“What else could the cages be for?” Valek asked. They were sitting in the Commander’s living room, having their nightly meeting. Like all the rooms Ambrose occupied, it was clean, neat, and sparsely furnished with minimal decorations. They sat on matching plain gray couches that faced each other, with a low table between them.
“Elk, deer, bears.” He took a swallow of his brandy. “Wouldn’t your agents know if he planned to hunt snow cats?”
“Not if Kitvivan kept his plans quiet. All the generals have been more cautious about who they trust since their encounter with the magicians.”
“Still, it’s a big leap in logic. Plus, snow cats are almost impossible to kill.”
True. Except…Valek couldn’t shake off his trepidation.
“Send a message to your agents. Ask them to investigate further,” Ambrose said.
“All right.”
“Anything else to report?”
“Yes. Maren wants to be a ‘when-you-really-need-me’ second-in-command.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means she’d rather be one of your advisers, only helping me when needed.”
“That’s interesting. How do you feel about it?”
“I’ll admit, I was disappointed. Maybe a little hurt. But I understand. Her interests are focused more on politics than intrigue. Plus, it’s better to have her some of the time instead of none of the time.”
Ambrose tapped his finger on his glass. “True. She has a unique set of skills that my other advisers don’t have. And I have just the mission that needs those abilities.”
“Oh?”
“The civilian watch in Rasmussen’s Military District has a number of corrupt officers. The chain of command is a joke, and their judges are no longer adhering to the Code of Behavior’s sentencing requirements.”
Valek thought of Janco and how his judge gave him the option of going to prison or joining the army. Enlisting in the army had set Janco on the right path. Except, the Code of Behavior ruled that helping a prisoner escape jail resulted in ten years in prison. No exceptions. No deviations. No leniency for a first offense. No good-old-boy network. The exact same punishment was given to everyone. All Ixian citizens had to memorize the Code of Behavior. While Valek generally agreed with the Code’s mandates, there were times when he felt they were too harsh. Good thing he was in a position to circumvent them.
“I thought the problems with the watch was only in the two towns Star had set up her operation,” Valek said. Crooked Nook and Sectown were near the Sitian border, close enough to smuggle in black market goods with ease. They’d both been raided by the Commander’s special unit of fifty soldiers, and Star’s operation had been permanently shut down.
“Major Granten has interrogated the corrupt watch members and discovered it’s a district-wide problem.”
Ah. The civilian watch was under each Military District’s general. The Commander could step in when needed, but he had enough to do with overseeing the country and the army.
“You think Maren would be a good person to send to General Rasmussen?”
“She has the military background and security knowledge. Maren can help the general to plan and implement a sweep of all the civilian watch stations and remove all those who are taking bribes or not following the Code of Behavior.”
“A big job. Plus, General Rasmussen doesn’t like to spend his money,” Valek said.
“Then it’s a good thing it isn’thismoney.”
His cold tone warned Valek. “Can I tell Maren she’s officially part of your staff?”
“As long as she doesn’t become overprotective like Adviser Dema, Maren is welcome.”
Valek laughed. “Dema was at MD-5, give her some time to recover and she’ll stop acting like Mother Bear.”
“She requested permission to learn how to fight,” Ambrose said dryly.
Choking on his whiskey, Valek spluttered. “Give a guy warning, will you.” He wiped his chin, chuckling.
“I’m glad you find it humorous.” He huffed, but it was half-hearted.
