Agents of the Crown- The Complete Series

by Lindsay Buroker

  No, he told himself firmly. He didn’t push her hands away, but he kept himself from letting his roam. She felt far too nice, and it was far too tempting.

  “I’m going up to see my father tomorrow, and I’ll talk to him about us,” Jev said. “And about canceling that marriage acceptance. He will listen to reason.”

  “Hm.” She sounded skeptical.

  Jev wanted her to be confident that he could and would handle things. He wished he hadn’t told her before that he felt duty bound to do as his father desired and be a proper heir, a proper son. He would be those things, but he would also marry who he wished. Even if he had to break the zyndar class rules to do so.

  “I think we should visit the elven tower first,” she said. “I walked past it on the way back to the castle this evening, but the outer gate was locked, and I thought I should get Targyon’s permission before scaling the walls and snooping in their territory.”

  “Snooping?”

  “To see if the elves who were snooping there first left anything snoop-worthy to discover.”

  “I think they were looking for Lornysh,” Jev said, “if we’re talking about the same elves.”

  Zenia hesitated. “You believe a group of them came all this way just for him?”

  “I think it’s possible. He’s dangerous. They might have believed they would need a group.” He tilted his head. “Why? You have reason to believe something else is going on?”

  “Possibly.” She stepped back—he told himself it was only mildly disappointing, not catastrophic, when she unlinked her arms from around his neck—and slid a hand into a pocket of her dress. “I’ve been receiving infrequent notes of warning from an anonymous source. I should have told you sooner, but this is only the third one. I barely thought anything of the first one since it came after the event. And the second one—well, we were so busy that I didn’t get around to telling you.”

  She held out a small folded envelope. Jev opened it and withdrew a single piece of stationery.

  “Avoid the elf,” he read, then turned it over. Nothing was on the back. “That’s it?”

  Zenia pointed to her name, Captain Zenia Cham, on the front of the envelope. “It’s addressed to me and was mysteriously dropped off at the Air Order Temple while I was waiting for you to be healed. Someone knew I was there. The second one came to me here at the castle, delivered by an arrow that was shot over the wall.”

  “I find the fact that someone is keeping tabs on your whereabouts more concerning than the contents of the messages.” Jev looked toward the window, wishing Lornysh hadn’t taken off. He would have liked to ask if there was a magical way someone could be tracking Zenia. Was it possible the dragon tear gave off a powerful enough signature that some distant mage could feel it?

  “I’m not tickled about it either. If the paperwork in the office and our cases thus far weren’t keeping me so busy, I would put some effort into tracking down the person, but I haven’t had much free time yet.”

  Jev winced, feeling lazy because he’d spent the last week healing and rehabilitating. He hadn’t even been to the office since before they’d fought the trolls in the swamp. “I’m sorry. You’re not doing my paperwork, too, are you?”

  “I don’t mind,” she said.

  “Oh, Zenia.” Jev stepped close and hugged her again. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Actually, I do. Or someone does, at least. The foreign reports come in almost every day and are imperative to read right away. Some of them contain time-sensitive information.”

  “You shouldn’t have to do that. I’ll find someone else to help for when I’m sick or injured or have Dharrow duties that I can’t escape. Maybe one of the other agents has good organizational skills.”

  She accepted his hug and rested her hands on his hips, but she was stiffer than she had been before. “Both your work and my work, receiving and going over all the reports, were handled by one person before. Zyndar Garlok. I refuse to believe he can do more than I can.”

  “He never left the office. All he did was sit at that desk all day. You’re too smart to be wasted on that. I want you going out and doing research and solving cases when we have them. I’m sure Targyon does too. We’ll find a secretary or promote—or maybe demote?—one of the agents to the job.”

  Jev thought of Rhi, but he hadn’t seen her pick up a pen yet, and she didn’t seem like someone who would be good at paperwork. There was Garlok, who was experienced, but Jev didn’t want to admit to the man that he needed help. Nor did he entirely trust Garlok. Someone had been giving the town gossips a lot of fodder about him.

