A Spoiled Rule

Chapter 29

"Well, as king, I demand he be let out of this cage!"
Liam woke slowly, his eyelids practically glued shut. It was cold in the prison cell, and he felt clammy. He lifted his head, and black spots twinkled in his vision. His limbs were stiff.
"There he is!"
Liam could hardly believe his eyes. Kneeling on the other side of the prison door was Theo, his feet bare, a twisted grin on his face. His grin quickly turned into a frown, and he gazed up at the guard that was standing beside him. "As his representative, we need some privacy."
The guard began to protest, but Theo interrupted him. "You dragged me all the way down here so I could look at two guys starving in a cell. I'm sure there's some humane violations that have occurred, and it's not the boss I'm mad at, it's you. I may be a lowly thief, but I'll remind you that I have become acquainted with the king of Harksgold, and I have strong connections. Privacy, please."
Reluctantly, the guard left. Theo took a heavy sighed and knelt back down. "Hey, Liam. Thanks for nominating me as your rep." He scratched his head. "I'm a little surprised, though. Me? Honored, I really am. To be honest, I don't even know what a representative is. Am I your temporary replacement?"
"No," said Liam. He sat up, resting his head against the wall. He gazed at the older man, who was asleep next to a plate of fish bones. His breaths were loud and choppy.
"So what happened?" asked Theo quietly. "Where's Harvey?"
"In the other cell," said Liam as Theo glanced over. "Oliver has more influence than I assumed. He's won the trust of the people and he's used my seal to do it. He made it look like I gave him power, like I allowed it."
"Why're you in here?"
"Trespassing and lying to the leader of Dínam," Liam replied bitterly. "He claims I abandoned him, and he's using that to win the people's trust."
Theo sighed. "I'm not royal material, Liam."
Liam lowered his voice. "I have a plan."
A slow, mischievous grin spread across Theo's face. "That's the thief I know!"
"First," said Liam, "I need to know what you stole from the palace."
Theo's grin faltered. He shifted uncomfortably on his heels. "You can't change who I am. I'm a thief, and if you didn't know-"
"I'm not mad," Liam insisted. "Truly, I am not. What did you steal?"
Theo sat down on the ground and patted his pockets. "I, uh... I took some spectacular jewelry. There was a full necklace complete with diamonds and gold brackets! Took a couple of things and surprised Stephen with them." He pulled from his shirt pocket a crumpled piece of paper. "I also took this. It was in a gold book, it looked really nice."
Liam's heart skipped a beat. "What does it say?"
Theo held it to his face and squinted. "It's a protocol... Protocol Ninety-Three. It has some gold thread on the edges that I thought was nice. I took it because this section here glittered in the sun."
"What does that section say?"
"It says, 'The kingdoms listed below consent to this protocol and all the decrees detailed within. We hereby declare that no kingdom shall be ruled by another, nor be hostile toward another, when this protocol is in effect and all the conditions are met.' Then it lists some kingdoms... Oh." Theo grinned. "There's Dínam and Harksgold. Wait, how old is this?"
"It was written before my time," said Liam. "But no revision was signed when the apocalypse broke out. Even if Oliver claims the throne, he must abide by this."
Theo frowned and gave Liam a sideways glance. "Haven't laws like this been abandoned?"
"Not yet," said Liam. He was grasping at strings of hope, but it was all he could do. "Oliver was my advisor on law and proclamations. If I bring this to his attention, he will admit it."
"I don't understand," said Theo.
Liam gripped the iron bar door. "Oliver will keep testing my knowledge on these things until I can't recall the correct procession, which will lead to me rotting in this cell, or doomed after trial. The only way to get around him is to produce a law that has been written, but which he knows nothing of."
Theo stared expectantly at Liam.
"Did you happen to take the golden book that this was in?" asked Liam.
Theo nodded. "It is too heavy to carry, so I stashed it in the floor of the ship."
"I will need that, along with the pen that goes with it," said Liam. "Then, I'll need Coulím. We must write a law without Oliver knowing."
There were a few beats of silence that passed. Theo scratched his head, then took a deep breath. "I will do what needs to be done."
"Thank you, Theo," said Liam. "You may tell the others, but I would advise against them coming here. They will end up where I am now, or worse."
Theo grabbed the bars and stood. "I will be back. Is there anything you would like me to tell Stephen?"
Liam frowned. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you look like one of my ghost friends," said Theo.
"Oh." Liam frowned. "No. If... If I am to be sick, it will be nothing he hasn't dealt with before."
Theo shrugged. "Okay. I will try to bring something from Christopher." He turned to leave.
"Theo," said Liam, "Why haven't I met any of your ghost friends?"
Theo gazed over his shoulder. His expression was mixed. "What do you mean by that?"
Liam hesitated to respond. He knew he should not have said anything, but something about the mention of ghosts made Liam recall the conversation he'd had with Theo a while back on the ship. He had mentioned that people helped him with his drawings. "I just mean that if we are going to do this, if your plans aren't exact, it could cost Coulím his life."
Theo's eyes narrowed. For a moment, he stood there, his back half-turned to him. Then, he said, "They are just ghosts, Liam. They aren't real."
"Perhaps," agreed Liam. "There is a tale that is told by the docks of Harksgold. It is about ghosts."
"They lure ya in!" came a voice from the next cell. Liam recognized it as Harvey's. "Harvey, you're awake! How are you feeling?" called Liam.
"A'ight," said Harvey. By the expression on Theo's face, Liam assumed the captain was just fine. "The ghosts come out at night along the water. It's all those who've died at sea. One of 'em, he was a young lad who'd drowned. He searched every night for his sister. He loved her."
"Did he find her?" asked Theo.
"Aye," came Harvey's voice, "on the shore. She was waitin' for him. He told her he searched for her every night, and that all he wanted was to not be alone anymore. He lured her out into the sea, where she drowned."
"There must not be a Dínam in this story," muttered Theo.
"Theo," said Liam, "Do not let the ghosts be sirens. Do not let them lure you into danger. Whatever it is that you are dealing with, I pray it is not the ghosts of Harvey's tale."
Theo's gaze wavered. He nodded and cleared his throat. "I will do my best."