The Right Side of History (Schooled In Magic Book 22), Christopher Nuttall [books to read romance TXT] 📗

founded a broadsheet the following year. A couple of his friends drew on his resources to launch a couple more... it was just a matter of time, I suppose, before they printed something that drew official anger. A nobleman disliked a story printed about him, even though it was true, and sent his men around to express his feelings. Jair was beaten and humiliated and … you know, it’s illegal to use a whip on a citizen? That’s what they did to him. They whipped him like a serf.”

Emily shuddered. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Aiden agreed. “And he hates them. Really hates them. He rebuilt his shop and kept founding new broadsheets, setting up a whole network of underground printing shops. By the time the people rose up, he had a small empire of his own. He won’t accept anything less than total press freedom.”

“And the destruction of the aristocracy,” Emily agreed. She could see his point. And yet... Jair was pushing too hard. Why had he agreed to allow the rebels to censor the press? Had he simply been outvoted? Or was he up to something more sinister? The person who controlled the media was in an excellent position to influence public opinion. “Why is he going along with this?”

“I don’t know,” Aiden said. She sounded doubtful. “But he’ll do anything to destroy the aristos.”

“I know the feeling,” Emily said. If there was anyone on the council who had a good reason to push for total war, it was Jair. And yet - win or lose - the war was going to be utterly devastating. “I just wonder what he really has in mind.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

THE NAGGING FEELING THAT JAIR WAS more than he seemed didn’t go away as Emily suffered through a long and largely pointless council meeting. Jair was easily the loudest voice calling for everything from strict security measures to outright war, even suggesting sending assassins to murder Dater in retaliation for the attempt on Emily’s life. Emily tried to probe him gingerly, but the wards surrounding the table made it impossible to glean anything beyond a vague sense of his presence. Jair could easily be a magician himself, she considered, although it was odd he’d let himself be whipped if he could easily get away. Perhaps he just wasn’t a very strong magician. He could have enough magic to charge a wand, but not enough to defend himself...

She frowned as she considered the evidence. It just made no sense. The person who’d enslaved Fran had been working in a hurry, but they’d clearly known what they were doing. They’d seen a chance to take a shot at Emily and taken it. And yet... why? The questions boiled in her mind as the meeting went on and on and on. Had the attempt been intended to fail? Or had there been contingency plans for success as well as failure? Perhaps Jair had hoped to create a martyr. He’d certainly worked hard to make use of the assassination attempt to push his agenda.

“I think we’re in agreement,” Althorn said. “And we can bring this meeting to an end.”

We are? Emily tried not to roll her eyes. We agreed on something?

She smiled, inwardly, as the meeting broke up. Althorn and Scribe Bajingan remained behind, apparently to draft a formal message to the new king. Emily saw Aiden speaking to two of the others in a low voice, suggesting she didn’t want to be overheard. Jair headed down a long corridor leading to his offices and effectively vanished. Emily sighed, inwardly. She was going to have to check Jair out, as quickly as possible. Perhaps, if she uncovered the truth, she could convince both sides to come to the negotiating table and make some real concessions.

Night was falling as she stepped through the gates and onto the streets. A small army of guards was marching up and down, chasing civilians back to their homes. Emily wondered if they’d try to stop her, but they paid her no heed as she walked back to the house. It was probably just a matter of time before something exploded, leading to chaos on the streets and a second revolution. The people had felt their power now, she reflected. They could turn on their city’s new rulers as easily as they’d turned on the old.

She grimaced as she passed the spies, who pretended to ignore her. There was going to be a bloodbath, sooner or later, unless... unless what? She wasn’t sure anything could stop what was coming. The kingdom was sliding down the slippery slope to civil war, unless the two sides made an agreement in good faith and kept it. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure neither side had any interest in doing anything of the sort. They couldn’t make meaningful concessions without weakening their own position, if they didn’t get stabbed in the back by their own people.

Lady Barb met her as she stepped inside. “We got a note,” she said. “We’re not allowed to leave the house after dark.”

“I have to,” Emily said. She glanced back. Darkness was still falling. “And I’ll need your help.”

Lady Barb listened to what she had in mind, then nodded curtly. Emily smiled as she hurried into the kitchen, accepted a cheese sandwich from Silent and inhaled it. She couldn’t help noticing there was less food in the pantry, despite the preservation spells. Silent couldn’t buy food that wasn’t there. Emily grimaced at the thought. It might be better to send everyone else out of the city, save perhaps for herself. There was nothing to be gained by keeping them trapped here.

She waited for night to fall, then headed up to the attic and cast a night vision spell before opening the hatch to the rooftop. The stars overhead were strikingly bright as she cloaked herself in darkness and levitated herself onto the roof. She stood there for a moment, staring out over the city. There were few visible lights, save for