HAWK & SABLE | THIRTEEN

"YOU BETTER NOT make me regret this," came the princess's sigh. The Briar looked rather smug, leaning against the pillar, half-smirk dancing on her lips. Her partner, the Notus, did not seem pleased.

"You won't, I give you my word."

"You're not going to push this?" The Notus demanded, flexing his hands, as if fantasising choking both the princess and his partner to death.

Prince Ryan looked faintly amused at his friend's annoyance. "Rhys knows what she's doing."

The Notus' dark look turned to him. "Ruge."

Mockingly, said Prince replied, "Lang Jun."

Dominic Lang Jun. That was a name to store in his memory. The Arecians always wanted to know where they were finding all the wiccai for the Iron Wolves. Were they truly finding these people from the Hatlen Isles? To the rest of the world, the home islands for the wiccai were almost legendary. As someone who'd travelled there before, Laurence hadn't found much to be impressed about except in their capital, which had kept itself up-to-date with the rest of the world. The people there mostly had no interest in leaving. So where did all these young, skilled men come from?

"Boys." A hint of warning crossed Longyu's voice as she looked up from the table. "So. We take Rhys's word for it. It's not the children. How long has the scheme been operating?"

Myrina replied, quietly, "We don't know. We've tracked as far as three years ago, but the Meliqueans have always had ambitions of expanding."

"So that's useless." Longyu had stood up from her chair and was now pacing around the room. "Do we check the teenagers? The younger officials?"

"Not unless they'd logically have access to all that information," Asteria pointed out, clear-headed as always. "We shouldn't be wasting our resources right now. We need to concentrate our search before any more damage is done. My father's getting frisky. He might send in some of his men to help if this takes much longer without a lead."

Longyu flexed her jaw. Laurence watched this with interest. The princess didn't like people meddling in her business. From the Prince's face, neither did he. They've been given too much freedom, he thought. Because of the Emperor's partial retirement, they'd been given half the reins for the entire empire, and they were hungry for more. He didn't think either would attempt anything that would destabilise the Emperor, but it would be a quiet grievance they kept close to themselves.

Something to watch out for when war inevitably came. These two would want to take control by themselves. They were mature and intelligent, but possessed the rashness most young adults had.

The Meliqueans would exploit that. The Meliqueans would use the fact that the actual monarchs of both Arecia and Sai were either sickly or growing older, and that it was the younger, inexperienced people at the helm.

Ciri's voice was curt when she spoke up from the corner of the room, where she sat. "Then we must hurry. We'll all choose some targets and go investigate—"

Her voice cut off as the two Iron Wolves raised their hands, freezing. Instantly, everyone in the room fell quiet. Laurence frowned, confused, until he heard the faint sound of footsteps. Someone was coming. The steps were rushed, as if the person was running. A messenger.

The sound of knuckle rapping against the door.

"Come in," Ruge announced, leaning back in his chair, ever bit the perfect, confident prince. One of the servants walked in a moment later, back hunched.

"Your Royal Highness. Your Highness—" Irina cut him off.

"That would take forever. Don't bother. What message do you have?"

"Zhang daren of the Iron Wolves asked me to deliver you this missive, gege." Bowing further, the servant stepped forward and handed a scroll into Irina's receiving hands. Irina picked it up and untied it, glossing through the details. A moment later, she thrust it into her cousin's hands.

"What is it?" Ciri asked, straining her neck.

"Someone died," Irina said grimly, pushing herself up.

Io piped up. "Who?"

Irina's scrutinising gaze landed on Ciri, as if inspecting her for any flaws. "Your new friend. Miss Ai Jinyao of the Treasury was found dead in the central courtyard of the department headquarters. Someone has nerves of steel."

✢

THREE OF RHYS and Dominic's brethren were there. Ciri recognised Ronan, slinking off in the shadows, eyeing the covered body. The other two would be Robert, the Cobra and Horatius, the Bear.

