"Maria V. Snyder - Study 1.5 - Assassin Study" - читать интересную книгу автора (Snyder Maria V)

Assassin Study

By Maria V. Snyder


Chapter One



Valek gazed at the mess on MogkanтАЩs desk and sighed. It would take him days to go through all the
papers, but Commander Ambrose wanted him to fully investigate the extent of MogkanтАЩs involvement in
General BrazellтАЩs plans to seize control of the Territory of Ixia. Plans that had been thwarted. With
Brazell incarcerated and Mogkan dead, only the tiresome chore of tying up the loose ends remained.

As he scanned the various documents and notes on the desk, Valek was sickened by the details of
horror Mogkan had wrought on the orphans in BrazellтАЩs care. It was a wonder Yelena survived
MogkanтАЩs magical torture. And it troubled Valek greatly that a rogue Sitian magician could live in Ixia for
fourteen years without his knowledge. The fact that Brazell had sheltered Mogkan was no excuse. Valek
was the chief of security for all of Ixia; it was his responsibility to know these things. Children had been
tormented.

ValekтАЩs thoughts returned to Yelena. An icy finger of loneliness touched the emptiness inside him.
She was in Sitia, where she needed to be to learn about her magical powers, but she had taken his heart
with her.

Cursing himself for being melodramatic, he concentrated on the grim task at hand. An unfamiliar
nameтАФT. DaviianтАФwas written multiple times on various papers. When he found the line T.
DaviianтАФMy LoveтАФpaid 6 golds, Valek guessed T. Daviian had been the Sitian assassin who had
poisoned the CommanderтАЩs drink with My Love during the trade treaty negotiations. Daviian was the
name of a plateau in Sitia. As far as Valek knew, the plateau was uninhabited.

A knock interrupted his musings. тАЬCome in,тАЭ he called.

Ari opened the door and entered.

тАЬHowтАЩs Janco?тАЭ Valek asked. AriтАЩs partner had gotten skewered with a sword during the battle to
free the Commander from MogkanтАЩs magical control.

тАЬDriving the nurses crazy. This morning he pretended to be dead. When the night nurse reached for
him, he grabbed her arm.тАЭ Ari shook his head.

тАЬGood to hear heтАЩs feeling better. Do you have a report?тАЭ

тАЬYes, sir. All of General BrazellтАЩs aides have been accounted for. The Commander is conducting
interviews with them.тАЭ A glint of appreciation flashed in AriтАЩs pale blue eyes. тАЬItтАЩs amazing how the
Commander can get a confession from an advisor using silence. I felt compelled to confess all my
boyhood crimes during the deadly quiet.тАЭ

тАЬHow many advisors were involved with BrazellтАЩs plans?тАЭ