A Flight of Ravens by John Conroe (thriller books to read TXT) 📗

Helat shot an annoyed look at both lords but gave me a nod to continue.

“He understands us and remembers who he is.  He knows all of his family members.  I spent significant time communicating with him during the retrieval.”

“You’re just protecting your friend, Savid,” my father said.  “Admirable, but misplaced.  You can’t think that a woldling retains any humanity at all?”

I started to respond but Neil Slinch spoke first.  “Your Majesty, I find myself agreeing with Lord DelaCrotia.  The bonds of loyalty run deep in the military and especially among the members of the Ranged Reconnaissance Squadron.  I suggest that Captain DelaCrotia’s objectivity is compromised in this case.  May I suggest a transfer to the Ravens?”

“Humpf, I object,” General Ewald said. “This is a military incursion and the military, the active military, should have jurisdiction here.”

“This is a transgression against God,” Bishop Miller said, leaning forward to look at the king.  “The church must be involved.”

“Must?” King Helat asked, eyes drilling into the bishop, who was smart enough to look down as he responded.

“It seems a matter of religion, Sire.”

“Really?  When the Paul’s woldling hordes overran our borders, was it a religious matter?  Because I don’t recall the church holding the line back then,” King Helat shot back.  Then he turned back to me.  “Why should the Shadows hold him?”

“He knows us and will communicate with us.  Put him in anyone else’s hands and he’ll shut down just like he was trained to do.  We need information, Sire, and we need it fast.  He’s Ash, but he’s also very much a different… being. If the Paul’s priests have improved their techniques to the point where they can turn adults into functioning woldlings who retain their intelligence, we have a real problem.  We’ve already seen other woldling surprises recently, and this is arguably worse.”

“What surprises?” Lord Grantell asked.

The king waved a hand at him, keeping his eyes on me.  Then he turned to the one person he almost always listened to.  “Daughter?”

“Savid is correct that a Shadow will resist questioning, even by esllings.  And the Shadows are very close-knit, Father.  I can see greater cooperation with friends than enemies.”

“I object to being termed an enemy,” Neil said, keeping his tone mild but somehow hurt.

“You know exactly what I mean by that, Neil. Don’t obfuscate,” Brona said.

“Hmm, I agree with you, Brona… but with conditions,” the king said.  “One of Neil’s people should monitor the questioning.  The bonds of soldiers who’ve faced combat side by side are incredibly strong.  We wouldn’t want any conflicts, would we?”

Not what I wanted to hear.  Neil’s people and my people coordinated fairly well, but there was professional jealousy there too.  King Helat had been ecstatic when Brona had turned her formidable attention to helping her father manage and protect the kingdom.  He had willingly let her have her own intelligence arm, but Neil took it as a threat to his own job security.  He was constantly trying to divine our secrets, methods, and intelligence.  There had been moments, early on, when we had shared information, only to have him bring it to the king first, claiming credit.

Having an operative placed among my people while we debriefed Ash was a major damper on our activities.  Which worked for him either way; either we produced information and he learned many of our secrets, or we didn’t and he got to claim that we were ineffective and thus Ash should be removed from our custody.

Brona locked her eyes on mine and flicked her focus from one of my eyes to the other, side to side.  No… don’t object.

“Your agent should present themselves to the Knife and Needle,” I said to Neil.

He smiled.  “It would be more efficient for her to head to the facility you’re holding him at.”

“That’s incredibly poor tradecraft, Neil,” I said, mentally noting the pronoun he used.  “I’m surprised you would even suggest it.”

He had long ago mastered his facial expressions, and the only sign of his displeasure at my criticism was a very, very slight tightening of his features.  “Ah, you’re suggesting that my hand-chosen agent would have such poor skills as to be detected approaching your building?”

I let myself frown. “I’m not suggesting. I’m telling you that operational security on this will be watertight and under Shadow control.”

“As entertaining as this pissing contest is… sorry, Princess,” my father interjected, “but I’d like to bring up the matter of Lady Dominick and her detention.”

On the one hand, I was glad he had changed the topic; on the other, by apologizing to Brona for his indelicate language, he had slighted her.  From the frown on her face, I realized that she would handle his insult, and likely he would pay for it. And from the frown on her father’s face, I gauged that my father had stepped too far.

“My Lord DelaCrotia, did you somehow forget that this is my meeting and I control its agenda?” the king asked.  Father froze, which for him was the equivalent of squirming.

“No, Your Majesty.  It seemed like that topic was exhausted,” Rucian said.

“It’s not,” the king snapped.  “Savid, you have full control and the requisite responsibility for the security and containment of the prisoner.”  He looked at me carefully to see if I understood.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I said.

“Now, you said you can communicate with Ash the woldling. How?”

“He understands what we say, Sire.  I distracted him during the retrieval with memories of our service together.  He appears highly motivated to see his family.  As soon as he is alert, we’ll start asking him questions.  I’m confident that his information will be valuable.  I highly doubt that the Paul anticipated how ineffective his terror weapon turned out to be.”

“Which may press the Paul to escalate his actions,” Neil said.  “No doubt his eyes and ears in Haven are waiting for a blowup, and the general population already knows that a woldling was shot by the lord marshal himself. That kind of news travels like lightning.”

“Making Savid’s task even more vital and