polished wooden floor and grabbed a pen. ‘The attack against both Cloaken and Guardians over a decade ago was motivated by greed and a desire for power even if the assassin or assassins used the Venator as their primary tool. You were betrayed by one of your own.'
I pressed on, ignoring the shocked gasps as I took inspiration from all the TV murder mysteries I had seen. 'We have a murder to solve. Why did the King have to die? Why so soon after passing a law allowing females to succeed to the throne? Who had the means, motive and the opportunity? Who gains?’ My voice rang out in the high ceiling room.
Stunned silence followed.
‘I need information from anyone over the age of five at the time of the attacks. Does that account for everyone except us Guardians?'
Heads bobbed around the room amid heated whispers.
'Every Cloaken other than Zoe, Titus, Wyatt and Annie please stand. Step forward one by one. Tell us your name, role and why you are here.’
An older man stepped forward, dressed in a green tweed suit. All hissing conversations among the Cloaken stopped. He looked me straight in the eye. 'I’m Mallory, one of the Cloaken Council of Elders and Regent.’
We exchanged bows. He was the father of one of the boys originally in line for the throne. Was I listening to a traitor?
Mallory's deep voice carried to the furthest parts of the room. ‘I sent Wyatt to meet you and the unfortunate Vashtin before him. When you arrived early, we chose to observe you from a distance. I apologise, we meant no harm.’ He bowed once more and returned to his seat.
Next, a woman dressed in a fawn skirt paired with a mustard twin-set stepped up and introduced herself. 'Eleanor Starr, I preside over Human Affairs. I can’t imagine what you have been going through with your parents missing.' She bowed before retaking her place.
Worth stood up next, his belly jutting out like a small country. He announced he was the Minister of Finance. Zoe’s other uncle. Could he be the traitor? Nine further men and women followed him, each part of the Council. Each had motive. I marked their names on my board. 'Thank you. I am surprised by the gender equality.'
Mallory stood. 'It was mandated by the late King. Equalities legislation was passed which also ensured that each clan is represented on the council.' He returned to his seat on the front row.
'What happened immediately before and after the massacres?' I scanned the room searching for guilt but there were too many flushed and angry faces to pick out one.
India caught my eye and winked. Not helpful.
'Perhaps I may help.' Starr spoke in the posh clipped tones of the women I had parodied at the cafe weeks earlier.
My lips twitched. 'Go ahead.’ I indicated she should join me at the front. The chandeliers made her diamond encrusted rings and necklace flash and sparkle.
'The late King James changed the law on who could succeed just before he died. He named his successor, but the document disappeared. This led to the rise of four main claimants for the throne, his daughters Zoe and Morgan and his nephews, Rupert and Henry. The King’s brother and sister could also have been in line for succession however they chose to step aside.’
This was familiar. I read it somewhere long ago.
‘…Zoe’s claim is as his eldest daughter. Her mother died in childbirth and the King remarried and they had Morgan five years later-’
‘-Where do Rupert and Henry fit in?’ I fiddled with the flipchart pen in my hand.
Taine and Alex arrived and nodded at me from the back. Theirs were some of the few friendly faces left in the hall.
‘...Rupert is the eldest son of the King’s brother. He was next in line after his father. Henry, the eldest son of the late King’s younger sister, would have been second in line.’
‘How did the law change?’ I was convinced this was the motive behind the assassinations.
Cloaken fidgeted around the wood panelled hall as they whispered to neighbours, their words concealed by their hands.
‘Up to ten people were now eligible for the throne and could be chosen by the reigning monarch. With no way to mediate such claims and the law only in its infancy, we were forced to appoint a Regent.'
I jumped in, feet first. 'It sounds as if the Regent would have much to gai
n from the deaths.'
Silencing the indignant remarks on his behalf, Mallory stood once more. 'I can be replaced and receive no monetary reward. What’s my motive?’
A lie detector would have come in handy. He seemed to be telling the truth, but how would I know? ‘How do you make decisions?’ I needed a way to narrow the suspect pool.
‘All major decisions are agreed by an inner circle of three: me, Starr and Worth.'
Did Guardians outrank Regents? Who knew? I inclined my head. 'Thank you.’
Mallory took his seat.
‘Seven suspects.’ I scrawled their names on the flip chart. My pen squeaked as I wrote:
Zoe
Morgan
Rupert
Henry
Mallory
Starr
Worth
‘Who am I missing?' I ignored the irate faces of those I had listed.
