Samuel threaded his fingers together. “That all remains to be seen. Our interrogations haven’t revealed much that you already don’t know. They were an elite group of mercenaries who are often involved in dangerous underworld operations for private persons rather than governments, but they have no known links to the Society or the Illuminated. Thus far, our investigation suggests they were paid anonymously and electronically and given the parameters of their target in the same manner.”
“Then if I died…” Lyssa sighed. This was one time they should have met in the Traveling Club.
“A Sorcerer might have been there,” Samuel said. “I doubt that a shard killed Lubon. I think the Sorcerer was watching and waiting for the mercenaries to weaken you before moving in for the kill. When that opportunity failed to present itself, he took another course of action to weaken your allies for a future attempt.”
He gave her a strange look, which she interpreted as suggesting the actual plan was to kill her and take Jofi from her body for whatever reason. For all they knew, the plan was nothing more than his release.
Lyssa rubbed her temples. “So, we don’t know any more than before. We took out a few mercs, but we lost an Eclipse and learned nothing. It was not a good trade for our side.”
“That’s a painfully succinct but accurate summary,” Samuel replied. “We can’t justify another operation like this. The Tribunal is extremely displeased that we’ve lost another Illuminated.”
“I’m pissed, too!” Lyssa threw up her hands. “And Aisha came damned close to dying. If they’d nailed her in the head, she’d be dead. We need to find this guy. Maybe we can do it again, but this time just me. There won’t be any collateral damage that way. I’m willing to take the risk. I want this bastard.”
“That’s pointless and foolish, Miss Corti,” Samuel said with a frown. “If they come again, and you’re by yourself, all that will happen is you’ll be killed. Further losses aren’t acceptable.”
“I agree,” Jofi interjected. “It remains unclear to me why you’re being targeted, but risking your life unnecessarily won’t accomplish anything.”
They were dancing close to the truth. She needed to finish this situation so she wouldn’t have to worry every day about keeping important information from Jofi.
“We need a better plan,” Lyssa said. “This is ridiculous. How the hell is someone targeting so many Illuminated? Are we sure it’s not a Shadow government?”
“That’s a useful and insightful question,” Samuel replied. “Our contacts in major governments don’t suggest any major operations against our people. At this point, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that not only is one of our kind behind this, but it’s most likely someone of experience, skill, and resources.”
“You’re talking about an Elder?”
Samuel nodded, “Or someone with the equivalent age and experience. Not all who desire to become Elders are successful. At this point, given our losses, I think a more extreme defensive posture is necessary.”
“Meaning what?” Lyssa asked.
“I wish to revisit my original suggestion.” Samuel gestured around her living room. “You’re too vulnerable here, and you’ll be too vulnerable on jobs. I and some of the other targets are minimizing our travel and appearances. I suggest you do the same. Spend time reflecting on your situation somewhere far, far from here, and ensure you take measures to block tracking spells.”
Lyssa shook her head. That wasn’t a plan. That was running away.
“For how long?” she asked.
“As long as it takes for us to get control of this situation. As of right now, the Society doesn’t have a full understanding of what’s going on, and we’d prefer they didn’t anytime soon.” Samuel stood and walked over to her window. His form wavered and settled into one of his bland disguises before he parted the slats of her blinds and peered through. “This is unusually challenging, and our lack of understanding about the true nature of the threat only compounds that.”
Hiding forever didn’t suit Lyssa, especially when she had other things she needed to investigate. There was one place in the world with higher security for Illuminated.
“What about me going to Last Remnant?” she asked.
Samuel turned back to her with a shocked expression. “You are still concerned about going to Last Remnant?”
“It took me a lot of effort to earn my ticket there.” Lyssa shrugged. “It’s not that long before I’m supposed to go. Has the Tribunal retracted my permission?”
“Not in so many words.” Samuel frowned. “But don’t you think that is unwise?”
“What? You think the assassin would be waiting for me there?” Lyssa nodded at her door. “If assassins can take people out on Last Remnant and get away with it, we’ve got more serious problems than we thought.”
“Not there, but before. There aren’t a lot of places to escape when you’re on a ship,” Samuel said. “And it’s a long way to the bottom of the ocean.” He narrowed his eyes. “Though given what the assassin’s goal is, killing you on Last Remnant might be part of their plan, despite the difficulties involved.”
Lyssa scoffed. “Are you serious? If we can’t even go to Last Remnant, we’ve lost control.”
Samuel gave her a cool look. “You’ve expressed similar paranoia in the past.”
“Let me put it this way: I’m willing to take the risk. At least on Last Remnant, I’m guaranteed to have a lot of Illuminated nearby to help. Even I’m not so crazy as to think the entire Society’s against me.”
“Keep in mind the most recent moves didn’t begin until after you were granted permission,” Samuel replied. “I don’t know what that means, but it’s not as if travel to and from Last Remnant is communicated to a large group of people. The tight-knit nature of our kind is useful under normal circumstances but dangerous in others. It’s important to consider the larger picture in such