A few of them had split off before they came here. Notably, both Irina and Ryan had gone to inform the adults of the incident. Io was sent to alert the Palace guards to raise security in Asteria's desperate attempt to keep the girl away from a dead body. Funny, because between the two of then, it was really Asteria who couldn't stand the sight of a corpse.

Ciri just felt numb.

Jinyao would never get that transfer into the Personnel Administration. Never laugh with her friends at that teahouse again.

How? And why? The two questions echoed through her head as she stepped into the courtyard. Somehow, Laurence's hand had snaked out and he squeezed her hand. "You okay?"

Ciri sucked in a breath. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a bit shocked, that's all."

"Cobra? Bear? Crow?" Rhys glanced at her comrades, and Dominic beckoned them forward, a grim expression on their face.

Bear was a great beast of a man, towering over even Laurence. "Knife under the sternum. Can't find the weapon. Cobra says it's not poisoned."

"Someone trained, then," Dominic said. "Nothing else's moved?"

"No," Ronan confirmed, choosing to curb his usual attitude today. "We'll let you poke around and then move the body. Has the family been informed?"

"Princess Irina is handling that," Danna confirmed. "Let's make this quick. I hate being around dead bodies."

When the group broke apart to search, Laurence followed Ciri to the side instead of the body. Ciri raised a brow at him. "Shouldn't you be inspecting the body?"

Dryly, he said, "Surprisingly, I'm not all that fond of inspecting corpses either." He stole a glance over his shoulder. "I'll leave that for your Iron Wolves and Miss Pang."

"I just had tea with her today."

He didn't need to ask who.

"This isn't the first fallen friend you've buried."

"No." Ciri shook her head. "It's not. But it still hurts every time."

He was quiet for a moment. He'd lost someone of his own, hadn't he? And he was debating in that sharp mind of his whether or not he should share it.

She said, with as much humour she could muster in that moment, "You don't have to tell me your life story just to make me feel better. Come. Let's investigate. I will serve justice."

He thought for a bit more and agreed with her judgment. The two went to a nearby bush, which Ciri glanced over. Nothing special.

"Her shoes are soiled," carried Rhys's voice.

Ciri's eyes travelled to the only building without a stone pathway that connected to the garden. "She came from the tower, then. Leaving work, maybe?"

"Couldn't have been dead long," Rhys continued, relaying facts for those of them who did not want to look at the body themselves. It wasn't cowardly of them. They simply wanted to keep their dinners and not let emotion override their inspection. "An hour or two, I'd say."

"Maximum," Dominic agreed. "Whoever killed her came with her down the tower, I think. Someone would have spotted them otherwise. Most people would have left by this time. She stayed longer than usual."

Laurence was kneeling over the pathway. "Look here. Hasty and poor attempts at hiding footprints."

"From this we deduce that this was done without prior planning. Could it be the mole?" Asteria had walked over, holding up her long gown, carefully keeping her gaze away from the body.

Ciri frowned. "No evidence, but it'd make sense."

"No sign of a scuffle," Danna said, standing up. "She wasn't expecting that attack. From that we conclude that she's either familiar with the killer, or didn't see them as a threat at all."

"Any people who might want to kill her?" Asteria didn't have to call her name. They all knew the question was for her.

She shook her head. "Her friends bore her no ill will. Genuine friends. She's too low down the hierarchy for someone to commit murder if this is for say, a promotion."

"I'll ask William," Rhys said. "He knows her."

That made them all glance at her. She didn't look up from where she was looking. After a few more minutes, she waved Ronan over, who covered up her body. And arranged to have it carried off for an autopsy.

Danna came over and joined them. "No one would have seen anything. The few people who stayed behind late would all have headed off for dinner by then. It was one of them returning who found the body here. Called for the guards, who called for the Wolves."

"Too much of a coincidence. She, a worker in the Treasury Department, gets killed almost directly after we start investigating the mole and pay attention to her." Asteria shook her head. "But they won't go around killing random people. She has to be involved somehow."

"Unwitting ally?" Ciri suggested, because it was the only role she could see Jinyao fitting in. The woman was too honest, too forthright. Her emotions danced in her eyes when she talked.

