I hadn’t told him or Kest what the Duchess and I had discussed; the fewer people who knew, the less chance we’d make Trin suspicious. Anyway, surprise is the single most important asset in a coup d’état: it’s more powerful than any troops, more effective than any bribe. It’s the difference between a quick, painless shift in power that would enable us to negotiate the agreement we needed and a bloodbath that would set the country against itself for years. If we wanted to clean up the mess the King had left us, we had to shift the balance of power with the suddenness of a lightning strike coming out of a clear sky.
‘Falcio?’ Kest said. He knew something was wrong.
‘We’re taking control of Aramor,’ I said. ‘Duchess Ossia is going to help us take custody of Filian. Once we have him, we’ll establish a new council and arrange formal power-sharing between him and Aline.’
Kest’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’re staging a coup.’
‘I’m saving the country.’
‘Well, I’m no legal expert,’ Brasti said glibly, ‘—oh, wait . . . I am a legal expert. Isn’t this illegal?’
‘It is,’ Kest confirmed. ‘Utterly and absolutely illegal.’
‘That’s debatable,’ I said. ‘There is a case to be made that we are in an interregnum.’
‘Now where have I heard that before?’ Brasti asked, cutting me off. He pointed a finger in the air. ‘That’s right: Morn made the exact same argument to justify his plan to take over the northern Duchies.’
‘This is different. We’re not taking power for ourselves, we’re just introducing a temporary security measure so that we can ensure—’
Brasti snorted. ‘Hey, I don’t need the explanation. I’m fine with us taking over the country and killing Trin.’ He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the bars of one of the cells. ‘I suppose we’ll need to kill a few others as well, just in case. Which of our enemies should we start with, do you think?’
‘We’re not killing anyone. We’re just—’
‘And should we still call you “First Cantor”?’ he asked, prodding me with his finger. ‘Or do you prefer “Emperor Falcio” now?’
I’d expected his asinine jibes and yet I still found myself enraged. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back against the iron bars. ‘I’m trying to save Aline, you fool!’
‘Then give Filian the throne and get her out of the country.’
‘No! Trin won’t allow it – and besides, she’s King Paelis’ daughter—’
‘—and Filian is his son.’
I found his hypocrisy stunning. ‘You don’t even believe he is the King’s child!’
‘But you do,’ Brasti said, ‘otherwise why would you throw away the one thing you’ve been telling us we were fighting for all these years?’
‘I told you, it’s not that simple!’
Kest grabbed my shoulder and hauled me back, forcing me to let go of Brasti. I stumbled, trying to regain my balance, but he didn’t say anything, just stood between us.
‘What happened to the man who wanted to murder Valiana when he thought she was a princess?’ I asked him bitterly, but Kest didn’t even blink.
‘He was commanded by the First Cantor of the Greatcoats to follow the law. Was that a mistake? Should I have killed her when I had the chance?’
‘She was different. She was—’
‘Valiana was raised by Duchess Patriana, just as Filian was, and yet you risked all our lives and the future of the country on her. What great sin has Filian committed that you won’t give him the same chance? By what right do you decide that Aline must rule no matter what the law says?’
The sounds of footsteps removed the need for any reply on my part. Duchess Ossia, followed by half a dozen of her men, came down the hall and stopped outside the entrance to the dungeon, waiting for us. ‘By the right of a parent,’ Ossia said.
I pushed past Kest and walked down the hall towards her. Two of her guards held up their spears before I got too close. Treason always makes people nervous. ‘Aline isn’t my daughter,’ I said.
Ossia smiled, leaning against the iron door to the hallway. ‘It is nothing to be ashamed of, Falcio. I know the pain that these actions bring you. Only the obligation of a father is powerful enough to make you set aside your duty as a magistrate.’
I let the comment slide. ‘We should get moving. The afternoon court session will end soon and once the throne room empties out we’ll have our best chance to take control.’
She took in a breath to speak and I saw the tiniest crack in her composure. She tried to regain her normal calm demeanour, but as our eyes met, she knew I’d seen. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, stepped back and swung the iron door shut. The latch clanged into position and the lock engaged.
‘What in hells are you doing?’ I shouted, banging on the door. ‘This was your idea! Why would you—?’
‘I’m sorry, Falcio. It is the only way.’
I stared at her through the four-inch-square peep-hole in the door. ‘The coup . . . You convinced me we could—’
‘I needed you to make it possible for my troops to enter Aramor unfettered and to keep as many of the Greatcoats out of the way as possible. I promise you, this will go quickly, and I’ll have you freed as soon as it’s done.’
‘You’re betraying us?’ I shouted. ‘Why would you do this?’
Duchess Ossia looked genuinely sad as she said, ‘Because I must.’
I didn’t understand: Ossia had always been the King’s closest ally amongst the Dukes, so what possible reason did she have for betraying him now? Then it came to me – too slowly, of course. There was one reason why she would betray Paelis’ daughter.
Like an idiot I’d never asked her why she’d been so sure that -Filian’s parentage would be validated by the Sages when they arrived. ‘Filian is your son.’
She began backing away, her guardsmen surrounding her with shields in case Brasti tried to fire an arrow or I tried to throw a knife. ‘Forgive me, Falcio. A mother’s duty compels me, and a mother’s burden always comes to a terrible end in this sad and broken country.’
CHAPTER FIFTY
The Coup d’état
The seconds ticked by as I watched Brasti trying to pick the lock. He’d always been the fastest of us, but it still felt as if he were moving far too slowly.
‘Can you—?’
‘Yes, Falcio, I can pick the lock faster. I’m just doing it slowly to punish you for getting Kest and me involved in a fucking coup d’état which has now turned out to be against Aline!’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘I didn’t—’
‘Better that you not speak,’ Kest said. He didn’t sound angry at all, and from anyone else I might have been able to fool myself that he was merely being efficient. But I’d known Kest most of my life. He was enraged, and he was right to be. I had allowed Duchess Ossia to use me to set up the coup which would see her son on the throne. When she had control of the throne room as well as the castle, would she murder Aline immediately? Or just lock her up?
Even as I watched Brasti work, my mind started turning, trying to come up with some kind of leverage I could use to negotiate for Aline’s safety. A new King would have enemies, and even the Dukes who supported him might be troubled at the manner in which Ossia had secured his rule. She might be open to a deal with the Greatcoats as a means to give some legitimacy to Filian’s takeover.