The Blood Spell (Ravenspire, #4)(94)
“Especially if one of the representatives is guilty of murder.” His voice was hard. Which one of them had given the order to slit the throats of innocent girls in their quest for power? Who had sat across from him at teas and meetings and balls, smiling while they plotted the murder of someone else’s daughter?
And would the person responsible show for a meeting if they thought they would be sentenced to death by the end of it?
Turning, he placed a hand on his mother’s arm and said softly, “What reason did you give for calling the meeting?”
“An urgent update on the situation with the rogue witch,” the queen said grimly. “I’m not willing to tip our hand and let someone flee the kingdom rather than face justice.”
He nodded. “Then let’s hear what the magistrate has to say and prepare for the meeting.”
An hour late, Kellan and his mother stood side by side in front of the council table. Seven members were in attendance. Dinah Chauveau hadn’t been at the farmhouse to receive the royal messenger, and Senet Aubert was two cities away dealing with a business issue.
That didn’t matter. The person who needed to be in attendance was seated two chairs down from Kellan, patting Lord Gaillard’s arm as he offered condolences on the terrible loss of his daughter.
Anger, bright and burning, filled Kellan as he said, “I’ll come straight to the point. We have no update on the rogue witch.”
The room fell silent, and seven pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Martin Roche frowned. “Then why—?”
“You’ll speak when you are given permission to speak,” Kellan snapped.
Martin’s cheeks flooded with color, but Kellan didn’t give him a chance to respond. “You’ve been called here because the royal magistrate has caught the woman who was hired to kill Marisol Evrard and Genevieve Gaillard.”
Conversation erupted across the room, and Pieder Evrard lunged to his feet. “Where is she? I’ll kill her in this very room.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Kellan’s voice was stern. “She was the weapon, not the mind behind the crime. She will be sentenced to death by hanging, according to the law, but she is not the one who owes you a blood debt. That person is seated here among us.”
Kellan motioned sharply, and a trio of guards marched into the room and stood behind him. Looking out at the council members’ faces, he said quietly, “I’ll give you one chance to confess your crime and ask those you’ve wronged for mercy. You will still hang for your crimes, but you may yet spare your family the pain of paying off your blood debt.”
The room was absolutely silent. Slowly, Kellan’s gaze moved from face to face until he came to Martin, who was subtly trying to edge away from Louis Gaillard.
“So be it,” Kellan said, nodded toward the guards. They moved rapidly to flank Martin’s chair as Kellan said, “Martin Roche, you are hereby accused of paying an assassin to have Marisol Evrard and Genevieve Gaillard murdered. The magistrate has collected sworn testimony and evidence of payment. Proof will be offered to this council for review, but I will tell you now that I have already reviewed the proof, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are guilty.”
Martin leaped to his feet, his fist lashing out at one of the guards. The other two slammed him into the table and pressed him forward until he was bent at the waist, his arms held firmly behind his back, his cheek lying against the wood as he locked eyes with the prince.
Pieder made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and began crawling across the table toward Martin, while Louis drew his sword.
“Stop!” Kellan held up his hand and waited until he was sure he had both Pieder’s and Louis’s attention. “You will have justice, but you will have it within the confines of the law. He owes each of you a blood debt. The crown offers to strip his immediate family of their noble titles and their place on this council and allow the two of you to choose which distant relation of his may have his place here. Further, his wealth and business holdings will be divided between the two of you, though we will hold in escrow an amount sufficient for the upkeep and security of the Roche quarter and kingdom holdings until we are satisfied that the person you’ve chosen as his replacement is capable of sustaining their obligation to their quarter and to the crown.”
“How could you?” Louis spat, his voice trembling with rage as the guards pulled Martin to his feet again. “You have a daughter of your own.”
Martin clenched his jaw and looked at the floor.
Kellan waited as Pieder and Louis hurled questions and accusations at Martin, their grief a wild, feral thing that filled the room until it seemed the air was growing thick with its fury. When the two men were spent, Kellan said quietly, “Martin Roche, pending the presentation of evidence to this council, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. I will give you one day in our dungeons so that your family may visit you to say their good-byes. It’s one day more than you gave to Marisol and Genevieve, and I want you to know that I do that as a courtesy to your family, and not to you.”
Martin spat at the floor, and the guards dragged him from the room. Kellan waited until he was sure the guards had had enough time to secure Martin in the dungeons before presenting the evidence, taking a vote on the verdict, and then dismissing the meeting. Once the last representative left, he sagged into the closest chair and covered his face with his hands.