  “We’ll find someone,” he reiterated.

  Maybe he should have said that he would find someone. He didn’t want Zenia to feel she had to take on the task. She’d taken on enough.

  “I’ll be back in the office tomorrow morning and will start the hunt.”

  “After we visit the elven tower,” she said.

  Jev smiled, amused by her persistence and determination. He didn’t know if anything would come from it—he believed those elves had come for Lornysh and nothing more—but maybe he would find Lornysh still there packing. Jev had questions for his friend, and he also wanted to make another attempt at offering him assistance. Perhaps he would urge Lornysh to visit Targyon and see what he thought before leaving. It distressed Jev to think of never seeing Lornysh again.

  “After we visit the tower,” he agreed.

  “And after you open your gift.”

  “My what?”

  Zenia leaned back to look at his face while she arched her eyebrows. “The gift from Naysha that’s been on your desk for over a week. What if you run into her and she asks you how you like it? You’d have to admit you never opened it.”

  “Oh.” He’d forgotten all about it. And it made him uncomfortable to be reminded that Naysha had given it to Zenia, that the two women had interacted at all. He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed like he should keep his ex-fiancé away from his new… girlfriend. He decided to think of Zenia as his girlfriend, even if it would be gauche to announce that to the world when his father had agreed he would wed Fremia Bludnor.

  Something else he had to take care of tomorrow. It was going to be a busy day.

  “Rhi keeps wanting to shake it to see if she can guess what it is,” Zenia added.

  “Has she?”

  “Not while I’ve been watching.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  Zenia smiled. “No, it doesn’t.” She let go and stepped back. It seemed like she was doing that a lot tonight. “Thank you for this.” She held up the chain. “I better get to bed. We have lots to do tomorrow, and I haven’t been sleeping that well.”

  “The dragon tear?”

  She hesitated, avoiding his eyes. “I’m still having nightmares. I can’t prove they’re a result of the dragon tear, but…”

  “They started after you began wearing it, right? Have you tried taking it off when you go to bed?” He waved toward its spot on her chest, assuming she kept it close, even at night. Most of those lucky enough to have dragon tears did.

  “Yes. I tried hanging it on the doorknob and putting it in a jewelry box. It made no difference. I think we’re linked now.”

  “You could try leaving it in here if you like.” He waved to his desk, though after all that Cutter had said, he wouldn’t be that eager to sleep with the gem in his room. Still, if there was a chance it would help Zenia rest more easily, he would do it.

  Zenia touched her chest, a flash of alarm in her eyes, and a faint pulse of blue light seeped through the material of her dress. “Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I like to keep it close. In case there’s an emergency.”

  Jev shifted his weight. He hoped it wasn’t exerting some influence over her to ensure she didn’t let it go.

  “Of course,” he said, not wanting to object or give the dragon tear a reason to believe him an enemy or a danger to it—and when had he started to think of the thing
as sentient? “You could also sleep here. Maybe being snuggled in my arms would keep nightmares away.” Maybe she would be too busy dreaming about erotic things to do with him for anything else to drift into her mind.

  Uh huh, wishful thinking, Jev, he told himself. More likely, he would be the one dreaming, especially if he slept with her in his arms. Maybe he had better rescind the offer, for both of their sanities.

  “I…” Zenia paused.

  Was she considering it? Or only trying to think of a tactful way to reject him?

  “Just for sleep,” Jev said, a clarification somehow coming out rather than a rescinding. “Nothing involving nudity,” he added, though he believed she trusted him and his honor and that the clarification wasn’t necessary.

  She met his eyes, and he thought he read longing in hers, that she truly would like to sleep with him. Whether to keep nightmares at bay or just because she would enjoy it, he didn’t know, but he had the urge to step forward and wrap his arms around her again, in case she truly was distressed by the dreams and longed for comfort.

