Chapter 70: Straight Talk

Nadia was surprised that King Joseph permitted her to stay in the office while he met with Remulus. The room was a bit crowded with two large soldiers also present so Joseph moved her chair behind the desk with his.

It wasn’t until he handed her a dagger that she understood; he moved her for her safety as well as comfort.

Remulus entered with his head bowed and waited for Joseph to offer him a chair before sitting.

He kept his eyes downcast when he started to speak.

“Your Majesty, King Joseph, I wish to apologize on behalf of ... my former king ... for the behavior of his son during my last visit to your country,” he said.

“Enough with that,” Joseph said curtly. “You say that you’ve come with a message for Octavia. Know that she will return to your country in a few months – and she will have an army at her back.”

“Yes,” Remulus replied. “I have met with her and she has told me what will transpire. I ... I believe I had known that would be your decision when I learned that you had armed the countries on our border and trained their soldiers. The rumor was that you were teaching them to defend themselves against an aggressor – us – but I understand that you were putting us on notice. Sadly, I fear that Junius does not understand subtlety. It is my understanding that his army is coming a few weeks behind us. I have no doubt that you are prepared for that eventuality but I wish you to know that the time for battle nears.”

“My forces are arrayed as I wish them,” Joseph said blandly.

“I saw many troops along the coast as we sailed and I know you have cut off access to your inland waterway,” Remulus pointed out. “May I assume you are forcing the soldiers to land in a trap?”

“You may take it as you desire,” Joseph replied. “I was willing to permit King Augustus time to discipline his child. Now I will take that task myself. The lesson will be swift, harsh – and final.”

Remulus gulped and nodded. He had grown more impressed with man across from him as he watched the game Joseph had put into motion. Now he found himself far more cowed to be in Joseph’s presence than he ever had been with King Augustus.

“I have been asked by the sailors to request asylum for them and their families,” Remulus said. “In return, the captain will turn over his vessel to Azkoval.”

Nadia was shocked when Joseph turned to her and asked her opinion.

She took a moment to marshal her thoughts. Instead of answering, she turned to the man across from her.

“What of you?” she asked Remulus.

“Once the turmoil is concluded, I will ask to remain in Azkoval or seek residence in the country that assumes control of my birthplace,” he said.

“Until that time?” Nadia pressed.

Remulus looked up in surprise.

“I was a high-ranking if unofficial member of King Augustus’ government,” he admitted.

“We know who you are and what you did,” Nadia interrupted. “I asked what you will do in the interim.”

“Since you know of my role, I assumed I would spend the duration of the war in the cells,” Remulus confessed. “I have too much information in my head about your group to permit my return to Marindar. My only meeting with King Joseph came at the side of a traitor and a coward so I doubt he views me with anything less than contempt. Her Highness Princess Octavia knows little about me so cannot vouch for my character. My only saving grace is that I managed to convince King Augustus that a war with Azkoval would be ruinous to Marindar – and I have only my word on that subject.”

“And a ship full of trade goods,” Joseph pointed out. “But you speak truly. I cannot permit your return to Marindar while Junius is still alive. I have no doubt that you would oppose him but I cannot risk your capture. If he is like me, Junius is still flailing blindly because the situation he saw was not truly the one that existed. It took me almost a year and a half before I finally saw through the façade to what was beneath. I cannot permit you to speed that process along – willingly or unwillingly. You took a great risk in returning here even after you knew of Augustus’ death.”

“I understood that,” Remulus agreed. “At the same time, I did not believe you would have me put to death without a fair hearing. As you will recall, Junius expended a great deal of effort to get a glimpse at those you held in your dungeon. I managed to learn in a single evening at the tavern what he spent weeks trying to accomplish. I know that you treated your prisoners with mercy and forbade excessive cruelty. They were fed daily and none were harmed by their guards. I believe you understand that I pose a far smaller threat to your country than those men did so I have no doubt that I will be treated humanely. I also have no doubt that my tenure in the dungeon will be brief. Marindar cannot stand up to your might. It certainly cannot withstand the might of the combined forces of seven nations.”

“Nine,” Nadia corrected. “I have asked my uncle, King Olaf of Denaya, to commit forces to the cause and the Duchess of Troyvet has added her troops to the alliance.”

