* * * * *
“This son of a bitch has Lor locked in a closet,” Echo said in an urgent whisper. “He intends to incinerate South and blame it on Lor.”
Varrik stared at the elder crumpled at her feet, disbelief scrunching his features. His mouth opened as if he would speak, then he shook his head and asked, “Which closet?”
“I’ll show you.”
Saebin fell in behind them as they hustled down the corridor. “What does that one gain by blaming South’s murder on Lor?”
“He can rally the men behind a central cause and dispose of his rival all in one fell swoop.” Varrik seemed to recover from the surprise as they jogged. “Is South dead?”
“I don’t think so. North couldn’t find him.” Echo indicated a nondescript doorway, and Varrik scanned it open. “Something else is going on. North was really upset. The Rodytes sent some sort of…” Her words trailed away as she stepped into the storage compartment.
“Where is Lor?” Saebin asked.
Light flashed behind her, and Echo whipped around in time to see Varrik disappear. “What the—” Pain detonated deep in her chest. She reached out blindly for Saebin, lost in white-hot agony. Breath was frozen in her lungs, and her muscles refused to obey the frantic urging of her brain.
As suddenly as light overtook her, it sputtered out, and she was left in utter darkness.
Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1) Page 30
