“Of course not,” Sinteya said, placing a hand on her hip. “I suggest none other than Hatan Padarro. He was not complicit in King Rikaydian’s actions, and as the late queen’s nephew, he’s the next in line to assume the throne anyway.”
“But Migo is still the king,” Rivar said.
“The council will not uphold that,” Sinteya said. “We’re only a few marks away. Unless the king were to execute the majority of the nobility, I don’t think we have any other option. That one doesn’t sound very pleasant anyway.”
Rivar and Emil shook their heads while Falshon and Briondi considered in silence.
Shanon cleared her throat. “It’s not the option any of us would have wanted, but Sinteya is right. It’s our best possible outcome given the circumstances. We should try to make sure Hatan is the one presented as the new ruler.”
“How do we do that, then?” Emil said. “Most of the nobility is already in our father’s pocket.”
“We need to make sure the rest of the nobility are prepared to consider Hatan,” Sinteya said. “I will be at the council, and I will present his name, but my family does not hold a large representation. I wouldn’t even be one of the first few people to speak. We need to do something before the council is held and we also need to involve one of the greater houses to present Hatan first.”
Those in the room shared a look. “Don’t tell me,” Falshon said, running a hand over his eyes. “Nedro Wajek.”
Shanon smirked. “He’s our best bet.”
“So you’re in on this plan too then, Shanon?” Emil said.
Shanon shrugged. “For securing the safety of Jehubal, I am. It seems like the option we’d have the greatest success with, short of rescuing Hatan. If the Kestens took power, I’d hate to think what would happen with the Bayvana Tribe.”
“True,” Falshon said. “That’s the real threat.”
“I think we should try to save Hatan anyway,” Emil said. “If he’s free, we can still try and take out Vitori and Avidazj. That would send a very clear message.” He pointed at Shanon. “Don’t you know some ways into the palace? Some that nobody else would think of?”
Shanon shook her head. “To get into the dungeons? No. I could only get so far before I’d have to start killing guards. There’s no way to go unnoticed, except for one other option that would be nearly impossible.”
“What option is that?” Rivar said.
“There’s supposedly a tunnel that connects to the underground network, but it’s somewhere deep in the Scorched Waste. It would be a suicide mission trying to find it. I could scope it out, but I feel like we don’t have enough time before the council happens.”
“Alright,” Briondi said. “Suppose we succeed and Regent Padarro is selected to be the new monarch, what’s to stop Vitori from executing him anyway?”
“It’s a possibility,” Sinteya said. “I will have to address it outright during the council in hopes that it prevents them from getting desperate, but even if Vitori gets outvoted, he may have enough military presence to seize control anyway.”
Falshon nodded. “Possibly. We can try to prepare for that as well. I’ll have to be ready with as many soldiers as we can gather. We can sequester ourselves near the palace. I know a place we’d be able to force ourselves in.”
“What action do we take, then?” Rivar said.
“Two tasks,” Sinteya said. “We need somebody to speak with Lord Wajek, and we need a network to place these throughout the city.” She pulled a blue cloth out from within her robe and held it up for them to see. It bore the head of a horned varman ox in white stitching with the words “House Padarro” stitched along the bottom.
“What is that?” Rivar asked.
“The Padarro family crest,” Sinteya said.
“So we hand it to the nobility when they need to blow their nose,” Rivar said. “How does that help us?”
“We need awareness, right?” Sinteya flicked the little flag. “This will do it. I have a hundred of them ready to go.”
“You’ve already committed to this, then?” Emil said.
Sinteya’s eyes flickered with passion. “The moment I watched Vitori’s soldiers carry Hatan off my property, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I’ve been preparing ever since then.”
She cared for Hatan. Shanon could guess that much. Either she fancied him or wanted to see herself as the queen. Either way, she served her purpose. Shanon wouldn’t stop until Hatan was free.
“Sounds like a plan,” Shanon said. “As long as I get to be the one who speaks to Nedro Wajek.”
Chapter seven
Escape
Hatan shuffled through the dark cavern, squeezing through a particularly tight section. He’d only been this way once as a boy and was certain he was only moving himself closer and closer to his demise. His labored breathing and scraping feet echoed off the walls.
Once on the other side, he dropped to his knees beside a tiny pond where water dripped from above. He wondered if it was still New Season, the rainiest time of year. A lot of that rain filtered through the ground and ended up in the caves. He drank his fill then splashed the rest of it over his body until he was soaked, chilling his skin.
He’d need it.
No time to waste. He pushed onward, ducking at times to make it through tighter spaces. He only hoped that Penym managed to get away without suspicion and that nobody else would suspect where Hatan might have gone. He doubted anybody even knew enough about the caverns. They’d all been explored at some point in time, but not in recent years.
His chances of surviving were slim, but he had to get out and reach his contacts before the council of nobles met. At least he’d had the foresight to salvage a pair of boots from one of the guards he’d killed. They were too small for him, but it was better than nothing. He’d have no chance of surviving without them.
This was it. After half a mark of winding through the cavern, he emerged at a narrow incline. It would be too difficult to crawl through while holding the torch, so he dropped it to the ground, knowing it was on its last flame of life anyway. He’d have to make it the rest of the way in the dark.
“Sleet,” he muttered to himself as he shimmied up the surface. For all he knew, this whole passage could have been sealed off years ago by storms, but he pressed on, shoving sand aside as he felt his way forward with his fingers. He could only shift his legs up a little bit at a time, then he’d push with his toes. His elbows dug into the stone.
The light of the torch disappeared behind him, leaving him in utter darkness. He had to force back the panic that bubbled in his chest. There was no light ahead, but he had to keep going. He closed his eyes, continuing to crawl at his gradual pace. Perhaps it was a good thing he’d lost some weight in the dungeons.
He groaned as the rocky surface grated against his chest and thighs. Gradually, he realized that his body no longer shivered from cold wetness. Either he was losing feeling, or it was getting warmer. He hoped it was the latter, but he refused to open his eyes lest he see only darkness ahead, letting that hope linger so he could keep moving. He wouldn’t let himself pause, but kept going, inching his hands further until he finally felt it.
