Chapter 401

Caught out fishing for information, Nor literally prodded him with his foot till he moved away from Asman to a different seat. Then, she happily took a seat in his old spot before ignoring any attempts on his part to strike up a conversation. Nor did Hameed offer any further information when he stepped in, just a small nod before sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

When Tun Rahman arrived, everyone stood till he took his seat. A frown appeared moments later, as his gaze landed on the empty spot where Ramli should have been. Sudden intution had Arthur looking to the doors, and then Hameed who had most recently walked over. The boy sat there, hands crossed before his feet, looking entirely too serene.

"You didn't..." Nor said, her voice suddenly hollow.

No answer from Hameed. No arrival from Ramli. After another few minutes of strained silence, Tun Rahman gestured to the servants who disappeared. Time stretched on and on, each breath filling that rasped in and out of Arthur's lungs a loud rasp in his ears. When the servants appeared, they had only to glance at Tun Rahman before the man shuddered, that strange twitching and then calming appearing and disappearing on his face.

"Another death. The culprit is here, and growing bolder every moment!"

"Hameed, how could you?" Nor said.

"How could I what?" now the boy looked up, calm. "What are you accusing me of, Nor?" The way he fixed his gaze on her, and only her might as well have added a large pointing sign above Tun Rahman's head instead.

"I..." She hesitated, shook her head and looked between Hameed and Asman, before she suddenly made up her mind. "I am accusing you of killing Ramli. Or being the killer!"

"A dangerous accusation. Are you certain you wish to level it?" Tun Rahman said, fixing Nor with a flat gaze.

She gulped, but nodded.

"Then, do you have evidence? If you do, I will review it now."

"Not enough, my lord. Not enough, but I know it's him," Nor's voice grew firmer with each word.

Hameed, watching the pair speak, just turned his head side-to-side a little before growing silent.

"Then, you know, you are staking your life on this accusation. If you are wrong, I must penalise you." Tun Rahman's voice was cold, remote, as though reciting a list of groceries, rather than threatening her. "I ask, one last time. Are you sure of this?" 

Nor licked her lips, her gaze fixed on Hameed. She seemed to be weighing something again, an intangible weight of fear and evidence. In the end, it tilted in favor of the accusation, as she voiced her confirmation.

That was all the Tower needed, for light bathed the trio involved. Asman, watching all this, shrunk a little back. Moving away from the sudden cones of energy, a movement that Arthur mimicked without thought. Energy pulsed, for nearly a minute, before the blinding light faded.

Eyes still watering, Arthur was surprised to find Nor gone, Hameed still seated in the same position, unconcerned and Tun Rahman looking concerned.

"A false accusation has been leveled. Punishment has been meted out. Warrior Hameed has been found not guilty," Tun Rahman intoned, then from his standing position - and when had he stood up? - sat back down.

Arthur reached out, gingerly, to poke at the empty space where Nor had been. Nothing there, no body, no indicator that she had ever been there at all. He looked to Hameed who looked entirely pleased with himself now, a small smile on his face. All of which left Arthur wondering, what the hell was happening.

Why did Nor make an accusation, when she had no real evidence but suspicion? Why risk death, when she had any other choice? It almost seemed to him that she had been afraid to fight Hameed. 

Or was she gambling? Figuring that at this point, it was a good bet? And if not Hameed, who could it be? 

Well, by process of elimination...

"Will you do it, then?" Hameed asked, flicking his gaze over to Asman.

Arthur looked at the other Climber, catching up only now to the implication. He stared at the other man who looked back at Arthur, unconcerned but almost anticipatory. 

"I..."

"Well?" Hameed continued, his voice soft. "You wanted to solve the mystery, didn't you? Here it is."

Here it was, indeed.

Arthur opened his mouth, then shut it as he stared as Asman. For a man who was supposed to be the killer, whose death was guaranteed, he looked entirely too serene. If anything, he looked puzzled, the way he glanced between Hameed and Tun Rahman and then back to Arthur.

It was, rather obvious, that Arthur wasn’t the killer. If Asman knew he wasn’t the killer and Hameed wasn’t, then…

“Tun Rahman,” Arthur said, suddenly. “Are those who were injured and taken away, do any of them still live?”

Hameed looked a little disappointed, as though he was expecting Arthur to jump at it immediately. He brightened a moment later, the shifting in his face miniscule but easy to catch if someone was watching for it, when Tun Rahman answered.

“Those who Dato’ Ramli injured did not survive the night,” Tun Rahman said, sadly. “And now, there are only three left. I fear it will not be possible, to launch our attack against Tun Lok.” Now he glowered into the night, seeming to have dismissed the remaining trio.

“There, you see. It can only be Asman,” Hameed murmured.

“So why don’t you try it?” Arthur said, softly. That was the obvious answer, the other reason why he was suddenly hesitant on making the accusation. That and the fact that something just did not make sense. Why wasn’t Tun Rahman more worried, why wasn’t he acting out against the attacks? Was it just the Tower, or was something else at play? And why were both of these Second Chancers so calm.

He was missing something, and till he could figure what that was, he wasn’t going to make a move.

“Eat. We should eat. And afterwards, tonight…” Tun Rahman looked confused for a time, before he shook his head. “Tomorrow. I will speak with you three and choose the right man to lead the attackers.”

“Lead? Is the attack not called off?” Arthur asked.

“Of course not! We must make Tun Lok pay.”

Looking into the man’s eyes, he saw now confusion mixed in. As though he struggled to understand what he was saying, or why. That confusion, that trapped look in the man’s eyes made Arthur shudder, break eye contact and focus on the food before him.

Perhaps it was for the best, then, that the meal began to arrive. In strained and uncomfortable silence, the group ate. . No poisoning, not this time. It made Arthur wonder, if they'd killed the poisoner already. Was it Nor? Ramli? Maybe even it had been the man who'd died on the training floor, poisoning himself to look innocent.

Or perhaps...

Now, he had another suspicion. One that might explain the reason for the lack of information on this trial, that explained the reactions of Hameed and Asman.

Arthur just hoped he was wrong.