He won’t be able to justify his switched vote unless there’s some reason, Kenton realized. The members of his profession think in terms of monetary gain and loss. If Vey changed his mind because of my kindness, he would be ridiculed. If he voted for me because of some future monetary gain, however … .
Kenton chuckled slightly. “Yes, then,” he declared. “You’d better vote for me, otherwise you won’t see a lak of that loan money.”
“You are a cruel bargainer, Lord Mastrell,” Vey returned, also smiling slightly. “I will curse your name right up to the moment I vote for you.” He leaned in close, adding in a lower voice, “I will, however, pray for your soul, Lord Mastrell. The Sand Lord is known to be more lenient with those who are merciful themselves. I trust you have arranged passage back to Kezare?”
“I have,” Kenton said. “We can leave as soon as we pick up the Lord General.”
“Reegent?” the short Kershtian asked. “Where is he?”
Kenton paused. “Didn’t he come with you?”
Vey shook his head.
“He disappeared from the Tower about the same time you left for Lraezare,” Kenton explained. “The rumors were that he had come with you.”
“I know nothing of Reegent,” Vey said, his face earnest.
Sands, Kenton thought with concern. Where is he?
#
They left the room, Kenton enthusiastic, Vey relieved, and Ais looking very, very confused. Down below, Kenton was surprised to see that the small entryway had been filled to capacity during his absence. Fully twenty men stood below, each bearing the circled Helm symbol on the breast of their robes.
Kenton frowned—this could be none other than the Shipowner’s Circle. They were of little importance to him, however. He would soon be leaving.
“Lord Delious, I trust our ship has room for one more passenger,” Kenton asked.
“I suppose,” Delious said with a shrug. “Especially if it’s Lord Vey—everyone knows how fond I am of him.”
“Good, then let us prepare to go,” Kenton said, shooting an uncomfortable look at the Circle. The men were watching him as he went down the stairs, their faces distrustful.
“I think you will find that a difficult task without a ship,” Lokkall said smoothly.
Kenton turned suspicious eyes on the head of the Circle. The tall Kershtian man was smiling to himself. “Without a ship?” Kenton demanded quietly.
“I’m afraid the Council had need of your ship,” Lokkall informed. “Your things are sitting on the docks. The captain set sail for Kezare fifteen minutes ago.”
Kenton cursed, gritting his teeth in anger.
Delious just laughed. “What a childish move,” he declared, draining the wine from his ever-present cup.
“Don’t worry, Lokkall,” Vey said quickly. “The Lord Mastrell and I have come to an agreement. I shall need to return to Kezare immediately.”
Lokkall shot Vey a disgusted look—one Vey received with narrowed eyes of distrust. “I care not if you choose to deal with the unholy one, Vey,” Lokkall hissed in Kershtian. “I have other concerns. It is very important that you make no vote in that Council.”
“You wouldn’t!” Vey challenged. “This is outrageous!”
“It’s unimportant, is what it is,” Delious cut in. No one but Kenton seemed to notice his flawless Kershtian. Delious switched back to Lossandin. “We’ll just commandeer another boat—I can take my pick, you know.”
“Not any more, Delious,” Lokkall said, a sneer on his face.
“What?” Delious asked.
“Delious of Kezare,” Lokkall announced in a firm voice, the other Circle members standing supportively behind him, “by unanimous vote of the Shipowner’s Circle, you are hereby stripped of your title as Lord Admiral. Your drunkenness has been an embarrassment to the Helm for long enough. You have cost it exorbitant sums and offered no service in return. Your support of this sand master, enemy of the Helm, is the final grain of sand. You have gone too far, and we are left with no choice. Consider yourself released. As of this moment, you are possessionless—as per the Law, all that you had is now the Helm’s. Your service, such as it was, is appreciated.”
Delious slumped back against the wall, his eyes wide with shock. “I’m … released?” he asked. “Now? After all this time … .”
