Page 66 of The Thief's Mark

eighteen

Cal

Calletoutaquiet curse as he slipped across the empty room, weaving his way past rows of unoccupied desks. Griff had said that the hall leading to the High Commander’s office was in the back, so that was where he set his sights despite the disappointment clawing his chest.

Eternal Dark, how he wishedhewas the one going after Kelsith. But Griff was right. It made more sense for Cal to stay here and confront the High Commander…no matter how much less satisfying it felt.

Cal’s thoughts turned to the conversation he’d overheard between Griff and Nathaniel, and some of the nervous energy eased out of him. His fingers lightly brushed over his lips, imagining Griff’s parting kiss still lingering there.

He’d only stuck around for the beginning of their heart-to-heart before guilt made him retreat outside. It had felt wrong to intrude on their private grief. But he’d heard enough before he left to set his heart racing. It was hard to believe Griff actuallymeant what he’d said about genuinely caring for him…but he was hopeful all the same.

He made it to the hall and peered around the corner, quickly pulling back when he spotted a familiar protector standing watch by a door at the end of the hall. What had Griff called him:Sasha?

If the corrupt protector was here, then the High Commander probably was as well. It looked like Griff had guessed correctly.

Cal glanced down at his basic protector disguise, considering what ploy to use. Approaching like this might get him inside…but it carried a good deal of risk. A random grunt asking to speak with the High Commander this late at night might raise suspicion, especially if the High Commander was up to no good or they realized they didn’t recognize the made-up face he’d chosen.

An idea occurred to him then, and he smirked to himself.Terrible or brilliant—he couldn’t really say.All he knew was that he was in a hurry, so it would have to do.

Channeling his inner duskflame, he allowed the dark magic to sweep over him and rewrite his features. By the time he strode confidently into the hall toward the High Commander’s office, he’d transformed into the spitting image of Griff, right down to his silver aura blockers and his flapping trench coat.

“Griff!” Sasha’s eyes widened when he spotted Cal. He straightened from his perch a few paces in front of the High Commander’s door, and Cal was relieved to see him make no immediate move to reach for the electro-baton at his waist. “Goddess, you scared me half to death! What the Void are you doing here so late?”

“I need to speak with the High Commander at once,” Cal said, relying on his magic to mimic Griff’s gruff voice.

Sasha frowned. His gaze flicked to the door behind him, then back to Cal. “Sorry, but High Commander Pern is indisposed. Whatever this is about, surely it can wait until morning?”

“I’m afraid not. It’s urgent. Hundreds of lives may be on the line.”

Sasha appeared taken aback, his face paling. Still, he didn’t move. “I really can’t interrupt him right now. But if you leave a message with me, I’ll make sure he gets it as soon as possible.”

Cal shook his head. “It’ll take too long to explain. I swear, I’ll only be a minute.”

Ignoring Sasha’s continued protests, Cal lunged forward, slipping around the protector’s startled attempt to block him. The instant he was past Sasha, he began banging on the door.

“High Commander! It’s Griff! I need to speak with you at once!”

A rough hand on his shoulder yanked him back. Thankfully, his duskflame disguise held up to the physical contact, tricking Sasha’s mind so that he didn’t notice anything amiss. Getting found out seemed the least of Cal’s worries though as Sasha glared at him. He unholstered his baton and held it up.

“I told you, the High Commander isbusy. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Griff, but if you don’t turn around and leave right now, I’ll—”

“Lieutenant Thrank! What the Void is going on out there?”

Sasha cut off mid-sentence, his whole body tensing at the muffled shout from inside. Still glaring at Cal, he glanced toward the door. “Sorry, sir. I told him you were busy. I’ll make sure he leaves you—hey!”

Sasha swung his baton at Cal as Cal once again darted forward, this time ducking beneath Sasha’s outstretched arms. The baton whizzed over his head, leaving a faint crackle of ozone in its wake as electricity briefly flared across its surface. A protector batonmight not kill you, but the enchanted weapons certainly hurt like the Void.

Evading Sasha, Cal beat his fist on the door. “High Commander! Please! It’s urgent!”

He snuck a glance toward Sasha, then ducked an instant before a baton swing cracked against the wooden door. Sasha stepped forward, his eyes narrowed.

Cal raised his arms, shuffling back. “Easy now. There’s no need to get physical.”

“Try anything like that again, and I’ll show you how physical I can get,” Sasha snarled. “Friends or not, I won’t let you jeopardize my job.”

The two of them glared across the hall at each other. Cal was contemplating the pros and cons of simply knocking out the belligerent protector when another shout came from the High Commander.

“For Void’s sake, Lieutenant, just let him in!”