“Yes,” Hector confirmed. “And I’m quite certain they’re the ones who killed him.”
Blazing Saints . . .
“Are they the ones trying to kill the Chosen?” Morelli demanded.
“I don’t know,” Hector said. “We’ve been trying to figure that out, but it’s not as if we can ask outright.”
“Why not?” Carver asked. The muscles bracketing his spine were so tight, he half expected something to snap. “We can arrest every member you’ve identified, and—”
“What about the ones wehaven’tidentified?” Hector shook his head. “The Brotherhood poses a real threat to the empire. We can’t rush this and risk missing someone. Especially not their leader, who we have yet to identify.”
Carver shot a look to Kulver. “The leader wasn’t at your induction?”
“He was there,” the chancellor said. “Hooded and robed in black. He sat in a shadowed corner and didn’t say a single word, so I still have no clue who he is. But I’ve heard enough whispers from others in the Brotherhood that everyone gets a private meeting with the leader at some point.” He frowned. “I was with two of the members last night. They wanted to discuss the attack on Market Square. We were up half the night talking and drinking. They alluded to a larger meeting of the Brotherhood being inevitable after the Rising attacked the city so boldly.”
“Kulver was just giving me his report,” Hector said. “We’re both confident the leader will speak at this meeting, and Kulver will finally be able to identify him.”
Morelli’s dark eyebrows knit together. “What exactly does this Brotherhood do? What crimes have you confirmed?”
“Conspiracy,” Hector said at once. “While there are noblemen in the Brotherhood, the majority seem to be chancellors. They seem to cast their votes according to whatever the Brotherhood orders them to do—an agenda that sometimes goes against what the emperor wishes. I’ve tracked this in several key meetings. They also use their positions to seek more power and wealth. Two of the men Kulver identified have clear ties to illegal gambling dens in the city, and I found proof that one member—a key city official—has bribed a city guard captain to overlook several crimes.”
“Does the emperor know about your investigation?” Carver asked. “My father? Anyone?”
“No.” Hector let out a slow breath. “I didn’t want to alarm the emperor until I knew for certain how deep the corruption went. And I didn’t know who else I could trust. This conspiracy is far-reaching, including men and women I would have sworn were loyal to the emperor.”
“But you trusted Kulver?” Carver asked.
“Yes,” Hector said immediately. “He was one of the only men Icouldtrust. He was new to the court. He had no political ties, owed no favors to anyone. He was uncorrupted. And I gave him every reason to be loyal to me and the emperor.”
Carver darted a look at Kulver. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” the chancellor said, crossing his arms as he leaned back against Hector’s desk, “that when the Brotherhood is dismantled, there will be some vacancies in the emperor’s advisory staff.” He lifted one eyebrow. “Some veryhigh-rankingvacancies.”
Disgust curled in Carver. “And you’ll be promoted.”
Kulver smirked. “Naturally.”
Hector sighed. “I nearly came forward when I learned about Trevill’s tattoo. Knowing he was a member of the Brotherhood meant it was entirely possible they were the ones behind his treason in Esperance. Which meant they could be the ones behind the attacks on the Chosen now.” His brow furrowed. “If they are, it’s a much more serious crime than anything else we’d tied to them thus far. I needed proof.”
This was so much worse than anything Carver had conceived of. He’d wondered if Trevill had an ally, but this . . . An entire Brotherhood of nobles and chancellors may have stood behind him. Galvanizing him. Making him confident that his guiltcould never be proven, even as he sat in a cell. Such powerful men and women would certainly have the wealth necessary to hire multiple assassins.
Even the small army of mercenaries who had attacked them on the road.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Carver asked through gritted teeth.
Hector met his gaze without flinching. “Because finding whoever is in charge of the Brotherhood is the only way to ensure the attacks against the Chosen finally stop.”
“If the Brotherhood is even responsible,” Kulver said. “I haven’t heard any whisperings about them hiring assassins.”
“You’re new,” Hector argued. “It may take time.”
“We don’t have time,” Carver growled. “If there’s even a chance the Brotherhood is responsible for the assassination attempts, they need to be arrested immediately.”
“If we don’t discover their leader first, we may never know who was ultimately responsible,” Hector said. “Please, just give us a few more weeks to—”
“No.”
His ink-stained fingers clenched into fists. “I can give you my notes. You can see for yourself what crimes we have proof of. The plot to kill the Chosen? It isn’t in there. All we have is speculation, and it’s built solely on the link to Trevill’s tattoo. We have no proof that he was operating as a member of the Brotherhood while in Esperance, or that he was murdered by the Brotherhood. If they deny any involvement, we will have ruined the investigation and done nothing to stop the ones truly involved. The threat to the Chosen may be stalled, but it won’t be ended. And the threat to the entire empire will still be there, too.”