Lokkall smiled, turning to Kenton. “As you see, Lord Mastrell, you appear to be without a means of transportation. You might be able to commandeer some tonks—the trip should only take you a week.”
Kenton cursed to himself. Will this never stop? He thought with frustration. Every time I close my eyes, something else new—
“You have the documents?” a new voice suddenly asked.
Kenton frowned. He thought he recognized the voice—it was familiar, yet different. He turned amazed eyes toward Delious. The former Lord Admiral was standing tall, his aged face somehow looking distinguished despite his foolish clothing.
“Right here, Delious,” Delious’s steward said from behind, unrolling several sheets of paper.
“Good. Let me sign them.” Delious’s voice was firm—in control. He showed no sign of his former drunkenness. “Trackt,” he said, nodding toward Ais. “Would you look these over to judge their legality?”
Ais stepped down in front of Kenton, accepting the sheets and looking over them. “These look in order,” he said after a moment of study.
“What are they?” Lokkall said, a bit of uncertainty creeping into his voice.
“Deeds,” Ais said. “Deeds to ships, it appears.”
Lokkall grew pale.
“As Lord Admiral, I was forbidden to own property,” Delious said with a quiet smile. “But the Charter says nothing about my servants. Or my son.”
“Oh, sands …” Lokkall whispered.
“Delin,” Delious said, looking over the deeds, “is there still a carapace shortage in Kezare?”
“I believe so, father,” the steward said, smiling broadly.
“Why is that again?”
The steward chuckled. “Probably because you ordered all of our ships to buy the incoming loads of carapace and keep them in their holds.”
“How many ships do I have in Kezare’s docks?”
“Twelve, father,” the steward replied, shooting a satisfied look at the Circle.
Delious nodded. “Send our fastest skimmer north. Order the captains to unload their cargoes and sell them at a fourth of the going price.”
Fully five members of the Shipowner’s Circle fainted at that remark. Kenton smiled to himself. With the Kezare shortage, it only made sense that they would have purchased all of the carapace in the south and begun shipping it to the north. Entire fortunes could be made—or lost—on such an opportunity.
Delious handed the deeds back to his son and took a step forward, staring Lokkall directly in the eyes. “When you steal a man’s fortune, when you give him a title mocked and reviled by the rest of the nation, and when you give him five years to contemplate his hatred, make certain you never give him a chance to get revenge. Remember that next time.”
Delious spun to face the rest of the Circle, most of whom were helping their stunned comrades back to their feet.
“I nominate Lokkall as the new Lord Admiral,” Delious announced. “If enough of you vote with me, I will change my order, and only sell my carapace at half the going rate instead of a fourth. Those in favor, please make it known.”
The vote was unanimous. To his credit, Lokkall managed to bear it without fainting.
Delious nodded at the result, turning to the new Lord Admiral. “You are now Lord Admiral, Lokkall,” he said with a hint of vengeance in his voice. “All of your wealth is forfeit. All of your ships are forfeit. You can demand nothing from us but a home and some food. You will probably grow to have a taste for wine, if you don’t have one already.”
Lokkall closed his eyes, a look of pain on his face.
“This is what you did to me, Lokkall,” Delious whispered. “Feel it. But, un
like you, I’m going to give you a way out. I am going to personally hold all of your wealth and ships. Vote for the Lord Mastrell in the Council, and I will find a new Lord Admiral and return your possessions to you. Do you understand?”
Lokkall nodded, his eyes dazed.
“Good,” Delious snapped. He turned to Kenton. “Are we going?”
Kenton nodded, smiling. “I suppose.”
Delious began to walk toward the door. He paused, however, next to his son, removing a wine bottle from the man’s pouch. He uncorked the bottle smelling the wine inside with closed eyes. Then he turned it over and dumped the wine on the floor of Lokkall’s mansion.
“You know the ironic thing?” Delious asked to no one in particular. “I absolutely loath wine. Always have.”
