A Flight of Ravens John Conroe (great books for teens txt) 📖

he deems traitors to the kingdom.  It was possible that they had banished him, theoretically,at least.  Unlikely though.  Warcan leniency is not a thing.

“Torture?” I asked, completely casual.

“Doesn’t work well… you know that,” she said, giving me a side-eye.  “That some kind of test?”

“Professional interest.  It’s been more than a few weeks since she took up residence and I thought that well had already run dry,” I said, although I was always testing my princess, just as she tested me.  We have a complicated relationship, our bonds woven deep and thick, yet sometimes thorns can appear, even on the strongest roots.

“No, that was a test.  But you know I don’t think torture is at all useful.  People will say anything to anyone to avoid pain.  It’s a stupid approach, as I know that you know,” she said, giving me a reproachful look.  I let it bounce off.  I might be wholly bound to my princess, but I was immune to many of her tricks.

“No, we’ve found that given time, even the most disciplined agent will tire and relax their guard. The trick is confirming that it was an actual slip and not intentional.”

“What did you find out?”

“There appears to be another traitor, this one highly placed within our circle of trust.”

“Why?  Why do people think going over to the Paul will be anything other than a sentence of death, either at our hands or his?” I asked, instantly incensed.

“Most people would want to know who, what, where, or when… you ask the why,” she said, turning and smiling her brilliant happy smile at me.  That one, I am not immune to.

“We don’t know any of those answers, by the way, as Rubella doesn’t either.  As to the why, it can simply be greed of money, dear Savid… or love.  Revenge, envy, or some perceived injustice.”

“And it goes without saying that we know this isn’t just a clever ploy to have us suspecting everyone among us,” I said.

She smiled again.  “Yes, without saying.  Rubella used the same turn of phrase three separate times with three individuals.  Exact wording and intonation.”

“Ah, a prompt for response,” I said.  Keeping spies isolated from each other sometimes requires the use of a code phrase to identify a deeply placed asset.

“Who did she say it to?” I asked.

“Again, you never ask what others do.  Most would want to know the phrase first.”

“Does it matter?  It’s just words,” I said.

“Do your heroes come home is what she asked.  Neil, Kiven, and Erser,” she said.

“Did all report it?” I asked, part of me horrified and part already working through the problem.

“Yup, to a man.  Of course, I had double observers on her cell who independently confirmed what was said and to whom.”

Without boasting, I feel comfortable saying that I am an expert on small unit tactics and special operations. I’m also fair to passing on larger-scale strategic warfare, but my princess absolutely excels at the twisted turns and back alleys of intrigue and espionage. Putting not one but two watchers on every interaction her special guest had was normal to her way of thinking.  The fact that she mentioned two observers meant that even a third was possible.

“Oscar?” I asked.  Brona’s favorite eslling was a Reader of exquisite talent and reliability.  Strength in a Truth Reader isn’t nearly as important as the skill and ability to be exceptionally accurate with the information they receive.  The human mind is a crazy complex organ—thoughts occur rapidly and on multiple levels.  Mental discipline varies greatly from person to person, as do actual patterns of thought and logic.  Picking through the myriad of conscious and unconscious thoughts and emotions that everyone has all the time is extraordinarily difficult—most eslling readers are not quite sane by the time they reach adulthood, if they reach adulthood at all.

“Got nothing from any of the three,” she said. “But she never said the phrase when any of them was close enough to Read.  I’m considering saying the phrase to her with Oscar nearby, but I can only do that once.”

“Yeah, that’s a last-ditch move. So, either none of the three are the agent in place or one of them is incredibly well conditioned and disciplined,” I said.

“We’ll see,” she said.  “If none of them are the sleeper, then I want to expose her to more people.  See who else she asks and how they respond.”

“But if it is one of them?”

“It’s a problem.  Tell me, oh wise man of warcraft… which could do the most damage?” she asked.

“Erser,” I answered without hesitation.  “If the royal guards are compromised at the top, you and your father are in incredible danger.  After him, I would say that Neil Slinch, as head of the Ravens, is almost as dangerous.  Kiven would be merely horrible in comparison.”

“I happen to agree, although my thoughts might be biased by my intrinsic need to preserve myself,” she said, all logic and prudence.

“What about Salis?” I asked.  Her lifelong bodyguard was a Wenkroy-trained warrior with one of the longest contracts in Wenkroy history.

“I’ve sent her to Rubella’s cell many times on various errands.  The Lash taunts her but has never used anything like a code phrase.  I’ve had multiples of my associates monitor those interactions, including both Oscar and our new young prodigy, Sydney. She’s a doll, by the way.”

“Is she fitting in?”

“She’s shy, but I think she’s reasonably happy… as happy as a child who lost her parents and home can be.  She really looks forward to your weekly Rik matches, and only partially because she mostly wins.”  I snorted at that comment. Who doesn’t lose to a see-er?

Then she added, “But I think Salis is okay.”

“Getting old though.  She’s gotta be mid-forties,” I said.

“Let’s see you tell her that!” Brona said with a sharp grin.

“She’s still tough, but we all slow down.”

“She’ll take a blade for me without question and, as you know, age may bring slowness, but it also brings cunning and treachery.  Spar with her if you have any doubts.”

“I