Noxia Shade's Arc

Chapter 9 of 15

The glowing door opened behind her. The spymaster stepped in without surprise and crossed to the cold chair. He carried a small scale model of a sand hoverer in one hand and set it on the tray between them. Its glowing accents blinked once and went dark. "This was the vehicle," he said. "Not a crash. A kill order. Mine." He tapped the toy's flank. "Your teacher knelt beside it. He begged. Not for himself. For you." Noxia did not move. The lodge around them felt suddenly smaller, the spiral walls pressing close like the inside of a crystal cave catching every shadow. He had brought her here on purpose. This shell was his room for breaking people, and the proof sat shining between the cheese and the fruit. She picked up the little hoverer. Turned it in her fingers. Set it down facing him. "Then I'm in the right chair," she said. He smiled, thin, and slid a key across the table. The fifth gate closed behind her with a click. The sixth had just opened, and she would walk through it carrying his confession like a blade.