“This is absurd,” Lunver said, brutally short. “You are stim-crashing and in no state to make allegations. If I were you, I would stop before anyone overhears or you may find General Fenrik makes your mother aware of this wild behavior.”
It was a clumsy attempt to shut Kiem down. Jainan, watching the exchange, couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about Lunver’s knee-jerk defensiveness. She was worried about her reputation—and not just hers. That of the operation she ran.
“Colonel,” Jainan said abruptly. “You have a duty to your unit.”
Lunver looked at him in surprise, and her eyes narrowed.
“You are not responsible for anything Taam may have done,” Jainan said. “But you are responsible for setting it right. There is someone else attempting to hack into your operation.” There was also someone else who had tried to kill Kiem and Jainan, but Jainan didn’t trust Lunver enough to speak about that. “If Taam didn’t act alone, then someone else may be attempting to continue what he was doing. Shutting Kiem down like this will not help.”
He’d expected rage. He’d never spoken to Lunver like this. But instead, after one sharp, angry breath, she shut her mouth. Her expression was suddenly distant and introspective.
She didn’t seem surprised at the allegations. Of course, Aren would have told her what Kiem and Jainan visited Hvaren Base to do. But laying out that Taam must have had an accomplice—that seemed to be unexpected.
“I need to call my base,” Lunver said crisply. “Make sure his highness is taken care of.” She got to her feet. “I can assure you, if this embezzlement case isn’t solved, it will not be because my unit was negligent in investigating.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Jainan said. He bit his tongue on Let us know how that goes, but Kiem’s expression said it for him. Kiem was bad for him. “I appreciate your reassurance on the matter.”
Bel gave Jainan a tight smile and left for the cockpit after Colonel Lunver. Jainan had neither the energy nor the urge to ask her not to eavesdrop.
Jainan rolled his shoulders, trying to drain the tension from his neck and his back. He was distracted by keeping an eye on Kiem, who must be exhausted; his eyes were flickering shut and his breathing was slowing into sleep. “Think she’ll really find out what’s going on?” Kiem mumbled.
“I’m not holding out a great deal of hope,” Jainan said softly, because Kiem was struggling to stay awake. “Get some rest.”
It was unnecessary. Kiem had already lost the battle and sunk into a doze, the lines smoothed out of his face. Jainan couldn’t touch him in case he disturbed him; Kiem would need all his energy for the interview that waited for them. Shafts of light lay bright across the floor from the small windows set into the flyer’s sides. Jainan lifted his eyes from Kiem’s sleeping form to watch the white horizon pass under the pale-blue sky, felt the rumbling of the flyer through his body, and tried to be glad they were returning safely to the palace. They flew on.
CHAPTER 20
Internal Security summoned them as soon as they’d touched down in Arlusk. Kiem refused point-blank to enter the comms dead zone in their working quarters, so instead Rakal ordered the receptionists’ office cleared, and they perched uncomfortably on chairs for visitors. Kiem was slumped back across a hard couch, slow and bleary, his fingers resting on his wristband as if to remind Rakal he was recording everything they said.
“You think someone caused the crash to stop you from investigating,” Rakal said.
“I make no accusations,” Jainan said. His voice was hoarse. He had spent the last hour laying out his Kingfisher research in exhaustive detail. Rakal showed no sign of being tired; they ran the interview like a belt grinding over a gear—the same questions over and over again until Jainan started to doubt his own facts. “We were not subtle about our investigations.”
“You should not have been investigating at all,” Rakal said, but with curt impatience that said they knew it was too late for that.
“You knew about the hacking already,” Kiem said. He’d taken another half of a stim tab when the flyer had landed, in spite of Jainan’s objections, so he was at least talking coherently. “You’ve had days to link it up with Jainan’s information. Stop pretending you don’t have your own theories. You’ve gotten much further than we have, haven’t you?”
Rakal sighed and touched the bridge of their nose, a gesture so uncharacteristic that Jainan wondered if he had started hallucinating. “Your Highness,” Rakal said shortly. “I am going to ask you to stop recording so we can have a genuine conversation. I will ask this once.”
Kiem met Jainan’s eyes. Jainan nodded. “All right,” Kiem said reluctantly. “We’ve already obeyed your Imperial Voice command, though, so if you make any threats, we’re leaving.”
Rakal watched Kiem deactivate his wristband before they spoke. “There has been trouble with the Auditor since you left.”
Jainan felt the Auditor’s presence rise up from the back of his mind where it had been lurking like a storm warning. “What kind of trouble?”
“Something has upset him and his staff,” Rakal said. “They have all retreated to their ship, with the remnants, and set off early for Carissi Station. They are not communicating even with the authorized representatives. The Emperor believes they will still carry out the treaty ceremony; the Resolution has some arcane protocols we still don’t fully understand.”
Kiem sank down a fraction in his chair. “So we’re even further from the treaty,” he said.
“No,” Rakal said crisply. “I know you were not instated. I know it was because of Taam’s murder. This crime must and will be solved. When we arrest the perpetrator, the Auditor will see Thea and Iskat are in agreement—which they will be, because the suspect is not Thean—and instate the treaty representatives.”
Jainan didn’t immediately understand the implication, but Kiem did, because he sat up. “You’ve cleared Jainan?”
“Count Jainan.” Rakal gave a thin smile. “Yes, Your Grace is no longer our main suspect. But you can help.”
Jainan did not like the way Rakal said help. He laid his hands on his knees, carefully controlling any signs of unease. “I am at your disposal.”
“You still have a professional relationship with Professor Feynam Audel.”
Jainan had not known her personal name. “Yes,” he said. A bitter relief sat on his tongue. “You want me to withdraw from the project.”
“No.” Rakal leaned in. “I want you to get proof that Audel murdered Prince Taam.”
“Wait, what?” Kiem said. “Your suspect is Professor Audel? But we cleared her.”
The room blurred around Jainan. He cut off Kiem’s protestation. “We told you she could prove she had no motive. Please explain.”
“Feynam Audel was behind the attempts at network intrusion,” Rakal said. “We have spent the last two days tracing the comms involved, and that much is indisputable. She used not only her own account but also those of multiple students, even one owned by a student who passed away two years ago.”