Chapter 26: 26 - Something Stupid

Verum had been sitting on the revelation that Ustrina was the one behind all of Flore’s heart-shattering pregnancies for two days. Two days, and he’d heard absolutely nothing since then from either Callida or Councilman Spahen. Sure, Callida was on sick leave, and sure, Councilman Spahen had been… preoccupied, but– Primordials, what am I supposed to do?!

“You have a right to know, but don’t do anything stupid,” or something like that. What qualifies as “stupid” exactly?

Verum paced his study as he brooded and tried not to think about how much he hated Ustrina: his father’s wife but not his mother. She’d pretended to be his mother for the first twelve years of his life, and then, when his father had told him the truth about his heritage, she’d changed.

He’d spent a long time trying to understand; he knew now that his father had been a monster. It hurt knowing that the man he’d idolized and loved had been… that. It hurt looking back at the years he’d spent obsessively studying and training to become like his father in a vain effort to earn his love and approval. And it hurt for him to realize that his father had sabotaged Verum’s fragile relationship with Ustrina, most likely for his own entertainment.

He was never supposed to know that Ustrina was not his mother.

When Ustrina found out that Verum knew, something inside of her snapped. She became cold and hostile overnight. Verum had never known his birth mother, so this betrayal in tandem with the revelation of his heritage had crushed his twelve-year-old self. Blinding bitterness on both sides had driven an insuperable wedge between them, and as the years of hurt and anger piled up, so too had their mutual hatred.

This was his father’s legacy: pitting people against each other so he could watch and laugh at the ensuing battles from the shadows. He’d manipulated the entire world into the Great War over the course of decades, so why not do the same to his wife and illegitimate son? Cheat on his wife and convince her to accept a son that wasn’t hers, starve the son for love and affection, and then turn them on each other — make them blame each other for the hurt he had caused.

Yes, Verum had found out after his father was exposed and killed that he was the product of an illegitimate union that had only been patched up afterwards because he’d been born a son and a lion spirit host and, therefore, an heir. The fiction his father had fed him that his mother had been a legitimate, council approved mistress whom he’d genuinely fallen in love with was just that: a fiction, so, in a way, it made sense that Ustrina hated him. He was a living reminder of her husband’s infidelity.

But the rest of it was unforgivable. Ustrina had become the monster she’d hated by redirecting her ire onto him, then a young child, and now she was targeting his wife and children as well. She had to be stopped! Verum was determined that his father’s legacy of manipulation and abuse would end with him. It had to end with him.

Which was why he couldn’t help himself.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ustrina, open the door!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open up!”

The ornate door swung on silent hinges, and Ustrina appeared on the other side. “Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise,” she hissed. He pushed past her and slammed the door shut behind him. “Please, do come in.”

“It’s over, Ustrina!” he roared. “You’ve been caught in your own web! Your trial will be held next week.”

“Oh?” She simpered at him. “And what are you accusing me of, Your Majesty? I go nowhere, I do nothing, I see no one.”

“Which means you have all the time in the world to sit in your room plotting!” Verum snarled back.

“And who told you that? Your precious Lion General? Are these the things you talk about in bed together?” she laughed, a manipulative attempt to bait and distract him.

“You need better spies, Ustrina,” Verum said darkly, stalking towards her. “I’m not sleeping with the Lion General — I never was — but she is the one that got your council spies to talk, and she’s the one that slaughtered them. I’ll have your head for this.”

“I see.” She stepped around him, casually slinking across the room to a hutch full of stoppered, glass decanters and flasks.

“That’s it?! That’s all you have to say for yourself?” Verum glared at her back.

“And what would you have me say, Your Majesty? The great general has spoken! You accept her every whim as fact, so there’s nothing I can say to persuade you otherwise.”

“Coward!”

She sneered in reply, then asked bitingly, “would you care for a drink, Your Majesty?”

“I’m not foolish enough to accept a drink from you.”

