Page 28 of The Study of Poisons
“To stab a person in the heart, you have to angle the blade up underneath the sternum,” Valek instructed. “And I’m theonlyperson in Ixia that can get away with murder.” The poor sap gaped at him in horror. Fun.
A young man with sandy-blond hair ran up beside them. “Are you okay?” he puffed. “I saw…”
Valek raised an eyebrow.
“Oh. Guess you don’t need help.”
“No, but thanks for the distraction. Was it planned?”
“Planned?”
“Yes, your timely arrival. Was it planned?”
“No! I saw he had a knife out.”
“Yeah right, Trevar,” the thief spat. “You came here to steal him away for your new boss.”
“You’re no longer a baiter, Brent. None of the dealers will hire you because you scare away potential customers by robbing them!”
“If the dealers paid me better I—”
“Enough,” Valek ordered. It was obvious these two weren’t working together. “Trevar, please fetch the watch.”
The young man’s bright blue eyes almost popped out of his head. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Uh, okay.” He dashed off.
“You can’t,” Brent said, “I’ll tell them about you.”
“Tell them what? I took this knife from you. And I’ve a witness who saw you threatening me.”
Trevar came back with two officers. Brent immediately cried foul, claiming he was the victim and Valek had been the one offering to sell the black market goods. Valek handed the knife to one of the officers and explained. With Trevar backing him up, the watch arrested Brent and hauled him away.
“What’s going to happen to him?” Trevar asked.
“Don’t you know? It’s listed in the Code of Behavior.”
“Well, it’s been a long time since school…”
Doubtful, he appeared in his early twenties. “Armed robbery is four years of incarceration and hard work in a correctional facility.” The Commander ensured the prisoners earned the cost of keeping them in the facility. “And he won’t be chasing off your customers for a while.”
Trevar glanced around. But the small crowd that had gawked at the arrest had dispersed. No one ever really lingered in Castletown. A person without a reason for hanging around drew too much attention. The bulk of the Commander’s army had been assigned to work in the towns and cities of Ixia as guards to keep the peace and ensure everyone followed the Code of Behavior. They also meted out justice in accordance with its guidelines when they didn’t.
“Did you come to steal me away from Brent?” Valek asked.
“Not exactly.”
Valek waited.
“I knew you were looking for black market goods—everyone did due to your performance in the market.” He smiled, flashing a set of dimples. “But when I spotted Brent leading you away…” He shrugged.
Sven was right about this one. He had lots of potential and even picked up that Valek had been acting. “You came to help me.”
“I waited outside the alley, thinking Brent would grab your money and run. Then I’d trip him and get your pouch back for you.” Another brilliant smile. “I figured you’d be so grateful that you’d spend lots of coins in my boss’ shop.” Then he sobered. “But he was taking so long, I worried Brent was really going to stab you so…” Another shrug.
“Thank you for the help.”
