Dark Intent

"So essentially, all we know about the suspect right now, is that it's everyone." I groaned in frustration, rubbing at my eyes. It had been nearly six weeks since the attempt on Judith's life and the start of our investigation, and we were no closer to figuring out who was behind the assassination plot. I had barely gotten any sleep in over a month. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Sam. He handed me a mug of dark hot chocolate and I shot him a grateful smile.

"I'm the luckiest woman alive," I told him, taking a sip of the rich hot liquid. My grin widened as I realized he had slipped a little bit of bourbon into the chocolate.

"I also brought you some food." He set a giant basket on the table and produced some of Ella's most famous snacks: sandwiches made with her slow-roasted turkey and garlic spread; roast beef sliced thin as a piece of paper, and some with pineapple glazed ham. There were fresh-baked mini peach cobblers, chilled strawberry lemonade, and a spicy chicken dish in red sauce over rice. My mouth watered.

"Sam, you beautiful man, I could kiss you," Mo said, swiping three massive sandwiches and four peach cobblers from the pile.

"I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I'm taken, Mo," Sam said.

"Hands off, Malchiori," I added, brandishing a turkey sandwich at Mo like a sword. He feigned terror, then took a huge bite of roast beef.

"How's it going?" Sam asked, sitting beside me.

"Not so good," I admitted. "It could be pretty much anyone."

"Do you think Cortez is in on it?" Jaxon asked. I took a moment to consider his question. I had, in fact, been thinking over that very possibility since the beginning. I shook my head.

"If Cortez is involved, I think he's just a pawn," I answered. "I doubt he was even clued in about the attempts on Judith's life."

"What about Isabella Fontaine?"

"She has her own agenda, that's for certain," I muttered. "I don't trust her for a minute. Still though, my gut is telling me that she would use a different tact than murdering Judith. I think murder is much too messy for her tastes. She would certainly benefit from Judith being out of the picture, but I think whatever she's up to, it doesn't involve killing the queen."

"Could it be either of the king's brothers?" Mo suggested. "Ranji has a reputation for violence, and he was supposed to be king since he's the oldest."

"He does act strange around Judith," I conceded. He's always watching her; and his posture is always defensive. Mallik, on the other hand, has been receptive and welcoming since he arrived here. He's always hanging around the library, talking about books and metal magic with her. She was wary of him at first, but they seem to be friends now. It makes me wonder."

"Could they both be in on it?" Maralyn asked. "Good cop bad cop type of deal?"

"It's a distinct possibility," I said, leaning back in my chair and chewing my sandwich thoughtfully. "But there has to be another player. Maybe more than one. Sure, Ranji and/or Mallik may want their hands on the crown; maybe Ranji is supposed to take over as king and make Mallik his head advisor or give him land or something. However, if that were the only motive, why would they try to kill Judith? It would make much more sense to off Cortez. I've done plenty of research about Kopalnia's laws; if a king dies and a family member takes over the throne, they have claim to the spouse of the deceased royal."

Sam made a noise in his throat. "So, a king dies, his brother or cousin or whoever takes over as king, and just like that he's married to the queen?"

"Pretty much," I said, making a face. "She can petition for a divorce, but she would lose all her titles, all her rights to royal money or property, and her children would be required to stay in the palace to be groomed as the future advisors. They'll never get to sit on the throne or have titles they deserve, but they'll be forced to serve the heirs that the new king produces when he re-marries."

"Royal marriage is quite a trap in this country," Sam remarked dryly. I nodded. "As soon as we deal with whoever's trying to kill Judith, and then knock some sense back into Cortez's thick head, we're going to set about convincing the king and queen to change a few laws during their reign. Judith will go for it in a heartbeat."

"Well why don't we turn our attention to Nagorok?" Balon said. "We've been on the brink of war with them for the last twenty years. They would want Judith dead to throw off the balance of power and stability in Kopalnia."

"It's possible. Would they have been able to get a spy within castle walls?"

"It would be difficult. They would have to know an awful lot about how the palace works. It's not impossible though."

"Cortez and his parents seem convinced that these attempts on the queen's life are the work of spies from Nagorok," Kayto added.

"Why would they attack now though?" Sam asked. "They've been restless and eager for war against Kopalnia for so long."

"Maybe they thought it would be easier to create an uprising now that there's a new couple in power," Mo said grimly. "Nikolai and Margaretta were in charge for a very long time, and Nikolai has always been shrewd and clever with politics. He's also something of an expert with war strategies. Nagorok wouldn't dare try something like this when he was king."

I sat up, frowning. "Does the bombing and the poison seem like approaches the people of Nagorok would use?"

"The poison, maybe," Maralyn replied. "The bombing of the parking bay doesn't really seem their style though. Although, if they didn't want anyone to initially suspect them, they may have tried that tact."

"To go from a bombing to a poison though?" I said. "That's quite a jump. Whoever set this all up must have been certain that the bomb would kill Judith. I think the poison was an almost desperate attempt to finish the job."

The room fell silent for a few minutes while we all flipped through our notes, thinking. Suddenly I had a thought, and I sat up with a jerk, knocking my papers on the floor.

"What if this is all about killing Cortez?" I said. "But whoever is doing it doesn't want to dirty their hands by actually killing the king, so they're aiming for his foreign, trouble-making queen instead?"

"What do you mean?" Balon asked.

"Nearly everyone in all of Kopalnia now suspects the assassination plot to be the work of spies from Nagorok. And with Judith being pregnant, now, even if she is foreign and difficult, the entire country will call for blood if she and her baby die. They'll call for Nagorokian blood. The royals of Kopalnia have been trying to avoid war for a long time, but what if someone wants there to be a war? If someone from Nagorok was responsible for the deaths of Crotez's queen and heir, he would have no choice but to go to war. Pride and protocol would demand it. Battlegrounds are very good places for getting killed."

Realization of what I was saying dawned in the eyes of everyone in the room.

"So what you'er suggesting," Mo said slowly, "is that rather than this being about killing Judith, this is about sparking a war with Nagorok and getting Cortez away from his throne?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

We all stared stonily at one another.

"If you're right about that, Captain, then we are in some deep shit."

"Then let's pray I'm wrong. Now, go search through files on every advisor and royal associated with this palace. Find me everyone who ever wanted Kopalnia to go to war."