#
Khriss caught up to Kenton and Delious as they walked toward the docks. Kenton had explained the way the Lord Admiral was chosen, and she had thought it atrocious. She had known that there was more to the Lord Admiral than he had let on, but this … ? Eric had translated most of what was said—though he did so in his summarizing way. Still, she had understood most of what happened.
“So,” she demanded, pushing her way between Kenton and Delious, “you were faking all this time?” she asked with amazement, forcing Kenton to play translator.
“Define faking, Khrissalla,” Delious responded. “I really did feel like a fool. I really did feel like drinking myself senseless. I really did loose faith in truth and justice. I didn’t give up, however. I spent the first month after my appointment to the Lord Admiralship feeling sorry for myself. After that, I began planning. You don’t become a successful merchant without knowing how to deal with temporary setbacks.”
“Five years is hardly temporary,” Kenton noted.
Delious smiled, a bit of his old humor showing through. “It is, when compared to a lifetime,” he noted.
“True,” Kenton admitted.
“Only the Council could release me,” Delious explained as they walked down the street. Going down suited Khriss much more than climbing up. “Therefore, the only thing I could do was annoy them to the point that they decided to get rid of me.”
“And you planned for all those years … .” Khriss said with amazement.
“I had little else to do,” Delious pointed out.
“I have a question, Delious,” Kenton asked. “Why are you helping me? Your plan is finished; you won. Wouldn’t it be better for your profession to oppose the Diem?”
Delious shrugged. “Perhaps,” he admitted. “The truth is, Lord Mastrell, that I empathize with you. I know treachery, and I know what it is like to fight impossible odds. What was done to your profession was not right, and I will not support its destruction.”
Khriss shook her head. She couldn’t believe the change in the man. He walked proudly now, where he had stumbled foolishly before. His eyes were keen, rather than dulled by drink. He spoke firmly, rather than with slurred tones. She had yet to meet a person on dayside who felt more like a nobleman than the new Delious. He had the lucid eyes and honest face of a kind and just lord.
No wonder the Circle was afraid of him, she thought. She turned to Kenton. “And what about you?” she asked. “What did you do up there? How did you beat that merchant into submission?”
“I didn’t,” Kenton said frankly. “It turns out he was the one who owed the seven hundred thousand, not the Diem. He had a debt that transferred from Lord Merchant to Lord Merchant—a debt owed to the Diem.”
“So, you demanded it from him?” Khriss asked with amazement. Suddenly, he was rich.
“No,” Kenton said. “I forgave it. I didn’t want to get money that way.”
“You … .” Khriss said, trailing off. “Kenton, that was stupid.”
Kenton chuckled to himself.
“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” he said. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Vey was so impressed that he offered to let me push him into giving me his vote.”
“What?” Khriss asked.
“I’ll explain later.”
She frowned—she never liked that answer. She didn’t press the point, however. “How are we going to get back?” she asked. “Didn’t they send our ship away?”
Delious smiled. “Delin,” he said, addressing the nondescript man who was apparently his son, “how many ships do we have in the Lraezare docks?”
“Three,” Delin replied.
“Which one is the fastest?”
“The Kalqin,” Delin informed.
“Tell the captain we’ll be leaving for Kezare within the hour.”
“Yes, sir,” Delin said, nodding and hurrying ahead.
“He’s a good boy,” Delious mumbled. “His mother left me when I lost my fortune—the first time, I mean.”
Khriss froze, stopping in place. “Wait a minute,” she said. “What about the Lord General?”
Delious paused too, frowning. “You’re right. Wasn’t he supposed to be here?”
Kenton shook his head. “No. Vey said he hadn’t come with him.”
“Then where is he?” Delious asked.
Kenton just shook his head. “We only have three days to find out.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
A good tailwind sped their progress north. Even still, travelling against the current meant that it would take nearly two days to complete the trip. Kenton withstood it in silent frustration. By the time they got back to Kezare, he would only have one day until the fight with Drile and the judgement, which would occur a few hours later.
