“Then who?”
“The…Captain…er…Adviser Janco has taken a keen interest in my training.”
Valek rubbed his face. It was easy to guess that once Kenda ignored Janco’s suggestions, he had decided to go ahead and implement them. At least he hadn’t tied the boy to a tree overnight with spearmint leaves shoved into his mouth. No, he would have used a dirty sock like Janco’s cousins had once used on him.
He stood. “Come on, Trevar.”
Panic flushed through his face. “Where are we going?”
Valek glanced at the window. The sunlight had faded into a gray twilight. “To have dinner.” He lit a lantern and set it near the window before tucking a pile of reports under his arm.Good hunting, Mr. Spider.
If Trevar thought this was odd behavior, he didn’t say anything as he followed Valek through the castle and into the kitchen. Trevar jumped at each clatter and loud noise caused by the staff preparing the evening meal.
Filling a tray with an obnoxious amount of food, Valek then led Trevar to his suite. He directed him to sit on the couch and set the tray on his lap.
Valek crouched in front of him. “You’re safe here. Eat.”
While Trevar devoured the food, Valek dropped the files onto his desk and then entered Yelena’s old room. Dust coated the blanket on the bed and the night table. Unlike the other two rooms that lined the right wall of his living room, this one remained uncluttered. Actually, it remained exactly how Yelena had left it. A pang of loneliness echoed in his heart. But his mood improved when he realized that next time she visited Ixia, she’d share his bed.
He shook out the blanket. The scent of lavender mixed with the dust, and he coughed. The sheets underneath didn’t look dirty, but he changed them anyway. He had started keeping a stack of clean linen in his suite after he’d fired Margg. Dust and cobwebs were one thing, but soiled sheets were another. He did have standards. After lighting the lantern by the bed, he rejoined Trevar.
“I left you some,” Trevar said sheepishly. Some color had returned to his cheeks.
“Feel better?”
“A little.”
“Good. You’ll feel more like yourself after a good night’s sleep.” Valek gestured to Yelena’s room.
“You want me to sleep here?” he asked with pure astonishment.
Valek suppressed a smile. “Yes. No one will test you tonight. I promise.”
Uncertain, Trevar fingered the hilt of his knife as he glanced at the weapons displayed on the opposite wall. It was an impressive collection.
“They are all secured. Do you really believe anyone can get to you while you’re undermyprotection?”
“No… Of course not. I’m just… Not thinking clearly.”
“Understandable. Go. Sleep.”
“Yes, sir.” Trevar closed and locked the door behind him.
Did locking the door give Trevar a false sense of security, or did he hope the noise of someone picking the lock would rouse him?
Valek lit the lanterns hanging around his living room. The layout was the exact same as the Commander’s, except piles of books, rocks, and miscellaneous items littered the floor. He also had a desk near the long windows since he frequently worked late into the night. The Commander never worked in his suite, claiming it was a place for rest.
Sitting at his messy desk, he ate the remaining food while reading reports. An hour later, Trevar came from the room.
“I can’t sleep,” he said. He had stripped down to his undershirt, boxers, and a pair of socks.
Not too surprising. The inability to fall asleep sometimes happened with extreme sleep deprivation. Valek palmed one of the darts hidden underneath his desk. “I know this great trick for settling your thoughts. Come on, I’ll show you.” He followed Trevar into the room. “Lie down and close your eyes.”
Trevar did as instructed and Valek pricked him with the dart.
He sat up and demanded, “What was that?”
“Sleeping potion.”