“A shame. Then would you mind if I had one?” she asked, but she was already pulling out a goblet and pouring her drink. She swirled the glass in her hands a few times and slouched into a seat by the hearth. “Here’s to… here’s to you,” she toasted boredly. “May you receive everything that’s coming to you and everything that you deserve.” She imbibed her wine in one go and tossed the empty goblet to the floor. “Enjoy your smug satisfaction, Verum. Your victory will not last.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?” Verum scoffed, and Ustrina laughed coldly.

“Oh, child. You pathetic little fool. I don’t need to threaten you. Your fate is already sealed, and so is mine.”

“Quit speaking in riddles, Ustrina. What do you mean?”

She merely laughed. “Why not ask the Lion General, since she’s so clever?” She laughed again, and something about it was off, even for her.

“Ustrina?” Verum watched in morbid fascination as she began to sink back into her cushions and then slowly slide forward off of them. She fell to the floor, her legs folding beneath her, her body slumping precariously against the chair behind her, and her face frozen in an expression of cruel mockery.

She was dead.

Primordials. Callida’s gonna kill me.

***

“What do you want to do today, M’lady?”

Callida hadn’t even opened her eyes yet. She grinned sleepily and stretched, giggling when Rogue grew impatient and started skipping light kisses all over her face. “Good morning to you too!”

“Good morning,” he returned between kisses.

“Alright, I’m awake. You can stop now.”

“But what if I don’t want to stop?” he pouted playfully.

“Is this what you’re hoping to do today?” He merely grinned and tugged her into a roll that brought her over the top of him. She humored him for a moment and nuzzled her nose under his jaw before pulling away and rolling off the bed. “I want to go for a walk.”

“Oof,” Rogue deflated comically. “Fine. I’ll stop harassing you.”

She went to the bathroom to indulge in a leisurely routine of washing her face, cleaning her teeth, brushing her hair out, and putting on minimal makeup. It was a nice break from the hustled efficiency of this same routine most other mornings. She emerged to rummage through a wardrobe stuffed with things she almost never wore, randomly selecting a deep purple dress she didn't recognize. She had an entire team of people who worked behind the scenes to curate her style for her. It was rare that she spoke with them these days, and it was even more rare that she had the opportunity to wear any of the magnificent things they’d dreamed up for her.

“Ready for breakfast?” Rogue asked when she’d finished getting dressed, and Callida groaned. Food sat like a bucket of hot coals in Callida’s stomach which made sense given the way the poison had attacked her body. Limited to sips of broth and miniscule nibbles of plain bread until her gut healed, her body was feeling the strain of a low calorie diet, but eating was worse. “Come on, Callida. You have to eat.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Can I eat after the walk? That way I might actually enjoy the walk.”

“Fine,” he sighed and offered her his hand. “You promise?”

She smiled and laced her fingers through his. “Promise.”

They left the room, walking the length of the hall to a flight of stairs that ended in the foyer below. Celarus, the estate steward, met them at the door. “Good morning, General.”

“Good morning, Celarus. We’re going to take a walk through the gardens.”

“Very good,” he said, and opened the door for them.

They walked outside, and Callida happily soaked in the morning light and fresh air. She tugged Qiangde’s hand and led him into the nearest section of estate gardens to wordlessly weave through the shrubbery and admire the Springtime flowers.

“Beta!”

She startled and turned to see Erkunden. “What are you doing here?!”

“It’s urgent,” he said, pulling a crinkled note out of his pocket to extend to her.

She snatched it up quickly, and unfolded it:

----------------------------------------

The dowager is dead. Please advise. –Professor

----------------------------------------

“When?”

“I don’t know any more than you do,” Stag replied.

“How?!”

“Again, I don’t know any more than you do.”

“Primordials….” She was feeling a little clammy and lightheaded as her weakened body responded poorly to the adrenaline and anxiety. “Verum…. I need to speak with Verum. Stag, get a team meeting together this evening.”

“Same place?”

“No. Here. I don’t know if we’ll be able to salvage the situation or not. Come prepared to discuss options.”

“On it,” Erkunden said and left.

“Callida, who was that?” Rogue asked. “Is everything ok? He called you Beta?”

