The room was located in the south-eastern corner of the Rook.
Originally it had been a larger hall, but partition walls were built to cut it into four separate chambers. The ceiling was remarkably high, the only window a long vertical slit on the wall. In the winter, it was too cold and dark to be occupied, however at this time of the year it was maybe the most pleasant accommodation in the entire fortress, after the Exarch’s own quarters.
But of course, Helena didn’t expect her guest to appreciate it.
«Why are you here, child?»
As she entered the room, she had found logothetes Niketh on his feet, standing by the window. Everything in him, from the curve of his mouth under a shaggy beard to the stiffness in is shoulders, to the tenseness in his arms and legs, suggested frustration and impatience.
«I thought you might like some breakfast, Logothetes, and maybe some company to go with it as well.» she had answered, and from behind her Ergon came in, trusty as ever, with a covered tray and two plates, followed by captain Astor.
Now Helena and the magistrate were sitting on the opposite sides of the table. The tray held two slices of spinach pie, that Ergon promptly served on the plates.
«I heard you were born in Ronun, like our dear captain Astor here. Spinach pie is your local specialty, if I am not mistaken? I must confess I myself have never tried it, so I will have to rely on your judgment to know if our cook’s recreation is worthy of the original.» she told him, with a smile.
«I followed the recipe at the best of my ability.» Ergon added, giving the logothetes another smile.
However, Niketh replied to neither. He kept looking at his slice, with an expression that even Helena was having difficulty reading.
Does he fear it’s poisoned? The young woman wondered.
She used her knife to cut a small piece of her slice, not too small though, and with an elegant motion of her fork she brought it to her mouth. Then she took her plate and offered it to the logothetes, beckoning him to give his to her.
He accepted the exchange and began eating. But still he gave no sign of wanting to start a conversation. Helena understood she had to push him a little further.
«You are a veteran of the Winter War, are you not?» she said. «Like Astor and my father.»
For a brief moment, Niketh’s mandible stopped moving. Helena took it as a good sign and continued, ignoring Astor suddenly tensing up beside her.
«I heard that you distinguished yourself in valor. Although at the start of the war you were suspect of treason.»
The first sentence was not true, but a little flattery would hardly hurt.
«I know not who talked to you about any “valor” of mine, child,» he answered «but they lied. I did nothing worthy of note.»
«Oh, you are too modest.» Helena encouraged him.
«It is but the truth.» he replied. «Ask your captain of the Watch, the one standing right there.»
Helena turned to Astor, in an impeccable show of fake surprise.
«Oh! So you two are more than just fellow Ronunans! You know each other!»
«Of course we do.» Niketh said, in a weird tone that conveyed some unsaid implication Helena could not grasp. «We were fellow soldiers as well. And fellow suspects.»
Naturally, she was already aware of that. But she kept feigning astonishment. Showing oneself as too well informed made interlocutors wary and cautious. And Helena needed Niketh to trust her.
«However, we both were fully exonerated.» the logothetes continued. «We gave proof of our loyalty and the Principate’s justice acquitted us of all charges.»
The look he gave Helena while he spoke that last sentence said more than enough by itself.
“The same will happen to your father, if he will just do as I told him.”
A mere few hours after the news came of delegate Timios’ arrest, Niketh had appeared in Elis, asking to speak with her father. He had invited him to hand himself over and let Niketh bring him to Arlis, to be put on a fair trial and explain in front of the whole nation that he was not involved in his delegate’s conspiracy.
Helena had hoped to use Niketh’s history of past accusations to make the magistrate understand their situation, but it appeared that plan was turning against her.
Still, the girl refused to give up.
«At the time, there was actual justice in the Principate.» she said.
«There still is.» he answered, with conviction.
«Where, Logothetes? In Arlis, where all those who still had the courage to speak against the Regent have been sentenced to death?»
«You speak of criminals and nothing more.»
«Their one and only crime was to say the truth.»
Niketh hesitated. Helena felt she was breaking through.
«You are a man of great intelligence, Niketh Axyristid. You must have realized it too. Sofron plans to make himself Prince. That is the reason he silenced every voice that would dare to denounce his inadequacy. There was never any conspiracy.»
The logothetes furrowed his brow. She had him now.
«Are you sure» she said, speaking every word slowly and clearly «that having a man like him leading the Principate is the future you want?»
Suddenly, Niketh opened his eyes wide and gazed at her with an intensity he had not shown until now. Helena couldn’t say whether this was a good or a bad sign. With the corner of her eye, she noticed that she had finished her slice of pie, while half of Niketh’s was still on the plate.
«You are right, Helena Dorina.» the man said, after taking a deep breath. Helena was glad to hear him calling her by her name instead of “child”.
«How could I not realize it until this moment?» he continued.
Helena smiled. Father would be very pleased with her.
«How could I be such a fool as to not understand the reason behind this farce?» The final word was a wrathful growl. And Helena finally knew she had made a mistake.
