Falls, waiting for the signal to move on Thesk and unseat the Archduke. As far as I know, that signal is coming any day now.’
‘And what does any of this have to do with the destruction of the Ace of Skulls and the death of Hengar?’ Drave asked.
‘Hengar’s death was a preliminary. They wanted to be sure there was nobody left for dissenters to rally round. He was the only surviving member of the Arken family who could inherit the title after the Archduke is gone. His secret affair with a Samarlan gave them an opportunity to get him out of the way and make it look like an accident. And Hengar was the popular one; by killing him and then leaking the information about the affair, they made the Archduke’s family look dishonest and immoral. All the better for after the coup, when they could claim it was a revolution to depose a corrupt regime, just like the Dukes when they overthrew the monarchy.’
‘This is pure fantasy!’ Grephen shrieked. ‘I will not stand here and listen to this slander from a pirate and murderer.’
‘I can prove it,’ said Frey. ‘I’ve been to Retribution Falls, and I’ve seen the army that’s waiting there. I know how to find it.’ He stared hard into the eyes of Kedmund Drave. ‘I can take you there.’
Drave stared back at him. ‘In exchange for a pardon, no doubt.’
‘A pardon?’ cried the Duke, but was ignored.
‘For me and my crew,’ Frey said. ‘The Ace of Skulls was rigged with explosives. Any engineer would tell you it’s nigh on impossible to blow up a craft that size with the guns I have on my craft. We were set up to take the fall for it, so nobody would suspect that it was part of a bigger plot. They hoped we’d be killed before we ever worked out what was going on, so we wouldn’t be able to tell anyone.’ He raised his bound hands and pointed across the courtyard. ‘The set-up was Gallian Thade’s doing. He’s in on it too.’
Thade said nothing, but his gaze was murderous.
‘You’re going to take his word for what kind of guns he has on his craft?’ Grephen spluttered.
‘I know what kind of guns he has on his craft,’ Drave said. ‘We have it in our possession.’
Frey’s heart leaped. That could mean only one thing: Jez. Somehow, she’d found the Century Knights and told them what was going on. A flicker of real hope ignited in him.
‘He’s playing for time!’ Grephen accused. ‘He’s leading you on a wild goose chase. You’re not really thinking of letting him lead you all over Vardia in search of some mythical pirate port?’
Drave looked at Frey. ‘Is that what you’re doing? Playing for time?’
‘If you’ll permit me . . .’ said Frey. He reached down into his trousers and began groping around at his crotch. Several guards covered him with guns. Samandra Bree raised an eyebrow.
After a moment, he pulled out a tightly folded piece of paper and proffered it across the podium. Drave looked at it, then nodded at Samandra.
‘Me?’ she cried in protest. She rolled her eyes. ‘Fine!’ she groaned.
She took the paper delicately from Frey’s hand, touching it as little as possible. ‘That’s been down there for days, right?’
‘Ever since Dracken captured us,’ Frey said, with a wink. ‘Lucky they didn’t search us too closely.’
Samandra wrinkled her pretty nose. ‘Ugh.’
She handed the paper to Drave, who unfolded it, apparently unconcerned by
