Cursed King by Hunsaker Brady

Author:Hunsaker, Brady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lightfire Publishing
Published: 2023-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Hatan inched the door open and slipped out from behind the secret passage. The palace was riddled with such pathways. He was positive there were several other ones that he didn’t even know existed. There were probably some that were known only to Migo, and some that had only been known to his parents, but those would be forgotten now.

And that was how the regent of House Rikaydian, the ruling family of Jehubal, had to get around in his own home. Works of secrecy were the ways to survive in politics. He certainly preferred to meet his enemies in open combat. It was a simpler, straightforward approach with a singular objective to slay the opponent. But he couldn’t deny the obvious use for handling things in a subtler way.

The room he’d entered was small, with no ventilation and only a tiny window above eye level that provided the only fragment of light available, which at the moment was created by flashes of purple lightning in a steady stream of constant illumination.

A figure was there, in the corner, a hooded mass camouflaged in clothes that were only a shade darker than the color of the stone wall. Hatan was sure he’d only seen the person because he knew what to look for, and he expected to find it.

“Kyel,” Hatan said. “I hope you have some good information for me.”

Kyel had crawled into the room from a trick opening just beside the window. Outside that was the ground level of the north garden in which they’d met last time.

“I’ve at least got something to go on,” Kyel said.

“That works for me. What did you find out?”

Kyel laced his fingers and leaned back against the wall. “I think we can safely narrow it down to a few families in particular. Some lesser lords are involved. I think they’d see a different king as a chance for a better opportunity. My guess is that they’ve got somebody in mind for a potential replacement already. One of the greater lords.”

“Have you narrowed that list down then?”

“I have. There are a few that sparked particular interest, like Sinteya Jenali. She more recently became the head of her house. They have some refinery ownership, but no involvement in shipping. A pair of mercenaries at a sleephouse slipped casually that they were under her bill. She has no other reason to employ them. There are a couple other ones that are similarly suspicious. We’re also keeping our eyes on a few houses that have ordered weaponry of some kind within the last few cycles, which, given recent events, isn’t particularly telling so far.

“Wajek Manor is on the watch list, as are any other merchant lords that were profiting from raiding shaman settlements.”

“Raiding settlements?”

“Oh, yes,” Kyel nodded, his dark eyes glinting in the dim light. “There were three houses involved in coordinating raids south of Cataban. Apparently there were a few shaman settlements around the swamps and lakes there. Trading was only part of their investment. I’m still

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