Hunter's Season (Elder Races #4.7)(9)

He had trusted her.

What she had done had come as a raw shock. Her attempts to kill Niniane were not only a betrayal of the true heir, but most importantly, they were a betrayal of him. What she had done went against everything that Aubrey stood for and believed in, and if she had succeeded in killing Niniane, he knew that she would have never told him what she had done.

In the aftermath of her death, he doubted himself and his own judgment of people. He might have missed her, except when the shock and guilt eased enough for other feelings to come in, he felt so angry at her for what she had done. He wanted to shout at her and throw her out of house, and he could do none of that of because she was dead.

He had no idea how he would ever grow to trust someone again. He felt so angry all of the time, and bitter. He felt cheated. He understood how the Ealduns might feel angry and cheated too.

How would they react to the news of the Queen’s dismissal? He believed they would take it very badly and he braced himself for the possibility of ugly missives awaiting him when he arrived home, or even a confrontation in public or possible retaliation in another way.

They had already dropped out of social gatherings, and it would be some years before their reputation recovered enough for them to receive invitations again. Prosecuting him had been, among other things, a way for them to try to distance themselves from the stain of what Naida had done. They could have claimed horror and righteous indignation, and they must have hoped to turn censure away by pointing fingers at someone else, but now that avenue had been denied them.

He also understood Niniane’s anger and the reasons for her dismissal of the Ealdun’s lawsuit, but he could not help but wish it had been allowed to run its course.

For one thing, he had been most interested to find out what evidence the Ealdun s might offer up to the court as proof of his undue influence over Naida.

He had wanted to know just how far they would go for money, and for their pride.

Perhaps he could still find out. He sent for one of his junior secretaries, a steady, discreet fellow named Sebrin who had a very sharp mind. Once Sebrin had stepped inside his office, he nodded for the younger male to shut the door.

“You might have heard the news by now,” he said. “The Queen has dismissed the Ealduns’ lawsuit against me.”

“Oh, very good, sir,” said Sebrin, which did not happen to confirm whether he had heard already or not.

Aubrey suppressed a smile. Discreet, indeed. He was pleased with his choice in hiring Sebrin. He said, “I want you to dig quietly into the details of that lawsuit. See if you discover what sort of evidence they claimed to have. I don’t expect they would have had time to file anything detailed, so this will probably not be in court records. You may have to travel to the Ealdun’s home seat.” He paused. “Do you understand what I am asking you to do?”

He could see in the other man’s intelligent expression that Sebrin understood him perfectly. “Yes, my lord.”

“Do you have any problem with the assignment?”

“Not at all, my lord.” Sebrin added emphasis to each word, his eyes sparkling. “I think it will be quite interesting.”

“Very good. Be careful and keep your head down. That will be all.” He sat back in his chair, his hands steepled together as he watched Sebrin bow and take his leave.

He wasn’t sure what he would do with the answers when he received them, but it still felt good to take at least some kind of action. He hoped he would be wrong, but he fully expected to be incensed at whatever Sebrin might find. After all, the Ealduns would not have filed a lawsuit if they hadn’t believed they could argue a case against him.

In the meantime, he would get nothing else accomplished at work that day. As the sun dipped below the horizon, he finally sent his secretaries off. Then as was his habit, he walked the short distance along torch lit streets to the stylish neighborhood near the palace where his house was located.

It was an old and gracious building, and despite the triads of servants it held to fulfill his every whim, somehow it was still quite empty.

Chapter Three

Death

“It’s the Queen, isn’t it?” Xanthe asked Inanna’s card that night.

The love of one’s country could certainly be personified as the love of one’s Queen. This possibility fit even better than the kitten had.

The card, of course, made no comment. Divination came through Elder Tarot decks in ways other than outright language, depending on which card spread one laid. All the Major Arcana were the seven Elder gods, the primal Powers that moved and sustained the universe. Love, Death, Will, Law, The Depths, The Hearth. And the god who was god over all the others, The Dance.

All the Minor Arcana were the various aspects of each god. The nuances were in the combinations. Love and Death could mean grief or loss. Love and Will, which was sometimes known as The Gift, could mean sacrifice. The most accurate and comprehensive messages were found in a complete spread.

At least, that was true of a normal Tarot deck.

When she had traveled back from Devil’s Gate to Chicago with Duncan Turner, Seremela Telemar and her niece, Xanthe had cheated.

Because Seremela was a physician with highly trained magical skills, the others had assumed that she was the expert when she examined the mysterious Tarot deck that her niece had stolen. And she was, mostly. All Xanthe had to do was remain silent while she watched and listened. She learned that despite Seremela’s expertise, the physician couldn’t identify what kind of Power infused the cards, or what the Power might mean, or how it might exert influence on the world around it.