He has just dipped his pen in ink when Torren steps into the doorway.
“Commander, a word, if you please,” the Praetorian says.
Julian turns and looks at his friend. “Of course.” Then he stands and bows to the Council. “I will bring in Sentry Calais upon my return.”
The Commander and Praetorian both disappear as the Senate muses over the bright future of Julian Monroe. But if he is who I think he might be, none of us are safe now.
XXVIII.
Torren
I don’t know that I’ve ever been this furious. Even when I dismembered that criminal, I wasn’t angry like this. That was cold vengeance. This is molten…annoyance.
“That was an interesting vote,” I say as we walk down the hall.
He smiles. “Wasn’t it, though?” He lowers his voice, leaning closer. “Kera voted to conclude, for what it’s worth.”
I straighten my spine, but I continue to walk briskly to the frigidarium.
We enter the baths and stand by the waterfall of the cold plunge room for the requisite amount of time to be sure we weren’t followed.
“So, when were you going to tell me about your political ambitions?” I ask.
He laughs. “I don’t have any, Tor. You know better than anyone that I would never risk making my father proud.”
He smiles like it’s a joke, but it isn’t. He is the eldest son, but his father has called him a disappointment more times than I can count—even in the presence of others.
“Why the fuck did you vote to proceed?” I ask through my teeth.
He stares at me, his humor vanishing. “Because it’s our best chance of catching who did this.”
Julian’s face is sincere, but it feels like there is more to the story. Voting to proceed wasn’t just foolish; it was reckless. Best practice would have been to conclude and remove everyone from potential harm. Julian is by the book the way I am, so what convinced him to deviate?
“You mean it’s the best chance of the murderer trying to kill again?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I mean, maybe, but there won’t be another time you’d be able to watch the Senate this closely. We are snowed in. We can keep a constant eye on them and together, we can solve this. And we need to. Otherwise, Torren, they will blame you.” He pauses and takes a step closer, lowering his voice even further. “I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned yet, but that’s because they believe Antinous’s death to be accidental and they are not convinced Eyo was poisoned. Once a healer looks at him, and they absorb the fact that there was a second murder under your watch, they will start to challenge your competency and…your innocence. They have brought treason charges for far less.”
My heart stops, and my skin prickles in goose bumps. He is correct about all of it. I withheld my knowledge from them not only because I think it’s the best way to catch a killer, but for the sake of my position. If I am not Praetorian, then I will be powerless in the face of the elite or…executed as a traitor in the arena.
Still, is that the only reason Julian voted to continue?
He was the last man to see Verhardt alive. He was also the first to find Antinous’s body. And he was first into the banquet hall this morning. He volunteered to be clerk, putting himself into the Senate’s orbit. It would all make sense if…
Then I look into his eyes. No, my best friend isn’t a killer. I’ve known his gentle nature for more than a decade.
Julian frowns. “Tor, whatever you’re thinking, I voted to proceed for you. You have to figure out who is behind all of this—it’s the only way for you to survive.”
I exhale, annoyed that he’s correct. “What do you propose, Commander?”
He rubs his knuckles. “Our greatest issue will be keeping the High Priestess safe while we investigate, since she is being framed. Did you find anything to implicate the Faith this time?”
“No.”
He raises his eyebrows in a way that makes me feel like I missed something, but I checked thoroughly.
Julian stares at the cold pools, his hazel eyes moving rapidly.
“Nothing from the servant interviews, either?” he asks.
