Shadow Honor - Book 1 of The Trial

Shadow Honor - 14

Kirra was careful to avoid drawing attention to himself as he walked down the busy street. The entire operation hinged on keeping a low profile, and bolting down the street wouldn't do at all, even if his news was urgent. Instead he kept his pace quick and pulled the cloak tight around him, giving the appearance that he was merely seeking a quick escape from the cold wind that swept through Pentalus.

He continued the ruse all the way to the top of the steps that led to Mister Swallow's office. They had commandeered the space to serve as their headquarters for their stakeout of Sabreeza's guild hall. Mister Swallow had been happy to serve, but he wasted no time in making it clear that he would have preferred a bit more notice than Lady Alsha had given him. They had arrived that morning with everything ready to go, and had Mister Swallow out the door within minutes. A short time later the soldiers left as well, heading for the locations that Alsha had worked out for them, to watch the guildhall.

Alsha was standing over the desk, carefully reading the observations that had been reported to her so far, when Kirra entered the room. Even though her soldiers would have made note of anything that stood out to them, it was her duty to follow up on their findings, and each sheet of paper might have the information she was looking for.

"How was the tavern?" Alsha asked without looking away from her notes. "Are the boys holding up?"

"They're doing fine. The men at the stables and the women on the seamstress's rooftop are also doing well," Kirra reported with a salute, though he dropped it quickly when he realized that Alsha wasn't about to look up and return it. "It's been a long morning for everyone though. I've heard a few grumbles that we're wasting our time doing it this way."

"This is the protocol we are supposed to follow. You can tell them that those are my words if you hear any more complaints," Lady Alsha replied with a dismissive wave, as if the grumbling of her soldiers was of no consequence. Kirra nodded and turned to leave, but before he could step out the door Alsha looked up, her demeanor becoming more serious. "This mission is important," she reminded him, "We need to find evidence that Sabreeza is harboring a demon."

"That isn't what you told everyone else," Kirra replied dryly, "You told them that we were looking for signs of 'suspicious activity'."

"As you know, the sanctioned purpose of this mission is to find evidence of Huzain Sabreeza oppressing the merchants in his district. That's why it's up to you to help me sort through the information the lookouts give me," Alsha explained with a tight smile, "We're the only two people here who know of our, more important, mission."

"I see," Kirra replied thoughtfully then asked hesitantly, "Don't you trust the others?"

"Kirra . . ." Alsha began angrily, riled by the accusation, but then she took a breath and exhaled slowly before continuing in a calmer voice, "yes I do, or I wouldn't have brought them here. But that doesn't mean they won't let it slip to the wrong person that I'm here hunting demons. If the council were to hear that I was pursuing that angle, we'd be pulled off this investigation instantly. The fewer people that know that, the better."

"Commander!"

They turned together as the door burst open quickly, and the large form of Judin Marro stepped into the room, breathing heavily. He looked as if he had run there, and the look in Alsha's eyes said that he had better have a good reason for being so reckless.

Despite the daggers in her eyes Alsha asked calmly, "What is it?"

"We found something, something we think is big," Judin replied between breaths. "It's better if we explain when we get there."