Page 73 of The Study of Poisons
Valek stomped on the knee. Nix screamed in agony before fainting. Too bad. He had more questions for the man. Yelena must have shattered his kneecap. Smart. She’d prevented Nix from chasing after her or running away.
Kenda returned with Inrick and two agents. “Did you kill him?” she asked.
“Not yet. Take him to the infirmary. Once he regains consciousness, I’ll question him again.” If Channa allowed it. Perhaps he’d wait until Nix healed to do another round of interrogation.
“Yes, sir.”
Kenda and the others picked Nix up. Rousing briefly, he groaned in pain. Valek was about to follow them to check on Yelena when he realized it was almost time for the Commander’s dinner. He changed direction and hurried to the Commander’s office.
“Something wrong with Yelena?” the Commander asked when Valek tasted his dinner.
“I gave her the night off.”
“Oh?”
The Commander had enough time to get used to the idea of Yelena being a part of their team. Time to update him on her status. “She’s been training with Ari and Janco. She just started knife defense and was cut.” It was a perfectly truthful response. Anyone who trained with knives or swords collected an assortment of scars in the process. The Commander didn’t need to know about Nix. Not yet.
“All part of the fun.”
“Isn’t that my line?” Valek asked, setting the tray on the desk as he let out a breath, glad the Commander had taken the news about Yelena’s training in stride.
“You’re not the only one who enjoys a good knife fight. In fact, we should schedule some time to spar. I’d like to keep my skills sharp.”
“Funny. You would also enjoy reminding me that I still can’t beat you.”
“There’s that.”
Valek left the office and encountered Yelena in the throne room. “I’ve taken care of dinner.” He guided her back through the maze of desks. “Find Margg and cancel tonight’s meeting, then go back to our suite and get some rest.”
“Cancel? What for? It would look suspicious. I’ll wear gloves to cover the bandages. It’s cold enough at night; nobody will notice.”
Not the bandages, but they’d see the wild shine in her eyes, the small cut on her neck and the high color in her cheeks.
“I’m fine,” she said.
He smiled. “You should take a look at yourself in a mirror.” He was more worried about her nerves. If she was too jumpy—no, being nervous could go in her favor. “All right. We’ll proceed as planned.”
They stopped at Valek’s office. “I have some work to finish. Rest and don’t worry. I’ll be close by tonight.” He inserted his key.
“Valek?”
“Yes.”
“What will happen to Nix?”
“We’ll patch him up, threaten him with years in the dungeon if he doesn’t cooperate, and, when he’s done helping us, I’ll reassign him to MD–1. Good enough? Or should I kill him?” He hoped she’d chose that option because he’d happily kill Nix for her.
She gave him a wicked grin. “No. Reassignment’s good. If I had wanted him dead, I would have done it myself.”
He straightened in surprise. Would she really have killed him? Then she shot him a smirk worthy of Janco and headed down the hall. Ah. He loved seeing that confidence and humor in her. Especially so soon after being attacked.
* * *
Valek watchedfrom the shadows as two figures exited the west gate of the castle complex. In the bright moonlight, he easily recognized them as Yelena and Margg. They headed to Castletown as planned. He followed them, keeping his distance.
Full moons could either be a boon or a curse, depending on the mission. In this case, it was early enough in the evening that their presence on the streets wouldn’t raise suspicion. Plus, Margg walked with the determined stride of a person who knew exactly where she was going. The watch would hardly give her a second glance. They’d been trained to notice those who looked over their shoulders or hesitated at road crossings or darted into shadows.
Margg and Yelena arrived at Star’s house without trouble. Valek caught a quick glance of the sharp-nosed woman who answered the door. The red head wore an innkeeper’s uniform. Was that Star? They were admitted inside. Valek looped around to the alley, entered the house next door, and took the steps two at a time to the third floor.
