"I have the proof."
The murmur died. Every head turned toward the chamber doors where General Raphathonel Herrera stood.
His steps were filled with confidence as he reached at the center of the room.
Slightly inclining his head towards the king he proceeded to turn his gaze to Sarvos.
Herrera drew a crumpled parchment from his satchel, holding it up by one corner. "Recognize this, Ortega?"
Moses watched the color drain from the viscount's face.
Sarvos's hands trembled on the table. "I... what is that supposed to be?"
"Come now." Herrera's smile was thin. "No need for games."
Raphathonel had a simple smile on his face as if he was telling Sarvos Ortega that he could see through his lies. Though he didn't persist but instead turned to the other council members and passed the document.
"Through a series of coincidence, I got my hands on this letter," he addressed the council.
The document reached up to the king at this point as he started reading it.
"What am I looking at, General?" Elariel demanded, impatience bleeding through his usual composure.
"Military intelligence. Border positions, troop movements." Herrera began pacing, hands clasped behind his back. "All encoded with House Vicorra's cipher."
His lips flattened and pulled down at the corners, eyes wrinkling as he tipped his head—a half-shrug written across his face. "Well… almost correctly encoded."
"What do you mean?" King Valanorath said as he put down the parchment letting the chancellor by his side take it and start reading it.
"Your Majesty, I wouldn't have caught this detail if Lord Moses hadn't brought something crucial to my attention." Herrera nodded toward Moses. "The Vicorra cipher—like most house ciphers—hadn't changed in years."
Moses found his voice. "Until three months ago."
"Precisely. Caesor modified a single sequence under High Inquisitor Magireth's supervision. A minor change." Herrera's eyes found Magireth. "You recall this, don't you, Eye of the Crown?"
Magireth's jaw tightened at the unofficial title. "Of course. What's your point?"
"Oh, I was coming there don't worry." Herrera stopped pacing. "The previous letter that Duke Montaro's forces recovered from the enemy camp and verified by High Inquistor Magireth were flawless. They matched exactly with Vicorra's cipher. However, this newly found message doesn't.
Pausing for a second he let the silence wash over the room before he continued.
"It fails in one part where the old cipher is used instead of the new one. Coincidentally in the old letter, it was never needed to use that new cipher."
"But where did you find this letter and why are you accusing lord Sarvos Ortega knowing about it."
"Let me explain that to you, Your Highness," The tone filled with laziness and amusement belonged to none other than Hadethon Dawnforge. All eyes turned towards him.
"On my way to the capital, my men encountered some... unpleasant company. Brigands." He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, clearly enjoying the attention. "We convinced them to find new employment. Permanently. Among their possessions—" He gestured casually toward Herrera. "—was a rather interesting satchel."
"Continue," The king said as he shifted forward, elbows planted on the table, chin propped atop his clasped hands.
"Inside, we found that letter you've been passing around. And this." Hadethon produced a signet ring, its surface catching the lamplight. The Ortega wolf snarled from the metal.
Moses heard Sarvos's sharp intake of breath.
"The brigand leader was quite talkative before he died," Hadethon continued conversationally. "Claimed he'd taken the satchel from a courier. Running hard, apparently."
"When Duke Dawnforge arrived last night, he brought the evidence to me immediately," Herrera said. His gaze locked onto Sarvos like a predator sizing up prey. "Care to explain, Viscount?"
All eyes turned to Sarvos. Moses watched the man's composure crumble.
"This is... this is a conspiracy!" Sarvos's voice cracked. "Someone planted that ring! The brigands are lying—dead men tell convenient tales!"
"Three witnesses saw your signet with the courier," Herrera said quietly. "Living witnesses."
"Witnesses can be bought!" Sarvos shot to his feet, chair scraping. "This is all arranged!"
Magireth leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow filled the chamber. "Then explain the cipher, Ortega. Explain how your ring traveled with stolen intelligence encoded in a cipher you couldn't possibly know."
Sarvos's mouth worked soundlessly. Moses felt a strange mixture of pity and revulsion watching the man's desperate gasps for air.
"Do you take this council for fools?" Magireth's words cut like a blade.
Sarvos's shuddered at Magireth's menacing tone.
"No! I—please, I—"his legs gave out. He collapsed into his chair, hands shaking uncontrollably.
Sarvos's eyes darted to the faces around him, then to Ignacio. His voice hardened. "Fine. If I am going down, I will take everyone with me. Everything I did, every letter I sent, every secret I sold—it was all on his orders." His finger stabbed toward Ignacio. "Duke Ignacio Montaro commanded it all."
The chamber erupted. Voices rose in shock, denial, accusation.
"Do not try to slander me, Ortega." Ignacio raised his voice.
"But he raises an interesting point, doesn't he?" The lord of Riviera once again took charge of the conversation. "A mere viscount wouldn't have access to such detailed intelligence. Someone higher up the chain must have provided it."
"Didn't you hear from the Abbot that he stole the Vicorra's cipher? You think such a man cannot steal the other information to feed the enemies?" Ignacio rained question on Hadethon as he continued. "And why am I being subjected to such slander? It was my duchy that got attacked and suffered."
"That is right. It's unfair to question the Duke of Monteluz." Elariel said in support of Montaro.
"You say your duchy got attacked and suffered. Has it, though?" Hadethon mused. "Strange how the attacks always seemed to miss your more valuable holdings. Almost like the enemy knew exactly what to avoid."
"Your Majesty," Ignacio's voice was steady. "I demand protection from this slander. My duchy has suffered more than any other—"
King Valanorath raised his hand, and silence fell like a curtain.
"Enough." His voice carried absolute authority. "Sarvos Ortega will be taken into custody immediately. He will be questioned thoroughly, and we will learn the full extent of his betrayal." His gaze shifted to Ignacio. "As for these accusations... they too will be investigated."
Ignacio's face remained stoic. "Your Majesty, surely you don't believe—"
"I believe in evidence, Duke Montaro. And right now, the evidence is... curious."
The king stood, and the chamber rose with him. "Caesar Vicorra is to be released at once. This session is concluded."
Guards moved toward Sarvos, who had gone limp in his chair. As they lifted him, he caught Moses's eye.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Moses wasn't sure if it was genuine remorse or just another performance.
As the chamber emptied, Moses remained seated, feeling as though he'd aged a decade in the past hour. Caesar would be free. But the game—whatever game Ignacio had been playing—was far from over.
---
Author's note: I apologize for my slow writing speed. Soon, we will shift to releasing two chapters per day. As this book is under contract, I was wondering if I should consider creating a Discord server. What do you think?