Page 53 of The Study of Magic
“How new?”
“In the last six days.”
She mulled it over. “Several came in with the platoon from MD-3. They are not new to being soldiers, but new to the complex.”
And a perfect cover for Alea. Platoons from other military districts frequently came for extra training. The Snake Forest was unique, as it was not only the biggest forest in Ixia, but it was along the southern border. If war broke out between Ixia and Sitia, all the Commander’s soldiers needed to know how to fight in the woods.
“Have you talked to any of them?”
“No. Just seen them around the barracks.”
From what he’d learned from Ziva Moon, magical illusions used up a great deal of energy. And Alea would soon exhaust herself if she tried changing the perceptions of everyone around her. He guessed that she would use non magical means for a disguise, and it was easier to blend in if she kept her general features.
“Can you keep an eye on them? And any other new female recruits that come in. From a distance, though. I don’t want you interacting with them or getting too close. I don’t want them to know you’re watching them.”
“I can. Is there a reason why?”
“There is, but I can’t tell you.”
“Okay. Is this the type of thing you ask your corps to do?”
“Sometimes.”
“Doesn’t sound too exciting.”
“As I told Janco, ninety percent of this job is not exciting.”
“Am I hoping to see them do something interesting?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m to let you know.”
“When you can.”
“And what happens if I accidentally get too close?”
“Think about anything other than the reason you’re that close. Think about one of your bo fights. Or visualize the moves for the Ranken Qua kata.”
“That’s a tricky one. I almost clunked myself on the head with that one. Are you going to explain what’s going on later?”
“Yes.”
“All right. I’m in.”
After Maren left, his office seemed too quiet, but the thought of going to his empty suite held no appeal. Instead, he lit a number of candles to push back the encroaching darkness, opened Star’s file, and read.
Her organization had been extensive. It included gambling, trading black market goods, theft, smuggling, espionage, and assassinations. He had thought her main business was located in Castletown, but when they raided the house, they only nabbed a dozen minor affiliates. Star and her upper echelon were long gone, along with any evidence that Valek could use to find out where they went. It was only a matter of time before he found her other hideout.
It was by pure chance that Star had been caught. She’d used Rand, Yelena’s friend, and the Commander’s ex-chef, to lure Yelena away from the camp when they had been traveling to Brazell’s. But Rand felt guilty for the ruse and warned her. Valek never liked Rand, but after learning that Rand pushed Yelena out of the way and took an arrow to the heart for her, Valek had changed his mind about the man. He’d redeemed himself in the end.
By the time Valek had figured out what was going on, Yelena had killed both of Star’s goons and was intent on killing Star. Valek had stopped her. Star had too much valuable information. Although, it appeared that Star wasn’t going to divulge her secrets easily. That was okay, Valek liked a challenge.
A knock sounded on his door. Valek glanced at the window. Night had fallen and a few of the candles had burned out. How long had he been reading?
“Come in,” he said, as his hand grasped the hilt of the cloud-kissed dagger sheathed on his belt.
The Commander entered. Valek about fell out of his chair when he tried to stand. The man avoided Valek’s messy office at all costs. He claimed clutter made him nauseous.
