Southwest Truths (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 3) by Kal Aaron (the red fox clan .txt) 📗

“I know about that incident.” Tristan scowled. “I’m a killer, but I have a code. I only kill Shadows who are attempting to kill me. I had no reason to lead two boys to their deaths to test you.”

“My theory is, someone was trying to warn us about the mine but not reveal themselves,” Lyssa replied. “I thought it might be you.”

“I would have no reason to not go directly to Samuel or another Elder. Monster-culling is the domain of Torches, not Eclipses.”

“Do you know who did it?” Lyssa asked. “I don’t know how much you know about the resolution of that incident, but the man behind the operation was a Shadow loaded with shards but whose memory and personality had been manipulated by sorcery.”

Tristan narrowed his eyes. “The enemy hides deep in the darkness. I don’t have all the answers. I only know corruption is spreading farther and deeper in the Society, and I intend to excise it before it destroys us all.” He nodded at her. “That’s why I’m interested in you, and even more so now that I sense the power of that spirit in your gun. Certain pieces now fit together.” He offered a cold smile. “There might be more patterns in some of these incidents than you realize. I suspected Adrien Allard of being linked to someone of greater power, most likely a corrupt Elder. He wasn’t on my list yet, but he was coming close.”

“And the mine incident?” Lyssa asked, desperation edging into her voice. “You don’t have any leads on that?”

Tristan laughed. “I’m not all-knowing, but given what you’ve told me, it wouldn’t be impossible for the same person to be behind both.”

“Here’s the thing.” Lyssa took a deep breath. “I’ve thought that, too, but I’m not sure. I have more evidence, but I’m not yet ready to give it to a crazy Eclipse who jumped me at a motel just because he tells me what I want to hear.”

Tristan nodded. “More evidence might be useful to convince you to share, then.”

“Like what?”

“I’ve been researching your family in recent weeks as part of my investigation into you, and I’ve come across irregularities. You’re right to be suspicious of the timing of the return of your brother’s regalia to the Vault of Dreams.”

Lyssa’s eyes widened and her heart rate kicked up. “What have you found?”

“It’s all circumstantial, but I was able to link the mission your brother allegedly died on to a rogue Sorcerer I eliminated years ago, after the reported death of your brother,” Tristan replied. “This rogue was similar to Allard—a man interested in spreading misery for profit and whose smuggling involved helping to spark unnecessary conflicts among the Shadows.”

Lyssa swallowed, not knowing how to handle that information. “You’re saying you already got my revenge for me? That it doesn’t matter now? Why didn’t the Elders tell me about this?”

“We both know the Elders don’t feel compelled to share all information with all Illuminated, but to be fair, they might not have known the connection between the rogue and your brother. I don’t share all my information with them for my own reasons.” Tristan added, “And no, I’m not saying it doesn’t matter because I suspect this goes much deeper than the rogue I killed, especially given the timing.”

“Okay, so the Elders decided to keep it to themselves, but you never bothered to contact me about it?” Lyssa all but shouted. “It’s not exactly a secret that I’ve been investigating this.”

“It was safer for you not to know,” Tristan replied, “and you cannot stand up to the Elders as I do. If you’d investigated this years ago, you’d probably be dead.”

“Okay. Okay.” Lyssa took a deep breath. “You’re saying this goes pretty high up, probably to Elders. I’ve thought that too, but how far? Are we talking rogue Elders, as in plural?”

“Perhaps.” Tristan shrugged. “I can’t be sure yet, but I find it hard to believe the smuggling and the manipulation of both the Society and Shadow governments were pulled off by rogues of lesser status.”

“Samuel and Theodora,” Lyssa said. “Are they clean, or are they on your list?”

Tristan shook his head. “I don’t believe either is corrupt, but I do have reason to believe Theodora might somehow be involved in my investigation. I’m not ready to share the reasons why.”

It was time to push forward. She needed to risk exposing some of her evidence to get more. It was time to mention one of the names on the list and see how he reacted.

“And what about Helga Strand?” Lyssa asked. “How does she fit into all this?”

“What?” Tristan sounded shocked. “Who?”

“What about Helga Strand?” Lyssa repeated. “How does she fit into all this?”

“Helga?” Tristan lowered his veil. “You’re surprising me far more than I suspected.”

Chapter Eighteen

Lyssa was proud she’d managed to surprise a Sorcerer older and more powerful than she, one who’d taken out an Eclipse with ease. It wasn’t that she thought he knew everything already. He wouldn’t be asking her questions if that were the case, but his reaction to the mention of Helga’s name proved her earlier suspicions had been on the right track.

It was nice to be ahead of one of the most dangerous men in the Society, one who had been investigating conspiracies longer than she’d been alive. But finding the truth, not ego-stroking, was her goal.

“You’re not the only one who can investigate suspicious crap,” Lyssa said to move the conversation along. “Helga’s name came up in evidence I ran across in a recent case, the one involving Adrien Allard. I haven’t been able to find out what it means in context, but you might be able to give me a clue about it.”

“I see. That’s interesting.” Tristan looked down as if studying the floor. “And what was this evidence? You trust me enough to tell me about that?”

“Hell, no.” Lyssa laughed. “Not yet, anyway. I feel like we’re both dancing around the truth, and I need something a