Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [75]
Sarein reacted with alarm, and Rlinda sensed she was hiding something. 'Then I… I shouldn't be talking with you.'
'Why not? You're the ambassador from Theroc. I brought two more treelings with me that you can place in the Whisper Palace, even though the green priests have cut off communication with the Hansa. Nobody can get through to Nahton anymore. I'm hoping that means he's been separated from his treeling and nothing more ominous than that. Right?'
Sarein looked sad and lost. 'Basil had him killed. He's killed a green priest!'
Rlinda was shocked. Did anyone on Theroc even know? Sarein seemed to grow more anxious. Was the Hansa up to something at this very moment? 'Tell me the truth, Sarein - am I in danger? Right now?'
'Not you… not yet. But Basil watches me closely. He'll want to know why I was talking to someone aboard a ship, and he's sure to recognize the name of your vessel. Too many questions will come to his mind.'
'Wonderful. Just wonderful.'
Sarein looked mournfully down at the remainder of the small meal. 'I can't talk to you anymore. I really can't.'
'How long is the Chairman going to keep acting like an ass?'
'To the very end.' Sarein gave Rlinda a quick hug and hurried to the hatch. 'I suggest you leave as soon as possible, before the Hansa makes up some excuse to keep you here.'
Forty-four
Sarein
In times of peace, colourfully costumed docents had escorted tour groups through parts of the Whisper Palace, and the portrait gallery was always one of the popular stops. The docents told stories about each of the Great Kings: Ben, George, Christopher, Jack, Bartholomew, Frederick - and Peter.
Due to increased security measures, however, the portrait gallery had been declared off-limits. Now Chairman Wenceslas had shut down the tours altogether, declaring the whole Palace district a security zone. 'We have better things to do than cater to tourists. There is urgent work to complete, and loyal citizens shouldn't be squandering precious time on vacations.'
The crackdown, however, gave Sarein the perfect place to meet in private with Deputy Eldred Cain. Both of them knew they needed to discuss the question that Sarein had not yet dared to voice aloud: What to do about Basil?
After the murder of Nahton, she lived in fear, sure that Basil would discover how she had secretly encouraged the green priest to send his warning to Theroc. Since the royal guard had either committed a terrible blunder or an intentionally treasonous act in letting the green priest out, suspicion fell directly on Captain McCammon.
Fortunately, Deputy Cain had acted even more swiftly than Basil could follow the trail of suspicion. Duty rosters were doctored, changing the name of the guard assigned to that post. Cain let the records indicate tampering, leaving the impression that an imposter had slipped into the Whisper Palace for the sole purpose of freeing Nahton. It played directly into Basil's paranoia. The Chairman sent teams to search the labyrinthine halls of the Palace for shadowy infiltrators. Not surprisingly, the wild-goose chase uncovered nothing.
But Sarein knew the problem would only get worse.
After Rlinda Kett left, the pale deputy waited for Sarein in the portrait hall. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the features of plump George, old bearded Frederick, red-haired Jack, and the others. 'A rather incomplete display, don't you think?'
Sarein looked at the prominent blank spot on the wall. The portrait of King Peter had hung there for only a few years before the Chairman ordered it torn down. 'Does he think he can erase King Peter and my sister by taking down a painting?'
'The Chairman believes that perceptions drive reality. If he spins his stories, colours his reports, and chooses the right words, then people will believe his version of events. He might even convince himself that his well-crafted fiction is actual history.'
Cain walked around the gallery. The original architects had