Chapter 5
Five
“Have a seat, Captain Ni’ihm.” Matherson broke the spell, and heat rushed up Jade’s neck, hopefully hidden by the high collar of her uniform jacket.
She obeyed, forcing her nearly floating body to perch in the other available chair and turning her attention to her commander.
A subtle crease at the corner of Matherson’s mouth told her he suppressed a grin.
The knowing look in his amber eyes sent another ripple of nerves through her middle.
“What did you learn last night?”
Theo shifted in his seat. “Should I leave, sir?”
Commander Matherson folded his hands on his stomach and shook his head. “No, Redman, I would prefer it if you stay. Given your closeness to Captain Ni’ihm and shared history on top of your role as an intelligence agent, I’d like to bring you in on this.”
“Yes, sir.” Theo sat back and directed his attention to Jade.
“You may begin, Captain Ni’ihm.” Matherson raised a hand in a gesture to indicate Jade had the floor.
Jade shook off her surprise at Theo’s sudden reappearance into her life and slid back into military professionalism.
“Arabella has something up her sleeve. She told her sister if everything went well this weekend, her rise to power may come sooner than they think.” Jade swallowed before skirting around the tip from the informant as she incorporated details she’d overheard.
“Alanna asked if Arabella would have a problem with Grannam at the ball, and something in the way she answered makes me think her plans have to do with him.”
“Hmm.” Matherson nodded slowly, drumming his fingers.
“It’s possible. Regardless, she knows something, and we need to find out what that is.
I conferred with some of the other commanders yesterday, and we’re all in agreement that this killer is likely a hired assassin.
By whom, it’s hard to say, but I wouldn’t put it past Arabella to have someone else do her dirty work. ”
“But sir,” Jade began, frown lines stretching across her forehead, “Count Aubergine was working for Arabella. He was helping to turn people to her side. Why would she have him killed?”
“It’s an excellent question, and the answer might not be something so cut and dry.
She and Lord Grannam have been working against each other almost since The Claim began.
If she is behind it, it’s possible that she included one of her own among the people she targeted to point fingers at someone else.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear her blame this death on Grannam. ”
Was Arabella really so heartless? Vain and superficial like most aristocrats, yes.
But nothing in Jade’s surveillance of her had ever given such a ruthless impression.
She claimed she wanted to remove the law that sentenced magic-wielders to death.
That didn’t exactly paint her as someone who would kill her own just to avoid suspicion.
Lord Grannam is going to make a move at the masquerade. Could Arabella’s expectations for the ball have something to do with Grannam’s plan? Something was there, but Jade couldn’t fit the pieces together. Not yet.
Matherson’s eyes flicked back and forth between Jade and Theo. “There’s more at work among the nobility, especially among the royals, and that’s where you two come in.”
Jade spared a quick glance at Theo, who had angled his face toward her as well. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Jade fought against the smile that threatened to curve her lips.
“Captain Ni’ihm, I need you at the masquerade ball this weekend.
Captain Redman will accompany you as backup.
It seems that most of those involved in the feud are gathering for the celebration, which makes it an excellent time to find the major players in the same place.
We can’t be sure one of them won’t try something, especially given your suspicions about Lady Arabella. ”
Jade sat back, withholding the triumphant smile that begged to spread across her face.
Just as she thought. Matherson had suggested her spying on the ball himself.
“I can handle Evenshold Palace easily. I’ve been there a number of times already, so I know the layout well, and with the expected crowd, no one will be looking in corners or shadows. ”
Resting his arms on the desk, Commander Matherson brought his fingertips together and studied Jade above them. “I have something different in mind this time, Captain Ni’ihm.”
Jade frowned, her confidence slipping. “Like what, sir?”
“I don’t think keeping you to the shadows and lurking at the edges of situations like these is our best move. I need you in there. I need you to be one of them.”
One of them. Like she might have been in a different life. A pang of anguish came with the thought, but she shoved it aside to appreciate what the role meant. Only intelligence agents of higher rank were given such assignments. “Go to the ball, sir? As a guest?”
