Page 35 of The Tribes of Magic
The General moved into Diadora’s path. “Wait. This crime was committed on Gaian soil. The law states we have the right to interrogate the accused.”
“Your law,” Diadora said silkily. “Not ours.”
“But—”
“Two of our own are dead, General, and a third stands accused of killing them. This is a Court matter.” When he opened his mouth to speak again, Diadora lifted her hand to silence him. “This discussion is pointless.”
“I disagree,” the General said sharply.
“Of course you do, but that’s entirely due to your ignorance.”
The angry vein in the General’s temple twitched.
“I meant no offense, General. I meant only that you Gaians are unfamiliar with certain truths. Such as the fact that all members of the Court have been conditioned to withstand all common interrogation techniques. You will get nothing from Lord Zeryck.”
The General stood taller. “I assure you, there’s nothingcommonabout our techniques.”
Diadora smiled. “Let me be frank, if I may, General?”
“I appreciate frankness.”
“As do I.” Diadora folded her hands serenely in front of her. “So here’s the reality: your realm is a young, naive one. You have no magic and little patience. The Court has both, not to mention centuries of experience shaping magic into an effective interrogation tool. You have no chance of extracting the truth from Lord Zeryck using only mundane means.”
“You would be surprised by how effectively my people can extract information from uncooperative prisoners,” the General replied.
Acid tinged my tongue. I pressed my lips together and forced it back down. I also had to force out the waterfall of images featuring Watchers extracting information from uncooperative prisoners. Sometimes an active imagination was a bad thing. This was one of those times.
“If your methods are as effective as you say, then what’s the harm in letting us have a chance with the prisoner first?” the General asked Diadora. “He’ll still be there for you if we fail.”
“You see, that’s what worries me, General. The Gaian Government has a history of misplacing dangerous prisoners. And I’m not prepared for you to misplace one of ours.”
“What does she mean by ‘misplaced prisoners’?” I whispered to Kato.
“I don’t know.” He frowned. “Perhaps she knows something we do not. I will look into it.”
The General told Diadora, “We have not misplaced any dangerous prisoners. You have been misinformed.”
“Have I?”
Diadora’s words weren’t a question. They weren’t even a challenge. They were a dismissal, clear and simple. And directly to the point. The General might have met his match in Duchess Diadora.
She gave him a congenial smile. “Calm yourself, General. Rest assured that we will get to the truth behind the murders of Queen Seriana and Prince Fenris. And when we do, we will of course share this information with our gracious hosts.”
“The Court won’t be sharing anything with us, will they?” I whispered to Kato.
“That would beveryuncharacteristic of them.”
One of Diadora’s pet panthers growled at the General, which had exactly the desired effect. The General backed away. He was by no means a cowardly man, but if there was one thing that scared him, it was definitely magic.
“The Court is adjourned for the day. We shall reconvene tomorrow morning.”
With that announcement made, Duchess Diadora and her panthers dragged Lord Zeryck out of the room. And the rest of the delegates followed.
CHAPTER 4
THE WOLF'S DEN
After Lord Zeryck’s humiliating arrest by giant bronze panther sculptures, the Apprentices scurried back to the kitchen. Zoe looked blissfully ready to taunt me for being a walking disaster. Before she got the chance, however, a Watcher marched into the room and declared that the General wanted a word with me. That elicited a few gasps—some worried, some delighted—from my fellow Apprentices.
