Page 45 of The Study of Fire
An icy dread flowed through Valek’s veins. He really should have killed Cahil when he’d had the chance. “When did this happen?” he asked.
“That’s the thing. It happened soon after Ambassador Signe left Sitia, in the middle of the cooling season.”
“I’m amazed they managed to keep it a secret for so long,” the Commander said. “How did you find out?”
Gabor glanced at Valek. “Liaison Yelena Zaltana left the Magician’s Keep quite suddenly on day four of the cold season. She was with her brother Leif, and another man. I managed to discover that they’d received a tip about Ferde and Cahil’s location from someone named Moon Man.”
“That makes sense,” Valek said. “Ferde is running home to the Daviian Plateau. And I guess Cahil made a deal with him. Something along the lines of ‘I’ll free you if you help me conquer Ixia.’ That snake must be their declaration of war.”
“What snake?” Gabor asked.
Valek explained.
“Ah, that probably also explains about the missing agents. They’ve probably been discovered and killed,” Gabor said.
“It’s obvious that the Sitian Council, despite having four master magicians, cannot handle this Daviian situation,” the Commander said. “They’ve bungled it from the start.” His gaze sent a chill right through Valek’s body.
“Valek, I want you to assassinate the entire Sitian Council.”
CHAPTER8
Valek rocked back on his heels. Assassinate the entire Sitian Council? He thought the Commander was overreacting, but now wasn’t the time to point it out.
“And when they’re dead? What happens next?” he asked instead.
“I’ll send my army into the chaos and restore order. Then we’ll annihilate those Daviians.”
“May I make a suggestion?” Valek asked.
“I doubt I could stop you.” The Commander’s cold tone warned Valek to choose his words with care.
“I propose that I go to the Citadel and assess the situation. By now, Yelena could have returned with Ferde and Cahil in custody and all might be well. If the situation is dire, then I can evaluate if assassinating the council would be advantageous to us or not. Or if we could use them to solve the problem of the Daviians.”
“And then assassinate them?”
“If it would be to our advantage.” Valek held his breath.
The Commander’s icy expression remained for several heartbeats. “All right. Assess and evaluate. Take Ari and Janco with you for back up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t hesitate to assassinate if it’s a viable option.”
“Yes, sir.”
Valek and Gabor left before the Commander could change his mind.
“Wow,” Gabor said. “I didn’t expect that response.”
“I think the snake rattled him more than I realized.” Valek quickened his pace. “Tell me what’s been going on with the council.”
“They certainly don’t think the Daviians are a threat. They’re more worried about Yelena’s Soulfinding magic.”
“What about Cahil’s people? Are they with him?”
“No. He left them behind. In fact, he brutally beat Captain Marrok. Left the poor man for dead.”
Valek had warned the captain that might happen once Cahil found out the truth about his birth. Marrok and his team had been lying to him since he was a boy, telling Cahil that he was the King of Ixia’s nephew, but Valek had assassinated the King and his entire royal family. Valek had also thought that Cahil might sulk and do nothing. The man was unstable and unpredictable and if anyone was going to be assassinated during Valek’s trip to Sitia, it would be Cahil.