  “No,” she said and visibly washed the emotion from her face, assuming her familiar determined expression with her chin up. “Thank you, but no. As long as you’re engaged, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  “I don’t intend to be engaged for long, and nobody would have to know.” He spread a hand, silently offering again.

  “We’re in a castle full of hundreds of people. Somebody would know.” She smiled sadly. “Goodnight, Jev.”

  “Goodnight, Zenia,” he murmured sadly as she slipped out.

  3

  Zenia, plagued by another nightmare, was down in the office before dawn, the lanterns lit on all the desks in an attempt to stave off the perpetual darkness of the basement. And the darkness of that forlorn cave with that vile orc striding forward and sinking its sword into her flesh. Her scaled flesh.

  She shook her head, disturbed anew by the memories.

  A part of her wished she had taken Jev up on his offer. She doubted sharing his bed would have kept the nightmares away, but at least she would have woken up in his arms, feeling safe and secure as her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest. But, as she’d told him, one of the maids would figure out if they were sharing a bed, or some other member of the staff would witness her walking out of his room in the morning. She didn’t want to be a handle others could use on Jev to hurt his reputation. Or to hurt him. Even if she hadn’t cared about the gossip, such behavior wouldn’t be proper, not when he was engaged to another woman.

  It broke her heart a little to think that his engagement might turn into a marriage. Even though she believed he wanted to be with her, she didn’t quite believe he would walk away from his family and his duties as his father’s heir. She was tempted to ride out to his castle one day and speak with Heber just in case she could change his mind, but the man surely remembered her as the inquisitor who’d stormed his castle, and she feared she would only make matters worse. It wasn’t as if she had some great charm and could bat her eyes and convince him that she was perfect for his son.

  A faint query emanated from the dragon tear on her chest. She slid a finger along her beautiful new chain and touched the gem, not certain what the sensation meant. A vision came to her of standing before Heber Dharrow, the magic from the dragon tear trickling over to him, its powers of manipulation changing his mind.

  She jerked her hand down to her desk, a chill washing over her.

  She wouldn’t contemplate manipulating someone into doing something to benefit her, and it disturbed her that the idea had come to mind, whether prompted by the gem or not. Besides, she’d never heard that one could use such magic for long-term manipulation. She would have to stand next to Heber day in and day out to keep him from changing his mind.

  “Which makes it a moot point,” she whispered to herself. “I have a job to do here.”

  Still, a weird feeling settled in her gut and didn’t want to leave. Speculation. What could be… if she was willing to do it?

  Zenia was relieved when the door opened, and she lifted her head, expecting the first of her agents was coming in to work. Having others in the office would make it feel less quiet. Less dangerous.

  But it wasn’t an agent. Two people walked in, a man and a woman, and she didn’t recognize either of them. A guard was walking behind them.

  “Captain Cham?” The guard peered around. “Is Zyndar Dharrow in?”

  “Not yet,” Zenia said.

  “This is Zyndar Hydal.” The guard pointed to the man, a slender fellow with spectacles. He appeared to be about thirty. “He’s here to see Zyndar Dharrow. About… zyndar things.”

  Zenia snorted. That likely meant the guard had no idea.

  “He said he’d be in this morning.” Zenia glanced at the rectangular gift sitting on Jev’s desk, along with a short stack of folders. Of well-organized folders. She was pleased she’d kept the reports from growing into mountains during his week of recovery. In her mind, helping him somewhat made up for the fact that she hadn’t gone to visit him during his rehabilitation. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to.

  Zyndar Hydal adjusted his spectacles. “Perhaps we could check his room?”

  “This is the king’s private residence,” the guard said, sounding grouchy. Judging by the bags under his eyes, he was due to come off the night shift soon. “I’m not taking you on a tour all over the castle.”

  “Zyndar,” the woman said.

  “What?” the guard asked.

  “My cousin is of the nobility and deserves your respect, sir.”

  Hydal flicked his fingers in a dismissive gesture.

  The guard grunted. “You can talk to Captain Cham or wait here for Zyndar Captain Dharrow. Maybe he’ll give you a tour.” The guard grumbled under his breath and turned and strode away.

