The compound below appeared empty, but Valek eased down the wall and didn’t relax until he reached the shadows at the base. He circled around. The bag with his clean stable-boy clothes remained hidden. Valek changed and stuffed the bloody ones into a burn barrel before he washed up.

Lanterns blazed in the stables and a couple of horses were missing. Reedy saddled a big mare while the Stable Master put a bridle on another.

“Where’ve you been?” Reedy demanded.

“At the latrine,” Valek said and helped the boy with the girth straps.

“All this time?”

“Until all hell broke loose. Then a captain ordered me to stay in Barrack A until the ruckus died down. What happened?”

“The assassin struck again. I heard he got two men before they spotted him climbing over the wall.” Reedy’s voice held a combination of awe and fear.

They worked to saddle more horses as officers left to join the chase. When the flow of officers slowed, the Stable Master questioned Valek on his absence. He repeated his story.

The Stable Master backhanded him across the cheek, spinning Valek to the ground as pain exploded on the right side of his face.

He crouched next to Valek. “I’m your boss, not some captain. Next time you get your ass back here right away or I’ll pound on you until you look like raw meat and then I’ll feed you to the horses. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Valek considered adding the Stable Master to his to-be-assassinated list.

Valek worked at the stable for another month. He viewed the effects of his double assassination with amusement. Twice the number of guards traversed the walls, extra locks were installed on all doors, patrols swept the woods surrounding the garrison every night and soldiers patrolled the compound, checking shadows.

Right now Captain Aniol was untouchable. On Valek’s next day off, he left and never returned. He had spent a total of three and a half seasons as a stable boy and had learned so much more than he’d expected. Someday, he’d finish the job. No doubt.

He reported to Hedda’s office when he reached the school.

“What the hell were you thinking when you killed Edvard?” she demanded. Two red splotches on her cheeks matched the color of her hair.

“I wasn’t—”

“That’s right, you weren’t thinking!” She stood and jabbed a finger at him. “Never kill a target in front of witnesses.”

“But they were...”

She waited.

“You’re right. It was a disaster.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t caught,” Hedda said.

Valek couldn’t resist. “Luck had nothing to do with it.” He smirked.

A steely glint flattened her green eyes. “And what did?”

“Your excellent training.”

She snorted, but she settled behind her desk. “And did my training include leaving clues?”

“Clues?”

“Those black statues. They’re calling you the rock assassin.”

“Not very original,” he said.

“They can be traced back to you.”

“How?”

“Asking around at the market, finding the person you bought them from.”

He smiled. “I didn’t buy them nor did anyone see me carve them.”

If she was surprised, she hid it well. “You better make sure no one does. Now, where’s my cut from your wages?”

He handed her a small pouch.

Hedda dumped the coins into her palm. “Not much. Talk about slave labor.”

Valek shrugged. “I found the experience to be very valuable.”

“Did you, now?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready to earn much more than this?” She shook the coins as she studied his expression.

He paused. It was one thing to kill the men who’d murdered his brothers, but to assassinate an innocent...

“They’re far from innocent.” She gestured to a chair. “Sit down and let me tell you about the people who are targeted for assassination. It’s not because they’re the pillars of the community or because they do good deeds for their neighbors. No, there is always a reason someone hires us to kill them. Corruption runs deep in this country. The royals are the worst of them. And then there’re the drug lords and those exploiting children and forcing women to be prostitutes. Let’s just say no one mourns their deaths.”

“That would make it easier.”

“And don’t forget the experience alone would be...”

“Valuable.” He’d made a big mistake with Edvard. And he still had much to learn. When he went after the King, there’d be no room for error.

“Are you ready for your first paid assassination?” Hedda asked.

“Yes.”

Valek had then worked various jobs throughout the next two years. With each assassination, his skills improved and his heart rate steadied. Confidence had come with experience, and a high level of cockiness. Valek had started leaving his black statues for his targets to find, warning them of their impending assassination just to make the job harder. And it had, setting off a series of ruined plans, close calls and mistakes. However, his ability to quickly deal with complications had improved.

Dealing with problems had been a part of his life since he’d vowed revenge on his brother’s murderers. And the message from Yelena that lay on his desk was one recent example. Valek tapped his fingers on the parchment, considering if the Commander’s order not to get involved with Ben Moon’s escape extended to Valek’s corps. He could send a few trusted men to Fulgor just to keep an eye on Yelena. That wouldn’t be disobeying the Commander’s orders.