Book 3 of The Amatherean Tales - Tailor on the Roof - Lands on Kindle and Print 7th April.
All links can be found at https://linktr.ee/bosloe
Chapter 48 – Injustice
Evergreen's reaction to seeing Galvon upon entering the interrogation room was much more controlled, though he couldn't hide his shock. He still wore the same clothes from the grand opening, although they now looked dishevelled. His body tensed, and he paused as he saw him before the gnoll jailor moved him forward with a not-so-gentle push to his back. He turned and growled at the guard who towered over him.
"Please sit," Galvon gave a hunter's grin. His welcoming approach was scarier than any hostile action could produce.
Tarquin shuffled forward, his manacled ankles only allowing him to take short steps, before he sat opposite Galvon. His hands were steady as they rested on his lap, where they were secured again by a chain that looped to the manacles around his ankles.
"I'm hoping that you will be able to answer some of my questions," Galvon said.
Tarquin looked at him, his eyes narrowed with an almost defiant stare.
Galvon sat quietly, but Tarquin didn't respond.
Galvon sighed. "I have spoken to Dashwin, and she has already confirmed most of what we suspected, but I would like you to have the opportunity to say your side of events."
Tarquin again remained silent.
"You can make this go much easier by responding. I really don't enjoy having to consider other means." Galvon reached to his side, his large form and long arm allowing him to reach the side of the room where an evil-looking contraption rested on a bench. It reminded SJ of medieval thumbscrews, and he casually picked it up, twisting the contraption in his hands. Tarquin's eyes glanced towards it as he tried to remain composed, and he nervously shifted in his seat. The thought of Galvon using the device on Tarquin made SJ's stomach churn. Natalie noticed SJ's reaction and offered her a water, which she readily accepted.
"I don't like using unnecessary force," Galvon said, looking up at Tarquin, meeting his eyes with a flat stare. Tarquin's face had paled slightly as the colour drained from it.
Tarquin swallowed, attempting to hide his nerves, as at last he replied. "This has all been a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding, you say? Please do tell."
"Our business was legitimate. I was working for a financier, working under his direction. I only followed my instructions as any good employee would."
"You believe cheating beings out of their life savings is legitimate?" Galvon raised an eyebrow.
"What are you referring to?" Tarquin said, attempting to feign surprise at the accusation. "I only collected investments. I don't hold the purse strings."
"Didn't," Galvon corrected him, the subtle correction making it obvious to Tarquin that he wouldn't be seeing any of it again.
Tarquin's eyes narrowed again at the comment, nervously shifting again. SJ could see him trying to think of a response as his facade was slowly breaking. "I'm sure there is some agreement that we can come to?" Tarquin eventually replied.
"I'm sure we may be able to come to some arrangement that will ease your sentencing if you are honest. Shall we start over? I know you aren't the ringleader behind the scheme. Please let me know your position on what happened in District 10."
Again, Tarquin shifted in his seat; he was becoming unsettled by Galvon's calm demeanour.
"May I have some water?" Tarquin asked, a simple delay tactic as he tried to gain some more time. SJ could imagine him scrambling for an appropriate response.
Galvon didn't speak, just nodding towards the gnoll who had escorted him into the room. He left the room briefly, then returned with a wooden cup and handed it to Tarquin. He took it and slowly drew it to his lips, sniffing the liquid before he tasted it. Then, realising it was just water, slowly sipped from the cup, gaining as much time as he could.
The head jailor just sat there patiently waiting; he didn't interrupt Tarquin. The extended scene of him sipping from the cup started to feel almost painful as SJ watched through the crystal. She herself shifted nervously as she witnessed the man being broken. Slowly and carefully, but still being broken.
Eventually, Tarquin finished drinking, and the gnoll took the cup from him again.
"Now that you are refreshed, let me start with a simple question. How many people have invested in your scheme?" Galvon asked, the thumb screws now resting on the table between them, directly in Tarquin's line of sight.
There was a momentary pause. "We have probably had over three hundred investors in the company."
Galvon nodded, not in surprise, just acknowledgement. "And how much has been invested?"
That question made Tarquin glance away; his nervousness was increasing. "About eight-hundred gold in all."
"A hefty sum for any business. You must have been very good at what you were doing," Galvon acknowledged with fake praise.
Tarquin slowly sat up more as the words hit him, missing the comment's true meaning. "I'm very good at my job."
"You must have been stealing so much money from so many."
The bluntness of Galvon's response startled Tarquin, who flinched.
"And how much of the investment is your profit?"
Tarquin looked nervous again, his eyes flitting, and he looked away as he responded. "Ten per cent."
"So you have made almost eighty gold from the proceedings. An impressive amount," Galvon nodded. "Now, where is this money that you owe back to so many?"
The follow-on comment made Tarquin pale considerably as he looked around nervously. His eyes were fixed on the window in the room. It was a large window, allowing natural light to come in. The afternoon sun could be seen through it, and SJ could see Tarquin calculating his chance of making a dash for it. Not that he could have dashed anywhere wearing chains.
