Page 31 of The Study of Poisons
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The fire festivaldrew closer and Valek still hadn’t decided on who would be the fugitive for the Commander’s exercise. Two days before he needed to inform Ambrose of his pick, Valek stopped in Kenda’s office and settled in the extra chair.
“Come to check on your food taster?” she asked.
No, but… “Any news?”
“Nope. According to Hildred, it’s been as boring as watching dust collect. No attacks, no ambushes, and no illicit activities. She’s been doing her job and, other than the cook, she doesn’t talk to anyone.”
Good. His interactions with Yelena had been limited. Each morning he gave her a dose of White Fright and then he didn’t see her again until the evening. He made sure to be there after dinner instead of working late in his office. He didn’t know why it was important. It just was. They only shared a few hours together in his suite before she went to sleep, and he joined the Commander for drinks. A couple times they talked, but she was just as comfortable reading on the couch or writing in her journal while he worked.
It was…nice.
“Is there something else?” Kenda asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes. I need to assign someone to play fugitive. Do you have any suggestions?”
“No. Our corps have been trained to avoid capture. They’ll run circles around the grunts.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. Are there any new recruits?”
“No. You’ll need to pick one of the grunts who is smarter than average. Has anyone challenged you recently who had potential?”
Valek considered Lieutenant Ari. The big man had shown some creativity while he’d fought Valek. However, Ari had been assigned to Captain Parffet’s team and would be hunting the fugitive. Valek would rather see how Ari and his partner, Janco, handled the search.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Using a grunt as a fugitive means they’ll have the same training as their pursuers. They’ll be able to predict each other’s moves. Unless one of the soldiers can break out of the military mindset and be imaginative. I’ll go have a look. Thanks.” He left.
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Valek scannedthe groups of soldiers inside the training yards. Some worked on basic moves, others sparred, and a few performed strengthening and conditioning exercises. He hoped someone would stand out. If he lingered long enough, one of them might gather the courage to challenge him. Plus, he needed to find a fugitive, so he waited.
“I challenge you, sir!”
Valek turned. A tall, skinny boy pointed a sword at him. Valek hid his amusement. The boy…young man was clearly terrified and hadn’t learned how to control his emotions before a fight.
“Don’t you think you should have a few more seasons of practice before challenging me?” Valek asked even though there was no limit on the number of challenges a person could request.
“I’m twenty-four, sir.”
Oops.
“All right, then. Let’s see what you got.” Valek removed his shirt and hopped the fence.
Turned out the boy didn’t have much. Valek disarmed him in three moves. Neither did the next four contenders. Wiping sweat off his face in disgust, he decided he’d had enough and headed to the baths.
That night, Valek sat at his writing desk and focused all his attention on finding the right person. Not his corps and no military personnel, so who did that leave? Advisers. A smart group in general. The Commander had over a dozen of them, including Valek. Not all of them kept in shape, but a prisoner would be malnourished. Valek considered each of them and wrote down two names as potentials.
Next up, servants. A mixed group. No names popped into his head except Margg’s. She’d never agree to run around in the woods. Rand was clever, but Valek didn’t trust him to return to the castle, and the Commander would be upset to lose his favorite chef.
Then there was the medical staff. Medic Channa met most of the requirements. Intelligent, resourceful, and energetic, she’d give the grunts a good chase. He wrote her name down.
Who else? He could use a real prisoner. They’d be desperate enough to be a challenge to recapture. But they also might escape and that wouldn’t be good for anyone, including Valek.
The door to his suite opened and Yelena entered. Returning from the baths, she smelled of lavender soap. He was about to ask her opinion on who would make a good fugitive when inspiration struck.
Yelena. She would be perfect. He circled her name.
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