"Probably." Asteria's eyes narrowed at the tower. "Have we seen what she was working on before she left the building?"

Ronan walked over to answer. "We did. Half-finished."

"So whoever had come to collect her hadn't alerted her of it." She left her work half-finished on her table. "Was it cleaned up?"

Ronan shook his head.

"She was expecting it to be a short conversation, then. But the tower was practically empty. Why come down to the courtyard, where anyone with eyes could see?" Ciri frowned. "Whoever it was brought her down here. But why? It's much easier to get away with it from the tower."

"Some kind of perverse logic if you ask me," Danna muttered, deep in thought. "They wanted us to find the body. It's a warning."

Dominic said, "I think we figured that out. So they know we're hunting them. Did they think killing someone was going to stop it?"

"It's a taunt, not a warning," Laurence said. "They'd know that Ciri had gotten close with Miss Ai in the past few days. They'd be watching them."

Ciri hated to think about what she might have brought upon this brilliant, innocent girl. "Fuck. I hate this job."

Asteria casted her a sympathetic look. "We all do. Someone will have to head out to search her house, I think, before her family or someone else comes to collect it."

"I know where her apartment is." Ciri did her job thoroughly. "I'll bring one of you along. I think it's small."

"I'll go," Laurence volunteered.

Asteria nodded. With both Ryan and Irina gone, she was in charge here. "I'll get someone to prepare two horses."

Ciri shook her head. "Carriage. Less suspicious. And we might need to take things back."

Asteria glanced at her quizzically. "You think she was involved, then?"

"She had to be involved to some certain degree to get herself targeted like this. She might have something." For now, she'd detach herself. Put herself into the role of a spectator, remove emotions and feelings from the equation. Something Lady Kuroki taught her for investigations like these.

Asteria nodded. "Go change. We'll handle this, go around questioning everyone." She turned to Dominic. "We need Wolves watching every entrance and exit of the Palace. If this isn't a mole but another assassin, they'd still be here. It's almost past curfew." After curfew, only the nobility and servants with passes would be allowed in and out, and it was notoriously difficult to sneak in or out of the Palace.

Ciri and Laurence hastily retreated to their residence. Ciri glanced uneasily at William's home, where he seemed to be asleep, candlelights off. They'd tell him tomorrow.

She changed into black breeches and a black blouse, armoured corset tied over it, hair pulled up in a tight bun. She hid a knife or two on herself. She wasn't expecting a fight, but it never hurt to be prepared. And knives were always useful for other purposes

They met at the carriage, pulled up a few minutes walk away from the front doors of their Palace. Wordlessly, he helped her into it before pulling himself in as well. They were both wearing gloves. Thank god.

She couldn't afford distractions tonight. Especially ones that came in form as the black-haired devil who was also her sister's closest friend.

The coachmen asked no questions. Just started the carriage.

They were stopped at the side exit they were leaving from, but one glance at the badge Asteria had stuffed into Ciri's hand before they'd be sent off and they were allowed to pass.

The carriage travelled quietly through the empty city streets. Both of them kept quiet, but on alert. They had no idea what might be waiting for them.

They were dropped on the closest street the carriage could travel through. Jinyao seemed to live in a longtang, the crowded alleyways too small for them to go in with the bulky vehicle. Ciri noted the houses of sleeping people, shutting her eyes to take in the sound. Nothing out of place. Snoring. The barks of a dog a few streets away. The sound of rats scuttering.

Beckoning him to follow her, the pair made their way through the shadows, surefooted and silent as cats prowling the night.

Ciri nudged her chin in the direction of the apartment down the longtang. "Second floor. The first one's a daily goods shop, but the shopkeepers live elsewhere." She glanced up. "That one, I think. They own both floors for that one. This one too, but they converted the bottom floor into a shop and lent the upper out." The area was cramped, and you could reach from one window to another. A lantern was lit inside where Jinyao had lived. That caused her to narrow her eyes.

"Someone's been here." Laurence confirmed her suspicions. "You have weapons?"