Zoe stormed over, her shoes clicking on the wooden floor.
'What about your precious Stella or Imal? They handily escaped. I am adding them to the list.' Zoe grabbed the pen off me, leaving scratches on my hand. She wrote in jerky movements on the flipchart.
A ruffle in her smooth facade. Another time I might have enjoyed it but not when she accused those dear to me. What would Imal and Stella have gained from the assassinations? Nothing unless Imal was trying to kill off his ex-wife. A stretch to go from killing a couple to so many.
Morgan poked her head in. ‘Sofia has regained consciousness and is expected to make a full recovery.’
Mallory joined Zoe and held up his hands. 'Enough fireworks and accusations. Pierre has arrived to give us an update.’ He motioned for him to approach.
Pierre stepped forward. 'The Manor is clear of intruders. My team will be taking guard duty. Check with us first if you intend to leave.'
My fellow Guardians came and huddled with me. The Cloaken exited the room en-masse, throwing hostile glances our way.
'Pond too smooth for you,' said Taine, ‘could you have found a larger rock?’
'What a nerve for Zoe to accuse Stella and Imal.’ Alex shook his head. ‘Ridiculous.'
‘If Zoe is in our room later, I doubt any of us will sleep,’ I said.
'I’m surprised no one nominated Pierre and his mate. Anything there we should know?' India asked.
'Only that he’s ex-Venator.’ I thought nothing of it until Alex and India gasped. ‘It’s a long story. They received him via Social Services when he was seven. Brainwashed and tortured him. He escaped at nineteen and ended up at the French Guardian Training School. Until a spy started killing people off-’
‘-You don’t think that’s suspicious?’ India pulled a face and looked at me as if I shared a brain cell with an amoeba.
‘Stella didn’t.’ It sounded pathetic even to me.
‘And that’s enough for you?’ asked Alex, frowning.
‘I can quiz her about him if you want.'
'Off you go then Detective.' Taine gave me a playful shove in the direction of the kitchen. 'Best go with her India, keep her out of mischief.'
The kitchen was empty, so we dashed to the Infirmary instead. We greeted the guards outside Sofia’s door and they waved us in. The fruity, citrus scent of Stella’s perfume overpowered the smell of antiseptic and bleach. Sofia was in an elegant, twin-bed room with walls of soft mint and floors of cream polished marble. Soft lighting fell on Stella as she sat on the hospital bed, holding Sofia’s hand as she talked with Morgan. India and I drew up soft blue leather armchairs, squishing air out of them with a hiss as we sat.
'You’ll want this.' Stella gave me a scroll that resembled the one I had given Sofia earlier. It was sealed and stamped with the royal crest.
I cracked it open. 'Have you read this Morgan?'
Morgan took a blood pressure reading and marked the results on a clipboard. 'No, what does it say?' She kept her eyes on her task.
'It’s the Last Will and Testament of the late King.' I arched my neck to look up at her.
'Seriously?' Morgan returned the chart to the foot of Sofia’s bed, masking her face.
'Seriously, not only that but you are named as his successor.'
'I suppose that moves me to the top of the suspect list then?' Morgan fiddled with her silver pen, clicking it on and off. Her lips smiled unlike her eyes.
Where was the excitement, the pleasure, the jumping up and down? Fair enough, she already knew she was a princess but even so, her reaction seemed weird.
'Perhaps or it may shine the spotlight on others.’ India ran a hand through her long hair. ‘Someone hid this. Sofia was attacked for finding it.’
I got up and paced the room. Not easy with a bed and medical trolley in the way. ‘How did someone get there before us?'
'Portals,' said Stella.
'That’s the metallic odour I smelled.' India picked up Sofia’s chart and flicked through its pages.
'What’s your gut feel on who killed your parents and the others?' I asked.
'Straight to the point, aren’t you?’ Morgan paused, tapping the silver pen against her lips. ‘Hard to say. Zoe and I were never close. Her mother died in childbirth. She was foisted on nannies and servants, raised much as Victorian children were with only an hour or two with her father before bed.’ Morgan moved to perch on a set of stools. ‘When my mother came along, Zoe received more attention until I burst on the scene and stole the show. I struggle to believe Zoe’s guilty of such atrocities-’
'-What about Rupert? What would he gain?' asked India.
