HAWK & SABLE | TWENTY-NINE

"DAMN," CAME IRINA'S involuntary swear as she surveyed the cell Diego had been placed in, and then his scene of murder. "Fucking hell."

Normally, they'd be amused by Irina's display of rage and sudden vulgarity, but they were all too flummoxed for that today. Assassins did not break into the headquarters of the Iron Wolves. They did not kill important prisoners. They did not do so without alerting a single person.

Ryan whistled. "We are in trouble. No one heard anything, Zhang daren?"

The Captain of the Iron Wolves looked just as confused as anyone else. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. None of the Wolves heard anything, we checked. A window upstairs was open. We think that's how it got in, but yesterday night's guards swore up and down that it was shut and locked when they checked."

"Falcon?" Myrina murmured, rubbing her arms as if the cool cell made her exceedingly uncomfortable. "A Falcon would have the skill, and it explains the Meliquean steel we found."

"Why would a Falcon kill him instead of helping him out?" Asteria demanded. "It makes no sense. Is there inner turbulence within the Meliquean government?"

"It's the speed this happened that concerns me," Rhys told them, studying the stone ground. "There has to be someone else within these walls. He might not have acted alone at all. There's no way the Meliqueans could dispatch a Falcon this quick, even if they heard."

"Was this why he wasn't worried at all?" Ciri asked, eyebrows creased. "That he knew he would die? He didn't strike me as the type to willingly die for something like this though, no matter how... passionate he was about their cause."

"No screaming," Dominic muttered. "We'd have heard that. He didn't die with terror on his face or anything akin to that. More confusion. I don't think he was expecting the person to kill them."

"Nothing left behind except a Meliquean knife?" Asteria asked.

Zhang daren shook his head. "Nothing, my lady. I'm assuming they got in with keys, but those are right where they belong. I'm wondering if the blade was thrown outside the cell."

They regarded the distance between the bars and where Diego would have been held. Ciri broke the silence. "It's possible."

Myrina asked, "If they couldn't get in, it explains why he was killed instead of rescued. They might have decided it was better to have him dead then potentially give away secrets to us."

"If his weaponry and timing is any indication, he'd been here for years. He'd barely know anything too important about the Meliqueans."

Myrina shrugged, meeting Ryan's eyes. "If he has allies in court, the Meliqueans might want to keep those under wraps for now. And Lord Archsham's presence at court, not to mention Norman Hightower's recent capture suggests that the Arecians are on them too. They'd be careful. Sha ren mie kou jian dan de hen." It is easy to kill someone in order to keep their mouths quiet. Dead men tell no tales.

Ryan didn't seem too pleased with that, the way he was never too pleased with anything Myrina had to say, but he conceded the point with a rough nod. Irina ignored the obvious tension brewing between the two and said, "We'll need to up security. Could it have been the Panther?"

"Wil— Diego hired him," Rhys pointed out. "And Ciri says he doesn't like the Meliqueans either."

"Perfect reasoning to kill him."

"Not him. The Meliquean steel doesn't make sense, unless the Panther is playing his own political game, which isn't his style. Neither is this entire assassination, really. We all get reputations in these games. The Panther stays loyal to his employer unless there's another reason, whether because a favour is owed or the person's really fucked in the head. This is the first time I've ever heard him display any opinions regarding politics." Rhys scratched her neck.

"The Panther wouldn't have stayed behind after he was captured. My guess would be that he's already out of the city," Ciri said. "I've gone up against him before. He cuts his losses and runs, if he even considers this a loss. He likes advanced payment."

"I won't ask how you know that," Irina replied, sarcasm thick in her voice. "That background check we talked about... That's a definite now."

"We'll put some Wolves on it." Zhang daren looked at the two assembled. "You two could deal with that, I think."

Rhys' smile was victorious, predatory. This would be her first time leading a proper assignment. Dominic nodded, respectful as always. "Of course, daren. We won't let you down."