"Do you have no answer?" Galvon leaned forward ever so slightly; the immediate shift in his position made Tarquin squirm back in his chair.
"It's spent," Tarquin replied, his voice losing its confidence.
"Spent. Are you sure? We could always dispose of you and then loot your corpse to make sure you aren't lying." The casual tone made Tarquin's eyes fly open.
"You can't do that," Tarquin stammered.
"Can't I?" Galvon mused, scratching his immense chin and rubbing one of his tusks, before a grin broke out on his face. "Accidents can happen." He let his words land like a sledgehammer as the gnoll who had been standing quietly behind Tarquin lifted his cudgel from its belt loop. "A prisoner trips and falls down the stairs. How unfortunate."
The gnoll jailor lifted his cudgel, and SJ froze, staring at the display. Was she about to see the murder of a prisoner? "What's going on?" SJ said, turning to Natalie.
"Just watch," Natalie said casually.
Tarquin hadn't seen the gnoll moving behind him, and he brought his cudgel down, not at Tarquin but on a metal plate that rested on a tabletop. The loud clattering sound made Tarquin squeal in shock as his whole body jumped from his seat, and he spun to look at the gnoll. Sheer terror was now on his face.
"Sorry," the gnoll said, smirking.
Galvon roared with laughter as Tarquin spun back to face him, his panic-filled expression having lost all his previous bravado and confidence. The ogre's laughter was not a pleasant sound.
Galvon wiped his eyes from laughing so hard, slowly regaining his composure before he spoke again. "So then, where is the gold?"
Tarquin, in his panicked state, fumbled with his hands, calling a pouch to his hands, losing grip on it as it clattered to the floor, the strings opening and coins rolling out, the beautiful golden surfaces catching the afternoon sun, sparkling.
SJ turned to Natalie. "This is torture."
Natalie looked at SJ for a moment before responding. "In a manner, but it is also necessary at times. It's obvious that Evergreen is a professional. Professionals don't break using usual standards."
"But their inventory? How do you prevent them from bringing in weapons?"
"We can't. That's one of the main threats all beings pose to us that we arrest. It's the hardest challenge we face. Does Killic not have a jail?"
"Yes, but I've never been involved in an interrogation before." SJ felt unease at what she had viewed.
"Most beings obey and give up their inventory, but that is also why they all remain chained. Even if they called a weapon into their hands, they wouldn't be able to wield it easily. We also have magical boundaries in the prison and mana dampers which the mages keep permanently running. As Galvon mentioned, there are some very strong mages who work here. I don't necessarily agree with the process they follow, although it is effective."
SJ didn't miss the moral complexity, and she would need to enquire about how they operated in Killic. She wasn't sure how she felt about their actions being justified.
"You have to remember, this isn't Earth," Dave interjected. "It was actually a very effective approach. I've witnessed much worse over my time on Amathera, and this is one of the more civilised jails I've attended."
Do they torture beings in other jails?
"Yes," Dave said, the single word filling SJ with dread.
The psychological torture may be effective, but it was horrendous to watch. A being broken through fear of death. She physically shuddered.
"You are overthinking it," Dave said.
How do you classify me as overthinking it? I've just watched the worst kind of torture a being could ever face. Actual physical torture possibly isn't as damaging long term. You can recover from injuries.
"What class are you?" Dave asked bluntly.
What's that supposed to mean?
Dave sighed. "You're an assassin. You have killed beings to order; you murder for reward."
SJ didn't respond; she couldn't. There was no thought she could gather that didn't contradict her personal view. The justification of her class had always been to fight for the good against the evil in the world, yet she had unwittingly allowed herself to be drawn into such a morally grey area. In her own mind, she had always confirmed her suspicions about her targets before carrying out the actions, giving her the justification and belief that she was acting in good faith. Yet after everything, she was disposing of others. Dave had used the word murder. It had taken her a long time to get past her initial inhibitions towards her class, and she felt as though she was back at the beginning again, questioning her very decision.
The display still showed the interrogation room as she now fought with her own emotional realisation of her position.
"Seventeen gold, twelve silver and several copper," the gnoll jailor said, having collected the pouch from the floor.
"It is something towards the money owed to so many," Galvon said. "Now we need to discover who the main financier was, as you so eloquently named them. Although I'm not sure financier would really be the appropriate word to describe the ringleader of a scam."
SJ noticed Tarquin flinch at the term. Galvon had destroyed his initial explanation of legitimacy in a few sentences. Whatever SJ thought about the process, it had been effective.
Tarquin was attempting to regain his composure. He sat still now after the shock from Galvon; the only sign of his nervousness was his hands clenching and unclenching.
"I've been told the name of the being behind your actions. A being named Wernig. All I need you to do is tell me who he is and where I can find him."
