Ressaline Crown by Robin Roseau

Author:Robin Roseau [Roseau, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robin Roseau
Published: 2023-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Questioning took time, several hours. In the end, it was simple. The five were from a small village somewhat southeast of Tebradine. They’d had it poorly when Ressaline had evicted the men of Charthan and still carried a grudge. At the same time, they didn’t think any woman should rule a household, much less a country.

They named no other co-conspirators but each confessed, at length, to an attempt to kill me, and if they could include her, Darfelsa as well.

We listened to the last one, and then he was hauled away. Darfelsa whispered to one of her staff and then turned to me. “Your Majesty, do we need to discuss this?”

“Everyone heard them. Minister Varora, am I mistaken?”

“I declare high justice,” Darfelsa said, not waiting for an answer. “Bring them back, Taegin, one at a time, please.” I stared at her, and then I said nothing as her staff unfurled a large tarp. They’d had it waiting.

“Sister.”

From five paces away, she looked into my eyes, her expression fierce. Then, without looking away, “Minister.”

“Right,” he said.

It took several minutes. Darfelsa spent the entire time looking into my eyes, not otherwise moving. I was in complete turmoil. Twice, I started to stand. Both times, she shook her head, the second time, holding her hand out in a “stop” gesture.

When had my little sister gained such a backbone.

When had I lost one, that I was going to let her do this?

The doors opened, the first man returning. “I want him standing,” Darfelsa said. They brought him to a stop. That was when Darfelsa strode forward, not to me, but to Princess Silearra. She gestured. “Is that ceremonial?”

“Of course not. Would you like to borrow it?”

“Only if you don’t mind cleaning it later.”

“I don’t mind at all.” She withdrew her nasty knife and offered it hilt first to Crown Princess Darfelsa Cinnabar.

My problem solver.

“Thank you.” Darfelsa held up the knife, looking at it. Then she spun and stomped to the man. “You have no name in this court. You have consumed more of our time than you are worth. You have confessed to high treason, and now you face high justice. Congratulations. I’ve never killed before today.”

And then, with no further warning, my little sister thrust Silearra’s knife deep into the man’s guts. He gave a loud gasp and began to struggle. Darfelsa strained upwards, once, twice, and I didn’t realize immediately, but she was searching for his heart.

She either decided she had found it or decided she’d let him die like this, as she then stood there, her hand buried halfway to her elbow, blood draining from the man.

It wasn’t long, not long at all, before she pulled backwards, a sucking sound. When her hand withdrew, it was deeply bloody, but she held it up, still holding the blade, then made a show of poorly wiping the blade off on the shoulders of the man’s tunic.

And then she nodded, and that was when they let him drop to the floor. He quivered a few times then lay still.

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