Angulus’s eyebrows drew together. Was this the first he’d heard of the dragon? She knew her parents were proud and that her father wouldn’t whine to the king for solutions to his problems, but they should have reported a silver dragon lurking around the countryside.
“I know the MPs picked him up,” Angulus said, focusing on that first. “Lord Lockvale—” his voice held mild reproof at Rysha’s failure to use the honorific, “—has made an accusation of attempted murder and has four witnesses who came forward, willing to back up his claim. There’s a fifth that the police are trying to locate. Captain Trip needs to be held until a formal inquest can be put together and both sides can be heard. Trip will be invited to bring in character witnesses. Lord Lockvale’s witnesses will also be questioned separately to see if their stories match. They are known acquaintances of his, so that may raise a judge’s eyebrows, but at the same time, they are all from respected noble families, and none have criminal records.”
“Because it’s not a crime to bring down somebody’s property value and attempt to get their land, apparently,” Rysha said, unable to hide her frustration. She’d promised Trip that rational heads would win the day, but what if that proved wrong?
“Captain Trip, on the other hand, is—”
“An honorable man who has risked his life repeatedly to help Iskandia against pirates and dragons, and who flew across the world to destroy their portal. Sire, all he wants is to be a hero and help people. He’s not a murderer. He doesn’t like to use his power for the greater good if there’s any bit of moral ambiguity in doing so.” Rysha looked at Kaika, hoping for support.
Kaika did open her mouth, but Angulus spoke first.
“Captain Trip is now widely known to have dragon blood and be a sorcerer,” Angulus said, “which does raise questions about his character and motivations for those who believe all magic is evil.”
“But he’s up in his flier fighting dragons every chance he gets,” Rysha said. “How can—”
“I know,” Angulus said, raising his hand again. “I know we owe him our gratitude. But if I simply have him released and tell Lord Lockvale that the captain won’t be charged with any crimes, I will be seen as ignoring a judiciary system that has existed for centuries. When kings have done that in the past, there have often been political repercussions. Occasionally beheading repercussions. Though people may believe differently, I’m not a tyrant with absolute authority, nor would the country support me if I wished to be.”
“I understand that, Sire, but—”
“Just give it time, Ravenwood. If Lord Lockvale is lying, a clever military defender should be able to ferret that out.”
“I haven’t noticed that people try hard to be clever when defending witches,” a familiar male voice drawled from the hallway.
General Zirkander walked in, wearing his dress uniform with his cap in hand. Major Blazer, also in dress uniform, stepped inside after him.
“We’ll make sure to find someone who will be impartial,” Angulus said without missing a beat.
“How did you get in, sir?” Rysha whispered when Zirkander stopped next to her. She didn’t see any guards loitering in the hallway.
“Told them I needed to see the king,” he whispered back.
“And that worked?”
He winked.
No wonder Trip wanted to be a beloved national hero.
“In all honesty, Sire,” Zirkander said, the amusement dropping from his face, “I’d prefer he be defended by someone who’s partial to him. What happens if the military judge decides he’s guilty and should be hanged? That’s what this fluffed-up noble is asking for, in case you didn’t see the paper.”
“I saw it,” Angulus said, his tone cooling.
Rysha wondered if the king would correct Zirkander for the lack of an honorific. Or even a name.
“He made his complaint during the middle of the dragon attack,” Angulus said. “I was not pleased.”
“He’s the one who should be thrown in jail. For interrupting you when the city was in danger, when you were doing important things.”
“You’re interrupting me now. Unfortunately, that’s not a crime.”
“I can’t possibly be interrupting important things though.” Zirkander looked at Rysha, then at Kaika, seeming to notice her robe and slippers for the first time. “Well, I guess I could be. But really, Sire, it’s almost noon.”
Angulus issued an audible sigh and looked skyward.
“Sir,” Rysha whispered to Zirkander, “I’m not sure you’re helping.”
Major Blazer, who’d taken up a position near Rysha, grinned at her. “More people should dare tell him that.”
Should I be doing something to assist you, Storyteller? Shulina Arya had left the fidget device on a shelf and was looking back and forth between the various people in the room. I can gaze into your king’s eyes and make him more amenable to your suggestions.
Tempting, but Rysha shook her head. Just be prepared in case we need to break Trip out of jail.
Perhaps we should find this Lord Lockvale and incinerate him. Would that not solve your problem?
Rysha couldn’t keep from making a choking sound. Fortunately—or unfortunately—Angulus was too busy glaring at Zirkander to notice.
“Look, Sire,” Zirkander said, lifting his hands. “I understand that you need to appear impartial and be fair to everyone, but Trip in a cell is useless to us. Sardelle said he’s designing something to fight the dragons, some kind of…” He looked at Rysha.
“He called it a flying weapons platform. He said if he can get Dr. Targoson’s help, they can make a large structure that launches dragon-seeking rockets full of acid that can eat through their scales, and he wants to use some of the ore that the chapaharii blades are made from to make the platform impervious to magic. Physical attacks would still be a concern, but if people were stationed there around the clock and could fire the weapons…”
Rysha trailed off because Angulus was staring at her. She couldn’t tell if it was in exasperation or not.
“Is this actually a thing?” Angulus looked at Zirkander and at Kaika, too, though she only shrugged. “How long has he been working on this?”
Zirkander opened his mouth, but Rysha spoke first. “The drawings are almost complete. He said he’s ready to start construction soon.”
No need to mention that he’d started the drawings the night before.
“Did you check his math?” Angulus twitched an eyebrow toward the spot where the easel had been.
“I didn’t get time, Sire. The MPs came and took him away.”
Angulus grunted. Acknowledging that the arrest was inconvenient?
Rysha hoped so. “The main thing he needs is the tainted ore, as he calls it, and someone who can handle it without getting headaches and passing out.”
“Someone?” Angulus asked. “Just one person? To help him build a flying weapons platform?”
“He did construct a locomotive in the desert almost by himself,” Kaika said.