Chris Wooding - Retribution Falls

‘You’ve obtained confessions, then?’ Drave asked Grephen.

Frey grinned. There wouldn’t have been time to make up and sign another confession after he’d ruined the last one.

‘They were caught red-handed in an act of piracy,’ Grephen declared, flushing angrily. ‘There was no need for a confession, or a trial. I exercised my ducal authority, as is my right. Besides, they admitted it.’

‘Did we, bollocks!’ Malvery yelled from the cage. ‘He’s lying!’

‘You shut up!’ growled Colden Grudge, pointing a meaty finger at the doctor.

‘We’re innocent!’ Pinn cried, joining in happily. For a while his faith in a last-second intervention had wavered; but now here it was, and all was right with the world again.

Drave turned his gaze to Trinica. ‘Trinica Dracken. You caught these men?’

‘Yes.’

‘You know what crimes they are wanted for?’

‘I do.’

‘And you were hired to catch them by the Duke?’

‘I was.’

‘Then he must know what crimes they are wanted for.’

Trinica looked at Grephen, her black eyes emotionless. ‘I’d assume so,’ she said.

Drave turned on Grephen. ‘Given that, Duke Grephen, why did you see fit to execute these prisoners yourself instead of delivering them to the Archduke for public trial? After all, it wasn’t your son they killed.’

Grephen had begun to sweat, his limp hair becoming lank. He looked to Gallian Thade, but Thade couldn’t help.

‘I can answer that,’ called Frey. He was still kneeling on the platform, with the executioner standing next to him, Frey’s cutlass held loosely in his hand.

‘You be quiet, criminal!’ Grephen snapped.

Drave’s eyes narrowed as he looked for the first time at the man who had almost killed him a few weeks earlier. Frey wondered if the malice in that glare would be the death of him, or if Drave would give him the chance he needed. For a long instant, Drave said nothing; then he held up a hand.

‘Let him speak. I’d like to hear what he has to say.’

Frey looked around the courtyard. All eyes were on him now. The guards in their light blue uniforms glanced at each other nervously. Grephen looked nauseous with fear. They’d thought this would be a simple execution: now they realised there was much more to it.

‘Can I get to my feet?’ Frey asked. ‘My knees are getting kind of sore like this.’

Drave motioned for him to get up. The executioner backed away a step. ‘Make it quick,’ he said. ‘And make it good. I will get to the bottom of this, but I’ll not lie to you, Darian Frey: I’d like to see you dead as much as anyone.’

Frey got up. He was still possessed of that strange sense of calm that had settled on him with the surety of death. It was as if his body couldn’t quite believe there might be a reprieve for him.

‘I’ll keep it simple, then,’ he said. ‘Duke Grephen plans to overthrow the Archduke. He’s being bankrolled by the Awakeners; they want to see the Archduke deposed because of the political measures he and his wife are introducing to limit their power. They know Grephen is devout, and that he’ll act favourably towards them once he seizes power.’

‘These are lies!’ Grephen shouted, but Frey went on anyway.

‘The Awakeners don’t have an army, and Grephen doesn’t command enough troops to challenge the Coalition Navy, so between them they’ve raised a force of pirates and freebooters, paid for with Awakener gold. This army is at the hidden port of Retribution 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 the moistness and the smell.

‘It’s a page from the dock master’s book at Retribution Falls. You can see his name and title signed down there in the bottom corner,’ Frey told him.

‘I see it,’ said Drave. He turned the paper over. ‘I don’t see the Ketty Jay on here, though.’

‘We weren’t calling ourselves the Ketty Jay at the time. It would have been a bit stupid with half of Vardia trying to catch or kill us.’

‘How convenient!’ Grephen crowed.

‘I’m not showing it to you to prove I was there. The fact that you hold it in your hand is proof enough that I was there,’ Frey replied. ‘The name you should be looking at is the Moment of Silence. If you look up her records you’ll find she’s a craft registered to the Awakeners. The signature will also match the captain’s. She was the craft shuttling Awakener gold to Retribution Falls to finance the army.’