The King's Messenger

Chapter 22

Messenger moved back to the hotel he'd been staying at after Kaeda left for the palace. If he were honest with himself, he missed her a little; it was nice to have companionship who knew the truth of him. At least now he could focus on his goal, which was why he lay flat on the roof of The Black Cat in the rain, ear pressed against the roof over where Leben's office was. So far, he'd had several hours of nothing but sickening damp.

The door opened and shut with a muffled thump.

"We've got a shitshow on our hands, Nick," Leben started without preamble. "Somehow, Prince Eden's minions keep damning our shipments. We've lost thousands so far, and we can't afford to make any more shipments until we solve our little princely problem."

"You think that's the worst of it? Vestenet got made. R had to have him killed so he wouldn't talk," Nick replied, a scowl in his voice.

"Vestenet's dead? How?" Leben asked, incredulous.

"I heard he attacked the prince. He was going to be executed for it, but Prince Eden pushed to stay his execution."

"So R killed him," Leben muttered, barely audible to Messenger's enhanced ear.

"We need to deal with Prince Eeden," Nick said. "I know of some assassins who could get the job done."

"So why is he alive?" Leben hissed.

Nick snorted. "The best assassins are Estisian. Not a single one so far has been willing to assassinate him."

"Fantastic," Leben muttered. "Then just get a local, or a foreigner who isn't from the country Prince Eden lived most his life in."

"I'm working on it, but there aren't many who are willing to take the risk. Garian is my best prospect so far. I meet with him tomorrow," Nick said.

"Fine, fine," Leben said. "We need to get back into business soon. We're not just losing money from delayed or lost shipments; our flash refinery is done too."

"You don't have to remind me," Nick scowled. "Look, if Garian accepts the offer, Prince Eden can be gone within the week."

Messenger's heart rate ticked up. His scheduled correspondence with Eden had been two days ago; he'd have to warn him in person.

"How much are you offering him?" Leben asked.

Garian sighed. "Ten-thousand silver."

"Saints," Leben exclaimed.

"I know."

"Don't offer any more, but if he demands more, twenty-thousand at the most," Leben said, the pain of a financially minded man filling his voice.

"Understood."

"Anything else?" Leben asked.

"Just that R wants Prince Eden dealt with immediately."

Leben snorted. "Thanks. Get out, then. Go solve our mutual problem."

Nick didn't say anything; he simply left, leaving Messenger drenched on the roof, a single question echoing through his mind.

Who was R?

Eavesdropping on Leben was done for now. Messenger stood, stretching his stiff muscles, and crossed the roof toward the front of the building. It was too early for this kind of establishment to accrue much traffic, so the next person to leave would likely be Nick.

Just as expected, a gruffly muscled man exited The Black Cat, looking around before walking briskly into the rain. Springing into action, Messenger half scaled, half fell down the wall and fell into pace with Nick, staying a safe distance behind. With the earring, Messenger could pick out the sound of his footsteps on the wet ground, distinct from the other sounds of rain. The precipitation masked his own presence, both visual and auditory.