Page 67 of The Study of Poisons
Prowling, he clutched two rocks in his fists, digging his fingernails into the hard surface.
This was why I shouldn’t have fallen—
Valek smashed the rocks together. Pain pierced his hands and shot up his forearms.
This was why I shouldn’t have fallen in love—
Stomping on a rock, he crushed it under his boot. Going over to a pile of rocks, he proceeded to turn them into rubble.
This was why I shouldn’t have fallen in love with Yelena.
He kicked over the piles of books, making a mess and enough noise to cover Yelena’s entrance. Valek wondered how long she stood there gaping at him in shock.
“What do you want?” he snarled.
“Nothing.” She fled to her room.
Good.
He stared at her closed door. It wasn’t her fault he’d fallen for her. Yelena had kept him at a distance from the beginning as, being an intelligent woman, she should.
Oh no. This wasallhis fault. He’d gotten carried away, thinking she’d be part of his team. Thinking that she’d be as loyal to the Commander as he was. He’d let his emotions overrule logic and plain good sense. And now he was paying the price.
After all those months, years, really, of suppressing his feelings, Valek indulged in a three-day vent. Or perhaps he should refer to it as a three-day sulk? Either way, it was three days of ill humor and having to interact with Yelena without letting her know that he no longer viewed her as an ally but as an enemy.
Three days to purge everything from his soul in order to prepare for the day when he’d have to kill Yelena. Because that was inevitable. She’d sell secrets to Star and scheme to escape and eventually…
Pure ice filled the emptiness inside him. He welcomed the crisp, clarity it lent to his thoughts and the hard edge it gave him. Valek focused on work with a renewed determination.
Sitting at his desk in his apartment, he read through the reports from the agents listening in on Star. She traded and bartered for information, which she sold to clients. Star also acted as a middleman for clients needing to hire goons or find people willing to break the law. Gambling was mentioned often in her conversations, but no indication she operated a parlor. However, one name jumped out at him in connection to the gambling. Figured. Valek shut the report in disgust.
He turned his attention to the next problem. Brazell had finally sent the Criollo recipe, which meant Rand would make enough for everyone to eat. Would the castle residents change? Would they all become more relaxed like the Commander? What would be the consequences? Unknown at this point. In any case, Valek needed to determine the effects of Criollo.
Reading through the list of ingredients in the Criollo recipe that he had surreptitiously copied, he paused when the door of his suite opened and clicked closed. Yelena. She’d been hiding in her bedroom the last three nights. Perhaps it was time for her to move out.
Instead of fleeing, she said, “I may have discovered what those beans are.”
Mildly surprised that she had kept working on Brazell’s factory beans, he swiveled to face her. “Really?” He used his coldest and flattest tone of voice. Could he really trust anything she said?
She met his gaze and stepped back. “I…” She swallowed. “I was talking to Rand, and he mentioned missing coffee. Do you remember coffee? A southern drink.”
“No.” Of course, he remembered coffee. Of all the Sitian goods that had been banned after the takeover, coffee had caused the loudest and longest outcry from the Ixians. Though he didn’t know coffee started out as beans.
“I think our beans might be coffee. If you don’t know what coffee is, perhaps I should show them to Rand. If that’s alright with you?”
All right?She’d already talked to the cook. And just like Rand, she’d sell the Commander out for a handful of coins. Anger cracked through the ice around his heart. “Go ahead; share your ideas with Rand. Your buddy, your best friend. You’re just like him.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Do as you like. I don’t care.” Valek turned his back to her. Obviously from his heated reaction, he needed to work harder atnotcaring. At least his comments chased her away. But this time, her lock snapped in place.
Ah. He’d scared her. Good. She should be scared.
He turned his thoughts to the beans. If they were coffee beans, then why would Brazell wish to produce an outlawed southern drink? Everyone would know immediately as the smell would give it away. Unless Brazell hoped to grow the beans in Ixia? That would solve the legal issues and Ixians would buy coffee in bulk, making the general a richer man.
Valek would have to research how and where coffee was grown. His agents still hadn’t returned from following those wagons into Sitia. It’d been over sixty days since they’d left. If the beans were grown in the Illiais Jungle in the far south, then the length of time matched. He’d give them another week before sending scouts to locate them.
Pulling out the most recent report from his agents at the factory site, Valek read it. They said all the equipment had been installed and the next step would be to send test batches through. He’d have to wait for more updates from the factory and hope his agents didn’t get caught in Sitia.
