twenty—still young and malleable, in terms of character. He could still be steered in the right direction with the right prompting. I’d met people like him before. Beval wanted to tell the truth, but he was frightened. I just had to figure out why.
“Milord, I don’t want to upset anyone.”
“You’re upsetting me right now,” Kalon retorted. He towered over the Rimian in a muted but menacing fashion. I gripped his arm and squeezed gently, quietly asking him to stand back and let me take care of this.
To my surprise, he didn’t question my intervention. On the contrary, he nodded once, allowing me to take over the conversation. Kalon understood what this investigation meant to me, so he’d let the more assertive side of him go dormant while we tried to find the truth.
“Beval, please,” I said. “If there is something you know about what happened here, please tell us. I just want to find out what happened to my friend.”
The Rimian looked at me, his eyes wide, his face red with… shame. “I am sorry, milady, but these are dangerous questions you ask.”
“I know you can’t really tell by my dress and all, but I’m perfectly equipped to deal with danger, regardless of its scale,” I replied.
Feeling Kalon’s eyes on me, I gave him a brief glance. Indeed, he was measuring me from head to toe, and it wasn’t the first time. Granted, I’d opted for a black leather dress with a full and rich tulle underskirt, and it did make me stand out, though not in a flashy way. It matched my mood.
My insides felt warm as he looked away and focused on Beval again, who was still having trouble opening up to us. I had to get him to talk, sooner rather than later.
“I won’t tell anyone whatever it is you’re keeping from us,” I said, trying to reassure him. “I only want to know what you saw, Beval. I’ll make sure none of the golden guards hear about this.”
Beval seemed tempted to trust me, but he looked at Kalon and was wary again.
“My lips are sealed,” Kalon said. “Esme and I are on the same team here.”
“You’ll have to forgive me, milord, if I find that hard to believe,” Beval replied. “Especially considering who your mother is.”
“Oh, snap.” I gasped, trying not to chuckle.
Kalon’s expression darkened, but he kept his composure incredibly well. I was impressed. “Believe it or not, I am not my mother’s appendix. I am my own person. Also, what does the high priestess have to do with any of this?”
“Lady Esme here wants to know what happened to her snake friend. The high priestess, much like the Lord and Lady Supreme, wants this whole business to be wrapped up quickly and without any additional fuss,” the gardener said. “I serve the empire, of course, and therefore I wouldn’t want my allegiance tested or doubted here.”
“Beval, look at me,” I replied, resting one hand on his bony shoulder. “I promise you that neither Lord Visentis nor I will breathe a word of what you tell us. But you cannot live with secrets. Not while I’m around, trying to find out what happened to my friend. If you don’t tell me what you know, if I have to get my truth from someone else, Beval… you won’t like it. Because I’ll be coming back for you, and no one will be able to protect you.”
Instilling fear in people was not my usual approach, but my patience was running thin. The more time that passed after Nethissis’s demise, the higher the odds we wouldn’t catch her killer. Beval was literally obstructing my investigation.
He breathed out, a faint whimper leaving his lips. He’d gotten my message, for sure.
“Milady… I will tell you. I hope you will keep your word.”
“We will both be quiet about your involvement,” Kalon replied. “I have no reason to screw you over, Beval. You’re a bloody gardener. I won’t even remember your name by tomorrow.”
Was that pure elitism or just a ruse to get the guy to talk? I hoped I’d get my answer later, though I was already hoping for the latter. Out of all the people I’d met here on Visio, Kalon was the one I prayed would not end up disappointing me—or worse, betraying me or my people.
“It’s not just the foxes we’ve been having trouble with, lately,” Beval finally spoke. “More than once, I’ve found foreign footprints and broken locks on the garden gates. I’ve seen shadows moving through