  As Zenia walked up the aisle between the rows of desks, the woman moved to a bookcase near the door. It was full of reference material, nothing of top-secret importance, so Zenia didn’t say anything. The woman clasped her hands behind her back, perusing the books. She was younger than Hydal, in her early twenties perhaps, but she also wore spectacles and had a slender build and fine features.

  “I know little about zyndar things,” Zenia said, “but may I be of assistance? Oh, Zyndar Hydal. Aren’t you the one that Jev put on the payroll as an informant?”

  “On the payroll without pay, yes.” Hydal smiled. “That’s me.”

  “I believe Jev—Zyndar Dharrow—occupies a similar financial category on the books.”

  “Jev can afford not to get paid.” The woman turned, holding her finger on the spine of a book. “The Dharrows have money flying out of their ears. It’s no wonder half the women in the kingdom are scheming to get Jev to marry them.”

  Zenia’s cheeks warmed, more at the topic than because she fell into that category.

  Hydal made a patting motion in the air to his cousin.

  “Don’t shush me, Hux. Isn’t his marriage what we came here to discuss?”

  “Yes, I suppose.” Hydal gave Zenia an apologetic look—had Jev told him that he and Zenia had feelings for each other?—and closed the door. “My pardon for being late on the introductions, Captain. I’m Huxley Hydal—Jev and I served in Gryphon Company together during the war. This is my cousin Severalina. She’s a… friend of Wyleria Dharrow.”

  For some reason, Severalina rolled her eyes at the word friend. “You can call me Sevy. Zyndari Sevy.” She looked back at Zenia, as if she expected some disrespect to her title at any moment. “Also, you have an alphabetical mismatch.”

  “Oh?” Zenia eyed the shelf. Agent Torson sat nearest to it and kept a log about books being checked in and out by other agents. “Ah, yes, I see.”

  Sevy arched her eyebrows. Asking for permission to fix it? Zenia nodded, and Sevy switched two books around, placing them in their proper order.

  “Jev has indeed asked me to share any gossip I hear while attending zyndar social gatherings
around town,” Hydal said. “And also not to be seen here at the castle.”

  “Which is why we’re here before the robins are even cheeping.” Sevy grimaced.

  “You didn’t have to come,” Hydal pointed out.

  “I know, but I wanted to ask Jev about… things.” She didn’t look at either of them, merely pulled out a rarely used book and dusted off the top with her sleeve.

  “I’m sure Wyleria is fine,” Hydal murmured.

  This resulted in an exasperated you-know-nothing look.

  Zenia was tempted to run up to Jev’s room and get him simply so she could deposit the unexpected visitors in his lap. But if Hydal was one of their informants…

  “Do you have something to report?” Zenia asked. “I can write it down for Jev.”

  “Just that Fremia Bludnor may come out with an accusation against Zyndari Megloni Trocken or her family soon. She was nearly run over in the street yesterday—it’s possible it wasn’t as close as she’s claiming it was—by a steam wagon owned by one of the Trocken family businesses. She believes Megloni was behind it, trying to kill her so Jev would be free to marry someone else. Namely, her. It seems that Zyndari Megloni also has her eyes on him but that her mother didn’t get to Heber Dharrow’s castle quickly enough to put in a marriage offer. The two mothers recently had a spat over it, during which Fremia was notably smug.”

  Hydal recited all this in a bored tone. Zenia wondered if women’s gossip was the kind of information he’d imagined himself relaying when he’d volunteered for the job. Or had Jev dragooned him into it? Either way, it had to be far less scintillating than working in the intelligence-gathering Gryphon Company during the war had been.

  “At this time,” Hydal said, “I deem it unlikely that His Majesty’s Crown Agents will be called in to investigate, but there was talk from Fremia of escalating it to the king, so it is possible you’ll hear about it.”

  “I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Technically, domestic affairs are my domain, so I’m the correct person to report to for such matters.”