Duke's Courier

7. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Meikah stared at the slim man who rose from where he sat behind a dark timber desk, taller than Kellan. When Kellan said nothing, meeting the Commander’s gaze, she wondered if that was proper etiquette or Kellan’s typical disregard for how things were done.

“I received reports on what you did to keep Port Mayren safe,” Tolmerr said. “You all acquitted yourself admirably.”

“We did what any Assassin Of The Dead would have done,” Kellan said.

Tolmerr inclined his head. “Shall we get straight to the point?” He gestured towards the four chairs in front of his desk, his gaze remaining on Meikah. He waited until the three of them were seated before he also sat down. “One of the Duke’s agents is missing.”

Meikah wished he’d look at either of the other two and then wondered if she’d somehow missed something. Had she offended him somehow?

“Do we know the agent?” Kellan asked.

Tolmerr barely glanced at Kellan before returning his attention to Meikah. “It would seem that the agent has been captured by the people he was investigating.” He took an envelope from a drawer of his desk, holding it out to Meikah. “I thought you might be interested in this job since we can’t very well leave him in the predicament he’s currently in. The assassin who tracked him down said that at a glance it seems to be a simple matter to deal with. He was only tasked with finding the whereabouts of the agent, not bringing him home.”

Meikah frowned at the envelope, wondering if she should hand it to Kellan since he was the one who tended to be in charge of their group.

“Thanks.” Kellan started to rise. “We’ll go over the details and see what we can do about rescuing the Duke’s agent.”

“Sit down, Kellan. I didn’t give the job to you because you’re from Dreyton.” Tolmerr turned to Meikah. “You might wish to open the envelope before you leave my office.”

“Me?” Meikah felt her cheeks heat from actually speaking the question aloud instead of opening the envelope like Tolmerr had suggested.

Tolmerr nodded. “Go ahead. Open it.” He remained silent as she drew the folded pieces of paper from the envelope, not speaking until she’d taken all of them out. “The agent appeared to be in reasonable health, the last time someone saw him, according to the assassin who tracked him down.”

All words Meikah might have spoken vanished when she opened the first piece of paper to read over the opening paragraph of the report. She pressed a finger against the paper, pointing to the name as she met Tolmerr’s gaze. “Maksim. As in my grandfather?” She held her breath as she waited for him to say no. It took her a moment to realise he’d given a single nod and she released her breath in a rush. “But he no longer does this kind of work. He’s retired from active missions. Now he deals with diplomatic ones.” Or at least that’s what everyone had been told. “He’s the Duke’s courier.”

“Was this a diplomatic mission?” Shade asked.

“It would appear not,” Tolmerr said. “I’m afraid your grandfather is still an active agent of the Duke and not one who deals with diplomatic incidences.”

Meikah slowly shook her head. “It can’t be Grandfather Maksim. He was...” Her voice trailed off as she thought of how long he’d been gone. “What do I tell Grandmother Isha?” Did her grandmother know her husband still went on active missions? Or did she believe the same story everyone else believed? That he was the Duke’s courier.

“I suggest you read the report first.” Tolmerr glanced at the door. “You may take it with you. I had that copy made for you.”

Meikah rose from the chair, stunned by the news. It didn’t seem possible. Surely her grandfather wasn’t doing active missions. Not these days. Although he always seemed younger than Grandfather Harlen, even though they were of a similar age, so it wouldn’t be impossible for him to go on active missions.

Kellan guided Meikah through the doorway. “I know somewhere quiet where we can read the report.”

She nodded, her thoughts a jumble as she followed Kellan along the hallway.

“We will get him back for you,” Kellan assured her.

“Tolmerr said he was in reasonable health,” Shade pointed out.

She nodded, her gaze drawn back to the pieces of paper she held, only one of them unfolded. What was she going to tell Grandmother Isha? She couldn’t stop worrying about that.

Kellan stepped back to let Meikah enter a small sitting room that was currently unoccupied. There was a group of four armchairs clustered around a fireplace and tall bookcases on the far wall with a narrow window set in the middle of the wall, a shorter bookcase beneath it.

Dropping onto one of the chairs, she stared at the pieces of paper a moment longer before she could bring herself to start reading them. The words made no sense, the images in her mind of her grandfather in the way of them.

Kellan took the papers from her when she looked up. “Let me see what they say so we can start making plans.”

She started to protest, the words remaining unspoken. It wasn’t like she could make sense of anything. All she could think about was the possibility of losing Maksim and having to tell Isha.

Kellan looked up from the pieces of paper. “The first thing we need to do is find out more about this village.”

“Where is it?” Shade asked.

Kellan handed him one of the pieces of paper.

Shade looked it over before giving a single nod and handing it back to Kellan. “Night is the perfect time to learn more about an area. I’ll meet you at your uncle Garven’s house as soon as I learn anything.”

Meikah watched Shade stride from the room. It wasn’t until he was out of sight that she realised she hadn’t thanked him. She half rose, then sat down again. He was probably out of the bookshop by now.

“What’s wrong?” Kellan asked. “Other than the obvious.”

“I didn’t thank him.”

Kellan took hold of her hand. “He knows. You don’t need to say anything.” Rising to his feet, he looked down at her. “Did you want to tell Isha now or wait until Shade returns with some news?”

“I’m not sure how to tell her.”

“I’ll help you.” He drew her to her feet, guiding her from the bookshop and to the stable where they’d left the horses.

Meikah had no idea how they reached Garven’s house. The ride was a blur of unrelated images and she was thankful Kellan had been with her. Logically she knew her grandfather had put himself in danger her entire life, but being faced with the reality that he might die was far different from knowing it could happen. It also didn’t help that she’d thought him safe these days. Or at least far safer than when she’d known he was being sent on a mission.

She glanced over her shoulder, wondering how they’d gone from the front door to the kitchen where Isha talked to Garven’s housekeeper. Amongst the fragments of her evening were memories of her grandfather. Unlike Harlen, Maksim had actually enjoyed spending time with her and her sister. Nor had he expected more from her or Ena than they were interested in achieving. He’d even encouraged them to follow their own interests rather than what was expected of them by family tradition.

Isha looked up from her discussion with the housekeeper, the smile of greeting fading. She hurried forward. “What happened, Meikie?” She wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Can we go to-” Meikah broke off as she realised she had no idea where they should go. This wasn’t something she wanted to tell Isha in front of the housekeeper. The woman had more than enough to gossip about without giving her something that should be kept quiet.

“The study,” Kellan said.

Meikah nodded, wanting to protest when Isha let her go. She followed Kellan to the study, frequently glancing over her shoulder to make sure Isha followed.