Jovari the Blue

Chapter 22: The Missing Cutlery

Kastali Dun

Mikkin shared a furtive glance with Jamie. A sheen of sweat covered the lad's forehead. "Relax," he muttered under his breath. "If they were going to figure it out, they would have by now."

Jamie blew out a breath, shifting to get comfortable on the long bench they shared with a number of other patrons. Nobility, mostly. The great hall was surprisingly full. Kane wanted to play king, and he couldn't do that with an empty castle.

Mikkin spotted plenty of familiar faces. Everyone here had sworn oaths of fealty to their new ruler. Not that they'd been given a choice. It was that, or death. He and Jamie were the only importers in the room. But if their tablemates recalled their absence during the oath ceremony, they didn't comment on it.

He adjusted his sleeve before taking a sip of water.

The mood in the great hall was dismal, at best. Patrons kept their voices low, if they spoke at all. It didn't stop the gossip from spreading through whispers.

"...the line was out the door," the man beside him was saying. "At least a hundred. All for the same complaint."

"But surely they aren't all missing," said the woman beside him.

Mikkin cleared his throat, keeping his voice low. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" The man beside him looked him over, but there wasn't any suspicion in his gaze. That didn't mean he could be trusted. Any one of these people could turn him over to Kane for a bit of favor. Just because they didn't like their new king, didn't mean they wouldn't lick his boots.

"Apparently, this morning, every single wheel in the city went missing."

His forehead furrowed. "You mean, like..."

"Wagon wheels, cart wheels, carriage wheels, you name it. Lord Murry—you know Lord Murry, don't you?"

"I know Lord Murry," Mikkin said. He sat on the lower council.

"Right. Well, Lord Murry had a standing appointment with the merchant guild. His Majesty put him in charge of drafting up their new charters. Anyway, he went to leave his town house, come to find out, his carriage was out of commission. All the wheels—gone."

Mikkin lifted his brows, feigning shock. A few missing wheels didn't sound all that worrisome. But, since his tablemate expected outrage...

"Come to find out, wasn't just him," the man whisper-hissed. "It was everyone else, too. No one can travel in or out of the city unless they're on foot, or on horseback. None of the market wares could be carted to the market. Had to close the whole thing down."

"That's unfortunate." He rubbed his jaw, contemplating. It seemed an odd occurrence. That it should be city wide screamed of mischief.

"Didn't hurt the bigger merchants any," the man continued. "They've got shop fronts so they don't rely on carting their goods about. But everyone else suffered."

"You think it was the rebellion?" Jamie asked, leaning around to whisper his question.

The man's face paled. "Sure hope not. No one knows for certain, though, do they? Only rumors. Anyway, everyone that lost a wheel came to lodge a formal thievery complaint with the steward. They all want compensation. Don't think a single one of them will get so much as a steely—"

Silence fell.

Mikkin looked up in time to see their new king silhouetted in the hall's doorway. He suppressed a shudder. The entire room came to its feet. He ground his teeth together and did the same.