“Superfluous but wise moves,” Remulus agreed with a nod. “It certainly will give any that seek hostilities with one of the countries reason to step away and search for a diplomatic solution.”

“It is more than that,” Nadia interrupted. “We are making a clear declaration about what we view as right and what we view as wrong. If we see wrong, we will emulate King Joseph and take instant action to stop it. If we see right, we will do our utmost to support it. The murder of a king, the dehumanization of females, the rule of a tyrant, these are wrong and Denaya will fight against it. If I had my way, Octavia would rule your homeland with an army of a thousand to ensure her will be done. Thankfully the alliance is led by someone a bit more practical and he sought Octavia’s input before coming to a decision.”

“Not every male in Marindar believes women to be inferior,” Remulus pointed out. “But the number is high. You might be surprised but a number of females believe themselves to be inferior.”

“It was that fact that altered my thinking,” Joseph said. “The countries that surround you are changing but that will take time. Octavia has explained the differing sects of your religion that proliferate in different regions of your country. Those areas will be assumed by countries with similar beliefs and ideals. She believes that will make the transition almost seamless.”

“It should help,” Remulus agreed. “But, I fear, that will not aid the women in those regions much. Coradelia has progressive views but Budamet still will not permit its women to learn to read.”

“They have agreed to relax that prohibition in return for an alliance with Azkoval and Denaya,” Joseph told the man. “I made certain ... conditions ... before permitting them to take part in this endeavor. I wish to note that I did this only because Octavia viewed it as a necessary step. She has lived in a free society for two years and has seen firsthand that every person – male or female, landed or peasant – has a value. Budamet has agreed to institute changes – and I have told them I will remove their religious leaders if they do not agree. I believe everyone has seen the light on this subject. The disciples will have to find another way to slake their lusts than to have young girls brought to their temples for defilement.”

“There are some that view it as an honor,” Remulus noted.

“Then those young women may go of their own accord as soon as they reach the age of maturity,” Joseph countered. “Those that wish a different life will have a different life. Azkoval will not have relations with countries that behave in this fashion. If economic sanctions do not work, I will take an army from Coradelia to Grunveld and remove every disciple I find along the way. I have made this clear to the leadership of certain countries. I do not require they grant the liberties we see here. But I will not condone rape of the innocents and I will not permit it if I can stop it.”

Remulus nodded. It had been the age-old custom in his land for the second daughter born to a family to be sent to the disciples to birth their children – whether the girl wished to be sent or not.

“I suspect that Junius has already ended that practice in Marindar,” Remulus said.

“Oh?” Joseph asked in clear surprise.

“He prefers to rape the innocents himself,” Remulus said sadly.

Annika von Schumann was accustomed to rough treatment. Her father had beaten and abused her since she was barely old enough to walk.

But she was incensed that three mere house servants had dared to remove her bodily from the docks. She had kicked and bitten until Clementine had delivered a punch to Annika’s throat that had caused the young woman to struggle for breath.

That took much of the fight out of her – at least until she could speak again.

“I will see you hanged for this!” she had threatened with her first clear breath.

“If you don’t shut up I’m going to drown you in the sea,” Caroline grumbled as she pushed Annika down into a chair in her suite.

“How dare you handle me?” Annika seethed.

“I’ve told you – several times – that you will never be in proximity to our king,” Clementine pointed out. “That is in public as well as in private.”

“That was him?” Annika asked. “The man at the dock with ... my sister?”

The three young spies exchanged glances.

“He looks nothing like I expected,” Annika continued, undeterred by the fact that no one in the room was paying the slightest bit of attention to her by this point.

“What do you know of King Joseph?” Constance inquired. Her voice was far less confrontational that those of her colleagues.

“Just that he is the king here,” Annika answered.

“You have no physical description of him?” Constance wondered. “You were told nothing of his hair or his features?”

“I know only his name and that my father planned to conduct business with him while we were here,” Annika said in what she hoped was a convincing tone.

Caroline took a seat opposite Annika and studied her carefully. She was not as adept as Celestine at reading people but she thought herself to be only slightly below.

“What sort of business did you father do?” she asked in a conversation voice.

“He was an adviser to King Olaf,” Annika replied.

