Dragon Emperor 9, page 20
part #9 of Dragon Emperor Series
“Yessss,” Whitaker hissed and crossed his arms defiantly.
“Okay.” I shrugged. “Go ahead.”
Alyona twirled her fingers over the mirror’s surface as it began to shimmer and shift to reveal King Rodion. His white hair flowed behind him, and his amethyst eyes searched the mirror’s surface as the connection completed.
“My daughter,” the king greeted her warmly. “Where are you?”
“We’re here with the Council of Magistrates,” the princess said with a broad smile as she turned so they could see his face. “Mr. Whitaker was extremely concerned with giving Lord Evan access to his records without your permission.”
“Lord Evan is my daughter’s betrothed, and your future king!” King Rodion’s voice boomed through the mirror. “If he wants to see anything, you will allow it.”
“Y-Yes, of course, Your Eminence,” Whitaker fumbled for words as he bowed deeply. “I only wanted to protect the citizens from outsiders, as we’ve discussed.”
“Lord Evan and his companions are not outsiders,” the king scolded. “He will be treated as a member of the royal family, as will those he deems worthy.”
“I-I apologize, Your Highness,” Ingrid chimed in. “We had no way of knowing he told the truth. He lied about being a trader when he first arrived.”
“Lady Ingrid, did you truly believe he was a trader when he resolved the issue of the portals?” King Rodion raised a brow. “Or perhaps, you believed him when he returned the Sentinels from their prison?”
I smirked as the magistrate’s head dropped to her chest with embarrassment.
“Why were we not made aware of their presence?” Whitaker demanded and then lowered his voice. “Uh, if it pleases His Eminence.”
“Lord Evan did not wish to make it known,” the king snarled. “I trust his judgment. As will you.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the Head Magistrate murmured as he plopped back down into his chair.
“Now, I have much more important things to do here,” King Rodion bellowed. “Alyona?”
“Yes, Father?” The princess turned the mirror to face us again.
“Has everything else been resolved?” the king asked.
“We’ve cleared out a few traitors, but we have a bit more work to do,” I replied. “It will be done soon, sir.”
“Excellent,” King Rodion murmured. “Please give me more details when you are alone.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” I said with a broad grin. “We’ll talk to you soon.”
The king nodded, and his image shimmered away as the mirror returned to normal.
The council was silent for a few moments, and I let them soak it all in as we stood across from them.
“Any further questions, council?” My voice boomed and echoed around the silent room.
“Ah, no,” Whitaker murmured. “Mateo will take you to the records room.”
“Great.” I grinned. “Lady Aaliyah and the dryads will stay here with you.”
The four women walked closer to the table with sly smiles.
“Why--” the lizard started as he rose from his seat with a finger in the air.
“It’s just a precaution.” I smirked. “In case any questions do come up. Not that I think you’d run away from such an inquisition of which you are obviously innocent, right?”
“Right,” he mumbled as he returned to his chair and slouched down.
“Mateo, lead the way,” I directed.
Mateo dipped his head and led the rest of us back through the chamber doors into the lobby. He took a quick turn, and we followed him through the other interior door into a long room full of shelves labeled with dates.
“The rations information is separate,” Mateo explained as he passed the first few sets of shelves. “It’s in the back with all the banner family documentation.”
“Of course, it is,” I snickered.
“I’m sorry if it seemed like I was taking the council’s side earlier,” the dwarf murmured. “I don’t want the people to be upset, but what you are looking into… it’s about time someone else paid attention to it.”
“Why is that?” I asked and gave him a sideways glance.
“Because the people of this city have been treated unfairly for far too long,” he replied as he stopped at the end of the shelves and gestured to a cabinet tucked away in the corner. “Here are the records. You’ll find the items have been meticulously cataloged to ensure everyone is given what the council calls their earned share.”
“Earned?” Alyona raised a brow.
“Yes, milady,” Mateo said with a frown. “Earned by banner status or whatever status the council deems worthy or unworthy.”
“I see,” she muttered as she reached for a box.
I pulled the box down and handed it over to her, then I passed more boxes to Nike, Ravi, and Laika. I grabbed another one, and we spread out to sort through the papers.
Mateo was right about the meticulousness that had been used to document the portions. I poured through page after page of manifests from the king that listed the rations in detail, and each manifest was followed by lists of family names with a head count for each family as well as their status.
Landon (4) – Banner by proxy
Leo (5) – Non-status
Lettil (3) – Non-status
Levin (6) – Worker
Lipton (5) – Banner
“What exactly is ‘banner by proxy?’” I asked Mateo as I pointed to the status.
“Ah, someone who is not of a clean bloodline but is a close friend of someone who is,” he explained and rubbed his hands together.
“So, let me get this straight,” I murmured. “Even those who do not pass the bloodline test can have banner family status as long as their friends are banners as well?”
“Not all of them,” he mumbled. “It is basically the friends of the magistrates who did not pass the test. They make a big announcement that so-and-so’s family has passed the bloodline test so they can give them more rations, and no one questions it. None of the citizens are allowed to see the bloodline results.”
