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I would’ve stepped forward to shake his hand and clarify his wrong assumptions about me and his brother, but Kol cut off anything else that might’ve been said or done.
“Why have you come? You could’ve sent me a message via comm.”
The merriment leeched from Kieren’s sparkling eyes. “No welcome mat laid out for your brother?”
Kol said nothing, his body a line of tension held in an iron grip.
“No matter.” He crossed his arms. A defensive pose. “I have information for you. Perhaps Ms. Cade ought to go inside while we talk.”
I stepped farther in front of Kol. “If this is about the Devlin Butcher case, then I’m staying.”
Kieren’s expression widened in surprise.
“Go ahead,” said Kol. “She’s part of the investigation.”
Taking a moment more to apparently process the idea that Kol was working with a human woman on the case, he cleared his throat. “The man you described going under the alias ‘Borgus’ is undoubtedly Barron Coalglass. His clan lives in Cloven and owns half the city. Barron is the youngest son of Titus Coalglass.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
“Wait. Tell me why that’s bad.” My blanket slipped, a bare leg peaking out. Kieren’s eyes followed the length of my leg, his mouth lifting in a half-smile I’d seen more than once before on his brother. I felt Kol’s posture tighten. He shifted forward, just enough to put his body between me and his brother.
Kieren answered my question. “Titus Coalglass not only has money, shitloads of it, he also has political power. He’s in the Cloven Senate.”
I knew the Morgon provinces were governed by a Senate, each member holding equal power except for one consul, the leader of the Senate. His power rotated every ten years, ensuring no man or clan held power too long. A decade might appear a long term to humans, but it was a short span for Morgons. The Morgon Senate was not too dissimilar from the Gladium Parliament, except that our house had both human and Morgon representatives.
“So,” I intervened, “even if we catch Barron, his father will get him off.”
“Not necessarily.” Kieren tucked his hands in his pants pockets. “But we’ll have to bring him in alive and take him before the Tribunal. No blade justice for him or it could start a war among the clans.”
One thing that hadn’t been eliminated from human records was the history of blade justice, the unwritten law of execution-at-will upon a proven Morgon murderer. For centuries, the Morgon Guard had wielded supreme rule as the law enforcers in their society. Those offenders who had committed the most heinous crimes often fell beneath the sword before ever reaching a courtroom. I’d often read about how there was a tradition among aristocratic families that one son always served the Morgon Guard for a time—a trademark of duty, patriotism, and being born of the highest stock. This was because not everyone could “join” the Guard. One had to go through rigorous training and pass physical tests before being selected and branded a member. And by branding, I meant literally marked. I wanted to see Kol’s sharp-lettered seal of brotherhood, the “MG” tattoo on the back of his neck, but he kept his hair too long.
I eyed him now, mulling over this idea that Barron was impervious to blade justice. “So, in any other case, Barron would be executed on the spot for his crimes. But because he’s a politician’s son, he gets special treatment? That’s how it works in your society?”
Kol gave me an arrogant smirk, his eyes never leaving mine. “It’s no different than in the human society.”
Touché. But of course, I wouldn’t admit it.
“You’re also forgetting one vital detail,” added Kieren.
I broke away from the staring contest I was losing. “What?”
“You haven’t yet proven Barron’s guilt. He is certainly the man you’ve seen hanging at this stadium club of yours, but we’ve yet to see blood on his hands.”
The fact that I became dangerously close to getting that evidence last night, perhaps spilling my own blood on his hands, haunted me still. One, because we would’ve caught the Devlin Butchers and kept any other woman from a horrific fate. Two, because I’d wanted to bail the second I sensed some evil entity lurking in the shadows.
“We’ll get our proof,” promised Kol.
“So Gaius is definitely hiding in their ranks.”
Kol gave a tight nod. “I’m sure of it.”
Kieren stalked toward the parapet’s edge. I noticed a slight limp in his gait as he favored his right leg. What struck me more was that his hair was short enough to reveal his nape. There was no MG tattoo marking him as one of the Guard like Lorian.
“Not sure if you’re aware,” said Kieren, “but Valla passed her Boards. She has only the Assassin’s Trial left.”
“I’m well aware.” Kol’s voice was deep and steady. “I speak to Valla daily.”