'Taking a leaf out of her book, are you?' Morgan jerked her head at me. 'I wouldn’t voluntarily spend time with either. Rupert enjoys lording it over people. A bully. Guilty of murder? I don’t know.’
‘What about Henry?’ I asked, pacing.
‘He’s likes to wring the necks of chickens. A keen hunter, happy to skin a deer and butcher it. It’s hard to imagine people you grew up with as potential killers.' Morgan stood as if willing us to move on.
Nice try. ‘Stella, did you have much to do with the British Cloaken back then? Do Pierre and his mate have anything to gain from the deaths?'
'I didn’t know the heirs back then. He and François were part of the French Guardians’ Training School. Pierre loves me, if I had not married your uncle he would have proposed.'
'TMI.’ I clapped my hands over my ears in protest.
'I’m off to bed.' Stella covered a yawn as she stood. ‘Good night all.’
'Morgan, it’s late. Are you happy to wait until morning for the grand reveal?' I asked.
'What’s one more day?’ Morgan walked off and left us.
Chapter 27: A Royal Coronation
There was no sign of Zoe when we returned to our room. India kept watch on the door while I placed the will inside the mattress cover on the underside of my bed.
I asked, ‘What’s your take?’
India screwed up her face as she blurted out her thoughts. ‘Morgan’s reaction was wrong. Muted. If I’d been her, I’d have informed the council and claimed my crown immediately. Something doesn’t ring true.’
‘Same. Let’s sleep on it.’
According to India, I was soon snoring away. I do not snore. I awoke to find Taine half-asleep, slouched across our doorway. Bless him.
'Been there long?' I whispered, not wanting to disturb India.
'Pierre woke me at 4 a.m. and asked me to do a couple of hours’ stint for him so he could sleep.'
'Fair enough. Zoe ever come back?'
'No and she’s cleared her stuff out.'
'Seriously?' I pulled open her cupboard and found her clothes gone. 'She fooled me leaving her night clothes on the bed.'
'What are you two whispering about?' India rolled over, her eyes sticky with sleep.
'Zoe’s gone.’ Taine stretched and got to his feet.
India sat bolt upright. 'Did Ellie-Grace get to her then?'
'Convenient disappearing straight after the will was found.' I grabbed my clothes out m
y cupboard.
'Guilty conscience maybe?' Taine words were strangled by a yawn.
'Don’t forget to carry that will with you wherever you go.' India gathered her own things out of the chest of drawers.
'Something feels off.'
We took turns in the bathroom, each pulling on fresh underwear, jeans, t-shirts and matching green Camp Clotho sweatshirts. I dug out my bag and pulled out the jewelled globe. To my surprise, it lit up, pulsed and flew off downstairs. We raced after it and found it knocking on an unfamiliar door. It tried to force its way through. I wrenched at a brass handle, but it did not budge.
'I’ll go and get an axe from outside.' Taine dashed off and soon returned. His muscles bunched as he cleaved into the door. The globe snuck through a hole. Taine widened the gap enough to reach an arm through and unbolt the door from the inside. We chased after the lit globe.
'Over there.' India halted as she caught sight of a body. She bent and pulled off a bloodied gag and blindfold. ‘Zoe.’
Someone had tied Zoe up and she sported a black eye. A myriad of cuts and bruises littered her body, yet her face was radiant as she gazed at the globe. ‘Do you know what this means?’
I shook my head.
‘The globe knows I am innocent. I am the rightful heir, despite Wyatt’s and Morgan’s attempts to disinherit me.' Her lips were tinged with blue and were cracked and bleeding. Her voice was hoarse, as if her throat were parched.
'Are they an item then?' I knelt on the cold flagstone floor, working with India to loosen Zoe’s bonds.
'They tried to keep it quiet,' she croaked.
'So, they tried to frame you?' Taine asked from the wooden doorway.
'Wyatt invited me to check something out. Next thing I knew, he was beating me up. He tied me up and left me here. Morgan came down and boasted about the fake will.'
India and I exchanged dismayed glances.
'So, all that guff she said about your attachment issues was a crock of -'
'-Absolutely. Clearly, my mother dying was difficult. My father did not respond well but he loved me. Morgan wove tiny bits of truth into her story, as normal. No-one but me ever saw past her mask.'