“We both know that is a lie,” Caroline noted. “You have a letter from your uncle confirming everything we’ve told you.”

“I have a letter from someone,” Annika rejoined. “I have only your word that it came from my uncle.”

“When did you last see King Olaf?” Caroline asked.

“I don’t recall,” Annika stated.

Caroline nodded slightly.

“What does King Olaf look like?” she asked. “What color is his hair?”

The question caught Annika short. She had never seen her uncle and had only a vague description of him. Then she recalled the occupations of the women in the room with her. They had never met her uncle, either.

“He has light hair,” she answered. It made sense because her mother’s hair was the color of straw.

Caroline gave a slight glance to her compatriots.

“Your uncle has no hair and hasn’t for many, many years,” Caroline stated. “Your sister says he has been bald for as long as she can remember.”

Annika blinked.

“You have been permitted as much freedom as we can tolerate,” Caroline said. Her voice was still pleasant but her eyes were harsh. “Thus far, we have been able to keep you out of the dungeon. If you continue to lie to us, that will no longer be possible.”

“You’re serving girls at the castle,” Annika hissed.

“No,” Clementine corrected. “I am a serving girl at this inn. Caroline and Constance work at the Seafarer.”

Annika’s eyes were slits as she offered her best glare. She was further outraged with the three women merely laughed in her face.

“It’s time for you to tell us all you know, Girl,” Constance said. She lifted the hem of her dress and pulled a dagger from the sheath on her thigh. “I have had all the lies and subterfuge I can stand. If you lie to us one more time, I’m going to take your eye out. If you lie a second time, I’ll blind you. It won’t matter, because I’m going to cut your heart out of your chest if you lie to us a third time. Am I understood?”

Annika sat back and her mouth dropped. She knew menace. She had lived with it for her entire life. Yet she couldn’t recall a time that she was as frightened as she was at that moment. The conviction in the young maid’s tone was clear and the others had made no move to stop her.

“When is the last time you saw King Olaf?” Caroline tried again.

“Never!” Annika practically shouted. “I have been locked away by that monster my entire life!”

“And, yet, you found your way here,” Clementine noted. “That is the portion of your tale of woe that doesn’t ring true to me. Constance? What do you think?”

“I think she’s going to look silly with a patch over where her eye used to be,” Constance said as she stepped forward. Annika looked pleadingly at Caroline for help but got only a shrug in return.

“I’m not lying!” Annika insisted. She looked around for any means of escape and found none. Clementine had moved to one side of her chair; Constance and the blade were on the other and Caroline sat directly in front of her.

“What did your father do for a living?” Caroline asked again.

“I’m telling the truth!” Annika pleaded. “I always thought he worked for my uncle. He would disappear for months and we were told he was at the capital. I didn’t dare question him about it. Ask the other one ... the one that killed him. She knew what he did to me!”

“At this point you should be thankful he treated you so poorly,” Constance said casually. “It is only that fact that has delayed this day. But I have grown weary of you and I wish to move on to the next portion of my life. I cannot do that if I am stuck babysitting an imbecile. So, before the sun sets, I will have the answer my king needs. If you cooperate you will be whole in the morning. If you prevaricate you will be in pieces in the bay. Those are your choices.”

Annika’s eyes again sought out Caroline.

“She is my sister and I have vowed to support her in everything she does,” Caroline said. “My vow includes the times when she does things I might not necessarily like. I will not help you. You are the only one that can help yourself now. What did your father tell you of his plan? Before you answer, please know that we have been through his belongings. If you stray from one thing we already know it will go badly for you.”

“Allow me to offer some incentive,” Constance said as she put the cold metal of the dagger beneath Annika’s eye. The girl was pushed back against the chair and could not move for fear of permanent injury.

She gulped and closed her eyes.

“I knew almost nothing,” she said.

“Almost,” Constance repeated as she pushed the blade a little firmer into the girl’s flesh.

“He told me a few facts about your king,” Annika said quickly. “I do not know why he told them to me or what he expected me to do.”

“But you knew he expected something from you,” Caroline pressed.

“Yes,” Annika admitted. “I knew that I had been brought along for some purpose. He told me that I was to treat everyone politely and learn as much as I could about Tyrell while I was here.”