Chapter 29 Xelene #2
Christoph’s office was exactly what Xelene expected—oversized desk, leather-bound books arranged for show, and an air of self-importance thick enough to choke on. She moved with the systematic precision that had made her career, her trained eye cataloging every detail.
“Anything that looks remotely suspicious,” she murmured, pulling open desk drawers with practiced efficiency. “Letters, documents, anything handwritten.”
Benjamin rifled through filing cabinets while Janice examined bookshelves, looking for hidden compartments. Minutes ticked by with nothing but the rustle of papers and increasingly frustrated sighs.
“This is a dead end,” Janice muttered, shoving a drawer closed harder than necessary.
Xelene paused, something nagging at the edge of her awareness. The office felt... staged. Too perfect. Too clean. Her gaze swept the room again, noting the expensive rug positioned just slightly off-center beneath Christoph’s desk.
She knelt beside it, running her fingers along the edges. The corner lifted easily enough, revealing a section of floorboard that didn’t quite match the rest.
“Bingo.”
Her fingers found purchase in a small gap, and the board lifted to reveal a hidden compartment stuffed with papers. Not digital files or emails, but actual handwritten correspondence—the kind people used when they desperately needed to avoid electronic trails.
Janice dropped to her knees beside Xelene, and they spread the letters across the floor. The dates went back years, and the handwriting was Crispin’s angular script alternating with Christoph’s more controlled penmanship.
The early letters were merely distasteful—complaints about Lev’s lifestyle, speculation about King Rorick’s health, positioning strategies for Crispin’s eventual challenge. But as Xelene read the more recent letters, the tone shifted into something that made her blood run cold.
“Benjamin,” she called softly. “You need to see this.”
He crossed the room and read over her shoulder, his face growing pale. The most recent letters laid out a plan so coldly calculated it took Xelene’s breath away.
“The old king’s heart condition provides the perfect opportunity,” Crispin had written. “A slight adjustment to his medication, and nature will take its course. Once Lev is isolated and grieving, the final phase can proceed during the loyalty test.”
Christoph’s response was equally chilling. “The assassin is eager to prove himself. Making it look like a challenge gone wrong. The pride will naturally accept you as the successor once Lev is eliminated.”
Benjamin’s hands were shaking. “They murdered my king. They murdered Rorick, and now they’re planning to kill Lev.”
The rage rolling off him was palpable, his lion pushing close to the surface. Xelene could see the shift in his posture and the way his muscles coiled for violence.
“Benjamin.” Her voice cut through his fury like a blade. “Look at me.”
His green eyes snapped to hers, wild with grief and fury.
“If you go after Crispin now, Christoph will have you arrested for murder. Lev will be alone and defenseless tomorrow, and we’ll have no way to stop the assassination.” She stood slowly, her mind already racing through possibilities. “We need to be smarter than they are.”
“Then what do you suggest?” His voice was barely controlled.
Xelene felt the familiar thrill of a plan crystallizing in her mind. “You intercept the assassin tomorrow during the loyalty test. But for now, Janice and I are going to follow Crispin from the moment he leaves the arena today. We need to identify who the assassin is and give you a clear target.”
Benjamin nodded slowly, his breathing evening out. “And if you get into trouble?”
“We won’t.” Xelene’s confidence was absolute. “We’ve tailed plenty of targets before. This isn’t our first conspiracy.”
They gathered the letters, photographing each one with Janice’s communicator before replacing them exactly as they’d found them. The floorboard went back into place, and the rug repositioned with mathematical precision.
As they left the council building, Xelene felt Lev’s presence brush against her mind.
Just passed the wisdom test, his mental voice was warm with triumph and exhaustion.
Congratulations, she projected back. Benjamin will fill you in on everything tonight. I have work to do.
Xelene.
Trust me. The words carried all the certainty she felt. I’m not going anywhere.
His relief flooded through the bond, followed by something that felt dangerously like love.
Once near the arena, Benjamin climbed out of the driver’s seat while Janice slipped behind the wheel. The afternoon crowd was dispersing, pride members chatting excitedly about their future king’s impressive performance.
“Be careful,” Benjamin said, his eyes lingering on Janice with a burning intensity that made Xelene’s chest tight. “Both of you.”
“We will be.” Janice’s smile was soft, different from her usual sharp grin. “Watch for our signal tomorrow.”
Xelene scanned the crowd until she spotted Crispin’s distinctive blonde head moving toward a sleek black vehicle. “There. The obsidian sedan.”
Janice started the engine as Crispin pulled away from the arena. They followed at a careful distance, just another car in the evening traffic. Xelene’s pulse hammered against her throat as the reality of what they were doing hit her fully.
This was dangerous.
But the thought of Lev facing an assassin tomorrow, of losing him before she’d even admitted what he meant to her, made everything else fade to background noise.
“You know,” Janice said conversationally as they trailed Crispin through the winding streets, “when I suggested you find a man and settle down, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Despite everything, Xelene found herself smiling. “Life’s full of surprises.”
“That it is.” Janice’s eyes were bright with mischief and determination. “So, are we going to save your lion prince and live happily ever after?”
The words should have sent Xelene running. Instead, they felt like coming home.
“We’re going to try.”