“She’s not divulging that information. Oh no, Star’s strangely resistant to goo-goo juice. Instead, she complains about everything, she’s nasty to everyone, and she gets very creative when she’s bored.”
“Have you tried other ways to persuade her to reveal her secrets?”
“A few. She hates being isolated the most, but it’s only been a few months. She’s strong enough to resist for a much longer time.”
“Has she revealed anything important?”
“She did tell us that someone named Kangom hired her to kidnap Yelena on the way to MD-5. He’s the same man who wanted to ruin the Southern Delegation’s visit by poisoning the cognac. I don’t have any intel on this Kangom.”
“Kangom is Mogkan’s Sitian name. And he’s dead. Did Star say why Mogkan wanted Yelena captured? Yelena was heading right to him. In fact, she was locked in a guest room for most of her stay.”
“Star said that Kangom…er…Mogkan, thought Yelena was an unnecessary complication and he wanted her secured in a remote location to keep you in line.” Kenda raised an eyebrow. “Now why would he thinkthatwould work?” She smirked.
“No comment.”
“Uh huh.”
The qualities he admired most about Kenda, like her keen intuition and intelligence, were also the same ones that annoyed him the most when she used them against him. “How much information and evidence do we have on Star?”
Kenda pulled a thick file from a neat stack on her desk and handed it to Valek. “It’s all in here.”
“All right, I’ll read through all this and think about how to deal with her. In the meantime, send our agents to watch over the generals. Have them confirm with our people in the manor houses that all the Criollo has been destroyed. Also tell them to determine if there has been anyone who joined the generals’ retinues recently. A new adviser or officer.”
“How recently?”
“Since the beginning of the cold season.”
“Will do.”
As much as he wanted to read through the file on Star, Valek had no energy. He trudged to his suite, entered the dusty living room, tossed the dossier onto his desk, climbed the steps to his room, and collapsed onto his bed fully clothed.
Ahhh. Nothing like being in your own bed after a long absence. He kicked off his boots and pulled the covers up. It would be perfect, except Yelena wasn’t with him. A new ache joined the others. This one pulsed in his heart.
* * *
The next morning, he headed to the Commander’s office. It was located in a room adjacent to the throne room. Unfortunately, it was at the far end, and Valek had to weave through the masses of desks and the dozens of officers and advisers who worked in the large space. Besides the noise assaulting his ears, a few people wanted to welcome him home. The smart ones took one look at his face and quickly moved out of his way.
By the time he reached the Commander’s office, his headache had gone from throbbing to pounding. Lovely. Four guards bracketed the door. Double the normal amount.Good.He knocked. A faint ‘come in’ sounded, and Valek entered.
The Commander glanced out the window. The sun was high in the sky, but not at its apex.
“It’s technically still morning.” Valek eased into the chair in front of the desk, which was neat and organized. The black snow cat sculpture he’d carved for the Commander glinted in the sunlight. It was the sole decoration in the entire office.
“You slept through breakfast.”
Valek straightened. “Sorry, sir. Have you eaten? Should I send for a meal?”
“No need. Kenda anticipated you would require extra sleep and tasted my breakfast. She said she would fill in until you train another food taster.”
His reaction swung between being grateful and impressed. With Kenda risking her life, Valek had more motivation to train a taster than usual. He tended to procrastinate when it was his job. Itshouldbe part of his duties. After all, he was the most qualified. Except, not lately. Forgetting such an important task was another misstep.
“Do you need another day off?” the Commander asked when the silence lengthened.
“I probably do, but I don’t have time.” He detailed his encounter with Alea and summed up the reports from his agents. “It sounds like the other magicians are with the generals already.”
“And if we invite them all here, we’ll have eight magicians in one place. Can you and your network handle eight?”
“I believe so.” Valek hedged. There were too many factors to consider for his aching head. He hoped a foolproof plan would arise once he felt better.
