Page 49 of The Study of Poisons
Sure enough, when she openedthatdoor, instead of shining the light inside and retreating, she stepped inside. Her boots crunched on the layer of rock dust. Valek moved to the threshold of his carving room. The only place in the apartment that was clear of clutter, and where the gray rocks from MD-1 had been sorted into their various sizes. His sanctuary.
Yelena reached the back table and examined his carving tools—a grinding wheel, metal files, and various sized chisels. Would she make the connection between the ugly gray rocks with white streaks and the black statues with silver highlights? Since he’d stopped working as an assassin for hire, his carvings were now inspired by nature, animals, and insects.
She set the lantern down and picked up the one figurine among a dozen that meant the most to him. It was one of his most recent pieces. And his current favorite. Fate must be playing a cruel joke. Yelena examined the butterfly and a strange sensation twisted in his heart as if she peered into his soul.
Uncomfortable with being so exposed, he decided to see how she’d react to an ambush. He scuffed his boot as he rushed her. She whirled in time to spot him, raising her knife too late as Valek unarmed her in an instant.
He pressed the knife to her neck, and she stilled, staring at him in fear. He waited for her to recognize him and relax, but she had frozen instead.
“Snooping?” he asked, stepping back to show her he didn’t intend to harm her. Valek needed to remember she wasn’t one of his corps. That he shouldn’t be testing her. Not yet.
She broke her freeze and said, “I heard a noise. I came to—”
“Investigate.” Valek finished. “Searching for an intruder is different from examining statues.” He pointed to the butterfly clutched in her hand. “You were snooping.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Curiosity is a commendable trait. I wondered when you would explore up here. Find anything interesting?” He kept his tone light.
She held up the butterfly. “It’s beautiful.”
He shrugged, downplaying her compliment as if his heart hadn’t swelled with pleasure. “Carving focuses my mind.”
Yelena set the statue back on the table, but her hand lingered for a moment. Did she know what that butterfly meant to him? That he’d carved it after that stressful night of the Fire Festival, when he’d almost lost her, when his thoughts about her had spun as fast as the grinding wheel?
Not wanting to see her expression, Valek headed to the door. She grabbed the lantern and followed.
“I really did hear a noise,” she said.
“I know. I knocked a book over to see what you would do. I didn’t expect a knife, though. Is it the one missing from the kitchen?”
“Did Rand report it?”
“No. It just makes sense to keep track of large kitchen knives, so when one goes missing, you’re not surprised when someone attacks you with it.” Valek handed the knife to her. “You should return it. Knives won’t help you against the caliber of people after you.”
They went downstairs. Yelena picked up a book from the couch. From the title, it appeared to be about trees, which reminded him about their encounter in the forest. “What does the Commander think of the pods?”
“He thinks they’re from Sitia. He returned them to me so I could discover what they are. I’ve been doing research in the library.” Yelena handed him the book.
Valek suppressed a grin. Ambrose had finally accepted the idea of Yelena doing more than tasting his food. He flipped through the pages of the book. It was about fruit trees. “Find anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Your actions as our fugitive must have impressed the Commander. Normally, he would have assigned this sort of thing to one of his science advisers.”
She squirmed at the compliment, averting her gaze. “Where did the caravan go?”
Valek paused. He didn’t have all the information, but if he wished for her to be part of the team, he should keep her informed. “Brazell’s new factory.”
“What’s the product?”
“It’s supposed to be a feed mill.” Valek returned the book. “And I don’t know why he would need those pods and beans.” He considered and then mused aloud, “Maybe they’re a secret ingredient. Maybe they’re added to the feed to enhance the cow’s milk supply. Then every farmer would buy Brazell’s feed instead of growing their own. Or something along that line. Or maybe not. I’m not an expert.” Valek pulled at his hair as if he could pull the answers from his mind. “I’ll have to study his permit to see what I’m missing. Either way, I assigned some of my corps to stake out the route and infiltrate the factory. At this point I need more information.”
“Brazell left the castle this afternoon.”
“I passed his retinue on my way back. Good. One less thing to worry about.” Valek crossed to his desk. He needed to catch up on some work before his meeting with Ambrose.
“Should I return to my old room now that Brazell’s gone?” Yelena asked tentatively.