“I’m sorry, Qiangde, but this is urgent.” She pecked his cheek and took off jogging after Erkunden.

“Where are you going?!” he shouted after her, but Callida was too distracted to reply. The dowager queen was dead — their one lead. And she was angry more than anything. She could only think of three reasons why the queen would be dead. One, Verum had done something really stupid and executed her. Two, Verum had done something really stupid and tipped her off that they knew her role in the conspiracy, and she’d opted for death over torture and the humiliation of a trial and public execution. Or three, Verum had done something really stupid and told people he shouldn’t have about Ustrina’s treachery, and she’d been murdered before she could talk. One way or another, it all started with Verum being stupid.

Seething, Callida ran all the way to the palace and up the lengthy flight of stairs through the palace doors and down the grand hallway to the gilded double doors of the throne room. She took a moment to compose herself and run her fingers through her now wind-tangled locks before taking the plunge. She set her jaw and gave the go ahead to the palace guards to open the doors.

Verum took one look at who was entering and squirmed, his eyes immediately looking away and his lips pinching into a thin, resigned line. He knew he was in trouble. The speaking councilman faltered with Callida’s eyes throwing silent daggers at the king, and the room went still.

Verum sighed and accepted his fate. “Council, would you excuse me for a few minutes?” He too set his jaw and led the way back out of the throne room, through the grand hall, and then down a different hall to a small council room. Callida followed him in. “Pius, would you wait outside please,” Verum dismissed his bodyguard. The door clicked shut, and Verum deflated, leaning against the heavy, wood table at the center of the room. “Alright, Callida, let me have it.”

“I figured I’d give you an opportunity to explain yourself first.”

“She committed suicide.”

“You tipped her off?!”

“I wanted to confront her! Alright? I wanted to put her on house arrest, prevent her from doing anymore damage. I didn’t think she’d kill herself!”

“You went to crow over her!” Callida accused. “You wanted to tell her that she was cornered and watch her squirm! Didn’t you?!”

“Alright! I admit it! I wanted to put her in her place. I wanted to confront her and tell her that she was going to get what she deserved. I wanted….” he trailed off, his eyes zoning out on the wall to one side.

“You wanted closure,” Callida realized out loud, her volume dropping but voice hardening. “You wanted to show her how much you didn’t need her — how small and unimportant she really was. You wanted to make her feel the way she made you feel.” Verum swallowed and looked down at his toes, his head hanging in shame. “Do you even understand what you’ve done, Verum?” He looked up and then looked away. “Ustrina was our only lead. We never figured out how the poison made it into Flore’s room or who put it there. We don’t know who else is out there still, who Ustrina was connected to, how large her network is, if she was being backed by someone…. We don’t know how big this conspiracy is! We don’t know if it was just her trying to hurt you, or if she was a pawn and someone else was using her to take over the Lion Tribe. Verum we don’t know! We’ve got nothing! Without Ustrina, we have nothing. Primordials, Verum! Do you understand that?!” She paused for a reply, but Verum was back to hanging his head. “Verum, I can’t protect you or Flore or Optatio from a threat I don’t understand! I can’t protect the Lion Tribe from whatever is lurking undetected in the shadows! I can’t protect you.” Callida huffed in bitter frustration and then slumped against the wall by the door, sinking to the floor and tilting her head back against the cool stone. She’d run out of angry steam, and, suddenly, she was utterly exhausted. Her eyes closed. Her breath leveled and deepened. She was feeling dizzy.

“I’m sorry, Callida.” She lifted her head to find Verum studying her with regret and deep concern written on his face. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Yeah…. Me too.”

“What do we do now?”

“Honestly?” She sighed. “I have no idea.”

***

Seated around the hearth in Callida’s home office, Squad 14 was miserably quiet, and Callida just felt drained. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, we are back at square one, and I…. No…. Thank you for everything — your time, your talents — I owe you. But you have your own lives to return to, and some of you have families now. I’m calling it. It’s time to pack up and go home.”

Next to her on the couch, Erkunden nudged her shoulder. “You alright, Beta?”

“Just tired.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to keep trying?”

