Dénouement

It was well-known that Leon Bronev rarely felt uneasy, but when Swift reported the news of Bloom’s unmasking, his commander’s complete and utter calm unnerved him.

Swift remembered when Leonard Bloom had first joined Targent – young, ambitious and clever, he was quick to ascend the ranks and establish himself not only as a brilliant detective, but as one of Bronev’s most trusted spies. In fact, his talent for deception was exceeded only by Bronev’s personal favourite, Emmeline Altava. But if Layton had seen through Bloom’s façade, how long could she last?

And yet, Bronev didn’t even look mildly concerned.

“Hmph. Is this Layton’s work?”

“Yes…” Swift adjusted his sunglasses. “Shall I deal with him, sir?”

“No!” Bronev tensed, and his chair scraped across the floor as he made to stand. Swift was alarmed at this sudden change in demeanour – but Bronev quickly calmed himself and sank back into his chair. “No. Do not interfere. Now they have Bloom, they’ll think they’ve won. They will let their guard down. Nothing will stand in the way of our plans!”

Swift must have still looked puzzled, for Bronev promptly added – “In any case, I still need them. There is still so much more they can do for us.”

Swift nodded.

“Yes sir. Then I will assign the assassins to other tasks for now.”

Leon Bronev had always been a puzzle to anyone who knew him, but this time Swift was more than puzzled – he was very worried, and frankly, afraid. He knew that everything would soon come to an end, in one way or another. He knew that Bronev was fanatically devoted to the cause, even more than he was. But to Swift, allowing Layton to join forces with Sycamore and do whatever they liked was equivalent to signing Targent’s death warrant. Yes, he had sent Bishop and Rook to tail them, but they were well-known as fools amongst all who worked for Targent. And as for Altava… surely she could not hide her true agenda from them both for much longer.

There were two possibilities, he thought. The first was that Bronev knew more about the situation than he did, and had it completely under control. As he understood it, Bronev planned to sit back and let Layton and Sycamore unlock the secrets of the Azran for him. But surely he didn’t think that he could control them both so easily? Independently, they were predictable, but together they had proved themselves to be less so. But then again, maybe there was a connection he was missing. 

The second option was far less appealing, but it was an idea that had been bothering him over the past few days - it kept him awake at night, consuming all other thoughts and growing like a bubble, until he was so overcome by the emotions which he so easily concealed during the day that it burst, sending him into a fitful sleep, ready to grow larger the next day – that Bronev was planning to betray those who cared about Targent the most.

Swift didn’t want to think about it, but he could not deny that Bronev had become more secretive ever since the incident with the Azran girl. He was confused by Bronev’s decision not to assign any of his closest advisors to that mission. Bronev usually brought archaeologists on any military assignment, but none had accompanied him to Froenborg – only soldiers. And Bronev had always told him that it was their goal. They would discover the Azran power, together. So why was he now acting as if it was only his aim? 

It was confusing, but Swift had no time to be suspicious. Not when they were so close. Needless to say, he exited Bronev’s office quickly and headed into the elevator, making a silent resolution. 

Bronev, he decided, would remain innocent until proven guilty.