"Obviously," she muttered. The staircase entryway was located to the side of the shop. "Not very safe of her."

"It's cheap and private," Laurence said. "No one robs people somewhere like this. Anyone who's not a resident coming in would immediately be noted, and it's easy to be spotted. Nowhere to hide. You do the honours?"

The gate that secured the entryway was locked, but Ciri could see that the door that led into the apartment itself had been flung open, granting her a small view of the place. "I don't see anyone," she muttered, taking out her lockpick from her belt. "Watch my back."

It took less than a minute for the lock to click open. Ciri went in first, Laurence careful behind her, wedging something under the door. Easy way out. Ciri warily hiked up the stairs, not making a single sound.

The apartment was quiet. There was faint light from one of the rooms. Bedchamber, probably. It wasn't big. Excluding the living room, there was only a small kitchen and a bedchamber. It explained why Jinyao didn't bring her work back home. There was barely anywhere to work here.

Laurence lit the lantern he held in his hand.

"We missed them, barely," he murmured.

Ciri walked around, noting the two teacups on the small table set between two xi. Unwashed. She had probably wanted to do that when she got home that night. "She's had guests over. Morning, I think. If there was any tea in here, it all evaporated."

"She met you for brunch, didn't she?" Laurence inquired. "Eleven? She'd have left in a hurry. Doesn't strike me as the kind of person to leave empty teacups around, unwashed." He gestured towards the meticulous stack of books stacked upon each other in the corner.

"Ten, then. We can bring people in for questioning tomorrow."

"The books are intact," he said. "That large cupboard in the corner has been moved. Whoever was here was searching for something bigger than those books and smaller than the back of the cupboard."

"Doesn't narrow it down much."

"Paintings, Ciri."

Ciri frowned. "She doesn't strike me as the type to dabble in treason." She stalked to a corner of the room, crouching besides a smashed vase. "Cheap. You could buy dozens of these at the market down the street. If she's involved in treason, she's not getting paid much."

"The rose hasn't wilted yet."

"I recognise these. It's from the rose garden in the Palace. I'm willing to bet William gave it to her. She placed it... there. On that shelf. The only thing smashed and completely destroyed. No point in it either. Nothing could have been hidden there. Either there's something personal against this vase, or the person searching got frustrated and decided on some pointless vandalism."

"You're right. Whatever they were searching for, they didn't find it here." Laurence was at the other side of the room, looking behind the moved cupboard. "Nothing here. The dust is equally distributed, so there wasn't anything removed either."

"Let's try the bedroom."

There was a lone, comfortable bed in the corner of the room, a small desk besides it. Across it was a wardrobe that had been dragged away from the wall it was leaning on. The cupboards were yanked open. Ciri walked over, scanning the belongings that had scattered out. "Cheap jewellery. She wore these earrings at the banquet. Coloured glass, I think."

"Yet more evidence that she wasn't living in luxury. As if we needed more of those." The blanket on the bed had been yanked aside and flung to the end of the bed in a hurry. He made a tut-tut sound. "No idiot would hide something they don't wish to be found under their bed. I'm disappointed they even searched."

"It could mean nothing, or that the person searching this believed Jinyao was very inexperienced and naive."

Did that speak for Jinyao's innocence? Ciri didn't like the fact she was already hoping it did. Damn it. This was why she'd always kept to the ballrooms. Cass was a thousand times better at detaching herself than she was.

"It could." There was no judgement in Laurence's voice. Ciri took a step back, done with searching the cupboards. Nothing of interest there.

The floorboard creaked under her foot. She frowned, glancing down, brow raised. She moved her feet a little, not leaving the plank.

Laurence had looked up from the sound too, something she couldn't quite name glinting in his eyes. "The floorboards are loose."

Ciri didn't bother answering, just knelt down, inspecting the plank. "I need a lever."

Laurence left the room wordlessly, returning a moment later with what must have been a poker to stoke the fire in the small living room. Ciri grabbed it and used it to ply up the first floorboard, catching a glimpse at what was underneath..

"And here we find treason," she said.