He reported to Hedda’s office when he reached the school.
“What the hell were you thinking when you killed Edvard?” she demanded. Two red splotches on her cheeks matched the color of her hair.
“I wasn’t—”
“That’s right, you weren’t thinking!” She stood and jabbed a finger at him. “Never kill a target in front of witnesses.”
“But they were...”
She waited.
“You’re right. It was a disaster.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t caught,” Hedda said.
Valek couldn’t resist. “Luck had nothing to do with it.” He smirked.
A steely glint flattened her green eyes. “And what did?”
“Your excellent training.”
She snorted, but she settled behind her desk. “And did my training include leaving clues?”
“Clues?”
“Those black statues. They’re calling you the rock assassin.”
“Not very original,” he said.
“They can be traced back to you.”
“How?”
“Asking around at the market, finding the person you bought them from.”
He smiled. “I didn’t buy them nor did anyone see me carve them.”
If she was surprised, she hid it well. “You better make sure no one does. Now, where’s my cut from your wages?”
He handed her a small pouch.
Hedda dumped the coins into her palm. “Not much. Talk about slave labor.”
Valek shrugged. “I found the experience to be very valuable.”
“Did you, now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to earn much more than this?” She shook the coins as she studied his expression.
He paused. It was one thing to kill the men who’d murdered his brothers, but to assassinate an innocent...
“They’re far from innocent.” She gestured to a chair. “Sit down and let me tell you about the people who are targeted for assassination. It’s not because they’re the pillars of the community or because they do good deeds for their neighbors. No, there is always a reason someone hires us to kill them. Corruption runs deep in this country. The royals are the worst of them. And then there’re the drug lords and those exploiting children and forcing women to be prostitutes. Let’s just say no one mourns their deaths.”
“That would make it easier.”
“And don’t forget the experience alone would be...”
“Valuable.” He’d made a big mistake with Edvard. And he still had much to learn. When he went after the King, there’d be no room for error.
“Are you ready for your first paid assassination?” Hedda asked.
“Yes.”
Valek had then worked various jobs throughout the next two years. With each assassination, his skills improved and his heart rate steadied. Confidence had come with experience, and a high level of cockiness. Valek had started leaving his black statues for his targets to find, warning them of their impending assassination just to make the job harder. And it had, setting off a series of ruined plans, close calls and mistakes. However, his ability to quickly deal with complications had improved.
Dealing with problems had been a part of his life since he’d vowed revenge on his brother’s murderers. And the message from Yelena that lay on his desk was one recent example. Valek tapped his fingers on the parchment, considering if the Commander’s order not to get involved with Ben Moon’s escape extended to Valek’s corps. He could send a few trusted men to Fulgor just to keep an eye on Yelena. That wouldn’t be disobeying the Commander’s orders.
However, if Yelena found out...she’d probably be upset he didn’t trust her ability to defend herself. Logic warred with his heart.
Hedda had trained him to lose his emotions, but Yelena had shown him that there was room for emotion. And he’d learned love trumped logic. He wondered what his life these past eight years would have been like if he hadn’t met her. Lonely? Lackluster? Cold?
Truthfully, Valek had been content with his life before she arrived. Would he have woken from his self-induced exile? He’d like to think so, but even though he’d had relationships with women before Yelena, they had always been part of a job he was working and not a true connection. Basically, he’d used them to reach his mark. Not the nicest thing to do, but the King’s death had been all that mattered to him at that time. And after he’d assassinated the King, protecting the Commander and Ixia was all he’d cared about.
A sudden thought hit Valek hard. Perhaps it was time for him to be selfish. He should be with Yelena and not up here directing...traffic.
The power twins and Maren could take over Ixia’s security forces. He’d assumed he’d have plenty of time to retire and enjoy a life of leisure, but at any time, another assassin—one more skilled than Onora—could show up and kill him. Before Yelena, he hadn’t cared about his own life, but now he did.
With those thoughts swirling around his head, Valek grabbed his travel pack and headed to the stables. He saddled Onyx in record time, hoping he’d reach a travel shelter before all the beds had been taken. Mounting Onyx, he huffed in amusement. In the past, he’d sleep anywhere—on the cold hard ground, on gravel, in the rafters, wedged under or behind various pieces of furniture. Now he preferred a bed.
The road north had few travelers, and those he encountered quickly moved to the side, giving Onyx a wide berth. Only officers and high-ranking advisers rode horses. All others walked. Valek would rather be on foot—better to spot trouble—and he’d rather be disguised as an ordinary citizen—better to gather useful information. But the travel time to and from the main military base in MD-2 would eat up four days of his allotted time.
The days of unlimited time were, unfortunately, in the past. He remembered spending three months just tracking Captain Aniol’s movements. Aniol had ordered his men to kill a bunch of boys to make an example of them, and Valek hadn’t been able to get close to the man until Aniol had been assigned a mission with four other soldiers. They’d camped for the night in a section of Icefaren province that was so remote there hadn’t been any inns or travel shelters.
Valek waited for Aniol to take his turn for guard duty. After the man that Aniol had relieved fell asleep, Valek baited the captain by making slight noises. As Aniol moved farther and farther from camp to investigate, Valek looped around behind him and pressed his knife to his throat.
“Did you think you were safe, Captain?” Valek asked.
“Safe from what?” The captain’s voice remained steady. “A thief in the woods?”