Chapter 2 #2
“I believe so as well. But it was still burning, so I knew the killer had to be close. A different window than the one I used was unlatched. I climbed through and spotted a figure across the estate. He was moving quickly away from the house, and I managed to close the distance between us without him noticing. We got to the trees, and he stopped and turned to look behind, so I hid behind a tree.” Jade cleared her throat.
She’d shorten this bit and cut to the chase.
“I waited too long deciding what move to take next, and when I looked back into the woods, he was gone. I tried picking up a trail, but I couldn’t find it. ”
Matherson’s eyebrows raised in surprise before he furrowed them, thoughtful. “You believe he was our murderer?”
Jade nodded. “I do.”
Matherson’s head bobbed in a slow, pensive nod.
He dropped his hands onto the desk. “I think this confirms the killer is a hired assassin rather than an angry aristocrat. To lose you as he did requires the dexterity of someone who has done this for a long time. I would say someone has paid a high price to give him this list of targets.”
Without solid information about the man’s identity or motivation, the military had been running on the theory that this killer was an aristocrat unsatisfied with the way the conflict was going and wanted to take matters into his own hands.
More recently, the prospect of the actual killer being hired by a disgruntled aristocrat had become the predominant idea.
From what Jade had seen and learned of the man herself, she could almost entirely rule out that he was some disgruntled nobleman or royal.
This man was too stealthy and skilled to be anything less than a trained killer.
“It still raises the question of who hired him, though,” Matherson continued. “A nobleman involved in the conflict, or possibly even a member of the royal family.”
Jade pulled her eyebrows together in a frown. Didn’t the royal family have less messy ways to achieve what they sought to accomplish? Though she said nothing, the expression didn’t go unnoticed by Matherson.
“They have the most to gain and the most to lose.” He leaned toward her across the desk, his voice low and serious. “They have enough money and power to hire someone dangerous to get rid of any threat. I think it’s worth you infiltrating their circles to learn who is hiding things, and what.”
Matherson was right. She knew well enough the duplicitous facades that came with the aristocracy, and the royal family wasn’t exempt from that. In fact, because of their status, they might be more willing to take drastic measures, thinking they would get away with it.
That familiar irritation with the nobility as a whole rose in Jade like a wave of fire. She’d learned long ago how self-centered and cruel those in the aristocracy could be. Her own father and mother had been victims of the heartlessness of the elite.
The sooner this feud over the succession came to an end, the sooner she could get back to military operations that didn’t center around the royal family and nobility.
Matherson sat back in his chair, his demeanor returning to its normal state.
“I’m sending you to Lesseine next. Lady Arabella has fallen quiet recently as controversy mounts regarding her proposal to eliminate the magic-wielder execution law, and we have no new information on her plans.
The Fellsrins are hosting some of the extended royal family for dinner the night after tomorrow, which means they’ll be taking on some additional staff to prepare.
It will give you an opportunity to blend in and get close. ”
“Yes, sir.” Jade relaxed, the tension leading up to this briefing melting away and sending relief through her muscles. This mission would be easy, a nice break from the pressures of tracking a killer. Get information and try not to stand out. Her specialty.
“Excellent. You know, Ni’ihm, Grand General Devereaux has her eye on your career.
She’s especially impressed with the work you have done during this conflict and how it’s allowed her battalion within the castle to function so smoothly.
” A corner of Matherson’s lip twitched, the only evidence of a hidden smile.
“Her trajectory when she was younger was similar to yours, and I believe she sees the same potential for greatness in you.”
Jade couldn’t resist the small smile that formed, but she quickly evened it back out.
To be noticed by Grand General Devereaux—the woman not only in the highest position of the military but also one of the closest confidants of the king—was high praise.
With the grand general championing her, Jade was no doubt on her way up the ranks.
She’d be the one calling the shots before she knew it.
The brief glimmer in Matherson’s eyes wordlessly displayed his pride in her, but he pressed on.
“Our killer tends to lie low for a few days after a kill, so I will try to reconvene with leadership soon and see what next steps we need to take there. With the likelihood of him being a hired assassin, we will restructure our perspective. Unfortunately, a band of sorcerer and sorceress insurgents has been giving us quite a bit of trouble lately, so any meeting on this matter might be delayed.” Matherson stood, and Jade followed suit, a familiar wave of irritation at the military’s inability to move quickly washing over her.
“We’ll discuss the details of your upcoming assignment during our regular meeting time tomorrow. Dismissed.”
Jade saluted again and exited her commander’s office and exhaled.
That had gone much better than she had expected.
She’d felt certain Matherson would have reprimanded her for disobeying orders, but the man’s faith in her instincts and abilities had prevailed.
Jade just wasn’t sure she had deserved it.
A bright, hot morning sun warmed Jade’s face as she turned it up to the sky after leaving Command. Her golden brown skin soaked in the comforting rays, and confidence poured into her. The assignment at Lesseine, the home of the Fellsrin family, would be a good way to get back on track.