"You think someone in this room is responsible?" Lady Yang breathed. "For what exactly? Repeating rumors?"
"Starting rumors." Chenzhou clarified. "A targeted campaign of slander."
"Dislike is not uncommon between noble families." Lord Crusoe pointed out. "It is very much a competition to remain in proper society."
"Or in command in the Crimson Army." Lord Fujo added.
Lord Helian leaned forward and frowned. "But positions in society are not decided by members of society. They are decided by the king, and it is rare that sordid rumors would be enough to get someone removed."
"Except when those rumors lead to charges of treason or dereliction of duty." Chenzhou pointed out. He was the angriest Eirian had ever seen him. Hard and cold. Even those gentle eyes that Eirian found so striking were harsh as shattered glass. "There is no question that this is a targeted campaign. Whether it ties into the poisoning I suffered from for most of my life…well, it does seem unlikely two such…expensive attempts could be unrelated."
Surprise rippled throughout the room.
Lady Yang went still in her chair, eyes narrowed. Eirian could practically see the wheels spinning.
Lord Yin looked less convinced. "Who would have the resources for something so significant? It's not just gold, the number of people involved, and the sheer time it would take. The King himself would struggle to do that with all the resources at his disposal."
"What is the likelihood that two completely separate entities chose to make such bold moves so close together?" Henri argued. None of them mentioned the magic tied to Chenzhou's poisoning. Not only would that knowledge cause panic, but by keeping it a secret, it gave them the ability to use it to test anyone who confessed or to track anyone else using it. The fact that no one else had realized magic had been used, or if they had and had stayed silent, was a huge clue in and of itself, since those who could afford to buy magic were the upper echelon of the echelon, and those who would know where or how to do so would be an even smaller portion.
Magic was zealously controlled by the Illuminated City, the exact opposite of what Malbec had wanted when he'd staged his rebellion and built the city. There were plenty of charlatans and fakes that peddled nonsense the uneducated would believe was magic. Most of the kingdoms of the Rock had harsh punishments when those peddlers were caught, an agenda pushed by the Illuminated City and its great Council of Wizards. Those caught by the city's wandering wizards were usually killed long before they were brought to any kind of trial. It was an evil that most of the kingdom's put up with because they wanted to maintain the wizard's favor, but there were more than a few cases where wizards had overstepped, and outrage had ensued. Punishment for them was few and far between, but Eirian knew there was a handful of places all over the rock where wizards were no longer welcome.
She didn't know if the wizards cared or not, but given that there wasn't news of wizards being attacked or killed regularly, she assumed they avoided them. Individuals with magic still made up a tiny fraction of the population of the Rock, and not all of them were keen to join the Illuminated City.
Eirian had long ago decided she'd go to her death fighting before they could drag her ther,e and she been lucky enough to be born in a high enough position that the Council hesitated to take her by force. There was a more than decent chance that Eirian could find out who bought the magically enhanced poison if she contacted the city, but she couldn't imagine they'd set a price she was willing to pay. And there was still a chance they didn't know or that the records had been lost.
In the end, she wasn't desperate enough yet. Especially since it wasn't just her at risk from the city now. Mingzhe's magic was even weaker than before, but she could still sense it when she really tried. There was a chance it could recover over time, and Eirian didn't want to put Mingzhe on the wizard's radar.
But someone else in the Camelia clearly had some understanding of magic. Eirian doubted they had magic themselves, if there'd been a constant reliable supply, the poison would probably have killed Chenzhou long before Eirian had arrived at the Camelia.
The fact that the target had been moved to Mingzhe made her even more sure. They lacked the ability to learn that Mingzhe had magic himself, but they were probably avoiding Chenzhou now because he had Eirian, and she'd already proven she could defeat whatever magic they could afford.
She looked around the room carefully, trying to memorize every detail of every face. Someone in this room was responsible for both attacks. Mingzhe was still on the fence, and Chenzhou refused to make an official declaration, but Eirian was convinced.
"At this point, it may be wise for all of us to agree not to leave the Camelia," Henri suggested. Chenzhou could order them to stay, could lock the estate down, and use the Crimson Army to enforce it. Henri's suggestion was a way for them to save face, because if Chenzhou made it an order, there wasn't a single kingdom on the Rock that wouldn't have their eyes on them. It was a rare event in civilized history, but each time had always predated most of the court being wiped out. Henri knew the history as well as any noble in any court on the Roc,k and most of them looked shocked that Chenzhou was even considering it.
"That seems extreme." Lord Wen argued immediately. There was fear in his eyes. As one of the minor families in the court, if they were forced out now, it was unlikely they would ever return.
Henri remained firm. "We just fought a war that we have discovered was a manipulation of the Land of Song and Snow, but has anyone stopped to consider that Song and Snow may have had a source among us?"
"That's preposterous." Lord Crusoe burst out.
Lady Valient shook her head. "No, it's treason."
"So is attempting to kill me." Chenzhou pointed out. "So is acting against the interests of the Camelia and the Land of Sorrow. There were four thousand soldiers of the Crimson Army killed in the ambush, and thirty thousand more killed at the Battle of the Blue River Fork. All of those deaths are the responsibility of whoever betrayed us. Perhaps it was just Song and Snow, and they somehow managed to so neatly outmaneuver us that we should be ashamed. Do any of you think we are so easily hoodwinked?"
~ tbc