Tarquin reached forward for the empty glass, and the gnoll, seeing him do so, moved to refill it for him. He lifted the glass and sipped from it slowly. Galvon didn't rush him, as he just watched him drink. Eventually, the glass was empty again, and Tarquin kept the glass clamped tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white as he played with his thoughts.
"It wouldn't matter if you knew where he was," Tarquin eventually said.
"And why would it not matter? No being is above the reach of the tower."
Tarquin smirked. Galvon's face gave away the slightest hint of annoyance; it was the first time SJ had seen him react to a comment. If he was getting angry, SJ was concerned about what he might do.
"What makes you smirk so?" The mild annoyance came out in Galvon's changed tone.
"I've never met him directly, always through one of his team. I can tell you where I met them. I could tell you where some of them live, but it wouldn't matter," Tarquin shrugged, his nonchalance had returned at a startling rate.
"You really underestimate the reach of the Tower."
This time, Tarquin laughed. It started out as a chuckle before growing into a full-bodied roar. "I'm sorry, but you don't understand," Tarquin said once he had calmed down. "If the rumours are true, the being you seek works for the Chief."
The reaction was even subtler than before, but SJ noticed Galvon clenching one of his giant hands beneath the table edge. His face hadn't altered.
"The Chief? Which Chief do you speak of?"
"You know which Chief." Tarquin didn't expand further.
"Is this the only scheme you know of?" Galvon asked, changing tack.
Tarquin frowned slightly. "I don't know. I just follow my instructions."
"You are a very wealthy being, just following instructions."
"I know of no others."
"Where did you meet these others you mention who work for this Wernig?"
Tarquin shrugged. "Usually at The Hounds."
The conversation continued. Tarquin gave the names of several he had met, never stating that he had met Wernig himself. They were only ever his representatives.
"That can't be true," SJ said to Natalie.
"What makes you say that?"
"When I was looking into the scheme, they were willing to get Wernig to come and speak to me about the investment I was offering."
"From what you told me, you were offering to fund the whole scheme," Natalie replied. "That may have been the reason behind them trying to get him to attend. He may not have even if asked to."
"Have you heard of Wernig before?" SJ asked, knowing full well who the being was.
"Yes, and we know where he is, but there is nothing we can do against him without proof, and the word of a member of the thieves' guild isn't enough to go on. Without specific details confirming his involvement directly and evidence to back them up, a name is, after all, just a name. I've seen schemes before where beings have used the names of others to influence the behaviours of those they are dealing with."
"There has to be something, even if it's just questioning him."
Natalie looked at SJ for a moment, then glanced around the room. "Come with me."
SJ frowned, turning back to the display, where Galvon was still questioning Tarquin, asking him repetitive questions.
Natalie led SJ back out of the room, and they walked back to Galvon's office.
"What has made you bring me back here?" SJ asked as Natalie poured herself a drink, as she turned to offer SJ one. "No, thanks."
Natalie took a drink of the liquid, which must have been alcoholic, as she pulled a face as she swallowed. "I don't think you understand the problems we face in the city. We can't go directly against the Chief and her team."
"Why?" SJ asked, wrestling with the answer she already expected to hear. Fas had already said that the Tower knew full well about the Chief and her actions around the city, yet no one had ever stopped or challenged her before, that she was aware.
"The Chief is untouchable. The Tower is strictly prevented from ever investigating her or her actions."
"That's ridiculous," SJ replied.
Natalie nodded. "It is, but it doesn't change the fact. Over my years in the Tower, her name and implied actions are well known, yet every attempt to challenge her has been stopped. There is no reason given. Rumours exist that she has ties to the Tower and to some of the senior leadership in the city that prevent it; others state that she has information that could bring the Tower down if it were to get out. There are many rumours."
"I don't understand why she has been allowed to continue if her team and their actions cause so much harm to the beings who live here."
Natalie sighed. "I can sense your frustration. I felt the same initially, but there has never been anything I could do about it. I've brought it up with the General, and whenever I have, it's been pushed back on."
That concerned SJ. If General Crawford couldn't take action as the head of the Tower's military, it fully confirmed Fas's comments.
Galvon walked back into the office, the door slamming shut behind him as he did. The sudden entrance startled both SJ and Natalie.
"Sorry," Galvon said as he walked and poured a drink. He looked tense; his jaw was knotted as he drank.
"Did you get anything else from Evergreen?" Natalie asked.
"I don't know how much you saw, but if it is the Wernig, all I can do is report it as usual. He only told me of associates he had met directly."
Natalie nodded in understanding. It was blatantly obvious that this wasn't the first time this had occurred and Galvon was angry about it.
"Is there no one who can do anything?" SJ asked.
Galvon turned to stare at SJ before he replied. "Perhaps," he mused.
"Who?"
Galvon looked at Natalie. Natalie just shrugged in response and nodded.
Galvon turned to look at SJ.
"You."
