The Gambit with Perfection (The Phantom of the Earth Book 2) by Raeden Zen Page A

first. I know something that you don’t.” Atticus paused, biting his moist lip. “Where Jeremiah plots openly to depose us, those women are far more cunning.”
    Isabelle truly didn’t know what he was talking about. “The Northern ministers haven’t fought you on coolant pricing adjustments, or anything, in decades.” Historically, the Northern ministers negotiated pricing per liter for the water coolant, which flowed down piping and into the commonwealth’s cities and villages from the arctic bay in Boreas. But after a dispute in 317 AR left Atticus humiliated, he ordered General Norrod to redeploy thousands and thousands of Janzers from Farino Prison to the Northern cities. Isabelle had implored him to arrest the Northern ministers, the cow Mueriniti and diva Sineine among them. He’d refused. At the same time, Jeremiah had been recruiting heavily in the North. Isabelle couldn’t risk losing that region, which held the commonwealth’s most valuable resource, to the Liberation Front. She executed her false flag attacks for decades. She didn’t think Atticus knew. “The North has become so hostile to the BP we don’t even need to waste our time searching for them in that region any longer.”
    “The North fell in line because of your aggression, but their leaders haven’t forgotten what you did.” Atticus raised his voice. “Nor have I.” He paused, examining Isabelle’s consciousness. She revealed nothing.
    “You knew then,” she said, “and you didn’t object. Why do you care now?”
    “The Northerners see what you’re doing in the Northeast. They understand our predicament with the BP. If they were to reveal the truth to the Northeasterners and take advantage of the Polemon surge in the East, South, and West, well, you can see how that might be a problem for us, can’t you?”
    “We’d crush them, the same as—”
    “The BP.” Atticus swiped his trimmed beard. “Or the same way you crush my people—”
    “ My people,” Isabelle snapped. “I develop them, hone their mastery of their mind-body-cosmos connection, teach them the ways of a Beimenian, to dedicate themselves to service, to accept nothing less than excellence, to master their minds and bodies and emotions.” She looked him down and up, her upper lip twitching. “The destruction of the BP is all that—”
    “Never again.” Atticus put his face closer to hers. His breath reeked like stale wine. She pushed him away. He grabbed her wrist but she broke free. Atticus breathed heavily, his face filled with malice. He grunted, stepping away from her, and slammed down onto his chair. “In secret, I long ago offered fair recompense to the North for what you did, and obtained assurances from Ministers Mueriniti and Sineine of their loyalty to the great city. You are never to harm them. If I find out that you do confront them, or that you’ve conducted another false flag mission again against my people, I’ll have you arrested, stripped of all your titles, and sent to the Lower Level. Is that clear enough for you?”
    “The BP don’t give a fuck what you do to me—”
    “Oh, come on, Isabelle.” Atticus threw up his arms. “The BP, the BP, the BP, you obsess about the BP. So tell me now, where’re you with Jeremiah Selendia?”
    Isabelle eased onto her chair and crossed her legs. “I’ve broken him. Revealed the layers of his soul.”
    The truth was that Jeremiah resisted her probing. She’d hoped he would’ve provided the location of the BP stronghold known as Blackeye Cavern by now. She had some leads from Marstone’s Database, but Jeremiah revealed neither the Cavern’s coordinates, nor any usable intel that might lead her to the BP’s allies throughout the commonwealth.
    “What did you see?”
    “He hates you, wants to hang you in the square—”
    “Don’t insult me. I know my own brother-in-development. I’ve sensed his presence. He seeks to—”
    “Strike the iron fist! What do you think that is?”