He grunted. "It's not me you'd be disappointing. It's the entire empire."

Ryan nodded approvingly. "The corpse?"

"At the coroner's. Autopsy in process. Once that's done, buried, probably. Unmarked grave. Unless you have something else in mind?"

"I know what you're thinking." Ryan shook his head. "We're not that far ahead yet. And if we do that, the Meliqueans will happily take it as a sign of war being declared." What was that? Then it dawned upon her. A corpse was a message. We're on you. We know what you're doing. Someday soon, corpses might start being the main message between these two countries. But for now, they'll stick the threats behind layers of courteous messages.

Zhang daren nodded.

Asteria said, "War's coming," which they all knew, so she continued, "they have at least two spies within our ranks. Infiltrated our officials and turned them into agents against us unknowingly."

"We have far more than just two in theirs." Irina paused. "We're not ready."

Ryan murmured, "We have to be."

Ciri bit her lip. "The Arecians think war would be declared within the year. I heard some Arecian Service agents discussing it. They have men in Melique, too, and they're not fond of their next plans."

"If Lasyan falls..."

"Eibenburren. Then Eirao. The Meliqueans will control their entire continent." Zhang daren sounded pained. "They won't stop. They'll go for Gira or Gana, maybe both. Take that, they have an easy way to Sai, or they'd stop at Asayama first. If they get that far, the war would be bloody."

"War is always bloody." Irina sounded detached, as if she was merely discussing the weather and not the fate of millions. "Would they go for Joskum first? Press with the Lohians? Joskum would fall."

Asteria shook her head. "They fear Caershire."

Irina looked surprised. "After all that Caershire has done to Joskum?"

"Hatred of Lohia and Melique might be enough to unite them," Asteria explained. "I imagine Kon Ria would be left alone."

Ciri asked, "The loyalists remaining in Vayante?"

"The rebels, you mean," Ryan snorted. "They failed. All fleeing. We did a bit more investigation— that Sanchez family Irina had Io checking? Loyalists. Got discovered and had to flee."

"War is truly coming, then."

Irina snorted. "Coming?" she gestured at the cell around them, nudging her chin at where a Meliquean spy had died hours before. "It's already here, my friend."

✢

"YOU HAVE A MESS on your hands," Justine Lan declared, nodding in acknowledgement as Ciri entered the room.

"Are you waiting for Irina?"

"Myrina, actually. She's getting ready, so I'm just here drinking some tea." She raised the china cup she held in her hands. "How have you been, Miss Diao?"

"As well as could be, colonel. You?"

"More or less the same." Justine had always been frank. She wasn't born of the nobility, an orphan Irina had somehow met years ago and brought into the Palace as a playmate. After the Emperor had discovered her talent with warfare, she had been conscripted into the army, slowly rising through its ranks. Just like so, Irina had control over both court culture and the military. Myrina Mai may be quiet and reclusive, but the girl was still a countess, and exceedingly influential. Among the younger debutantes and unmarried ladies, her word was law.

"Seems to be the most any of us could feel peace these days," Ciri let out a small huff of laughter. "Well I'm stopping by for the gege."

"Not gege for much longer?"

Ciri looked up in surprise. "It's decided, then? She's getting promoted? First or second rank?"

"First," Justine said with a little grin, "to her surprise. I saw it coming. The Emperor and Empress have no hope to give birth to a daughter, and they thought they might as well make Irina's hand more attractive to prospective suitors. She would be the adoptive daughter of the Emperor of Sai, after all."

"So, Princess Huancheng of the First Rank? Huancheng gulun gongzhu?"

"Even better. They're giving a four letter honorific."

Ciri's eyes widened. That was an honour beyond thought. "Bachelors across the world are salivating right now."

"Yes, yes, but I heard that it's already more or less decided, isn't it? Arecia?"

Ciri nodded. "I don't think she's fond of the idea."

