A Beast's Tale

Chapter 28

I flung the door open and strode into a drawing room cluttered with bizarre artwork ranging from abstract paintings to indefinable sculptures. Clavis was at the center of it all, lounging on a sofa, and Cyran was leaning against the unlit fireplace, arms crossed over his chest. When Clavis saw me, he sat bolt upright, nearly tumbling off the sofa in his haste.

"Chev! You're not supposed to be here!"

"What did Eyepatch want?"

His golden eyes widened. He ran a brown-gloved hand through his midnight-blue hair, smoothing it into place, and shot a glance toward Cyran, who shrugged.

"You know what they say about my secret room," Clavis said, forcing a smile as he turned back to me. "Nobody ever sees anybody who enters this room ever again. Guess I'll have to kill you now."

I sat on the sofa across from him and kicked my feet up onto the coffee table, crossing them at the ankles. "In the event of the spy's capture, you are to assist in his escape, correct?"

Clavis' smile froze. "I hate that you know everything."

"For you to agree to such a deal, you must require aid with a matter of significant importance to you. The spy was delivering the terms. I suppose you've destroyed them already." I smirked. "You aren't foolish enough to keep them around."

Clavis was getting that look again, the one I'd seen since we were children and his mother forced him to accompany me everywhere. His brows pinched together, narrowing his eyes somewhat, and the corners of his smiling lips tightened. But no matter how many times he tried and failed to best me, no matter how frustrated he became, he kept trying. It was a laudable attribute.

"The number of Obsidianite refugees crossing the border into your territory has increased recently, and reports from Jade indicate they're seeing a similar trend. Typically, that means Obsidian is preparing for war and has raised taxes beyond many people's means, but that alone is not reason enough for you to interfere. Unless a refugee came to you with a tragic story about their family, or..." I paused, studying him. "No, for you to involve Eyepatch, the scope is larger. It's an entire town this time, isn't it?"

Clavis sighed and let his smile fall. "I'd try explaining it to you if you had a human heart, but since it's a well-established fact you don't, there's no point."

"Try me."

He hesitated, and then shrugged and slumped against the sofa's backrest. "Why not? Yes, a starving boy came to me, begging me to save his family. The nobleman overseeing the town where he lived has increased taxes even more than the imperial court mandated, and he's padding his pockets with the extra money while the commoners starve to death in his streets. They can't survive there, but he delivers harsh punishments to any caught escaping, so they can't leave, either. They attempted to revolt, and he crushed them and slaughtered their leaders to set an example. It's a hopeless situation—except I'm involved now." He grinned. "And I am the gallant villain who brings hope to the hopeless."

"And makes himself an enemy of two states," I remarked. "Interfering in another country's political affairs is a serious crime, as is aiding and abetting the enemy." I smirked. "Do you so wish to die at the gallows as a traitor?"

"Not particularly, no, although the four-eyed fiend would love to see that happen. This nobleman belongs to the imperial faction and opposes our friendly worldwide disaster, which is why Gil is helping me."

"By which you mean he's pulling the border patrols from a set location at a set time so you can sneak into the country. And what is your plan once you arrive? Smuggle an entire town's worth of people out from under the guards' noses and then across the border, hoping Eyepatch hasn't reinstated the border patrols and our own soldiers don't intercept you? Overthrow the nobleman and install a leader of your choice who will be more sympathetic to the common people? Convince the nobleman of the error of his ways and reform him into a kind and compassionate ruler?"