Kurtz shook his head and took a long sip from his mug. “Never mastered that magic. We’ll have to do it the hard way.”
“I work the next two nights,” Zanna said. “You’ll have to wait until I’m free.”
“We’ll wait,” Kurtz said. “What about West? How do we prove his innocence?”
Mistel tapped her finger on the table. “There must be court records,” she said.
Kurtz chuckled. “Think Ice Island keeps good records, do you?”
“To be sentenced to twenty years, there must have been evidence.” Zanna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Did Prince Oren mention witnesses?”
Kurtz set down his mug and leaned forward. “The dead man’s wife saw the whole thing, he did. But Crispen swore he never met the tailor or his wife.”
Cole scribbled the words “not guilty” on his parchment. “He was framed. Admitted as much to me.”
“Then someone must have seen something,” Zanna said. “We’ll start asking around.”
Cole nodded, his mind racing. What would life be like if his father were free? He pictured him clapping along as Cole and Mistel performed “The Sparrow that Was a She,” and his heart ached. He wanted such a future for Uncle Crispen—his father. He still couldn’t believe it.
Somewhere in Tsaftown, the truth was waiting. And Cole would find it, no matter how many lies he had to unravel.
That night, Cole lay in bed at the Ivory Spit, thinking about his father and how Prince Oren had known they were related. Only Sir Caleb could have told the prince that, as he was the first person who had interviewed Cole in Mitspah after Achan had taken him on to help with the horses. “Kurtz, can you ask Sir Caleb to bloodvoice me?”
“Certainly,” Kurtz said. “Give me a second, eh?”
Cole tucked his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. A moment later, he heard Sir Caleb’s voice in his head.
Sir Caleb Agros.
Cole lowered his shields and thought, Thank you for voicing me.
Happy to. How have you been?
Cold. Today I found out that Crispen West is my father. Did you know?
Gracious me, I did not. Lord Yarden told me that the woman who sold you to him said Crispen West was your uncle, that he’d been arrested and couldn’t care for you.
Why didn’t you tell me he was alive?
It never occurred to me that you might not know. He’s your father?
So he says. And he has a lot of freckles.
Sir Caleb laughed. Well, that settles it.
He was falsely accused, like Kurtz and Sir Eagan. I have to prove it. I have to get him out.
Someone went to great lengths to frame him and likely won’t want the truth uncovered.
But that’s why we’re here, Cole thought.
You’ll get to the bottom of it, Sir Caleb voiced. I’m glad your father is alive, Cole. I’ll pray Arman leads you to the answers you seek.
Thank you, Sir Caleb. Goodnight.
Goodnight, Cole.
Cole raised his shields, picturing Crispen West’s freckled, gaunt face. He thought of Duke Hamartano’s accusations of being poisoned. The many Thusk Shipping Exchange crates at Ice Island. The underground tunnel. The missing people.
