59
1315 Words
Matt wanted to help but was unable to do more than think about it, before the man was covered and shredded into a gory mess.
The remainder of the trip was uneventful, just long, and slow. Still, they were able to catch up with the group of Tier 4s that they saved earlier, and made it back to the safety of the walls as night was setting in.
Before Matt and his team joined the meeting scheduled for that evening, they were intercepted by Juni, who said that it was postponed. He said that he needed more time to settle the new arrivals.
As the group changed course to the communal cooking area, they grabbed plates of unevenly cooked meat, and a random assortment of roasted vegetables. They accepted their haphazardly prepared meal and moved to a side table to eat.
Looking at Camilla, they decided to wait until everyone was done eating to speak up. When they had finished, Camille broached the topic that he was dreading.
“We have a problem.”
At the tired and questioning eyes, Matt filled in the rest.
“It’s like what we encountered earlier, but in the camp.”
There were signs and slumped shoulders, but their faces were hard. Liz, next to him, tightened her hand on her fork until her knuckles went white.
After explaining and sharing the video, everyone’s expressions became dark but determined. Everyone except Thyme, who looked awkward and sad.
“We have a problem. Zoey technically didn’t break any local laws.”
A quiet chorus of ‘what’s’ met her proclamation.
“None of you are from this kingdom. She’s a member of the royal house, though distant from the core family. The law clearly states that the royal family can take what they want. That includes s****l favors. She would have to have forced him with actual violence. Even him being a lower Tier is fine, as long as she doesn’t physically attack him.”
Liz ground out through clenched teeth, “She did. She threatened to shove him out of a rift into bloodthirsty monsters.”
Thyme smiled, but it was one of pain and sadness.
“There’s been more than one royal who’s done the same thing, and it’s always held up in court. Here, in this kingdom, no one will convict a royal for anything done against a non-royal.”
Camilla didn’t look surprised. Matt couldn’t tell if it was because she knew that already, or because she had expected the worst.
Fen spoke up, shaking his head. “Sure, I’m from the Empire proper, but there has to be a way to charge her. No?”
Basil nodded. “There is, of course. You just need a higher-ranking noble of this kingdom to pass the judgment. Then, it doesn’t matter if she’s guilty or not.”
Geraden was looking at his staff when he murmured, “And I’m guessing she’s the highest-ranking royal here? Because, of course, she is. They always are. Or at least they only act like that when they are.”
Thyme nodded. “Correct. Juni commands more of the prince’s trust, and so he leads, but he isn’t a part of the royal family. He could be accused of treason if he acted against her.”
Matt asked the duo, who seemed to know more than the rest of them, about local politics.
“So, what are our options? It seems that we either ask the prince himself to do something or take matters into our own hands. What are our odds of receiving help from him? We need a royal decree, or something putting her under our custody.”
As he finished, an idea came to him, and he asked, “What if we just get her removed from the party remaining behind? That way she won’t have access to the weaker tiers while we aren’t around.”
Thyme shook her head again. “I don’t know the prince, but any royals here are either from opposing factions, or of his own. Hard to say which one she’s from. Best case scenario is that she’s from his faction, and he puts a stop to her actions. If she isn’t, there’s little he can do. There’s no way he would piss off one of his siblings by acting against one of their people. And she’s staying behind by virtue of being a crafter. She won’t be in the fight no matter what.”
Fen chimed in, “So, it’s a gamble if we bring this up. If we do, we draw an easy target on our backs.”
The hard set of Matt’s jaw and nod to Camilla showed he had already made up his mind.
Basil added, “Yes. And you aren’t wrong with what you are all thinking. By the same token, which makes the prince unwilling or unable to move against anyone that…disposes of her. He won’t act to get vengeance if there isn’t a sign that points to anyone. It isn’t worth it.” He paused, before adding quietly, “Zoey wouldn’t be the first low royal that disappeared for their actions, and there’s rarely anyone to look into it. At most, there’d be a paltry investigation for show. Besides, Juni detests the woman, so he won’t look too far into it.”
Liz opened her mouth to speak, but Camilla spoke faster.
“So, how do we do this? I wasn’t planning on having your particular abilities, or really any help at all.”
Basil nodded at her. He laid out a plan, “After the meeting, it will be fully dark. She’s a crafter, so any of us melee types can take care of her quickly. But it needs to be quiet. We also can’t leave a body as evidence, which means we’ll need to remove her quickly, too.”
He looked to Matt, the only one with a flying sword, and asked, “Can you get in the air unseen?”
It meant he would be unable to use [Cracked Phantom Armor], but he could do it.
At Matt’s nod, Thyme finished for her husband. “Then we do it quickly and quietly. Fen, can Bow and Arrow make a bit of a scene?”
With the huffs of the wolves’ answer, she continued, “Camilla, you need to be visible. Sorry, but Juni isn’t stupid, and he will have heard about what you did to the slavers already. While I agree with the action, you’ll be suspect number one. Geraden, how long can you make your roots? Can you keep Zoey quiet from a standing position?”
“No, but I can trip her and do it that way. I have enough reach to be visible, so long as Den is touching the ground.”
Matt didn’t know the man’s tree bond hiding as a staff had that kind of range. He made a note of it in case he ever needed to fight the man.
Basil asked Liz, “The two of you are known to be sleeping together, so can you give him an alibi?”
The duo seemed to know a bit too much about Zoey and how to get rid of her, and Matt had to wonder if they had done this before. They had a plan too fast, and it was too detailed for them to have come up with it on the spot.
Still, Matt was willing to do whatever he had to, in order to protect those weaker. Especially those without the Empire proper giving them a voice. This wouldn’t be happening if they hadn’t set off the ruins in the first place.
“I can make the kill if Geraden and Den can trip her. So long as they give me a single second of quiet. No need for two of us to be missing.”
- Writer
