Page 49 of This Monster of Mine

“Tetrarch Kadra,” he drawled. “I’d recommend against hearing this now.”

“Recommendation noted.” Kadra unrolled the plaintiff’s petition. “Reason being?”

Helvus raised an imperious eyebrow. “This is your first matter involving my Guild, and my Guildsman has had no chance to prepare a defense.” Red Tunic crossed his arms, smug.

Kadra showed no signs of caring. “He can do so now.” He tilted his head at her in silent question, and at her nod, sent the petition rolling down the table’s distance to her.

“This is unwise—” Helvus stopped upon receiving the full weight of Kadra’s gaze.

“Step back, Guildmaster. Unless you’re including yourself as a defendant.”

She skimmed the petition while Helvus stormed to the forefront of the crowd. Her breath caught at the charges.Praeripio, kidnapping, and wrongful detention,plagium.

“Sit,” Kadra ordered the plaintiff, who collapsed onto the chair. “Why do you accuse a Metals Guildsman of kidnapping?”

The man’s knobbly fingers gripped his knees. “I’m an engraver, my Tetrarch. A year ago, I borrowed fifty denarii from the Guild to purchase a chisel. I was ambitious. I thought I could pay it back. But when the time came a month later, I couldn’t even make the interest. After that, everything my family earned went toward the debt, but it grew and grew. So my son agreed to work it off at the Guild. We were told it would be paid in three months.” The plaintiff shot Red Tunic a bitter look. “It’s been six, and I haven’t seen him. I’ve begged. But they say I’m harassing him and that he doesn’t want to see me.” His voice broke.

“What are we to do if he’s better off without a useless father?” Red Tunic snarled. “The boy came tous, because you didn’t return our coin.”

Sarai bit her lip.Neither is lying.But that can’t be right. Red Tunic wouldn’t have beaten up the plaintiff or tried to stop the petition being heard if he was innocent.

Kadra tapped his pen against the table. “And the boy’s well?”

“He’s well and working, damn it! Who’d would want to return to a life of debt?”

He’s well.The remark stuck in her chest, vibrating disharmoniously.Shit.

Red Tunic threw up his hands. “See? No lies. What a fucking waste of time. Andyou”—he stalked over to the plaintiff—“you’re going to pay for accusingmeof—”

“You’re lying.”

A thousand pairs of eyes turned toward her. She swallowed.

Red Tunic looked like the dirt on his boots had started talking. “The northerner thinks she’s a Petitor. Look here, you’ve been announcingthat this person and that are lying all day, but how do we know ifyouaren’t? Not like you’ve been properly trained.”

A few onlookers tittered, and for a second, she smiled. Becausethis, this was familiar. Theeyes,the mockery. Instincts of over eighteen years reared their head, telling her to make herself small, to nod, and smile, and agree with all they said to save herself pain. But this wasn’t Arsamea. And she wasn’t a barmaid anymore.

“I have no reason to lie,” she said calmly. “Can you tell me that the boy’s well? That he doesn’t want to see his father?”

“He’s eating well, drinking well, and shitting well. Going to say I’m lying?”

A cacophony of sound thrummed through her. “You are,” she whispered. “Is he alive?”

“I don’t need to answer this,” Red Tunic sneered. “Not to some jumped-up northerner hiding behind a table. This is a privateGuildmatter.”

Biting her tongue before she could spit out a retort, she turned to Kadra, hating that she was going to have to ask him for help. Then, she saw where he was looking. Hunched over in his seat, the plaintiff stared at the ground, arms wrapped around himself, all hope gone. And this, too, was familiar. Hadn’t she done the same in Cretus’s shed? Holding herself together, weary of knowing she couldn’t win, wondering if she could simply sit and never get up again.

“I’ll ask you again.” She came out from behind the table to face Red Tunic. “Is he alive?”

He mimed locking his mouth. “What now? Will you Probe me? I won’t consent, so that’ll be assault. The likes of you …”

His voice dulled to make way for the sustained scream in her head.Think. If he wouldn’t answer, she needed an excuse to Probe him. But that was reserved for serious crimes, likehomicidiumor … assault. She looked at Kadra, still watching the plaintiff, at the rapt audience, at Red Tunic, now shoving his index finger in her face. She took a deep breath.

Lose your temper. Just a fraction.

Sarai laughed. “That’s a lot of big words from a man who tried to prevent this trial. Were you scared?” She scrunched her face in mock pity as he swelled. “Was that why you ran to your Guildmaster with your tail between your legs? And you call yourself a man—”

“You bitch!” In one step, he was before her, fist at the ready.

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