Page 25 of The Study of Magic
Finally, a disheveled captain arrived. His hair was sleep matted on one side. “What is the emergency, Lieutenant? And it better involve blood, dismemberment, or fire or I’m going to?—”
“Captain Silas, I assure you the matter is urgent,” Valek said, glad he recognized the man from a previous visit.
The captain turned to him and paused. He straightened and ran a meaty hand through his hair. “Adviser Valek, my apologies, I didn’t see you there. What’s the trouble?”
Valek explained about following the wagons. “They’re carrying illegal goods.”
“Lieutenant, where was that caravan headed?” Silas asked.
“To the pantry, sir. I sent Sergeant Gia to ensure they don’t deviate from their destination.”
So, the man did know. “Who ordered the delivery?”
The lieutenant glanced at the captain, who gestured for him to get on with it. “I…I don’t know, sir. They had the proper paperwork and I…just didn’t look at the signature.”
At least he was honest.
“They arrived late at night with weapons, and you didn’tlook?” Anger sharpened Silas’s tone.
“They should still have their papers with them,” Valek said, stopping the dressing down before it could start. “Let’s go.” He strode through the gates and headed for the pantry in the northeast corner. Lanterns blazed from lampposts that marked the main roads. Even though the garrisons had been built by the old Kings of Ixia, they appeared as though the Commander had commissioned them because they all had a similar layout and shared the same spartan aesthetic.
Valek’s first undercover assignment as an assassin had been working as a stable boy for two and half seasons in Icefaren’s garrison. During that time, he had learned the location of every structure, every pathway, and every shadow. He could pick every lock and climb every building. When the soldiers who killed Valek’s brothers were assassinated behind locked doors, no one had any clue that the culprit was the fifteen-year-old stable boy.
“What do you intend to do?” Silas asked, hurrying to keep up. “Should I contact my boss, Major Bridget? Or perhaps wake the colonel?”
“Not yet.” Valek didn’t want to tip either of them off, just in case one of them had arranged for the delivery.
When they neared the pantry, Valek slowed. The wagons had been parked outside the kitchen’s storeroom. The lantern light didn’t quite reach this area, but the moonlight illuminated the activity. The burlap sacks from two wagons had been tossed to the ground and the drivers were hauling the wooden boxes inside, disappearing down the steps to the storage room underground. One man—presumably the leader—stood nearby, watching the activity.
A person detached from a shadow and approached them. “They have been here this entire time, sir,” she said to Silas.
“Thank you, Sergeant Gia. Can you fetch me a bullseye lantern?”
“Yes, sir.” She dashed off.
“You have a plan?” Valek asked.
“We need to inspect their paperwork. There’s not enough light for my eyes to see the small print. What do you want to do once we learn who ordered the illegal merchandise?”
A good question. Valek’s first impulse was to remove the boxes and burn them in a big bonfire. Yet, the name on the papers might not be the person responsible for the delivery. It’d be best to hide and wait to see who arrived to check the pantry. But he couldn’t trust anyone in the garrison. Not even Silas, who could be pretending to be going along with Valek because he knew his name wasn’t on the documents. Good thing he always had two agents working undercover in all the garrisons. He’d check in with them later.
“Nothing yet. Let’s see what we find out first.” Valek hedged.
Sergeant Gia returned with the lantern. She handed it to the captain.
“Thank you, Sergeant. You may return to your post.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You want to take the lead?” Silas asked.
“No.”
Captain Silas ran his hand through his hair again, squared his shoulders, and strode to the man standing next to the lead wagon. Valek assumed a bored expression and followed.
“Excuse me,” Silas said. “What are you doing here?”
“Unloading cargo, sir.”
