Vengeance by Gail Z. Martin

Author:Gail Z. Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SOL Publishing

Brice Tagar was waiting for Neven when he entered his study.

“News?” Neven snapped, annoyed at the surprise visit.

“Of sorts,” his spymaster replied. “I’ve made enquiries with my sources. No one’s heard anything officially—or unofficially—about credit being claimed for killing the smugglers. That supports your suspicion the hunters are to blame.”

“Of course they’re to blame! They brought down Machison, and now they’re trying to undermine me.”

“I doubt outlaw hunters have access to that kind of power—or information,” Tagar soothed. “Perhaps they happened to run into each other by accident.”

Neven snorted in disbelief. “That strains credulity.”

“Maybe not,” Tagar replied. “The bodies were found outside a cemetery overlooking the harbor. If the smugglers saw lanterns—”

“Do you believe me a fool?” Neven thundered. “There are no coincidences, only well-disguised conspiracies. Maybe the hunters being outlaws was simply an elaborate ruse by Aliyev. I’ve always suspected he despised Machison and Blackholt. They were never quite up to his standards. So he engineered some unconventional assassins, passed them off as hunters, and then spun the fiction of putting a price on their heads—and sent his chief buffoon of a disgraced head of security after them, ensuring they wouldn’t be caught.”

“I don’t quite follow—”

Neven slapped his hand on the table. “It’s obvious! Aliyev got rid of three failures and used them to give cover to his assassins for their real task—countering our efforts in Ravenwood.”

Tagar hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “M’lord, I think you give Aliyev—and the hunters—too much credit. Machison and Blackholt were arrogant and dangerous. Half of the League sent assassins against them, all unsuccessfully.”

“That’s my point! The Lord Mayor and his pet blood witch ably defeated every assassin sent against them—professional killers—only to be destroyed by tradesmen-turned-hunters? It can’t be so.”

“Never underestimate what men can do when they are fighting for their survival,” Tagar warned. “I assume the assassins prized escaping with their lives. From the boldness of the attack that brought down Machison and Blackholt, I suspect the hunters expected to die achieving their goal—and may have been surprised to escape. Even so, several of them were killed.”

Neven waved his hand in dismissal. “Can’t have checkmate without sacrificing a few pawns.” He shook his head. “No, we’ve read this wrong. Those ‘hunters’ are shadowing our smugglers, perhaps even aware of our pirates. Probably reporting every move back to Aliyev. They’ve got at least two witches of their own—powerful enough to destroy Blackholt. They’re a threat. I want them eliminated.”

“My men are searching the countryside for them as we speak,” Tagar assured him. “As are Aliyev’s guards and Jorgeson’s men.”

“Pfft. Aliyev is making a pretense, and Jorgeson is incompetent.”

“Perhaps,” Tagar allowed. “But we are hampered by both distance and the need for our agents to remain hidden. They dare not operate openly without drawing notice, which would lead Aliyev directly back to you.”

“Aliyev is too busy trying to salvage his precious agreement with Garenoth to notice.”

Tagar shook his head. “Don’t be so sure, my lord. Neither Aliyev nor King Rellan is as indifferent as they like to appear.

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