Read Online Veilspeaker (Pharim War Book 2) by Gama Ray Martinez - Free Book Online Page A

Haziel said in a quiet voice.
    There was a collective sigh of relief. Some of the
nobles started murmuring to each other. Jez wasn’t close enough to hear any
details, but the general tone was angry, and more than one gave Varin a
piercing glare. Color had drained from Varin’s face.
    “Your Majesty?”
    “I said no, Varin. Mage Villia is right. I will not
permit you to ignore the forms when you’re right in front of me. If you have an
accusation against a baron of Ashtar, I will hear proof.” Varin sputtered for a
second, but said nothing. The king turned to Jez. “There is ample evidence against
your bodyguard, I’m afraid.”
    “It wasn’t me,” Osmund said, but one of the guards
slapped him.
    “What evidence?” Jez asked as he glared at the guard.
The man turned away and started muttering to a companion, as if afraid to meet
Jez’s gaze.
    “He carries a sword.” Varin practically spat the
words.
    “He’s my bodyguard ,” Jez said. “He’s supposed
to carry a sword. Anyway, he hasn’t even had one since he got hurt.”
    “Maybe not,” Varin said, “but Brallion’s sword wasn’t
found with his body.”
    That caught Jez by surprise. Most demons didn’t have
weapons, but there were plenty that could pick one up and use it.
    “I saw Osmund after the men were killed. He could
barely stand. There was no way he could overpower a guard and take his weapon.”
    “You saw him?” the king asked. “You didn’t report him?
This is not looking well for you, Baron.”
    “I didn’t know you were looking for him until I came
out of the south tower. I didn’t think it was the best idea to be walking
around in his condition, but he wasn’t on the run as far as I knew.”
    Villia raised a hand. “There is evidence enough to
hold Osmund.”
    “But...”
    She looked Jez in the eye. “We cannot ignore the fact,
Baron Jezreel, however, once your new information comes to light, I’m sure he
will be released.”
    “What new information?” Haziel asked.
    Jez looked at Villia, and she nodded. Jez took a deep
breath. “Those men were killed by demons.”
    “Demons?”
    Varin laughed, but the other nobles exchanged glances.
For once Jez was happy about the rumors that had been circulated about him. They
should lend his words more weight.
    Villia raised a hand and the room went silent again.
“There’s more.”
    Varin paled a little, and Jez suddenly found his mouth
going dry. The thing he was about to accuse Varin of was worse than murder.
Summoning creatures from the abyss to take a mortal life was one of the most
perverse acts a person could do with magic. Every eye was on him. He swallowed
and forced himself to speak.
    “We found the summoning circle in your quarters, Lord
Varin. The demons were summoned by you.”

CHAPTER 18
    The room went completely silent. Varin
stared at Jez with his jaw practically on the floor. The illusion on Lina’s
face wavered for a second before solidifying. The king’s expression shifted
between shock and rage. Osmund looked up, and the men standing over him were
too distracted to stop him. He glared at Varin, and for a moment Jez thought he
saw the other boy’s eyes glowing, but if they had changed, they returned to
normal after barely a heartbeat.
    “You would dare accuse me of that?” Varin’s voice
shattered the silence.
    Lina’s face twisted in a scowl. She might have said
something, but her words were swallowed in the commotion as everyone in the
room started to shout. It went on for several seconds before the king cleared
his throat. Those nearest to him went silent, but some of the other nobles were
still crying out at Jez. Haziel rose, and as people saw him, silence spread out
from the throne like a wave. When the entire room had quieted, he sat down. His
eyes locked onto Jez.
    “I presume you have evidence of this?”
    “Your Majesty,” Varin said with barely controlled
outrange. “Surely, you can’t believe him.”
    “Lord Varin, you have been