Lord Ye arrived promptly when summoned with his wife. Along with another noble that Mela didn't recognize.
"This is Lord Zhao." Lord Ye explained after greeting them. "He's one of the commanders of the Crimson Army. He's working with us on the same investigation Finn was."
"Is that what got him killed?" Mela demanded, immediately forgetting about Lord Zhao. Lord Ye's face was pinched, lines etched into skin that Mela doubted were there naturally.
"We think so." He admitted, then waved towards a seating area. "Please. I'm happy to answer all your questions."
He was younger than Mela had been expecting; he was probably a few years younger than Mela and Tayla, and Finn would have been a few years younger than him. The baby of the Vermeer family had been a surprise to their parents years after they'd stopped trying, which made the fact that he was the first of their children to pass even more shocking.
Tayla nudged her into taking a seat. Lord Ye, Princess Soliel, and Lord Zhao sat across from them. Ran stood off the side, looking awkward until Princess Soliel pointed him to an open seat.
"Sit, your uncle has been helping us with this, too."
He still hesitated, fiddling with whatever he'd had in his hand at the gate. Lord Ye started to stand, when suddenly, Ran stomped over, shoved it at him, and then flung himself into the seat Princess Soliel had pointed to.
All three of them looked just as surprised as Mela and Tayla did.
Lord Ye unfolded what turned out to be a letter, his eyes widening as he read it. "Lord Ye, forgive this short letter. I know little, but that an envoy of your city arrived today and offered to slip my warriors into your city under the guise of darkness. He claims his name is Seiza and that he serves a powerful family in your fortress. Do with this information what you will; I will not be wasting my resources on such folly. The letter bearer is my nephew, Ran Orlo. He is Beng Shai's son and Kai Low's nephew. I place him in your care. Beng Shan of the Bandri." All three of them turned to Ran as one, eyes wide.
"You're Beng Shai's son?" Lord Ye's eyes were wide and wet.
And Mela was once again confused. "Who's Beng Shai? What does he have to do with Finn?" She was at the end of her rope with all the things she didn't know.
Lord Ye sighed. "It's a long story."
"Well, start telling it then." Mela snapped. "My baby brother is dead. He was supposed to be safe here." All three of them flinched, and she didn't feel bad about it at all.
"It's a long story." But Lord Ye dutifully told them all of it. From the miasma that had plagued the estate and his family, to the magic they'd discovered was involved, and the thefts from the Vault. The sheer number of dangerous artifacts on the loose was enough to make Mela's skin crawl. There was a similar vault in the palace in the Capital, and she knew enough about what was in there to have nightmares whenever she had to get close.
The tunnels that Finn had discovered and the thieves he'd almost caught. Then he told them about the war that was barely a war but had still cost them so much. A peace that could have been free, but machinations in the dark had made it bloody instead.
Of the wildfire, Princess Soliel had stopped, and the army was now cowering on the other side of the border. About a spy who'd had ties to the tribes they'd never known about, and whose reasons for changing sides they still didn't understand.
If he'd ever changed sides at all.
The assassins and Finn's bravery, and the others who had been lost with him.
And how they suspected it was all tied together.
"This is insane." Mela breathed, still trying to wrap her mind around it all once Lord Ye had finished speaking. "The level of planning-"
"Resources," Tayla muttered, pacing behind her chair because she hadn't been able to stay seated.
It's the boy who really shatters them all, though. "It- Does this mean…was my father killed because of this?"
Ran Orlo hadn't been able to hide his shock as Lord Ye went on. Too young and too inexperienced with politics outside his tribe. Lord Ye had looked increasingly worried whenever he had to mention the tribes or Beng Shai, but he must have decided it was important for the teenager to hear it, because he'd never stopped or asked him to leave.
"It's highly likely." Princess Soliel said gently. Or as gently as she was capable of.
"This is a threat to all of Sorrow, not just you." Mela continued. "If they put this level of effort into getting rid of a single Lord, there's no telling how far they could go trying to get rid of a king."
"We've eliminated about half the court at this point." Princess Soliel explained with a frown. "But those that remain all have the ability to be involved, if not spearhead, what's happening. Or best chance to trace the use of the magic or to find out who was communicating with Beng Shai."
"You mean who tricked him," Ran Orlo hissed.
"It's more than possible he was a victim and not a participant." Lord Ye seemed to spend a lot of time playing peacekeeper.
It wasn't unusual for a lord of his standing in the nobility. There were a few in high society in the capital that were well known for the same trait. Mela didn't trust them. Anyone who spent more time focused on keeping the peace than fighting for their own beliefs was bound to betray you at some point.
Ran Orlo didn't like his answer either, judging by the way he puffed up like an angry cat.
But before he could say anything more, the door opened, and two men rushed in.
One carrying an armful of old books.
~ tbc