“No, I—” Rilan hesitates, now doubting what he felt. “Maybe. I was panicking. I didn’t even notice. But maybe I did.”
If the audience was confused before, it’s nothing compared to how it feels now.
Flynn snatches Kaidren’s arm and pulls him to stand before Rilan. “Honorate Vale, can you tell us what this man’s source is?”
Kaidren’s already shaking his head. “He isn’t aikkari. When I touched him, I didn’t feel anything.”
“Maybe you missed something. Try again.”
Kaidren touches Rilan’s cheek. Holds it for a few seconds. He frowns. “I’m telling you, he isn’t aikkari. He doesn’t have a source. I don’t know what’s going on, but—”
I release another surge of magic. This time, I direct it at the tshira tube I hid in Kaidren’s sleeve. It falls free from Kaidren’s robe and lands in the snow. I send a final wave of magic to roll it over the ground, coming to a rest at Flynn’s feet. Impossible for him to miss.
Flynn looks from Kaidren to the tube and back again. “What’s this?”
Kaidren frowns and shakes his sleeve to see if anything else falls out. Nothing does. “I have no idea.”
Flynn casts Kaidren a doubtful look as he scoops up the tube and finds a rolled-up sheet of parchment tucked inside.
The crowd can’t see what’s written on it from the distance, but I already know. Because I wrote it.
Gavin Tassim: cerulean blue
Bahni Hidday: orchid
It keeps going. Five names. One for each of the aikkari who participated in Eteria along with their sources.
I wrote it yesterday, in my hidden room next to the interrogation chamber. Luc shook hands with each aikkari set to participate today. He confirmed that their source would be present in the arena. And I listened and wrote them all down.
Judging by the several seconds Flynn spends staring at it, the doubt is properly sown.
His face darkens as he finally looks to Kaidren. “Honorate Vale, can you please explain to me what this is?” His voice is tempered. Controlled. But anyone can hear the anger underlying each word.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kaidren reaches for the parchment, but Flynn jerks it out of reach.
“Honorate Vale, on this parchment are the names of each of the five aikkari contenders and their sources. You obviously didn’t write them during Eteria, so you must have written them beforehand. You cheated.”
“What?” Kaidren successfully snatches the parchment from Flynn as the audience sucks in a collective gasp.
Whispers intensify.
From beneath the stands, I catch a few of the accusatory whispers directed at Kaidren Vale:
“He’s a liar.”
“He cheated?”
“The Shadow Queen was right—he made it all up.”
Kaidren is shaking. “I’ve never seen this before in my life.”
“Yet it was on your person.”
“Someone must’ve put it there.”
“That’s a serious accusation. Do you have a name for me?”
“No . . .” Kaidren’s frantic gaze flits around the arena. He knows I have something to do with this—he must—but he can’t prove it. “But it wasn’t me. I swear. Iaman isha. I had no need to cheat.”
