Page 56 of The Study of Poisons
Whenever he observed their training sessions, he tried to stay out of the way. However, he couldn’t resist commenting or making a suggestion or two. And on occasion they’d ask him to spar, which he enjoyed. Very much.
* * *
Two daysbefore the beginning of the cooling season, Valek was working in his office when Kenda entered. Sweat soaked her uniform and her hair had spung from its leather tie.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Bit of a commotion at the east gate,” she said. “A young man insisted he needed to see you. He was quite agitated and had fresh blood on his uniform. He tried to muscle past security, but they stopped him. They notified me and it took a bunch of us to subdue him.”
A growing unease swirled in his stomach. “What’s his name?”
“He didn’t say, just kept screaming that Sven sent him to find you.”
Trevar. Valek went cold. There was only one reason for Sven to send his best baiter. His agent was in trouble.
CHAPTER12
Valek shoved his fear and worry for Sven down deep inside him and stood. “Where is he?” he asked Kenda.
“In one of the holding cells.”
“Let’s go.”
He followed her down to the level right above the dungeon. The half dozen cells in this area were for temporary inmates. It was a place for them to wait until they were either sent to a correctional facility or the Commander’s dungeon.
In the last cell on the right, Trevar sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands. Blood soaked his merchant uniform. Too much.
“Are you injured?” Valek asked.
Trevar straightened and hopped to his feet. “No.” He stopped right in front of Valek on the other side of the bars, then glared at Kenda. “I asked to speak withValek, not some cook.”
“Youdemanded. Maybe if you’dasked, I’d—”
“What happened to Sven?” Valek asked, cutting her off.
His gaze returned. And Valek waited as the young man made the necessary connections.
“They attacked him,” Trevar said in a low voice.
No doubttheywere the other black market dealers. “What about Sven’s helpers?”
“Them, too. It happened sometime last night. I found them this morning. Sven was…”
And now Trevar was here, which meant Sven was still alive and hopefully the others as well. “Kenda, go get Medic Channa and her team. Meet me at the west gate.”
“No. He’s…he’s…” Trevar took a shaky breath. “He’s dead. They all are. I think Sven was waiting for me.” A half sob. “I’m always the first to arrive and…and he grabbed my hand and…told me to find you to tell you…” Another sob.
“Tell me what?” Valek urged gently despite the grief pulsing in his chest.
“That he…underestimated the others. That greed was a monster he couldn’t slay.” Trevar wiped his eyes.
“Who’s greed?”
Trevar stared at him. “It’s their greed. He took all their business. Instead of finding something else to do, the dealers attacked him.”
“And?”
“What the hell? I just told you hediedand you’re playing twenty questions? Don’t you care?”