Justine shrugged. "No one likes being bartered off to some foreign country like an expensive jade, but as a member of the royal family, it is expected of her. There are other ladies, but none as important as her. And they don't want to marry any ladies of their own right away, in fear their land would fall into their husband's hands since some countries don't have the same laws as us." She tugged on her long, straight braid. "I pity you women sometimes."

Ciri raised a brow. "You realise you could easily be granted a title and land for your good work?"

Justine frowned. "That hadn't crossed my mind before. Damn."

"Or perhaps just a title. Irina knows you well, don't worry."

"If a line goes extinct and the main contender for it is someone Irina isn't fond of, she may easily hand it over to me, you realise that?" Good. Neither of them were blind to Irina's true nature. Cunning politician she may be, a good friend she wasn't. She tried, but her duty always came first in the princess's eyes.

"I do. I was hoping you did too. I'm pleased to know you do." They were both silent for a moment, unsure how to continue the conversation. They were, after all, discussing their princess. A princess who did not enjoy her friends talking behind her back, especially negatively, even if it wasn't with malicious intent.

"Your sister arrives tomorrow?"

"With a fiance in tow, yes." Ciri poured herself some tea, since no maid was present. "It shall be quite amusing. Not surprising, since most of us saw it coming a mile away, of course. But still."

Justine chuckled. "I shall watch what will unfold with interest, then. The Scarlet Palace could use a bit of... lightness after all it has just been through."

"According to the rest of the world, what just happened was a daily occurence in our walls."

Justine rolled her eyes. "Damn them all, then. We have... the occasional poisoning for inheritance. Family rivalries, of course, quite a few of those, but we're a relatively peaceful tribe, don't you think?"

Ciri's brow arched. "Says the colonel."

Justine's mouth twisted with mirth. "I said relatively, Miss Diao. We, of course, are an exception. But we commit violence to keep the peace, wouldn't you agree?"

"Whatever you say, Justine." Ciri took a sip of the tea. It was already a bit cool, probably from a few hours before, but still tolerable. She was thirsty anyways. "If that helps you sleep at night."

She shrugged. "What would you say if I told you it does?" They were both daughters of war, but only one of them could sleep comfortably at night. What did I do wrong?

"I'd be impressed," Ciri admitted. "It's never worked for me."

"It ought to. People do not survive in this world by being passive and kind-hearted. Anyone who tells you so is a loser trying to make themselves feel better by claiming some moral high ground. Tell me, Miss Diao, what is the point of a moral code when you are half-dead and starving in the rot?"

"Quite the philosopher, aren't you?"

Justine shrugged. "A realist, I like to think. I didn't have the fortune of being born into a family of riches and nobility like most of you. You can choose to stay away from the gritty side of the world, me? It's the only way up." Her dark eyes flickered to Ciri's face, then away. Her lip twitched. "Stop blaming yourself."

"How did you—"

"I hear things. I may not be a spy, but I do keep tabs on this Palace and the people within. I'm a soldier. I notice things."

Ciri shook her head. "It astonishes me. This entire Palace and not a single person who's simple."

"Simple people do not exist or survive in the Scarlet Palace. We're not as treacherous as the others claim, but we're still dangerous." She placed her cup down on the table besides her, eyes turning to the empty master's seat Irina or Ryan usually sat in. "We have been fortunate."

"Very."

"Yet we are still plagued by shadows and nightmares. Ah well, a fair price to pay. Do you know who I envy?"

Ciri shook her head, so Justine said, "Lady Kuroki's half-sister, and Asteria's aunt, Song Junyang."

"That would be General Song. I hear she is living in retirement now, somewhere far away from court. I know Asteria visits her once in a while."

"The Yuhen Mountains, yes. She lived a life of glory, winning war after war on the battlefield. One of the few and best female commanders in Saian history. A hero of our empire, and one of the main reasons the Noble Rebellion succeeded." Of course. Justine referred to it as the Noble Rebellion, because it hadn't been the people who started to revolt. Their life was not the best, but it wasn't too bad either. Their life hadn't changed too much, before and after.

