Dawn Study. Maria V. Snyder
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Why had he gotten so furious so fast? He could blame his exhaustion on the fight with Onora, the energy needed to heal, and no sleep. But that was just an excuse. No. The Commander had sent Onora after him. Onora, who the Commander had trained and who fought Valek with the clear determination to kill. Considering Owen Moon’s influence on the Commander, that betrayal hurt more than it should. Commander Ambrose no longer trusted him after they’d worked together for twenty-four years. When he combined Ambrose’s lack of trust with Yelena’s, Valek had snapped. However, knowing why he’d been so angry didn’t help Valek feel any better now.
Valek pulled the blanket up to his chin. He needed a good night’s sleep. And after that? In six days’ time, he’d meet up with Onora near the Featherstone garrison. Now that he had time to think about it, a brief amusement flared over Onora’s confession that Gerik was her brother. It was one of those things he should have picked up on sooner, but it made perfect sense now that he knew.
But what was he going to do for the next few days? An idea sparked. He dismissed it as too dangerous, but his dreams swirled around the idea, testing it.
In the morning, Valek sat up and knew exactly what to do. Onyx fidgeted while Valek saddled him, turning a twenty-minute task into forty. Then the horse stood rock-still, despite Valek’s signal to go.
“I know you were hoping to rest here a few days,” Valek said. “We’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Onyx glanced at the stable with longing. Then he heaved a sigh and broke into a reluctant trot. Valek suppressed a chuckle—no sense upsetting Onyx any further. Valek required his cooperation; walking would take too much time.
Due to the extra time needed to avoid the border guards and keep out of sight, it took them the rest of the daylight to reach their destination—Ixia. Valek found a comfortable spot in the Snake Forest to leave Onyx.
After taking care of the horse, Valek stroked Onyx’s long neck and said, “If I’m not back by tomorrow morning, return to the cottage without me. Understand?”
Onyx lifted his head and stared down at Valek.
“I don’t like it either, but I need to do this.”
The horse snorted. Valek assumed that was an agreement and left. He wanted to be in Castletown before the streets emptied for the night. Due to the small city’s proximity to the Commander’s castle, Valek was certain there would be extra security officers patrolling the town. If he was spotted, this outing would not end well. His cloak hid most of his advisor’s uniform, but he needed to blend in, and there were other uniforms stashed at his safe house in Castletown.
When Valek entered the apartment on Pennwood Street, he surprised the agents who had been assigned to keep an eye on the city. Adrik and Pasha jumped to attention and saluted. Good to know they remained loyal.
“Report,” he ordered.
They glanced at each other. “Uh...there’s nothing to report, sir,” Adrik said.
Valek raised an eyebrow, inviting them to continue.
“We’ve been in standby mode, waiting out the storm, sir,” Pasha rushed to explain.
“The storm?” Valek asked.
“There’s an order for your execution, sir,” Adrik said. “All your agents know it’s bogus, and we won’t work with that...girl because she’s with them.” He spat the word. “We figured we’d lie low until you returned.”
“Lie low?”
“We all stopped sending reports to the castle, and all orders coming in have been ignored.”
Valek was touched by their rebellion. “You realize that’s an act of treason.”
“No, it isn’t,” Pasha said. “The Commander is not in command anymore.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“As soon as he ordered your execution, we knew. No way you’d do anything against Ixia or the Commander.” She flicked a long blond strand of hair from her face.
He wanted to hug them both.
“And there have been a few...inconsistencies with the Commander’s orders,” Adrik said. “He’s never changed his mind before, or given us conflicting orders. It’s almost like there are two people in power.”
His agents confirmed Valek’s suspicions.
“What are your orders, sir?” Pasha asked. “Did you come back to evict the Sitians?”
If only it was that easy. “Not yet. For now, continue to lie low.”
Their postures wilted at the order.
“We will evict them at the right time,” Valek said. “I need you to spread the word to the rest of my corps that Onora is to be trusted.”
Twin surprised expressions.
“Any estimate on a timeline for the eviction, sir?” Adrik asked.
“I suspect things will get hot around the fire festival.”
“And if they don’t?”
“That means we failed, and they won.”
“You didn’t train us to fail, sir,” Pasha said. “And if we can’t fail, neither can you.”
Valek laughed. “You’re right. Now tell me about the castle complex. What’s the word on security?”
“Touch the wall, and you’ll have half a dozen guards dropping down on your head,” Adrik said.
Owen must have rigged it with a magical alarm. “How about the gates?”
“Only the south gate remains open, and it’s tight. All personnel going through it are checked against a list.”
Valek considered. “All right. I have a job for you.” He explained.
As they headed out with eager grins, Valek rummaged in the supply closet. All his safe houses had the same materials. Soon after the takeover, the Commander had given Valek the freedom to secure these houses and purchase equipment. The addresses hadn’t been written down, nor did the Commander know them—the recent orders were probably being sent by Maren. The locations were given to Valek’s agents to memorize once they were trusted members of his corps. Each house had its own safe filled with enough money to cover expenses for a year.
It didn’t take the agents long to return. They supported a wobbly man between them. He wore a kitchen uniform and muttered nonsense—the effects of goo-goo juice. Best of all, he was about six feet tall with short dark hair.
“His name is Mannix, and he just delivered the castle’s meat order to the butcher,” Adrik said.
“Good work.” Valek dressed in the all-white kitchen uniform with the red diamond shapes on the shirt.
Moving quickly, Valek mixed up putty, matching it to Mannix’s skin tone. He then used it to alter his appearance, softening his sharp nose and chin. Tucking his longer hair under his collar, Valek buttoned the shirt up to the top to keep it in place.
“Well?” he asked Adrik and Pasha.
“It should work,” Adrik said.
“Should?”
“It’s dark. You’ll be fine,” Pasha said.
He hoped so. If he was caught...
No. Not going to think about it. “Release Mannix in the morning. And stay alert for any news about the castle and the Commander’s plans.”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
“Thanks for the help.” Valek left by the back entrance and headed to the castle’s south gate.
He strode with confidence and didn’t hesitate when approaching the gate. There were six armed guards. Valek recognized