«The pie, my town’s favorite dish. Astor, my old comrade in arms. Clearly, you were attempting to put me at ease. But why? I could not understand it. At first, I though this was your way of apologizing for your father imprisoning me in what I thought was a forgivable panicked state. Yet, the more we talked, the more I gleaned that you wanted something from me. But what could that be?»
Helena gulped. She felt herself grow pale.
«Only now, I finally know. Yes, there was no conspiracy in Arlis. The real conspiracy is here.»
Helena stood up from her chair.
«I had come here sure of your father’s innocence! But he is plotting against the Regent! And you were trying to bring me to his side!»
At that point, Niketh started laughing. A bitter laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.
She could stand having failed. She could stand having been read like a book. But ridicule… that, she could not stand.
As she exited the room, without bothering to look gracious as she did so, Helena heard the logothetes shout her one final warning: «If you really love your father, convince him, not me! Bring him back to reason! You still have time!»
«So? How did it go?»
Her father was about to finish his own breakfast, sitting at the table in the Rook’s great hall. Despite his clear tiredness, he welcomed Helena with a gentle smile. But the hint of self-satifaction in his voice did not escape the girl’s notice.
«I… have failed, Father. I could not convince him. Furthermore…»
«…Now Niketh knows the truth.» he concluded the phrase for her.
Seeing her surprised expression, Stefan continued, lying back on his chair and stroking his beard: «Dear daughter, Niketh did not become a logothetes through his contacts. He is a deeply perceptive man. If he had had no doubt about my innocence until now, the reason was only his fear of having any. He always trusted me. …Prauss! Zalekh! What news?»
He rose from his chair and turned his gaze to the second and third captains of the Watch, who had just entered the hall. Old Prauss approached him and handed him a small metal tube, no larger than the palm of his gloved hand. Zalekh stopped a little farther back, and said: «Dysis has answered.»
«I know that.» Helena replied, slightly irritated by both his father answer and his distraction. «That is exactly why I thought it would be easy to bring him to our side. If he is as perceptive as you say, why does he insist supporting Sofron?»
Her father ignored her, opened the tube and took out a small roll of paper, which he read wordlessly while Ergon cleared the table and left in the direction of the kitchen. Then, after a short while, her father looked up from the paper and sighed: «We could not expect anything more from the Hypatos. He has deployed his troops on the border, but no reinforcements will be sent. He intends to wait for our action before attacking from his side.»
«Coward.» Prauss said in a low growl, baring his teeth. The complex map of wrinkles and scars on his face probably made his expression more fearsome than he intended it to be.
«No, they are simply following the plan to the letter. If you feel any anger, direct it to Timios. It was that pompous imbecile who forced us to greatly speed up our timetable. He should have never provoked my brother like he did.»
«True, but still…» Zalekh spoke.
«Dysis gave us the weapons. We’ll make do with them.» Stefan interrupted him. «Now, Prauss, you go to the harbor: there should be one last shipment to take care of. You, Zalekh, gather your men: I want three more sentinels to the north-west. Astor, you come with me.»
The two dismissed captains made a bow, first to him and then to Helena. This seemingly reminded the exarch that his daughter was there as well, and finally Stefan looked at her again.
Helena thought she needed to repeat her question, to which she was still waiting for an answer, but her father picked up where they had left off, as if there had been no interruption.
«Niketh is not supporting your uncle. What he supports is order in the Principate, as he has always done. His loyalties lie with the institution, not with the people who embody it. In this particular circumstance he is making a mistake, but I am not going to blame him for it. Those like him will join us in due time, once I am Prince. And they will have a fundamental role in the process to reform this nation.»
A role, Helena thought. Recently she had developed a deep hatred for that word.
«You mean like me?» she asked, already knowing the answer.
Her father hesitated for a moment, then he said, in a satisfied tone: «Exactly.»
«You knew I would fail. You knew I would not be able to convince logothetes Niketh.»
«Of course I knew. I know him since before you were born.»
«Then why did you let me try?» Again, Helena already knew the answer, and could not help but sound angry.
«Two reasons. The first one was that your attempt would have no negative repercussions whatsoever. Niketh will not stop perusing our hospitality before what he knows ceases to matter. The second one,» her father paused for a moment, as if he were looking for the right words, «was that I was certain this would be an instructive experience for you.»
He gave her a compassionate look.
«You are a splendid young woman, Helena. You are resolute, intelligent and resourceful. Those are all virtues that will be of great help to you as long as you live, if you take the time to cultivate them. And my heart fills with joy when I see your desire to use those virtues to assist me. But such is not your role. You will assist me, but not here and not now. Each and every one of us has one precise duty. You already know which is yours. Please, do not burden yourself with more.»
He concluded caressing her cheek, tenderly, as he often did. Then he left the hall, followed by Astor.
Helena stood alone, the bitter words she wanted to say to him left unspoken in her mind.
How can I convince you I can do much more for you than what you think, Father?
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