A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 551 The Punishment For Living - Part 2

But there was not the slightest air of celebration from any gathered. Not from Oliver and his lot, nor from Asabel and her retainers, as they busily dealt with the other nobles that were housed in the Yellow Castle, nor from the Ministers.

As though to push a pin through that bubble of a bad atmosphere, the Minister of Logic, Hod, came dancing in next, humming to himself.

What a marked contrast he made from the Minister of Information, who openly wept, as he slowly shuffled through the corpses, leaning heavily on his staff, as he inspected them one by one.

Hod was gleeful, whistling around a mouthful of food, as he took the occasional bite of an apple. He hardly seemed interested in inspecting the bodies. He gleefully observed the reception that had gathered behind the line of Asabel's soldiers instead – a place where everyone involved now stood, after shifting away from the barred off corridor.

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He waved to Oliver initially, but otherwise ignored him, pleasing himself by checking a seemingly random patch of brickwork on the wall. He dug his finger into the cement, and nodded to himself, as though solving a particularly profound puzzle.

"Now that is a good apple," he said loudly. General Tavar and Gavlin paused their conversation to glance his way, but they were used to his eccentricities by now, and they soon resumed their discussion.

Hod turned, producing another apple from his sleeve. It was sailing towards Oliver before he'd even seen it leave the Minister's hand. He almost fumbled the catch, but managed to secure it in place with his freehand. The apple was a deep red, like the blood that had dried on Oliver's fist.

"Aha!" Hod said cheerfully. "A good catch. Good work, all the way through," he said, gesturing to the rest of the hallway. "There you are, an apple as a reward. Take a bite. It's quite delicious.

Killing is draining work, after all."

Cautiously, Oliver raised the apple to his mouth and took a bite, a loud crunch. Asabel briefly glanced at him, but she was too busy to pay much attention as Oliver conversed with the minister.

"And that there is how easy it would be to poison you, Oliver Patrick," Hod said with a grin. "Do not challenge the sword with another sword, but offer it rain, and the wet, and even the finest blade, given years, will rust and lose its sharpness. No, if they were to attack you, they should have used a hammer. And now they have missed their opportunity, congratulations once more."

He gave him a pat on the head. The sort of intentionless motion that was difficult for even Oliver's seasoned eye to track. The Minister was already dancing away before Oliver could make a comment on it.

The door opened once more, as the Minister of Coin stepped in, wearing an irritated expression. That look deepened when he saw Hod smiling his way. He harrumphed in distaste, a distaste that only doubled when he saw how thoroughly out of sorts Oliver's attire was.

"Can nobody throw the boy in the bath? A trial or not, he doesn't need to look quite so much like a freshly slaughtered pig," the Minister said, directing the command to no one in particular. Asabel replied nonetheless.

"It shall be arranged, if you wish it, Minister. Though I am surprised to hear talk of a trial..?" Asabel said, hesitantly.

The Minister gave her the sort of dismissive look that no one would ever have expected to be delivered to a Princess. "I expect you are, my dear. Do leave these matters to those of us more experienced. I'll have guardsmen sent as replacements for your men."

"That would be… appreciated," Asabel said carefully, though her smile was strained. The Minister of Coin brushed past her without further word. He glared suspiciously towards Galvin and Tavar as they continued their quiet conversation, and then looked down the hallway of bodies.

"My, what a dastardly mess," he said. "To think that a student of ours would be capable of such barbarism."

"Ah, a tragedy, a great tragedy," Lazarus agreed. The old Minister of Information still had not finished his rounds of the corpses. With the slow way he moved, it could have taken him weeks just to complete that simple task.

Unlike Lazarus, though, the Minister of Coin showed no interest in feigning passion for the dead. He saw the coagulating blood, and the stiff lifeless bodies, and the spray of red up the wall – that was more than enough for him. He marched over to Gavlin and Tavar.

"Well? What are we idling for? Why is he not chained?" Jolamire asked.

"Chained?" Gavlin repeated. "You would have us chain him in front of the students?"

"Absolutely. For their own safety, of course. We cannot allow such a little beast to mingle with the rest," Jolamire said.

Tavar interrupted. "I could have sworn you insist that we bathe him first," the General said carefully.

"Yes – indeed, if you would. Though if you had him bathed in chains I'm sure the whole damn school would be happier. This will spread, good General. By morning all will know of what the boy has done. And then who will wish to share a class with him? Those who've made enemies of him will be in fear for their lives – he's spilt so much blood within the walls of the Academy, after all."

"In self-defence," Tavar pointed out.

"Or so they say," Jolamire said. "Who's to know? Any of us? The only ones present were the beast and his retainers, were they not? Who's to say that they didn't merely spring on guardsmen that were on duty?"

Tavar tutted loudly. "Jolamire, don't be ridiculous. Have you not inspected the dead? Alistar Hoofless and Fabian Small are amongst them – criminals wanted by the crown. Besides, the poison on their blades? That's the tool of an assassin.

Nor would we have had such a group of guards mobilized together so late in the evening. No drills were scheduled for this time."