Page 56 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

Horace took another drink, and sighed, then sat forward again, his eyes locking on mine. “I will help. But if he finds out—”

“He won’t. We have a new boy. One he hasn’t met. You’ll pass the message to him and he’ll bring it to me, then deliver it to our usual runners.”

Horace nodded affirmation, but didn’t look happy about it. “He makes his reports on Fourthday.”

I almost couldn’t believe my luck. “He’s sending this week?”

Horace frowned. “He sends every week.”

“Every week?”

“Is that not usual? He’s done it since he appeared.”

“No,” I said emphatically. “That is… very frequent.” We’d received reports from Draeventhall once per month at most. While it was true, Ruin had less reason to cover his identity here, it was always a risk to send communications, even with a trusted network in place. Weekly seemed… excessive. Were they all going to the same person? It seemed unlikely, but then again…

I sighed. “That is… good to know,” I muttered. “Wait, you said he’s done this since he arrived. When did he first reach out to you?”

Horace scratched his chin. “I think… two weeks before you arrived?”

I went still. “Why didn’t you mention him when I landed?”

“We were never alone—and I assumed you’d come to join him. He had all the right signals, and clearly knew you.”

I didn’t like this at all. While the timing probably affirmed Ruin’s story that he’d left Draeventhall the very same day Davros was judged by Ciar, something niggled about the timing.

I’d gotten lost in my thoughts and Horace cleared his throat to bring my attention back to him. “I pray he is loyal,” the older man said.

I wished I could say the same. But even if Ruin was truly loyal to Alexi, and working to uncover a mole in assistance to the kingdom, it didn’t change the kind of man he was.

“Thank you, brother,” I said instead. “I’ll send our boy to you tomorrow.”

19. Tell Me the Truth

~ DONAVYN ~

I snuck back into our chambers an hour before first light, the hood loose around my shoulders. Any guards or servants who saw me at this time would assume I’d been with Kgosi—which was correct. I planned to return to bed and try to sleep for a couple of hours, so was careful to open and close the door into our suite very quietly, wincing when the door handle creaked.

But when I slipped into the bedroom, Bren was awake and sitting up in bed, with the note I’d left spread on her knee.

When I stepped inside, her head snapped up and she gave a deep sigh. ‘Thank God. Tell me what happened.’

‘He agreed. I’ll send Benji to him tomorrow—Ruin sends every Fourthday.’

Her jaw dropped. ‘Every week?!’

‘Apparently. It remains to be seen if the notes are sent to the same people. But even if they aren’t… why send on the same day every week? It’s a risk—and against protocol.’ Inconsistency was key to obscuring our intent in this game. A predictable spy was a dead—or compromised one.

Bren’s expression was shocked, but I knew she’d be more bothered by my other news. I sat on the side of the bed and took her hand.

Her head snapped up—she’d been looking at my note—and her eyes were wary.

‘I need to tell you… I also learned that Ruin knew we were here—or at least, that I was—before you discovered him.’

She didn’t respond, just stared at me. But I felt the chill creep through her in the bond.

‘I’ve been thinking about it my entire trip back,’ I went on, holding her shocked gaze. ‘If Ruin knew we were here, it would explain how he got to you so quickly at the inn. But then, why was he shocked when you found him—you were certain he didn’t expect to see you? I find that confusing,’ I told her. ‘I don’t like being confused.’

Bren swallowed. ‘He was shocked by me,’ she said, even in the bond her voice was faint. ‘He didn’t expect to see me. Specifically. You said he knew you had a chit with you?’