Page 42 of The Study of Fire
Ilom unrolled it, scanned the words, then rubbed it between his fingers. “High quality parchment and ink. I don’t recognize the handwriting, but we get so few letters from Sitia. What was the peace offering?”
Valek pulled the lid open.
Ilom jumped to his feet with a cry. When nothing happened, he pressed his hand to his chest. “You could have warned me.”
“That’s no fun.”
“That’s no gift, either. The council would never send a snake. That’d be a declaration of war.”
“That’s what I thought, but I wanted to double check this wasn’t some Sitian custom.”
“Next time, omit the dramatics and just ask.” Ilom sank back into his seat. “Good thing I still have some of that bourbon left.”
Valek laughed. Now that he had done his due diligence, he was ready to report to the Commander.
“Come in,” the Commander called.
He entered and set the crate on the Commander’s desk. “This package came for you today.” Valek handed him the scroll.
The Commander scanned the note and raised an eyebrow. “A peace offering?”
“Not quite.” Valek revealed the snake and explained his theory.
“This confirms that the Daviians are dangerous,” the Commander said. “Let’s wait for the report from your agents before we take any action.”
“And if we don’t get a report?”
“Then I expect you to personally deliver my response.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Valek was just about to finish his work for the day when a knock sounded on his apartment door. He froze. No one ever knocked. Brede had a key and no one else was allowed passed the guards. Except, Yelena and?—
Ah, right. He hurried to open the door. Ari and Janco waited in the hallway.
“We’re back!” Janco said. “Did you miss us?”
Glad they had returned before the storms, he refrained from using the Commander’s toothache comeback. “It’s late. Did you run into problems on the road?” He scanned them. They were rumpled and disheveled. Fatigue lined their faces.
“Nah, we just wanted to avoid another night sleeping in a cold travel shelter.” Janco rubbed his back. “I think the ground is softer than those beds.”
“We weren’t sure if you wanted us to report in right away or wait until the morning,” Ari said.
“Is there anything time sensitive?” Valek asked.
“No, sir.”
“Then go get some sleep. Report to the Commander’s office after breakfast, I’ll meet you there.”
“Yes, sir.”
The next morning, Valek calculated how long Ari and Janco had been gone. They’d returned on the ninth day of the cold season, which meant they had spent ten days up in MD-1 and seventeen days traveling. It should have been eighteen, but it sounded like they’d pushed to get home.
Both men waited for Valek outside the Commander’s office. Wearing clean uniforms, they looked refreshed.
Valek knocked and entered with Ari and Janco right behind him. The three of them stood in front of the Commander’s desk. If he was glad to see Ari and Janco, he didn’t give any indication.
