Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1)

by Cyndi Friberg

  * * * * *

  North staggered to a stop as he materialized in the Shadow Maze. His mind was bombarded with information and images. South swung a whip over and over as Aila screamed and writhed in agony. Alarms shrieked. The perimeter around E’Lanna had been breached, the guards incapacitated. With a deep breath, he forced the jumble into some semblance of order and sorted through the images. He was hardly able to see through the haze of pain as he set his feet in motion.

  A broad scan revealed further developments. Varrik’s signal was faint, as was Echo’s. They were no longer in the maze. It stood to reason that they were responsible for E’Lanna’s perimeter breech. Damn Varrik’s impetuous soul!

  He summoned his two most trusted hunters as he rushed to check on Aila. They awaited him in front of her door. “I leave for a few hours, and all hell breaks loose. Where is Elder South? Why didn’t anyone pursue Varrik?”

  “Sweepers are allowed to come and go as they see fit,” the older of the two hunters said.

  “Well, thank Marton you’re here to explain it to me. It’s not like I helped write the laws or anything!” His sarcasm was wasted on the hunters, so he scanned open Aila’s door. Another alarm sounded inside his mind. He deactivated the signal with a thought and rushed toward the bed. Aila lay on her side, sleeping peacefully. He carefully lifted her gown away from her skin and examined her back. Though scarred from the fire, her flesh bore no signs of recent abuse. Had the images been conjured? Who set the intruder alarm? None of this made sense.

  “Should we report Varrik to Minekus?” the hunter asked.

  “No. This is personal. Varrik is angry with me. I’d prefer to take care of this quietly.”

  “How can we assist you?”

  “You’re hunters,” North snapped. “Go hunt! Use whatever force is necessary to bring Varrik back, but I want him alive.”

  “What about the women?”

  “They’re expendable.”