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It took me a moment to realize Cael expected me to answer the question.
Graham looked at me from his chair on the front row and nodded almost imperceptibly, and I took it as a signal for me to go forward with the truth I’d been withholding.
I looked up at Cael, lifting my head high. “It does not, but there was certainly no compassion when you, Sir Ruskin, attacked Graham Brennin, drew his blood, and tossed him into that pit.”
Chapter
Thirty-Four
The noiseof the audience grew into a clamor, angry voices rising from all directions.
“Lies,” said Cael, his disturbingly calm voice somehow cutting through the din. “Never have I heard a more unreasonable accusation.” He pulled away from the podium and I noticed a radio in his belt. One hand rested on it, and there was a tiny pinpoint of green light, as if he were actively holding the button, sharing this investigation with someone on the other end of the radio.
Without knowing who else might be listening to me, I continued, turning to the room and raising my voice so all could hear. “Were it not for Cael Ruskin’s involvement, Sir Brennin would have never ended up in that pit. Yes, I had plotted to remove him from the line of inheritance, but at the time, I was not yet acquainted with his goodness, his honesty, and his great concern for the citizens. Once that changed, I tried to halt what I’d set in motion, but Sir Ruskin prevented me. You see, I had promised to elect him as First Immortal if I became queen, but it turned out that he was far more power-hungry than I’d ever been.”
“The girl speaks nothing but falsehoods,” Cael said, his face red but his voice calm. “If you are foolish enough to put your faith in the words of a traitor, then by all means, believe her.”
The crowd grew louder and my heart pounded faster.
Graham started to stand as if he meant to defend me.
I gave him a sharp look, silently begging him to hold his tongue and keep himself blameless. To my relief, he sat back in his seat.
Cael spoke again. “It seems our perpetrator needs more time in her prison cell. Until she is committed to speaking the truth, there is no purpose in questioning her.”
Several Immortals and Immovables nodded, but a few looked as if they wanted to argue.
Two guards started toward me.
I feared that if they took me back to my cell, there would be no second chance to speak.
“Sir Ruskin?” Dominic Dunn stood up. “I have been eagerly waiting to hear about my grandfather’s final moments.” He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “His death has haunted me, and I beg of you, please continue questioning the prisoner, sir.”
“You will hear no truth from her,” said Cael.
“Please,” said Dominic, his face pained. “How did you discover that Mara Stroud had poisoned him?”
Cael’s face stayed outwardly calm, but I knew him well enough to see a hint of fear in the way his throat moved as he swallowed. “I do not wish to provide you with a grim story of his death. It is best left untold to those of a sensitive disposition.”
“I don’t have a sensitive disposition,” said Dominic. “If my grandfather was indeed murdered, I wish to know how, Sir Ruskin.”
Cael straightened his jacket and smoothed his hair. His right hand returned to the radio in his pocket, the green lightreappearing. “There was an eyewitness who reported seeing Mara Stroud entering the room with a decanter of brandy. As if that wasn’t suspicious enough, the witness reported that she was in disguise, suspiciously wearing a black wig to hide her identity.”
“And who might this witness be?” Dominic asked.
Cael looked right at Graham. “It was our dear heir, Sir Brennin.”
Graham’s eyes grew wide with shock. If he wanted to keep Cael’s alliance, he’d have to agree with him.
Dominic looked at Graham expectantly.
“Inform us of that which you witnessed, Sir Brennin,” said Cael, his voice calm but his eyes narrowed as if in a challenge. He seemed to be testing Graham’s loyalty, finding out for once and for all if he would be obedient and faithful as an ally.
If I could have spoken to Graham, I would’ve told him to keep pretending, to maintain the alliance, and to speak against me.
But Graham kept his mouth shut, his gaze hardening as he glared at Cael. He wouldn’t blame me. I knew he wouldn’t.
So I jumped in to prevent him from putting his own standing at risk. “Yes, Sir Brennin witnessed me leaving the room, but what he saw was only half the story.”
