Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms #1)(88)

Captain Omar mutters beneath his breath as the high lord appears to be considering my offer. I take note of the grip around my wrists. The guard has slackened his hold.

“Did you know that I was once a skilled hunter like yourself?” Lord Jamis asks. “Your father and I trained together.”

This isn’t the type of comment I’d expected. First, because it is true. And second because it’s personal. Lord Jamis does not strike me as the type of man to let many people close to him.

“Truth,” I say.

His brows lift in appraisal.

“She guessed.” Omar moves between the high lord and me. “She’s lying to save him.”

I rip free of the guard and dart forward. “No! You killed my father.” I point at the captain. “You turned evidence over to Lord Jamis to set Cohen up. You even tried to silence everyone, but there was one witness you didn’t silence. He saw the five stripes on your coat. Only you wear five stripes.”

The other guards move behind me. Captain Omar puts out his hand to stay them. “You accuse me? You fool girl,” he hisses. “Saul was my friend. I didn’t kill him. But I will kill his murderer.”

Truth. It licks through me, a fire blazing through my body.

My arm drops, weighted by the instant proof in his words. “You’re telling the truth.”

“Captain Omar is right,” Lord Jamis says briskly. “You’ve had quite the performance. I’ve seen pitiful men go to great lengths to save their neck. This, however”—?he gestures in the air to me—?“is the most elaborate of all ploys.”

“No, I’m not lying. Please. I can prove it.”

“We’ve seen enough of your proof.” He waves the two waiting guards to seize me.

I scurry around a chair. “I’m not lying. The witness saw the captain’s coat. I don’t know how to explain what happened, but Cohen is innocent. He doesn’t deserve—”

Someone’s arm snakes around my waist, hand clamping over my mouth. I twist and thrash my legs, realizing one of the guards managed to get behind me.

“You asked to wear my coat,” Captain Omar says, the cadence of his words eerily slow.

I pause my fight, confused by his comment, only to find he’s not looking at me. Lord Jamis holds his attention.

“You asked for my coat and I gave it to you,” the captain says.

Lord Jamis takes a step away from the desk. “We can discuss this later.”

If the guard’s hand weren’t clamped to my mouth, my jaw would be on the floor. Lord Jamis had the captain’s coat. I think back to my first meeting with the high lord and turn over everything he said. How he displayed the evidence and led me to accuse Cohen. He never answered me when I asked if he believed Cohen killed my father. He identified the murder weapon and then pushed me into believing Cohen’s guilt by saying there were two witnesses. But he never spoke the words.

Lord Jamis killed Papa.

“No” is Captain Omar’s immediate response. “We will discuss this now. What were you doing in Celize three months ago?”

“You already know we were there to discuss peace.” Lord Jamis shakes his head, as if this conversation is ridiculous.

The guard holding me must be confused by the turn of conversation as well because he freezes as I stare at the man who must be guilty. I need Lord Jamis to say it. I need to feel the confirmation.

Omar opens and closes his hand over the hilt of his sword. “I found the dagger beside Saul’s body, which was suspect. After all, why would anyone leave behind something so valuable? But why would Cohen also leave his personal coat? He isn’t foolish enough to leave evidence about.”

“I do not know,” Lord Jamis says, and a slight chill brushes through me.

“You were almost as good as Saul at tracking and taking down a kill. I used to be envious of you two. I would’ve never believed you could kill him.”

Lord Jamis moves around his desk. “Omar, I’ve done nothing. Let’s end this.”

His confession’s too vague to warrant a full reaction, but his words add to the cold in my gut.

“What reason could you have to kill him?” Omar’s words are clipped with barely concealed fury. “Guards,” Omar commands with the slightest tip of his chin. Forgetting me and Cohen, both guards abandon us and move in on Lord Jamis.

“Stop this now.” Lord Jamis’s face shadows. “You will leave my study and recompose yourself. I won’t speak to you on this matter again.”

Captain Omar unsheathes his sword, and his tone is as sharp as his blade when he says, “Answer now. Did you kill Saul?”

“I did not!” Lord Jamis rages back.

Ice blasts through my veins. I gasp at the intensity of his lie.

Omar’s eyes ping to me and back to the high lord. My reaction is all the proof Omar needs. “I think your little bounty hunter would tell me otherwise.”

In a blink, Lord Jamis has a sword in hand. A ring of steel echoes through the room as weapons clash. With the guards distracted, I snatch the two daggers off the desk and rush to Cohen’s side and cut his ropes. He wraps his free hand around mine, pulling me to his body as he hobbles us both toward the door.

“You’re hurt,” I whisper the moment we’re out of the room.