Chapter 8

"Have you interrogated him with a heartrender yet?" Aleksander asked Zoya as they strode through the halls with Ivan to the dungeon where the intruder was being held.

She shook her head. "I came straight to you. I thought you'd want to be alerted right away."

He nodded. He definitely appreciated the head's up to further tighten Alina's security immediately. He was furious and terrified that someone was trying to break into his safe place, but there would be time for those emotions once he had a better idea of the intruders intent. He didn't dare let himself dwell on such thoughts in the company of others.

Out loud he said, "Must I do everything myself?" The slight curl of his lips betrayed that he was secretly looking forward to it. There was something to be said for the feeling of control using his power gave him.

A muscular man with light brown hair was shackled to the wall. He tensed the moment they entered the room. It was obvious he was terrified of General Kirigan's power. Good.

"You were caught trying to break into the Little Palace." Aleksander did not give the man time to respond. He raised his hand, called the shadow, and snapped his finger to begin choking the man. Yes, that did feel good.

He released his hand, and the man choked and gasped for air. "Speak," Aleksander commanded. "I'm really not in the mood today to be messed with."

"I was just …"

"Wrong answer!" It truly didn't matter what the man was going to say next. Aleksander did not need Ivan to tell him it was a lie. He brought his fingers back to his palm and counted to five. "Now, shall we try that again?"

"What do you want me to say?" The words were hard to make out from the swelling in the man's throat.

"The truth."

"I was commissioned to check on a Grisha in the palace. She's my client's daughter, just a check that she's all right. No harm done."

"I see. And her name is?"

The man was a terrible liar. There was too long a pause for an answer. Aleksander summoned the shadows to choke him again as he exchanged a knowing look with Ivan. Why did idiots always think they could get away with lying to him?

"Shall I assume you were sent here to kill the Sun Summoner?"

The man shook his head quickly. "I'm just a scout. My orders were to find a way in."

Aleksander looked to Ivan, who shrugged. "It's hard to be sure after you've choked him like that, but, yeah, probably."

"Why?"

"You won't like that answer."

"So an assassin can get in to find the Sun Summoner?"

The man grimaced and shrugged.

"Orders from whom?"

The man shook his head. "You will kill me anyway. I'm not betraying anyone."

"Really?" Aleksander snapped his fingers back to his palm again. Truly, he could enjoy playing this little game all day. It made him feel powerful, like he wasn't the one who was being hunted. "I'm going to count to three, and if there isn't a truthful name passing your lips by then, I'm going to let the shadows work longer this time."

It took a few rounds, but he got his information. "Zlatan, it was Zlatan. Please, he just commissioned me to spy and find out where she goes, where she sleeps, where she eats."

"How many more of you are there?"

"I don't think anyone else is here yet."

"How were you going to provide your report?"

The man shook his head again, but it only took Aleksander even raising his hand to get him talking this time. "Rendezvous in the Os Alta market. A man named Dmitry. He's in Zlatan's pocket."

It took both hands to call the shadows to make the Cut. There was something satisfying about watching the man's head roll, until it reminded him of his nightmare and what they had done to Alina. "Send men to find this Dmitry. And make sure Zlatan gets this head. Fancy black box, big bow." He would not rest until that man was dead.