“I can see why,” Laika called out.
“What did you find?” I asked and walked over to her box.
“The bloodline tests,” she said as she held up a stack of papers. “They’re useless. Half of these family trees have blanks, and some are clearly not accurate. There is no way a full-blooded snake Demi-Human was born of grandparents from Chilcaro. The city is almost completely mammalian.”
I looked over her shoulder to see Helena’s name at the bottom of the falsified family tree.
“Looks like Whitaker’s appointment to the council helped her out,” I grunted. “What else have you found?”
“This one for Tilly actually looks legitimate, and so does this one for another family, but it’s filed under worker,” Laika said as she held the document up.
I took the parchment and scrutinized the names. At the bottom were two children, Fiona and Aisling. This was a clean bloodline family tree for the fox Demi-Human girl who worked Whitaker’s parties, yet they were knocked to the bottom class and forced to work to have enough food to eat.
A growl burned in my chest as I wondered how many other families had been lied to about their bloodline status. Not only was it a cruel way to classify people, but now we’d discovered the council was covering up who qualified for their stupid banner family status.
“Keep digging,” I grunted and handed Laika back the papers. “I want to know everything about the magistrates.”
The wolf-woman nodded and began to rifle through the pages.
I returned to my box and continued to read. It appeared the rations came in boxes grouped by type: fruits, vegetables, meats, cloth, etc. So, the families in the non-status received just enough for three small meals per person each day of the week and one new set of clothes for one person in the family. The families in the worker class received enough for three average-sized meals and clothes for two people, while the banner by proxies received four meals and clothes for all family members.
The banner families took everything else.
The richest families had enough meals in their rations for several weeks, not to mention the nicest materials to make new clothes every week. The council even kept the seeds for growing new plants and distributed them as they deemed necessary to the greenhouse owner, and they kept the rest in storage here at the tower.
As I read page after page of the unequal divisions and greed, my stomach churned with anger. Finally, I looked to the top of the page and realized I had started two years back.
“How long have each of the members been on the council?” I asked Mateo. “Besides the three new ones.”
“Uh, Tilly was nominated about a year and a half ago,” the dwarf replied as he ran his hand through his hair. “Ingrid has been on the council for about eight years, Ellison was only a few months before her, and Whitaker has been there for ten years.”
“Thanks,” I murmured as I shuffled further back in the records.
“What are you trying to find?” Alyona asked as she peeked over my arm.
“I’ll know it when I see it,” I said under my breath as I returned that box and started on another.
A few minutes later, I found what I was looking for.
Nine years ago, the rations had simply been checked in, divided up, and checked out. The family names had no status next to them, only the number of people in the family. Occasionally, the families made a special request related to their jobs, like a new mallet or extra flour, and those were listed in detail with the reason for the request. I flipped back a few more years and found the same thing.
Whitaker spent one year on the council before he got greedy. Then the lizard turned the tables and screwed over anyone he or the council decided wasn’t worthy of their fancy lifestyle.
I had a strong urge to flip over all the shelves and burn down the entire council tower. Preferably while Whitaker was still inside. My inner dragon roared with excitement, and I had to agree.
“What’s wrong?” Nike frowned as he looked over at me.
“I’ll give him a chance to explain himself,” I muttered and held out the parchment to him. “But the lizard better have a damn good reason for this.”
Nike’s frown deepened as he took the parchment, scanned it, and whistled quietly. Laika, Ravi, and Alyona set their papers down and read over his shoulders.
“The Sentinels said the classes only appeared in the last few years,” Ravi murmured. “That would make sense, if this is how rations were divided prior to that.”
“Yes, these are very equally divided,” Alyona agreed. “The ones I looked at from the last year are nothing like this.”
“What does it have to do with Whitaker, though?” Mateo asked as he tried to get a glimpse of the papers.
“You said he’s been on the council for ten years, right?” I clarified, and the dwarf nodded. “The status and portion changes started nine years ago.”
“The council kept track of family trees long before that,” Mateo insisted. “I don’t mean to side with Whitaker, but you’ll see the family tree documents go back to the beginning of the city.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I conceded. “But the use of bloodlines to determine rations is the part that pisses me off.”
The dwarf looked taken aback at my response.
“Simply put, the council is allowed to test and record bloodlines, but they are not allowed to treat anyone differently because of the results,” Alyona mediated. “Especially if they are falsifying or even fabricating the results.”
“It sounds like we need to go explain how the council is supposed to be run,” I grunted as I returned the box to the cabinet. “We’ll see what they have to say for themselves.”
“You’ll want to see this, my lord,” Laika murmured as everyone started to place their boxes back in the cabinet.
I took the parchment from her, glanced over it, and scowled as I rolled it up to put in my shirt pocket. Then I nodded to her, and she returned the rest of the boxes before Mateo shut the door and scurried ahead of us to lead the way back to the chambers.
