Mark Newton - Retribution

One of the eunuchs behind, who possessed thick brown hair and striking blue eyes, made an expression that suggested he thought I was making more dramatic conclusions than were necessary.

‘And you are the man who found his remains?’ the queen asked.

‘I’m afraid so. Last night I ventured outside of this prefecture and soon came upon a trail.’ I wanted to suggest that it was a simple enough investigation, but I felt the statement might have undermined Sulma Tan in some way — so I left it at that.

‘Report to me, Officer Drakenfeld, what you have so far discovered,’ she declared. ‘My child,’ she gestured to her right, ‘will one day be queen and need to deal with such matters. Leave out no detail, no matter how disturbing you think it might be.’

Carefully, and at length, I revealed the events leading up to the discovery of his remains, and of the work we had done so far with Sulma Tan, who was slightly embarrassed at the mention of her name in this context. It was understandable that being associated with the dead in any capacity was not well thought of throughout Vispasia. The dead brought with them bad omens. During my revelations, such as they were, I was all too aware that the entire court could hear what was being said. The queen made no effort to ensure the information was kept secret and I decided that was probably no bad thing, since I considered this to be a thoroughly controlled culture.

After I finished my report, I awaited a response.

‘What are your conclusions?’ Queen Dokuz demanded.

‘It is too early to tell. All we know is that the damage to his body was profound . As your physician Carlon reported, this was not some simple backstreet murder. Or an attempt to settle a score or steal a purse. But a calculated effort to inflict the maximum amount of pain on another human. This sort of thing happens so rarely.’

I heard gasps from one or two members of the gathered throng, who had remained silent during our discussion and could not contain their disbelief.

‘We are all such busy people,’ the queen replied.

As ever when among the decadent quarters of society, I resisted the urge to gesture at all those people standing idly nearby.

‘Sulma Tan, too, is too busy as a secretary. We are in the process of undergoing a great survey of our nation — the very first of its kind for a generation. Every member of my staff is stretched to their limits. What is more, we are constantly striving to better ourselves and our minds and our people. This murder in the Sorghatan Prefecture will be a distraction from matters of enlightenment.’

I noticed the younger Sorghatan scoffed at her mother’s comments, before she looked away in the opposite direction.

The queen gazed contemplatively, not angrily, across to the girl. ‘You disapprove of something, Nambu?’

‘Someone has just been killed,’ she said quietly, in perfectly formed Detratan, ‘and all you can think of is that it’s a distraction ?’

It was difficult not to smile, as there was much to be commended in the young lady’s pithy sentiment. There was an obvious tension between the two, and it was as though they had reached an uneasy tolerance of one another. What battles there may have been were probably fought a good while ago. Having a queen for a mother would have made victory very unlikely for the young Nambu Sorghatan.

‘A dead man will not halt our progress, Nambu,’ her mother said softly, placing a hand on her daughter’s arm. ‘You will understand what that means one day.’

The young girl did not flinch; she barely noticed the gesture.

‘Children,’ the queen said, shaking her head.

‘They have such wonderful minds,’ I replied.

‘You think so?’

‘Absolutely I do,’ I said, trying to maintain a gentle tone. ‘Younger people look at the world with such innocence and have open minds as a result. They’re not blinded by our more adult prejudices. They still have wonder. They still know how to dream.’

‘Some have had the luxuries in which to dream,’ she said, gazing at her daughter again. ‘Some do not realize quite how lucky they are. That said, young Nambu here was the victim of an attack.’ She explained briefly what had occurred. I assume she wanted people to know that her daughter’s security was of great importance. It was possible she had suspicions of someone present, and wanted to make them uncomfortable. ‘I am thinking of handing her to someone such as Grendor of the Cape. A friend of mine who I can trust.’

‘He is a good man, majesty,’ the blue-eyed eunuch added.

‘Yes. Here she is a sitting target, a doe waiting to receive an arrow. Like all royals who remain still, we make easy sport for others.’

The queen snapped her attention back to me in a way that made me feel as sheepish as her daughter ought to have looked. ‘Anyway, real life has not had the chance to wear down children. I still dream, Officer Drakenfeld, though those dreams take more pragmatic forms these days. They are my visions for this nation. My dreams, if the gods smile on us, become reality. Now, to the business of the bishop. If you have so far been employed in the process of understanding the cause of the bishop’s death, I will grant you permission to ask whoever you wish. But I would like the matter to be resolved with some urgency and without too much distraction. We are undergoing our latest census, a great inventory, which is to be marked by an especially large festival of games towards the latter half of this month.’

She was half addressing me, half addressing the rest of the court. The eunuchs behind her glanced towards the rest of the room now, like some extension of the queen’s arrogance and dominance. I wondered if she had taught them the nuances of her expressions so they worked together as a collective.

‘It is a moment to celebrate our proud Kotonese heritage, with the monthly Kotonese Games and a feast, and from there we will as always look to the future.’ The queen became calmer, and spoke subtly. ‘You will understand that I would not like such momentum and happy times to be ruined by some vile character.’

‘If the murderer remains within the city, I will do my best to find them and to bring them before your courts, for you to issue whatever justice you see fit.’

‘Very good,’ she said. ‘I am glad that you will use our court. I do not like rogue operators.’

‘I am not here to get in the way, but to help the wheels of justice move more smoothly. To help you find this murderer. The Sun Chamber works with each nation’s laws, quite willingly. .’

‘How very diplomatic,’ she replied, ‘given that the Sun Chamber helped define our laws in the first place.’

The queen was making reference to over two hundred years ago, when the Sun Chamber was formed during the foundation of the Vispasian Royal Union. It wasn’t quite that we dictated the laws. The founding principles of the continent were forged at the same time as the Sun Chamber itself. They were one and the same. Without the Sun Chamber there would be no independent organization to bind the nations together. There would be no fairness, no independence, and no accountability. If she was trying to test me, to see if her sardonic comment could annoy me in some way, then I would not give her any such pleasure. It was always the way with royals as they attempted to assert their authority, yet we both knew that if I failed to make my reports, then more officers would come and an army could follow.

‘We are ever the diplomats,’ I replied.

‘In the meantime,’ she continued, ‘I ask that you both join me at an event I am holding later tonight. It is a gathering of great minds from across the arts and sciences, fields that I actively encourage to flourish in our nation. Both of you,’ she indicated Leana, ‘are welcome to join us and converse with others. There will be some of the finest food available, and rare wines from Dalta — a present from their queen.’