He was so close. Vey’s support would not only bring him the Lord Farmer, but the loan should be enough to placate the Lord Artisan. The Diem would still have debts—however, many professions took out loans from the Guild. He could only hope that the Lady Judge would accept the deal, with the promise of payment, as proof that the Diem was on the road to financial stability.
Kenton leaned against the ship’s wale, watching the land pass. A short distance away, he could see Vey speaking quietly with the elderly Cynder—as a merchant, Vey knew a smattering of Dynastic. It was odd, seeing Vey in such a manner—seeing him as a person, rather than an opponent. He laughed happily with Cynder, trying out his limited vocabulary. He was the Lord Merchant, and he was a Kershtian, but he was still a person.
Maybe if I hadn’t assumed he would oppose me from the beginning, I could have avoided all of this, Kenton realized with guilt. Of course, that was his problem, wasn’t it? He assumed everyone was against him. It had seemed that way in the Diem, and he had fought for so long that he had begun to see the entire world in a similar manner.
You were right, father. You were right all along. I was a fool. He felt relieved, in a way, to realize that. The world seem like a much more optimistic place now that he understood that he didn’t necessarily have to defend himself against everyone he met. Of course, he still had to win the Diem’s judgement.
Delious had secured him the Lord Admiral’s vote. Even if Kenton didn’t personally agree with Delious’s motives, he couldn’t fault the man. After what had happened to Delious, he had a right to be ruthless. The opportunity he had offered Lokkall, allowing the man to have his possessions back after his term as Lord Admiral, was far more merciful than could be expected.
Delious stood now, speaking quietly with the ship captain as they sailed north. Kenton watched them, leaning against the bow wale. His nose and eyes no longer red from alcohol, the former Lord Admiral cut an imposing figure. He had abandoned his flowery robes, instead choosing ones of a more moderate style—simple tans and grays. However, the plain clothing did not detract from his presence.
Before, one’s eyes had been drawn directly to Delious’s clothing, and its flowery bright colors and frills had formed an immediate impression in the viewer. Now, however, the clothing faded to the background, allowing one to realize just how distinguished a man Delious was. He stood tall and proud, his gray-flecked hair lending him a sagacious air.
Thi
s is the type of man I would become, Kenton decided. He could immediately tell why Delious had been so successful, no matter what Profession he chose. He had an air that made men want to follow him. His movements bespoke experience.
Kenton turned around, staring out across the passing river, feeling the cool breeze blowing against his face, the ship quivering slightly below him as it forced its way against the current. Perhaps someday he could be like Delious, but only if he survived the next few days.
His powers still hadn’t returned. He was beginning to think Khriss and Eric were right—he had been a fool to do something so drastic so close to the judgement. Of course, despite all of his successes, he still had three votes he couldn’t count on. Dirin’s ploy to gain the Talloner vote was a completely random factor. The Lord General, the first supporter he had thought he’d gained, had disappeared completely.
Most stressful of all, however, was the Lady Judge’s vote. With Ais giving her information, Kenton could only guess what she thought of him. The loan from Vey was only a half-answer to her demand that the Diem get rid of its debts, and he had no idea how she would judge whether or not the Diem had convinced the people of Lossand to accept it.
At least I can count on one thing, he thought ruefully. The Lady Judge had told him that the Diem needed a solid leader in order to prove itself. One way or another, the sand masters would have their leader—either he would kill Drile or, more likely, Drile would kill him. Kenton could only hope that if that happened, all of the Taisha would still vote as they had promised.
#
“It’s not working.”
Khriss paused. She had just left her cabin and was on her way up to the deck. The voice, however, made her pause. It was coming from the room Eric shared with Cynder. The door was slightly ajar. Cynder, however, was on deck—or he had been a few minutes ago when she’d left him. Who was Eric talking too?
“You’ve done a pretty good job, these last few years,” Eric said conversationally. “Except for that one incident, of course. Still, for the most part you’ve completely avoided responsibility. No worries. No one depending on you. No one dying for you.”