As we walked past all the shelves and into the lobby, I considered what was the best way to handle the situation at hand. Diplomacy and all that shit.
Then we re-entered the council’s chambers, and my rage bubbled up again.
Whitaker was leaning over the table and whispered harshly to the rest of the council. Tilly’s mousy face looked to be on the edge of tears, while Ellison scratched his arms so hard, he had angry red streaks on his skin. Ingrid’s green eyes flashed with anger, and the three newbies wrung their hands as they listened intently.
“Lord Evan!” Tilly squeaked as we walked back in.
The lizard turned to see me and sat back in his seat with a smirk.
“I hope the rest of your meeting went well,” I sneered. “Anything we need to know about?”
“No, Lord Evan, all is well,” Whitaker hissed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“That is strange,” Aaliyah pointed out. “Because it sounded like you were telling your colleagues it would only be fine as long as they didn’t talk to the dragon. Or was my lion hearing incorrect?”
“I’m sure you misunderstood,” the lizard huffed.
“Sure, that must be it.” Aaliyah grinned and winked at me.
“I’m sure the little lizard has nothing to worry about,” Polina cooed.
“Nothing at all,” Trina agreed with a devilish grin.
“After all, we would never punish someone who didn’t deserve it,” Marina hissed.
“Then we will be absolutely fine,” Whitaker said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” I growled. “Absolutely fine.”
“Mateo, go ahead and clear the room,” the lizard Demi-Human ordered as he gestured toward the three citizens who still stood together in the chambers.
“Why would we do that?” I raised a brow. “Is there something you don’t want your people to know?”
“Of course not,” Whitaker argued. “I simply thought this should be a private discussion as the records you have reviewed are not public.”
“And I can see exactly why you’ve kept them hidden away,” I shot back before I turned to the trio. “You know who I am, and I want the people of Colaruma here for public announcements in twenty minutes. Tell them to gather below the tower.”
“Yes, my lord,” the human man said, and he ushered the other two out of the chambers.
“What kind of game are you playing, Evan?” Whitaker snarled.
“Lord Evan,” Alyona corrected, and her violet eyes illuminated with fury. “And I do not appreciate the tone you are taking with my future husband and your future king.”
“I apologize, princess,” the Demi-Human deadpanned. “I simply thought--”
“Whatever you thought, it was wrong,” the princess cut him off. “This city was meant to be protected, and you have failed. The people should be revered, and yet, you have disgraced them. I am appalled at the actions of you and this council.”
Most of the magistrates dropped their heads in shame, but Whitaker continued to stare at us with utter contempt.
At least he had a bit of common sense left, and he merely shook his head at her statement and slouched in his chair again.
“Did you find what we expected?” Aaliyah whispered as we watched the magistrates try to recover themselves.
“Yeah,” I growled. “And plenty more.”
“Like what?” Polina stepped closer to whisper as well.
“Like fake bloodline results,” I replied.
Trina and Marina gasped and covered their mouths as I turned to face the council again.
“Do your companions know about the fake test results?” I asked the Head Magistrate.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said and clenched his fists on the table.
“Your bloodline tests,” I explained with a sly smile. “You know, the ones that determine who gets all the good stuff?”
“Everyone has equal portions of the rations as per the king’s decree,” Whitaker declared with an arrogant smile. “The only reason some of us have more things is that we have been able to build savings by working. Tilly here owns the bakery in town, Roland helps people build their structures, things like that.”
“And what about you?” I asked. “What did you do to get yourself to this esteemed position?”
“I, ah, I’ve been a consultant,” the lizard Demi-Human faltered.
“And what do your clients consult you for?” Nike quirked an eyebrow.
“Uh, various things, such as how to barter for land, how to get the proper documentation for bloodline tests, things of that nature,” Whitaker replied and shrugged.
“Soooo, basically, the things you’re supposed to help people with as a magistrate?” I chuckled. “How charitable of you to charge for your services.”
“I beg your pardon!” The Head Magistrate stood quickly and put his hands down on the table as he leaned forward. “I deserve payment for my work just as much as anyone else. It’s only fair.”
“Do you really want to talk about fair with me?” I snarled as my hands balled into fists. I felt my rage begin to bubble over, and my flames lapped at my fingers as they begged to be released.
“I meant no disrespect,” Whitaker mumbled as he sat back down.
“Oh, I think you did,” I bellowed. “Don’t get comfortable. It sounds like your people are waiting outside.”
I could hear the faint whispers on the lawn as people began to gather in front of the tower.
“Please, we haven’t finished our discussion,” Ingrid insisted. “We can talk here before we go outside.”
“I think your people deserve to fully understand the situation as we have,” I snarled. “Get up.”
Tilly and Roland stood immediately and made their way around the table to follow us outside. Davis, Briggs, Ellison, and Ingrid looked at each other, and then at Whitaker, who ignored them as he continued to stare at me. They finally rose and lined up behind Tilly and Roland. Then Whitaker sighed and stood up, and he rolled his eyes as he strode to the front of the line and led the magistrates outside.
