THE GOOD COMMANDER WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU’VE ELIMINATED THE TARGET.
HARROW
THE TELEGRAM WAS WAITINGfor Gideon when he arrived back at the Lark & Crown, a hotel in Caelis with rooms so damp, he might as well be sleeping in a bog. The carpets squished unnaturally beneath his boots, and the wallpaper had lifted off the walls. After only a few nights here, Gideon probably had mold growing in his lungs.
The Blood Guard were not welcome in Caelis, and most establishments refused witch hunters service. But the Lark & Crown was desperate for business. So when Gideon showed up, they didn’t ask questions. Just took his money and gave him a room.
Gideon shook the rain out of his hair and reread Harrow’s telegram.
I’ve barely been gone a week,he thought.Give me a little time.
But he knew the reason for the check-in.
The Crimson Moth had compromised Gideon. He’d been taken in by the very villain he’d spent two years hunting, and indoing so, failed the New Republic. Until he proved his loyalty, the new Commander couldn’t fully trust him. None of them could.
Killing the Crimson Moth would not only stop Cressida’s alliance; it would prove Gideon was no longer in Rune’s thrall.
He wanted to tell Harrow about Cressida’s plot to resurrect her sisters but didn’t want the information falling into the wrong hands. So, he sent a vague reply.
SPYMASTER
OFFICE OF THE GOOD COMMANDER
NEW INFORMATION HAS COME TO LIGHT. THE REPUBLIC IS IN GREATER DANGER THAN WE IMAGINED. WILL FILL YOU IN WHEN I RETURN.
GIDEON
Within the hour, Harrow sent a telegram back:
GIDEON SHARPE
THE LARK & CROWN, CAELIS
SO THE CRIMSON MOTH IS STILL ALIVE?
HARROW
Her scathing disapproval radiated off the paper.
SPYMASTER
OFFICE OF THE GOOD COMMANDER
I NEED A FEW MORE DAYS.
GIDEON
The next morning, her last telegram arrived.
GIDEON SHARPE
THE LARK & CROWN, CAELIS
THE COMMANDER NO LONGER BELIEVES YOU’RE THE BEST MAN FOR THIS JOB. HE’S SENDING SOMEONE MORE QUALIFIED TO COMPLETE IT. RETURN TO THE REPUBLIC IMMEDIATELY.
HARROW
Someone more qualified?
