Assassin's Honor by Gail Z. Martin

Author:Gail Z. Martin [Martin, Gail Z.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worldbuilders Press
Published: 2018-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“I think we need to look at the opium,” Henri said as he brought breakfast into the parlor.

Ridge and Rett stared at him. “The what?” Ridge echoed.

Henri placed a plate of sweet cakes, jam, and honey on the small table, and returned with a pot of tea and cups. “Opium,” he repeated as if discussing the price of herring. “That man Destwiler was involved with opium as well as smuggling weapons. If the trail has gone cold on the weapons, let’s trace the opium.”

Ridge gave their squire a reassessing look. With his receding hairline and slightly nearsighted gaze, Henri looked more the part of a clerk than the squire to two infamous assassins. Yet time and again, he managed to stop Ridge flat-footed with his practical courage and a willingness to dive into the dodgiest situations.

“You’re bloody brilliant,” Rett said, accepting the cup of tea gratefully.

Henri’s face flushed. “Just doing my part, m’lord,” he replied. “But my mum always said, if you want to know what’s really going on, look at who’s paying and who’s getting paid.”

“Then my compliments to your mum,” Rett replied with a tired grin.

“You doing any better?” Ridge asked.

Rett shrugged. “A little. Head still hurts, but not as much. I might be able to keep down some tea and a bit of cake. I hope Sofen doesn’t make a habit of sending messages like that.”

“I’m game to try it Henri’s way,” Ridge said. “We’ve figured out the Witch Lord’s connection to the smuggled weapons, but without proof, we can’t go to the king. So we’ve got no mandate to go after the lords who’ve accepted the weapons.”

“And unless we can prove they either knew what was in the crates or are holding some of the seer-children hostage—we’ve got nothing,” Rett replied.

“It’s as good of a lead as we’re going to get until we can find out which nobles are using the children,” Ridge mused, in between sips of his tea. “If Sofen ever figures that out and wants to share, that might be worth the inconvenience.”

Rett made a face. “I’ll let you get the vision, in that case.”

“So…opium. Destwiler was a dealer, but he had to get his opium from someone. We need to find out who was supplying him, and who’s taken over his deals after he died,” Ridge thought aloud.

“I’ve got a friend who’s an apothecary,” Henri volunteered. “He’s the bloke who gives me the tincture I need to take care of you two when you get banged around. And if he doesn’t know, I can smoke out some of the others. No one will think much of a manservant looking for some laudanum to ease his master’s pain after a bad fall from a horse,” he added, and his plain features took on a puppy-like beseeching that no doubt worked well to his advantage.

“Once again, I’m glad you’re on our side,” Rett said, chuckling. He looked to Ridge. “I say we work the dens and the docks. We’ve still got some informants

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