"The last time she came to court was five years ago, wasn't it?"

Justine nodded. "She stays away from the spotlight. Lives a peaceful existence in the wilderness. I envy that."

"That may be you, someday. Your life's trajectory is going much like hers, you know."

"General at twenty-four. Led the battle against the former Duke of Mo Yi, returning victorious. The first woman to be granted a title of her own for her good work in warfare. I admire her greatly."

"She is a woman worth admiring," Ciri agreed. "Don't fret. I'm sure you'll be just as impressive, if not more, in the future. You're young."

"Same age as you."

"We are both young. And we have a long and winding path ahead of us."

"Filled with thorns and poisonous snakes."

"We have a thorn of our own by our side, don't we?" Ciri smiled at her own little joke. "Have you seen Rhys? I think she's a bit upset by this entire... debacle."

"Debacle is a nice way of putting it. Very eloquent of you. I'd have described it as a shitfest myself, personally. I suppose that's what a good education does to someone. Lets you describe something even like this politely." Ciri couldn't suppress her grin. Justine smiled back, eyes lit up with amusement. "Now, Miss Diao, since neither our dear princess nor her loyal lady has arrived yet, do tell me about this Arecian viscount we're housing under our roof?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of Laurence, which was not a response she welcomed. She calmed herself down and said, "His name is Laurence Dumont, Viscount Archsham. You'd know his father, I think, Jack Dumont."

"Ah, yes. Quite a celebrity back in the day. Did an excellent job of annoying the Duke of Shui Xiang once."

Ciri smiled. "Really. Asteria treats him quite courteously, though."

"Bygones are bygones. We choose to be progressive and not be held back by the deeds of our past generations. Irina says he's an Arecian Service agent."

"He is. One of my sister's closest friends. He specialises in the same field as me. Courts. We've worked together once or twice."

"Looking after us for Arecia?" Soldier Justine was, but she'd spent enough time around scheming courtiers and ruthless spies to think similarly to them.

"Aye. He reports to Cadieux, obviously."

Justine nodded. "Is he impressed?"

"All signs point to yes. Don't worry about that, we've put up a good show."

"I'm not. Worried, I mean. I trust your capabilities and judgments. So we'll be marching with Arecia. I should start studying some of them, then. My knowledge of the Arecian military is woefully lacking, since we've never had a reason to place much attention on them." That was a lie, of course. Ciri had seen plenty of books regarding the Arecian military under Justine's collection. But Justine had always been a chronic overachiever.

It was why Irina used her so much.

"I wish you the best of luck, then."

Justine nodded her appreciation.

"My," came a voice, "look how cozy you two are."

Ciri turned as Irina walked in, Myrina trailing behind. Spotting two unfamiliar girls walking in as well, both Ciri and Justine stood and curtsied.

Myrina said, voice soft, "Allow me to introduce you to Miss Naeva Li, daughter of Sir Li, and Lady Luciana Ying. She's a protege of the Duchess of Shui Xiang." That meant Luciana was a spy-in-training. Ciri's eyes studied them. Miss Li didn't look older than fifteen, a frail, skinny thing with wide eyes. Li... that would make her a cousin of the real William Hua. Why was she here?

She turned to Lady Luciana, who looked slightly older. Her face was expressionless with the barest of polite smiles. Ciri tilted her head in acknowledgement. "Lady Luciana. Miss Li."

Both girls curtsied.

"Miss Li is engaged to Captain Man," Irina explained, "and he requested we look after her when we could."

Ciri smiled, hiding her surprise. "Congratulations." The girl seemed far too young to marry, and from the way Malcolm had never once mentioned her, it was probably an arranged one.

Miss Li's replying smile was cheerless and a bit bitter. "Thank you." Lady Luciana glanced at her, eyebrows creasing, murmuring something to her friend under her breath. Whatever it was, it didn't cheer Miss Li up.

