A World Without Heroes - Brandon Mull [94]
“Well,” Bartley growled, slapping Jason on the back as he came up from behind. “Turns out I cannot read you as well as our card games have led me to suppose. You are full of surprises! Whether you win or not, you have earned a place in history for sheer audacity!” He shook his head. “Challenging for the chancellorship seconds after the regent recognizes your title—an unprecedented move.”
“You have your questions ready?” asked another man. It was the fellow with the fancy coat from the Bones game. He had been one of the men who vouched for Jason along with Bartley.
“I think so,” Jason said. “Unless you have any brilliant questions to share.”
“No offense,” Bartley grumbled, “but we are going to keep our distance. No man in Trensicourt can afford to make an enemy of Copernum.”
“How long has it been since somebody challenged him?” Jason asked.
“Ten years,” Bartley said. “That was when he stripped rank and title from the Earl of Geer.”
“Give us a preview,” the other man urged. “What do you mean to throw at him?”
“You’ll see,” Jason said, still not certain himself. “Do you have any advice? What are typical questions?”
Bartley shrugged. “Events from history. Strategies. Riddles. It depends. Copernum has betrayed no weakness. He knows history as if he lived it. He is a master strategist. And he solves riddles like he composed them. We should leave you to your thoughts.”
Rachel approached as the other men walked away. “How are you?” she asked.
“Confused,” Jason said. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” she replied. “We have to watch what we say. There’s no safe place to talk.”
“Did you come up with any good questions?” he asked.
She moved closer and spoke more softly, her hand over her mouth. “Yes, actually. A great question. Which is why I went to see our dangling friend. He agreed that the question could help us. He had been doing some investigating through his own spies, and he discovered that Copernum already had his eye on the three of us, especially you. One of your gambling friends is one of the chancellor’s top spies. He knows we’re connected, and he might even know something about our quest.”
“Great,” Jason said. “What do we do?”
“You did it,” Rachel said. “You needed to challenge him without waiting. It will be harder for him to destroy us if you beat him. And if you lose, we just do what we would have done anyhow. Escape Trensicourt immediately.” She handed him an envelope.
“What’s this?” Jason asked.
“Open it when the contest starts,” she said. “It has some questions.”
“Why wait?” Jason wondered, examining the envelope.
“Just in case,” Rachel said. “According to our friend lots of people are watching you with spyglasses right now, reading your lips, observing your actions, trying to pick up clues.”
“Gotcha. How’d you get in here?”
“Our dangling friend called in some favors,” Rachel said. “We’ve been talking for too long. I have to go.”
“You’re not going to watch?”
“No. Trust me. It’s better for both of us.” She turned and vanished hurriedly into the crowd.
Nobody else drew near Jason, but he got plenty of elusive glances. He stood not far from the Petitioner’s Wheel, tapping the envelope against his palm, wondering what questions it might contain. How had he gotten into this mess?
Over the next several minutes people poured into the throne room, claiming all of the available floor space except immediately around Jason. The galleries were mobbed, becoming a sea of expectant faces. The dais also became crowded. Jason figured he would be just as eager to witness an event like this if someone else had been willing to take the risk.
After what had to be much more than twenty minutes, the regent returned and took his seat. Copernum stood immediately beside Dolan, hands clasped behind his back, his expression proud and stern. As an attendant ushered Jason back onto the wheel, the room grew shockingly