“Sir?”
Ambrose carried a plate filled with steaming meat and potatoes, covered with a brown gravy. It smelled divine. “According to the kitchen staff, you missed dinner.” He set it down on the desk and then sat on the edge of the chair as if to avoid touching anything.
“Uh, thank you.” Valek settled back in his chair, but he was far from relaxed.
“I’d like to apologize for my earlier…outburst.”
Oh no. Was the Commander already under Alea’s influence? “You would?”
“The severity of my reaction was uncalled for. The business with Brazell and Mogkan has unsettled me. You are only doing your job. It makes sense to be extra careful, especially since Alea is in the castle.”
Valek jumped to his feet. “You saw her? What happened?”
“I did not encounter her. However, foreign thoughts struck me from time to time this afternoon.”
“Foreign thoughts?”
“Yes. There was the one insisting you are no longer trustworthy. Others that urged me to arrest you. And the ones compelling me to kill you were quite strong. I’m getting a sense this Alea does not like you.”
“The feeling is mutual. Any other problems? Symptoms? Do you feel twitchy?”
The Commander lifted a brow. “Twitchy? No. Nor did I get the sense that Alea was digging for information.”
“Is she targeting you at this moment? I might be able to find her.”
“No. She has given up for now.”
“I’ll stay with you and?—”
The Commander raised his hand. “I still believe your time is better spent hunting her down. However, I would like you to be close by while I’m asleep. I can ignore her requests while awake, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist her while asleep.”
That was a big admission for the Commander. “How close? Like big spoon close?” Valek joked.
The Commander didn’t crack a smile. “On the couch in my suite is close enough.”
“All right.”
“Good. Any progress on the hunt?”
“I’ve a couple agents working on it. And now that we have confirmation that she’s here, it’ll take away some of the guess work.”
“Good.” He rose and glanced around the office. Valek was glad the light was dim. “This place is filthy. Get it cleaned.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll see you later.” The Commander strode to the door. He paused at the threshold and turned. “And Valek?”
“Yes?”
“Iwould be the big spoon.”
Valek laughed. “Anytime, sir.”
* * *
Valek updated Kenda on the situation. “It’s best to keep your distance from a magician. I want everyone to carry crossbows, blowpipes and darts filled with sleeping juice, and shields.”
“Shields?” she asked.
