“Valek.” The Commander gestured him closer. “Why didn’t you tell me you’ve assigned an assassin?”

“For what?”

Ambrose’s powerful gaze bored into Valek. Most people would be reduced to a quivering mess by the Commander’s ire. Valek remained unaffected.

“Yelena. The order for her execution is gone,” the Commander said.

Fear coiled around Valek’s throat. “I didn’t assign anyone. When did you last see the order?”

“You were supposed to assign—”

“When!”

Ambrose said nothing. Valek drew in a deep breath. “I apologize, sir.”

“The order was on my desk this morning. It wasn’t there when I returned from lunch. If one of your assassins didn’t accept the order, then who did?”

“Permission to find out, sir?”

The Commander contemplated. Valek willed his body to keep still.

“She’s safe in Sitia, Valek. The order only applies if she’s found in Ixia.”

Unless it was a Sitian assassin after her. He lacked proof but, he vowed, not for long.

“Permission granted. You’re dismissed.”

With time running out, Valek searched for Ari; he found him in the soldier’s barracks. Ari’s strong hands were wrapped around a guard’s neck. The trapped man’s face turned purple.

“Report,” Valek ordered.

“Just having a nice chat with my friend. Seems Tam had been recruited from Sitia by Mogkan and, out of a misguided sense of duty, is now after Yelena,” Ari said. “My friend was on the verge of divulging when Tam left. Right?” He relaxed his grip.

“About…two…hours…ago,” the man said, gasping for air.

Yelena was in danger. A second of mind-numbing panic and worry gripped Valek, but he suppressed all emotion. He needed to think and plan.

Tam was on foot with a two-hour head start, traveling due south. The assassin was still in Ixia. On horseback, Valek could arrive at the border before Tam and set up an ambush, or he could follow Tam into Sitia and find out more about the assassin’s intentions.

Chapter Two

Valek made his decision. He informed Ari of his plans and hurried to the stables. According to the stable master, Onyx was the fastest horse in the barn. Valek spurred the aptly named all-black horse into a gallop when they exited the manor house’s grounds, heading south to the Snake Forest .

The thrumming vibrations from Onyx’s hooves echoed in Valek’s chest. He worried over being too late and missing the assassin. Any delay would put Yelena in lethal danger.

Snake Forest was a thin strip of green that undulated from east to west between the northern Territory of Ixia and the southern lands of Sitia. The official border was located about one hundred feet past the Snake Forest ’s southern edge.

Valek knew the border’s location presented myriad problems for both countries’ border patrols, but he had used the cover of the forest to his advantage many times. And today would be no different.

He arrived at Military District 5’s (MD–5) patrol station in the heart of the forest two hours before sunset. Just enough time for him to get into position.

“Sir?” The station’s captain stood at attention.

“A person of interest is going to attempt to cross the border tonight,” Valek said.

“Should we increase our patrols?”

“Yes, but not in section twelve. And I want your guards to be visible, but not be obvious about being visible.”

“Sir?”

“I want your soldiers to herd the person toward the unguarded section so I can mark him and follow him into Sitia. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

By sunset, the beefed-up patrol made subtle noises along the edge of Snake Forest , and Valek, wearing a camouflaged jumpsuit over a Sitian disguise, waited in section twelve. His current location was based on logic. If he planned to cross the border without being detected, this tight deer path would make a perfect route.

Crouched on a tree branch, he smiled at a memory. When Yelena had played the role of a fugitive in this forest, she had glued Cheketo leaves on her uniform shirt to cover the bright red color. Her homemade camouflage worked, and she had been able to elude capture during the day-long exercise.

Then, she had been aware that soldiers searched for her; a lone assassin would have the element of surprise. If Valek couldn’t mark Tam, he would find Yelena and track her until she was no longer in danger. He huffed in amusement. She had the unique ability to attract danger even when in benign situations. Perhaps he should amend his plan and just watch her until he neutralized the assassin.

Darkness settled over the forest. Calls of an owl and the hum of insects punctured the silence. A furtive rustling in the underbrush drew his attention. He studied the area and soon spotted a figure. The person clung to the shadows and, at Valek’s distance, it was impossible to see his face in the gloom. A skilled opponent.

The assassin ghosted under Valek’s tree. Valek waited for a few heartbeats before easing to the ground and following the assassin. Part of him was pleased that he had guessed right, but another part worried over the ease with which he found Tam. Occupational hazard, he supposed. Without the habit of analyzing every situation from all angles, he wouldn’t be alive.

By daybreak, the assassin had crossed the border. Valek stopped for a moment to wash the camouflage paint from his face and to hide his jumpsuit. He darkened his pale skin to match the tanner Sitian hues, and smoothed his white cotton tunic and sand-colored pants. Pulling his shoulder-length black hair back, Valek tied it. The heat would increase each day until it reached unbearable levels. Sitia wasn’t the best place to be during the hot season.