Assassin's Dagger by Marina Finlayson

Author:Marina Finlayson [Finlayson, Marina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Finesse Solutions
Published: 2020-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

16

A Serpent’s work was never done. Life at the Nest didn’t stop because my father had reappeared; I was still the new Serpent with a million things to wrap my head around, and over a hundred Vipers to get to know. I trained daily in sword and knife work, and spent time on my studies. Ash was no longer technically my trainer, but I had a lot to learn yet about the arts of the assassin.

Much of the business of the Vipers happened automatically. Assignments had already been given out before I took over, and several hits were in the planning or execution phase. I had to approve new ones that came in and assign them, either to Adepts or regular Vipers, depending on the expected complexity of the operation.

I instituted twice-weekly meetings with my Adepts, partly to help me stay on top of things and partly to keep an eye on them. Other than Ash, I barely knew any of them. I had a nodding acquaintance with Nuah and Mezzi. Nuah and I had begun our acquaintance on the training grounds with threats on her part, which had swiftly escalated into attempts to kill me. That was when I’d been a powerless apprentice. She was all smiles and cooperation now, but I hadn’t forgotten.

Though she was no longer a danger to me, I didn’t trust her, and I had no doubt that the other Adepts were just as frustrated at finding themselves answering to a woman who’d barely begun her apprenticeship. The fact that they couldn’t move against me directly didn’t mean that they weren’t capable of causing me trouble. Ash, for instance, could be vulnerable if they all united against him, and I had no desire to lose the one Adept I could actually trust.

And so, I watched them all carefully, noting body language and using my links with them to probe beneath their calm surfaces for hints of their true feelings. I searched for flashes of emotion, whispers of intent, anything I could use, all while keeping up a confident exterior of my own. In time, they would learn not to defy me, but I was prepared for a rough ride through the getting-to-know-you period.

All nine of them sat in a semi-circle in front of my desk. I had considered the idea of a more human-style conference, where we all sat around a table together, but quickly discarded it. We weren’t work colleagues or equals. Better to remind them of that.

I leaned back in my chair, Ni’ishasana conspicuously placed in its stand on the bookshelf behind me, and listened to Nuah’s report on Atinna’s progress. The girl was working on surveillance for Nuah’s next hit, and apparently proving herself to be a model apprentice. I was happy to have her out of the Nest for a while. She had even less chance of doing me harm than the Adepts did, but having her glare at me while I ate dinner in the hall every night had been getting a little old.

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