“Stag, your sweet wife is probably wondering if you’re dead,” Callida snorted with a pale attempt at humor. “Remind me her name?”

“Delila,” Stag said, smiling.

“I want to meet her someday. I want to meet Treu and Ruhe too, Parrot. And Professor, good luck with your girlfriend’s maid,” she teased, and everyone chuckled. “I guess, Shield, let me know when you find your sweetheart. We’re all terrible pen pals, you know that? Oh, I have something to give you before you go.” She stood up laboriously and went to her desk, grunting as she pulled a small but very heavy chest out from underneath it to set in the middle of the group. “This is from the Lion King as a token of his appreciation for your help.”

“We didn’t complete the mission, Beta,” Ablenkung protested.

“You gave eight months of your lives to this mission, and you helped uncover at least a part of the conspiracy against the royal family. You’ve earned it,” Callida assured him. She produced a small key and opened the strongbox to reveal its contents: gold coins with a handful of other precious treasures mixed in.

“Are those all Tankam?!” Buhne asked, reaching out to grab and play with one of the gold coins.

“That’s… so much money,” Erkunden mused.

“Split four ways, it’s not unduly excessive,” Callida laughed. “I ran the math. It’s about four Tankam per week per person plus the odd bonus treasures thrown in.”

“Four Tankam per week?!” Buhne balked. “That’s still so much money, and we were all working actual palace jobs at the same time. Talk about a side hustle!”

“And these jewels are worth a small fortune by themselves,” Spahen added. “Beta, this is too much.”

“The Lion King disagrees, and he’s the one paying you, so his is the opinion that matters. Don’t spend it all in one place,” Callida teased and locked up the chest before passing Spahen the key. I trust that you’ll be able to figure out how to divide your spoils equitably.” Spahen nodded and stowed the key in a secure pocket. “And now there’s little left to do but say goodbye. I’m going to miss you guys.”

“Whoa, slow down, Beta,” Parrot scolded. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your husband?”

“Oh! Do you want to meet him?”

“Obviously,” he snorted.

“I’ll go get him!” Callida left, returning just a minute later with a slightly confused Rogue in tow. “Guys, I’d like you to meet Qiangde Yudha, my husband. Rogue, this is my old Bear Tribe squad.” The group of bears stood up in greeting and extended their hands for him to shake as they each gave him their names.

“So, you’re the guy Beta married?” Ablenkung made a paltry bid for conversation.

“I am,” Rogue said with a frown. “Why do you call her ‘Beta’?”

“Just a nickname,” Buhne shrugged with a casualness that made Callida smirk.

“I’m assuming there’s a story behind it.”

“We all have nicknames for each other. That’s the nature of being in a small squad: you become more like family,” Spahen offered a more eloquent but still misleading answer.

“Which means Beta’s kind of like our little sister,” Erkunden added, and Ablenkung snorted.

“Yeah, a little sister we all crushed on at one point or another.”

“I didn’t know that!” Callida squawked. “Well… OK, that's not entirely true. I knew that you were all girl-starved when I met you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Buhne laughed. “Bern wasn’t the only one to flirt with the idea of asking you out. He was just the only one with enough guts to actually do it, and, to be fair, while the rest of us only ever crushed on you, Bern had real feelings and serious intentions.”

“Yeah,” Callida said softly. “The night he died, he talked about wanting to move to the Lion Tribe to….” She trailed off. The atmosphere of the room had become rather grim for the mention of their lost comrade.

“And now three of us are married!” Buhne broke the tension. “Rogue, you must be a high caliber person for Beta to marry you. She has uncompromising standards. I wish we had more time to get to know you properly.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep him,” Callida said cheerfully before Rogue could respond, taking advantage of his flusteredness to wrap her arms around his waist, peck his cheek, and smile up at him.

“It’s getting late, Beta,” Spahen declared after a moment. “We need to be heading out.”

Callida nodded sadly and released Rogue to distribute hugs to her departing team. “I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll miss you too. Take care of yourself,” Buhne said on behalf of the group.

“You too.”