Page 146 of Revealing Fate

Kalevar Kaine, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into now?

It took them half an hour to reach the hall. The townsfolk had bedded down for the evening. The earlier chilling breeze had worked into a frigid wind that cut through the trees, forcing people indoors. Only the odd scout patrolled the streets in second form, their thicker pelts helping to insulate them from the biting cold.

Penn and Santhe huddled near the entryway to the Conclave’s conference hall. As Penn mentioned, all the interior lights had been extinguished, the expansive building casting an ominous shadow over the street.

Penn tried the door. “See? Locked.”

Santhe peered up at the second-floor windows. “You think Beulah is still inside?”

“Where else would she be?” Penn asked, suppressing a shiver. “Dad’s camped on Meress’s northern border, finishing a job. She’s never gone after dark when he’s away.”

“Unless she’s somehow caught up in whatever mess this is.”

The fierceness of Penn’s expression could be seen even in shadow. “When I was eleven, there was a girl at school who would pester me. My sisters said it was out of affection. I didn’t care. I called her a bothersome prat. She overheard me.”

Santhe glanced sidelong at him.

“My mother found out and marched me to the girl’s home before dinner to formally apologize in front of her parents.”

“That must have been embarrassing,” Santhe ventured, wondering where he was going with this tale.

“I was mortified,” Penn said seriously. “But that’s not the point. The point is, my mother’s moral compass is fixed due north. She doesn’t make exceptions for the people she loves. It’s why she’s so respected in the community. In the Conclave. Whatever has happened, she’ll be on the right side of it.”

A deepening shadow drew Santhe’s attention to the upper level once more. Nothing moved. The windows remained dark. She could have sworn she saw⁠—

The front door of the conference hall cracked. “Pennelton Demetrius Porter! What in the gods’ names are you doing out right now?”

A meaty hand shot forward and gripped the youngest Porter by the shirt front, dragging him inside. Santhe slipped in after him before the door could be shut in her face.

Weak candlelight flared to life, illuminating Beulah Porter’s severe, round face. Her furious eyes drifted from her son to Santhe. “Santhe? What’s the meaning of this? Dragging my youngest child out in the night⁠—”

“I dragged her, Ma,” Penn insisted.

“He saw Lucien Cross and Rask Harless take Kalevar and Kitty away to The Hollows,” Santhe explained without preamble. “He saw the bodies Kal dragged in.”

Beulah muttered, her expression growing harsher. “Cross is out of line,” she said. “He acted without the rest of the Conclave’s knowledge or consent. I’m fairly certain he sent those Carrow boys into the woods after Kal and his lady, knowing Kal would react the way he did. Though I can’t prove it.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do. Saul is terribly ill. I’m afraid of what Lucien is capable of without Saul’s voice to buffer his immoderation.”

“Where is Saul now?” Santhe asked.

“Upstairs,” Beulah replied. “He’s too weak to travel home. I called for Meress’s mender, but it’s been hours. He must be occupied with another patient.” Beulah loosed a weary sigh. “We’ve had city folk at the door at all hours inquiring after Saul. It’s unusual for him to be indisposed; they want to know what’s amiss. Stef and Vorak know of his condition, but I’d rather keep the worst of it from inciting more public speculation.” Blond brows knitted together, their corners tensed. “It’s why I locked the doors. I’m afraid to leave him.”

Something about this didn’t feel right. Santhe would wager a fair amount that Lucien had deliberately arranged for something to preoccupy the mender. She doubted very much that he wanted Saul recovered enough to oppose him. “We need to get Kal out of The Hollows.”

Beulah’s full mouth turned down. “I’d need backing from the rest of the Conclave to overturn Lucien’s decision. Regardless of Lucien’s manipulative tactics, Kal killed two citizens. He interfered in a prisoner’s trial and has been harboring her since.” She shook her head. “I tried warning him something like this would happen if he didn’t turn that girl over.”

Santhe chewed a fingernail. Knowing now who Kitty really was explained a few things. Kal couldn’t very well hand the damned Prima of Ilistaar over to the Cozened. And by revealing Felíne’s identity to her and Adder, he’d made them complicit with whatever consequence followed, whether he realized it or not. She supposed it didn’t matter now. Santhe wouldn’t betray Kal’s trust. “I know none of this makes sense, Beulah,” Santhe said. “But we have to get Kal and Kitty out of there.”

“Oh, it makes sense,” she said with a wry look. “I’ve known Kal for some years. He’s had the odd tryst time and again, but nothing that stuck.” Beulah pegged Santhe with a firm stare. “He loves that girl. It’s plain as day to anyone willing to look. And the truth is, he can’t be trusted because of it. The Conclave will never be able to hold her accountable because Kal won’t be able to stop himself from shielding her.”

“Beulah—”

She shook her head again, chin wobbling. “I’m sorry, Santhe. I know he is your friend. Kal has done much for Meress. He is loved here. Needed even. But he must allow Kitty to face her charges. I may disagree with Lucien Cross’s methods, but for now, Kalevar is contained. And we have more pressing matters.”

Penn spoke up. “What could be more pressing than this, Ma?”

Beulah glanced up at the ceiling as though she could see through the wood paneling and heavy cross beams, expression pinched with worry. “The life of a good man.”

Saul looked awful. Santhe stood in one corner of the room, watching as Beulah wrung out a rag over a steaming bowl of clean water. Penn’s mother hadn’t permitted him in the room; the sulking teen slouched in the hallway.