The Outcast (Summoner #4)(29)
Arcturus nodded, unsure of whether to be pleased or angry. It could have been a lot worse—their actions may never have come to light. But expulsion … was that all? Even when caught red-handed, their high birth had protected them.
He felt a flash of gratitude for Ulfr. Were it not for him, Arcturus would be slowly digesting within the stomach of a monster. It was unfair of Obadiah to speak of him in such a way.
“Lady Faversham is dealing with them now,” Obadiah said, lowering his voice and leaning closer. “It is a good thing she is not here, for what we are about to discuss must never reach her ears.”
“What do you mean?” Scipio asked. Even Elizabeth looked perplexed. Clearly, this was news to all of them.
“As soon as I heard of the mysterious fire that killed the innkeeper and his wife, I suspected foul play. Yet, they were the only two who knew where you came from. I already suspected you were Faversham’s bastard son—hell, that’s why the king put me in charge of the investigation in the first place. He suspects the same.”
“He’s Faversham’s son?” Scipio groaned, laying his face in his hands. “This is going to cause a mess. Lady Faversham is going to be furio—”
“Lady Faversham will know nothing,” Obadiah snapped. “Now keep your tongue still until I have finished speaking. What we are about to do amounts to high treason, but it is the only thing we can do to save hundreds of lives and prevent the kingdom from tearing itself apart.”
Scipio fell silent, though his face reddened with anger at being spoken to in such a way. Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder and nodded at Obadiah to continue.
“I searched for mysterious deaths in the local area. Faversham wouldn’t stop at the innkeeper; he had too much riding on it. So when I discovered that the owner of a workhouse had been mysteriously murdered, I knew where to look.”
“Smart,” Arcturus said, but he shook his head in disgust.
“But that’s not all. When I visited the workhouse, I discovered something else there.”
He leaned even closer, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“There were others. Like you. More of Faversham’s brood.”
Arcturus was stunned. Lord and Lady Faversham were obviously covering up an unhappy marriage if there were other illegitimate sons out there.
“I tested them, the same way we do with non-firstborn noble children, in case they have inherited the ability to summon. Two others, plus one more in another workhouse.”
“Three of them,” Arcturus murmured.
“All boys, believe it or not.” Obadiah chuckled. “But that was not all. You see, I had sent my most trusted officers to test other children, to keep up appearances, you understand. They flew from village to village, lining up the boys and girls and checking one by one. They have been through thousands of them, testing each and every one. It was only on my way here that I received the message. There are more of them.”
“What does that mean?” Elizabeth asked. “Other illegitimate children?”
“No, not bastards,” Obadiah stated, sneering as Elizabeth winced at the terminology. “The officers confirmed it. The village they found the first common summoner in was hundreds of miles from the nearest noble estate. The mother is a brunette who had never been more than a mile from her village. The local baker was the father, and the boy had his red hair and green eyes. There was no doubt of parentage there.”
“So … it’s not just illegitimate children. Commoners are manifesting the ability independently,” Scipio gasped.
“Not so loud,” Obadiah hushed. “Yes, that is the case … and that is the story we are going to tell the king. Nobody must know that Lord Faversham cheated on his wife. There will be other bastards out there, just like Arcturus. Scores of them. Maybe hundreds.”
Arcturus thought about all the other “bastards” out there, left to rot while their noble fathers lived the high life, careless of their children’s circumstances. Obadiah was sweating now, and Arcturus grimaced as he realized that perhaps even Obadiah himself had worries about illegitimate children of his own.
The noble and his ilk were selfish brutes, the lot of them. Even speaking to the man left a bad taste in Arcturus’s mouth, but he forced himself to listen.
“Imagine what would happen, if word were to get out. The orphanages around the country would be tested immediately, proof of every infidelity across the country revealed. Noble houses would split apart, Hominum’s aristocracy shattered in an instant. Right when we need to be strong.”
Elizabeth and Scipio were nodding, though most of the conversation went over Arcturus’s head. All he knew was that they were going to keep his origins a secret.
“The dwarves plot another rebellion as we speak. The orc raids become more frequent each day. Hell, the commoners themselves are becoming despondent, furious at the way the king has bankrupted the country. There is even talk of the king giving up his throne, so that Prince Harold can take his place, just to placate the people!”
“All well and good,” Elizabeth said, holding up her hands. “I agree that we must keep illegitimate children a secret and tell the world that Arcturus simply manifested the gift independently, as the other commoners you found did. But I have two questions for you. How will we keep him safe? As long as Arcturus is here, Lord Faversham and Charles will try to kill him, to get rid of the evidence. Also, how will we keep this a secret? Let’s not forget that if Lady Faversham finds out, she will kill him.”