Page 126 of This Monster of Mine

“Seeing as Tetrarch Kadra and his Petitor”—his weighted pause had many heads swiveling toward her—“will be occupied with proving these accusations, my own Petitor has stepped in to resolve the matter with fairness.”

Sarai’s heart plummeted as Cisuré emerged from the side entrance to the Aequitas, eyes hard. Whatever was on the other girl’s mind didn’t seem to include fairness.

Aelius steepled his fingers. “Bring in the witnesses.”

Wisdom and Wrath help me.Courage nearly deserted Sarai as Aelius’s vigiles opened the double doors that marked the witnesses’ entrance. She waited for a stream of Guildspeople to emerge, but a lone vigile ran up the dais instead to whisper into Aelius’s ear. The Tetrarch’s features went slack with fury.

She wiped her sweaty palms against her tunic as a figure emerged, his gait awkward. The first thing she noticed were the burns dotting his skin. Her next glance identified him as the first name on Aelius’s list.

Aelius spoke through clenched teeth. “It seems that a strike hit the Metals Guild a night ago.”

Goosebumps pebbled Sarai’s skin. Cisuré clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. The injured Guildsman’s bloodshot eyes roved across the dais before alighting on Sarai. Racing over, he dropped to his knees. A stream of hoarse words left his throat, barely audible.

She flinched, crouching beside him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t understand.”

Shaking, he pulled a crumpled roll of parchment from his robes, and thrust it at Cisuré, who quickly unrolled it and, at a nod from Aelius, began to read.

“‘We, of the Metals Guild, out of gratitude to Tetrarch Kadra for his assistance in rescuing us from a strike, hereby—’” Cisuré broke off, eyes bulging with fury. “‘Recant and admit that we’ve no knowledge of the manufactureof a scutum’s metal core. Our work was limited to a steel shell. We sought to preserve the reputation of our Guildmaster but have been punished for our lies. We repent sincerely to the gods and the people,’” she spat.

Time stood still, the world paling to a dull gray, then a blinding white. The audience’s exclamations of horror and anger faded to a tinny ringing as the Guildsman’s statement registered.

Hereby recant. Aelius had nothing by which to argue that her accusations were false or malicious. He couldn’t charge her withcalumnia. His warrant was useless.

She wasn’t going to be whipped to death.

Resisting the urge to bury her head in her hands and sob, she drew a rattling breath.Gods be praised, I’m safe.

“This is preposterous!” Tullus roared, vying with Aelius for who could turn the deeper shade of puce. Both ignored the crowd, which had risen to their feet roaring for answers on the scuta. “So Tetrarch Kadra happened to be on hand to assist during this strike, did he?”

She froze, eyes flying to the man who was watching the proceedings with customary amusement.

You didn’t, she asked silently.

The cruel-eyed god who ruled her heart gave her a slow smile, and she nearly fell to her knees. Kadra, Wretched Prince of Punishment, indeed. He’d meted out justice the way he always did: in blood. And in doing so, he’d doomed himself. One strike was a coincidence. Two weren’t. The matter had his stamp all over it. If she saw it, others would too. Whispers were already rustling throughout the crowd of the Aequitas. She caught several raised eyebrows and suspicious glances in Kadra’s direction.

“Probe the Guildsman.” Tullus barked the order to Cisuré even though she wasn’t his Petitor. “Let’s see what actually happened.”

Manic fervor returned to Cisuré’s face. She took a step toward the man when he stumbled back, turning beseeching eyes to Kadra, of all people. The crowd issued a collective gasp. Tullus’s knuckles strained in his clenched fists.

“You would really have this man relive a traumatic memory to satisfy your curiosity?” Disapproval laced Kadra’s voice. “The Guild has admitted their error. Leave him his dignity.”

“We’re merely marveling at how conveniently he lost it,” Aelius responded evenly.

This is bad. The more people thought about it, the clearer it would become that the only people with anything to gain from the Guild’s recanting were her and Kadra, seeing as they’d made the initial accusations. It was all the fodder Aelius needed to bring up a no-confidence vote to kick Kadra out. Judging by the tight set of Cassandane’s features, she knew it too.

He’s been acting uncharacteristically reckless, Anek had said.How could you be so reckless?Cato had argued that night she’d healed Kadra.

Kadra, what are you doing?

On the dais, his smile was pure ice. “I was nearby. It turned out that my assistance was necessary.”

True. She was torn between horror and amazement at how he’d framed it. Inches from being booted out as a Tetrarch and he still wasn’t lying.

“Are there any witnesses to your heroism, Tetrarch Kadra?” Aelius’s smile grew. “Or should we pull the truth fromyourhead instead?”

“Am I on trial, Tetrarch Aelius?” Kadra sounded intrigued. “If so, your vigiles appear to have misplaced the warrant they should have served me with.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Aelius rose, ivory robes aglow. “It seems the second matter for which we gathered today has arrived early. I do not doubt the intelligence of my fellow Urds, and I believe they see what I have noted from the start of Tetrarch Kadra’s appointment.”

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