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“You have been there for me throughout my life and my losing Petal, Cosmos,” Kael said, addressing him by his name. “I will do you no wrong. I never have, and I never will.”
The King eventually gave in, promising that if the betrayal turned out to be true, he would rain hellfire on him and his own. The King instructed the guards to leave while Kael snuck out a secret back stairway, one that he himself had been adamant about installing for rare occasions such as the one he found himself in.
He captured a cape from the guard’s cloakroom, casting himself in a hood as he made his way in long steps back to his estate.
TWENTY
KAEL
It took Kael some time to walk back from the tower despite his long, hulking strides. He was exhausted and tormented. He continuously had Aric in his mind, his nature seeming to be that of a madman with intelligence on his side. But the accusations, the scandals, the supposed evidence … it all seemed to be above Aric’s pay grade and, bluntly, his capabilities.
Whatever vendetta that was going on against Kael felt more far-reaching.
He mused and brooded while walking home. Having obtained his communicator, he thought about calling Sarah to let her know he was all right, that he had at least a thread of the King’s trust to let him go free. But he needed time to think, and he also didn’t want to scare her or his daughter unnecessarily.
What had any of the evidence been? It had to be scathing and undeniable if it warranted showing up at the Captain’s home. It had to be concrete and rather remarkable.
Kael knew everything there was to know about his own men, the King’s army and guard, but the council itself was rather elusive to him. He only really dealt with names on a monthly basis when meetings were held. The politics were sickening, but as Captain, he had to be present.
He then wondered what there would be for someone to gain, especially an officer or councilman, to have him put away. Aric was rather sniveling, but his intentions seemed plain.
Aric may be a pawn in the game, but he wasn’t the game-master. Kael knew that as well as he knew the blisters that were beginning to sting his heels.
He finally arrived back at the estate at dusk, parched, bursting with turmoil, and starving. Sarah jumped into his arms as she answered the door.
“Christ, you were gone so long, what the fuck happened?” she said, sniffling.
Kael took her by her elbows and led her inside, placing his finger against his lips and motioning upstairs.
“Where’s Suki?”
“In bed,” Sarah said, gaining composure. “I told her you were working. I’ve been so twisted up inside all day.”
Seeing the concern that flushed her face into a ghost white made him ache inside. But he couldn’t worry too much about that at the moment. Things were dire.
“Let’s go into the public kitchen. I don’t know who’s listening. We need to talk.”
Because of the size of the estate, multiple kitchens existed. They had their own private kitchen where Allan worked, and then there was the public kitchen meant for larger gatherings. Kael was starting to feel paranoid about who the accuser could be and, worst of all, who could potentially be a rat on his own team. The odds appeared to be stacked against him.
Kael lit a diffuser on the kitchen counter, a crisp blue that glowed over the marble surface. Then he retrieved water from the fridge. Sarah stood there impatiently, her hands curled into fists of anxiety.
He told her everything. Then, as her jaw slid back and forth, she told him that she had done some snooping of her own.
“The accuser, it’s one of the councilmen,” she told him hesitantly. “Fisher Cardinal?”
The man was a fresher face on the council. “How do you know it’s him?” Kael asked.
“He’s dead.”
“What?”
“A report on your device in your office. It sent out word of an investigation. It was when you were gone earlier.”
Kael rubbed the bridge of his nose. Things were quickly coiling together and becoming fuzzy.
Sarah touched his chest with both hands, the way she would when she wanted to make love. Even in the circumstances, it was lovely. “Let me help you. There’s a security facility along the road of the tower, right?”
He frowned down at her, then smirked, feeling impressed.