Miss Li was not happy with the engagement. Perhaps she'd do something galiant, dramatic and impressive in order to stop it. Malcolm would probably happily help her.

"Go sit, girls. Both Cirinique and Justine are dear friends. You needn't hold your tongues in front of them. Ciri, Justine, both of these girls are trained in the art of discretion. Nothing you say in front of them will leave their mouth."

Miss Li said, "I've been told the Hua Lin I have known for the past few years is an imposter. And now he is dead."

"I'm afraid so," Ciri murmured.

Miss Li was silent for a moment. "It seems misfortune keeps befalling on the House of Li. The real William..."

"Long gone, I'm afraid, Miss Li." Irina took her position at the front of the room, and the rest of them sat. "I apologise for being the bearer of such bad news."

"It is not your fault. How... how would this be explained to my family?"

"That is what we are hoping to discuss, actually," Myrina murmured. "Should we inform the marquess of truth? Or a fabricated story?"

Miss Li spoke slowly, selecting every word with care. "My personal belief is that the marquess would be... pleased by the news, almost. My part of the family would be quite hurt but move on. The truth should work. But... this is also a matter of great sensitivity."

"Could they be trusted to keep their mouth shut?"

Miss Li pondered upon that for a moment and then slowly shook her head. "No. I'm afraid not. Especially not the marquess. He'd never been fond of Willi— well, whoever was pretending to be William, so he'd probably happily broadcast the fact that he wasn't his true son."

"Then we keep it quiet." Irina shared a glance with Myrina. Justine watched proceedings quietly. "Shouldn't be too difficult."

"I forgot to say, I apologise for your loss, Miss Li." Ciri gave a dip of her head.

The girl's lips tugged downwards. "Ah well, nothing we could do about it. But thank you for your condolences, Miss Diao. I greatly appreciate it." This was a sad girl, someone who didn't have much to be happy about. But if Irina and Myrina seemed to be taking her under their wings, she should be alright.

There was shuffling outside, so they looked up. Malcolm walked in. His eyes glazed over the girls in the room, blinking when they landed on Miss Li. "Naeva?"

The girl immediately stood up and curtsied. "Captain Man." She didn't meet his eye.

He bowed, then turned to the others. "Huancheng gege, Lady Mai, Lady Luciana, Miss Diao, Colonel Lan. Welcome back to the Scarlet Palace, Colonel."

"Thank you, Captain." Justine tipped her head in appreciation. "Do you have news to report?"

A nod as he turned back to Irina, who said, "You can say it here. These two can be trusted."

If he was surprised, he hid it well. "We've been working with the Wolves to create a list of potential Meliquean spies within the Palace. I was told to bring it here for your approval."

Myrina walked over to take the paper, handing it to Irina, who glanced over it. She looked up. "Discretion is important."

"Very," Malcolm confirmed. "If the people on the list realise they're being suspected of treacherous activities, there will be consequences."

Lady Luciana and Miss Li made a great show of not glancing in the paper's direction. Give those two a few years, and they'd be just as good as any of them.

"The Briar and the Notus are handling this?"

Malcolm nodded. "Do you think Zhang daren should find someone else?"

Irina shook her head. "No, no. Even if they're noticed, no one would suspect those two of being given such an important mission. They're perfect. Tell them to continue on as planned. We'll provide all the aid we can." She handed the paper back to Myrina, who passed it on around the room. Ciri looked over the names. Some she recognised, some she did not. Neither Miss Li nor Lady Luciana reached out to see it for themselves. Both girls knew matters much above their station was being discussed. They'd realise it was a testament to how much faith Irina put into them when they went home and continued to puzzle over it.

Malcolm nodded once more and bowed. "Then I'll take my leave, Your Highness."

Irina nodded and Malcolm exited. The princess turned her eyes to the younger two girls. "We'll be discussing some politics, which is what I summoned Colonel Lan and Miss Diao here for. If you'd like to listen, stay. If not, you're free to leave."

Both girls chose to stay put.