Tournament of Kings

Chapter Seventeen: Persecution

The participants of the Tournament of Kings were now assembled in the great hall. The only exceptions were Ham, Frederick, and Fayn. Steward Benarus sat before the throne dedicated to the King, who had not sat there in hundreds of years. Joseph Korlac stood beside him. On the other side was Lady Pandora, clad in a more regal dress.

"So what was it you found?" asked Benarus.

Korlac paused and looked over the contestants, eyes gazing at each one. Relma felt he was trying to be someone other than what he was. She wasn't really sure who, though. "Well, after speaking with each of the servants, I have concluded that no one entered or left backstage. Not when Frederick was poisoned. I also ensured that everyone who attempted to enter this place was searched.

"That means they did not get the poison from Ajax's kit."

"I know," snapped Ajax. "You confiscated my poisons. I want them back after this is over."

"One of my findings was that Ajax has on him many lethal forms of poison," said Joseph, ignoring the bait. "However, since he understands how they work, it is unlikely that he would make such a mistake."

"What if he knew you'd say that and decided to do it anyway?" asked Estela, annoyed at being ought here. "That might cover his tracks."

"I find that unlikely," said Joseph Korlac. "For one thing, Ajax had no way of knowing Korlac was good at deduction. For another, it doesn't seem his style. Also, he lacks any motive for setting Fayn on fire."

"Does he?" asked Varsus.

"If you want to accuse me based on my blood, go ahead," snapped Ajax. "But if I wanted to poison everyone in this group, I would have done it at the banquet. I could have done it too; no one even knew I was there the whole time."

There was silence. Estela and Reginald glared at Ajax and got it right back. For a moment, it continued until Benarus made a noise with his throat. They looked at him. "Let us ask this: Who has benefited the most from the poisonings?"

"Varsus and Reginald both advanced by default," noted Estela.

"Speak ill of my cousin again, and-" began William.

"Calm yourself, Sir Gabriel," said Joseph. "We have to approach this objectively. Reginald and Varsus seem to be the ones who have benefited the most. Which, ironically, makes them unlikely as culprits."

"What do you mean?" asked Estela.

"Varsus and Reginald were occupied during Khasmir with administrative work," said Joseph. "And they proved quite adept at it. They are not unintelligent.

"The attempt on Frederick's life, we could expect. But the attempt on Fayn's life was another matter entirely. It needed to be more clumsy for men of their intellect. To say nothing of their honorable character and noble blood."

"And why would I heal them if House Gabriel was plotting something like that?" asked William.

"There was no need for you to be involved in the plot," noted Estela.

As the argument went on, Relma began to think. She considered the sloppy way the assassination was executed. In that situation, it would make more sense for whoever it was to cut their losses and lay low. Not set the next contestant on fire. Whoever it was would have had to initiate the plan quickly and somehow get oil inside Fayn's armor. Armor that she had been wearing for most of the day.

Only one person who had even known Fayn was there, aside from Davian. So, there really was only one logical suspect. And since they'd known there was a miraculous healer in the benches, the reasoning for their act was clear.