Another slow nod was her answer. “I need you at a deeper level now. You need to be part of these people’s lives rather than watching them from afar.
The murderer is still at large, and so too is his likely employer.
We have to figure out who is behind these murders and who they’re going after next.
” He leaned forward and lowered his voice as if someone outside the room was listening.
“Get in with the royals. Break down their walls. Remove their masks. Learn what irks them, what excites them, what could be their last straw. Empathize with them. Earn their trust.”
Jade had done similar missions before—becoming someone else to gather intel—but nothing to this scale or for such an event.
The older, more experienced espionage officers usually went undercover in such high-profile circumstances.
To be asked to play a role at something as upscale as a masquerade ball .
. . Jade bit the inside of her cheek to contain her excitement.
While she liked nothing about the nobility and found no excitement in the prospect of living as one of them, she did look forward to the challenge it presented.
Jade relished the opportunity to prove her own ability while at the same time coming down to their level and beating them at their own game.
It would be the performance of a lifetime.
Not to mention Matherson trusting her with such an assignment proved she was on the brink of another promotion and further solidified her status as one of the military’s greatest assets.
A slight twinge echoed in her heart. Her most recent promotions had primarily happened because of information she had only come to find out through her informant and no skill of her own.
But this was different. No doubt she would learn just as much about her targets as her informant could tell her and more once she stepped into their social circles.
Maybe she wouldn’t need to rely on him any longer.
She cast a sidelong glance at Theo to find him watching her with a curious expression. He caught her gaze, and a corner of his mouth quirked. He would understand the implications of the assignment. Do it well, and your next promotion is guaranteed.
“You’ll need to create an identity,” Matherson continued, his brows raised as he no doubt caught on to how Jade was feeling.
He knew her too well. “You will be an aristocrat from somewhere far enough away to be outside of these people’s normal social circles, only recently having made your debut into society.
That way no one will question why they haven’t seen you around. ”
“Absolutely, sir.” Jade nearly bounced in her seat. “I can do that and more.”
“Now, don’t get too hasty,” he said, resting his palms on the desk. “We still need to iron out the details. You have to look the part, know exactly what to do and say—make them believe you without question.”
“Yes, of course. That won’t be a problem.”
Matherson narrowed his eyes. “Captain Ni’ihm, I’m compelled to remind you this may put you in immediate danger.”
Jade’s shoulders dropped, and she crossed her arms. “I know it’s dangerous. This is my job. I’m good at it.”
Matherson’s expression fell, and Jade couldn’t mistake the warning in his eyes. “Don’t let overconfidence become a weakness, Jade.”
Breaking protocol and calling her by her first name did the trick. It brought the conversation down from a military level to a personal one and softened Jade’s tough exterior. In many ways, Matherson had taken the place of the father she’d barely known.
“No, sir. I won’t,” she finally replied, her posture relaxing as her growing pride deflated.
He nodded at her and sat back again, folding his hands in his lap. “Good. Now, let’s go over a few details.”
Jade retrieved a small notebook and pen from one of her jacket’s front pockets. She flipped past filled pages, covered in scribbled notes about the royal family and sketches of plants used to make rienevoir. Her neck craned over the pad, the tip of the pen hovering over the paper.
“The military is in possession of an abandoned country estate in Tourrine that has been repurposed to function as an undercover outpost. We’ll set up headquarters there.
And Captain Redman, as I said previously, I’m assigning you this mission as well.
” Matherson shifted his gaze to Theo, who straightened slightly in his chair.
“Yes, sir?”
“Captain Ni’ihm needs another intelligence officer for backup. I’m not going to send her into these situations alone. Now, you won’t be as immersed with a new identity as she will be, but I want you in a guise always nearby.”
“Of course, sir.”
Jade dropped her eyes, casting her gaze to the periphery to manage a glance at Theo. She didn’t miss the flash of his eyes toward her, either.