Valek remembered when Hedda assigned him what had seemed at the time an easy job.

“It should take a couple weeks at most,” she had said. “This young man’s been making people nervous with his speeches, and we’ve been paid a whole pile of gold to make him disappear for good.”

“What’s the mark’s name?” Valek asked.

“Ambrose Diamond. He has all the miners agitated and has amassed quite the following. According to our patron, he has based his operations in Pinchot.”

That was on the other side of Ixia near the Soul Mountains. “What’s he look like?”

“Black hair, average build, your height, but he’s about seven years older than you, around twenty-four. I’m told his eyes are distinctive—almond-shaped and gold in color.”

“Does our client want me to give Ambrose a message before I kill him?”

“No.”

So this wasn’t personal. Probably political. “Anything else?”

“No. This job shouldn’t be too difficult. He’s been making public speeches. You could probably blend in with the crowd and put a bolt in his heart.”

Valek scoffed. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Careful, King Killer. I lose more assassins to overconfidence than to the authorities.”

He grinned. “That’s sweet. I didn’t know you cared.”

“Only until you kill the King. That’s the only reason I’ve kept you around.”

His humor faded. He’d been working as an assassin for two years, but Hedda kept insisting he get more experience before he went after the King. More like accumulate more money. While he was grateful for the gold he’d earned, he suspected Hedda wasn’t ready to give up her best source of income.

“If I kill this guy in public, he might turn into a martyr, and I’m sure our client wouldn’t want his successor to gain sympathy and supporters because of the assassination.”

“Good point. Just get in and get out. I’ve more jobs waiting for you.”

“Assign them to another. Isn’t T-quin back from his southern jaunt?”

She stared at him. “T-quin takes too long.”

“Arbon?”

“Is lying low. His last job was a fiasco and he’s too hot.”

“Sounds like this would be a good time for me to ask for a raise.”

“You would think that, but you’d be wrong.”

“I see. How about a timeline, then?”

Hedda rested her elbows on her desk. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. How many more jobs must I complete for you before I can go after the King?”

“It will take a couple years for you to get close enough to him. You’re one of my best assassins and, at seventeen, you haven’t even hit your prime. You’ve plenty of time to go after the King. Right now you can earn heaps of gold for your...retirement. Plus once you kill him, you’re done. His guards will either kill you or you’ll be too hot to stay in Ixia or work as an assassin for a decade.”

“In other words, I would no longer be an asset for you.”

“Of course. Wasn’t that your sole desire? Kill the King? Have you thought about what happens afterward? If you live, that is.”

No, he hadn’t. Back when he was thirteen, he’d assumed he wouldn’t survive. However, he’d gotten quite skilled at this business and he might have a future after all. Hedda had given him much to think about on his trip west to Pinchot.

When he arrived in the city, it didn’t take him long to locate his mark. Ambrose made nightly speeches at various taverns around town. Valek kept to the edges of the crowd, listening to the man’s propaganda.

“...own a diamond mine, but are we rich? No!” Ambrose sat at the bar, drinking from a mug of ale. “The King confiscates all our product, paying us only enough to keep the equipment running. The King of Ixia claims our taxes go to improve our lives, yet when the south section of the mines collapsed, he refused to send his soldiers to help clear the debris. Twenty-nine miners died, not from the collapse, but from being trapped underground.”

Each evening, more people showed up to hear Ambrose speak. Valek recognized many faces from before and it appeared they’d dragged their friends along to listen. He had to admit the man was worth listening to. Valek agreed with him. In fact, the more he learned about the King’s crimes in this region of Ixia, the greater his desire to assassinate the King.

Hedda’s comments about what happened after the King’s death had been in reference to Valek’s life. But what about Ixia? Who would take the King’s place? Another corrupt royal? One of his spoiled princelings? Would anything change? Probably not. Yet Ambrose spoke of a new government with clear laws that applied to all. He argued for a fair system where everyone worked and basic needs were provided for by the government.

Too bad Valek had to assassinate Ambrose. The man had good ideas and appeared to be very organized. Valek spotted evidence that this was more than grandstanding at the local bar. Ambrose’s loyal inner circle acted more like a military squad, and Pinchot was the sixth major city in his campaign.

After a couple of weeks, Valek pinpointed the ideal location for the assassination. Ambrose always left the taverns by the back entrance with a couple of brutes on his heels. He’d slip through the back alleys to the inn where he stayed.

Valek debated between ambushing him in the alley or in his room and decided on the alley. It seemed more dramatic and those two brutes would be easy to take down in the open versus in the tight hallway. Plus Ambrose had been smart enough to rent an interior room and hire a man to stay inside while he was out campaigning. It made it difficult for Valek to place a sculpted black diamond on Ambrose’s bed, but not impossible.