Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles #5)(60)

The lights on the rim of the portal flashed, the green glow swirled, the Uma woman stepped into it, and her presence vanished from the inn.

Kosandion looked at Sean. “What happened?”

“That man tried to kill the Holy Ecclesiarch,” Sean said.

“How?”

“Poison. A microcapsule sealed inside his tooth. He bit it and exhaled the poisoned vapor.”

And Sean sensed it despite being forty feet away. Hundreds of innkeepers had watched him crush that assassination attempt. Not even one would disagree with a simple fact: Sean Evans was amazing.

“The antidote is already in the prisoner’s system,” Sean continued. “He will survive.”

“Unfortunate,” Kosandion said. The word landed like a brick.

The leader of the Kyporo delegation, a spare, ascetic-looking man, stared at Kosandion with open hostility.

The Holy Ecclesiarch smiled. Every time I had seen him, his kind face all but shone with benevolence, but in this moment his expression changed, as if a different man rose from the depths to the surface. Shrewd. Smart. Powerful. It was there for a mere fraction of a second and vanished back into a soft caring smile. Something wasn’t right about this.

“Well,” the holy man sighed. “At least I’m still important enough to be murdered.”

“Obviously, Sar Ramin had a lapse in judgement,” the leader of the delegation ground out. “We had no idea he held such extremist views.”

“How quick you are to throw your people into the fire, Odikas,” Kosandion said.

“He is young and impressionable,” Odikas said. “A group should not be penalized for the actions of one individual, nor should it bear responsibilit—"

“I thought you were a man of vision,” Kosandion said, his voice harsh.

His pose was relaxed, almost languid, but the intensity in his eyes was frightening. His body signaled that he didn’t condescend to view Odikas as any kind of threat, and his face assured that retribution was coming, and it would be swift and brutal.

“Alas, I was wrong, and you are blind. What is it you said about my father? A weakling controlled by a woman, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Resven confirmed, his voice so buttery you could spread it on toast.

“You brought an Uma woman here, because you thought I missed my mother so much, I would forget my duty, lose my mind, and throw away the nation’s interests for a chance to bed someone who looks like my parent.”

The Kyporo delegation collectively winced. Yes. Ew.

The cavernous room was so quiet, you would hear the proverbial pin drop.

“Did you plan to use her to influence my policy decisions, or was I supposed to die once the heir was born, so you could pull her strings and play at being regent?”

Odikas clenched his teeth.

“How long was I supposed to remain alive? Would you have given me the courtesy to see my offspring being born?”

No answer.

Kosandion shook his head slightly. “The Uma value their freedom beyond everything else. You forced Ellenda to come here against her will. If I had chosen her, she would either have killed you or killed herself. All those years you blamed my mother for the reforms my father implemented, and yet you never took the time to learn anything about her people.”

The gray skin on the older man’s cheeks turned darker. Odikas looked a hair from losing it.

Kosandion glanced at Resven. “Explain it to him.”

“You knew Ellenda was in danger of being eliminated when you saw the preliminary rankings,” Resven said. “She refused to debate, so you counted on the date to save you. The moment she reclaimed her freedom, your plans collapsed, so you sent your favorite subordinate to murder the Holy Ecclesiarch in hopes that his death would force us to void the selection and begin again. It is painfully obvious, and yet you’re making excuses, as if the whole world has lost the ability to reason, and you are the only one still thinking.”

A grimace twisted Odikas’ face. He bared his teeth.

Resven stared at him, derision plain on his face. “It’s not the plotting. It’s the sheer, obnoxious stupidity of it that irritates me. A man of grand ambition yet meager talent should at least strive for hiring a capable adviser.”

Wow. I had no idea Resven had it in him. There had to be some history there.

“You!” Odikas choked out.

“Look into the sensors, Odikas,” Resven said. “We are here to witness the funeral of your career. At last, the Dominion is watching just as you always wanted. All eyes are upon you. Are you not pleased? Was it everything you hoped it would be?”

Odikas clenched his fists, choked by his own outrage.

“The Kyporo delegation is disqualified,” Kosandion said. “All their asks and honors are void.”

“You can’t do that!” one of the delegates shouted.

Kosandion looked at him. It was like being on a dark cliff and suddenly having the bright beam of the lighthouse fall upon you.

“For the citizens at home, tell me, Chancellor, can I do that?”

“Absolutely,” Resven said. “The law gives you that power, Letero. The Kyporo delegation knows it does. They have read the contracts and signed them prior to their arrival.”

Kosandion glanced at me. “These people are no longer part of the selection. The Dominion thanks our gracious hosts for their patience in delaying their expulsion at my request. I do not dare to abuse their hospitality any longer.”