The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (16 page)

"If you must," he said, resignation in his
voice.

"Lieutenant, get the senior sergeants. I'd like
them to accompany us."

When everyone was assembled, Seack took us on a tour of
the lower level, where food was prepared, supplies stored, and a few
housekeeping chores performed. The staff had their own ground level entrance, but
there was only one stairway. We spent the next two hours determining each
person's function, getting a retina scan, and having both facial and
full-length photos taken. Finally, we returned to the Guard's first floor room,
an unused bedroom with bathroom facilities.

"This might be the most dangerous assignment the
Guard has undertaken, and I don't anticipate a quick resolution. Therefore, we
not only have to be alert and extra paranoid at all times, but sensitive to any
weakness. For example, we would normally change shifts and perform inspections
at designated times. After today, I want them random. Shifts will be four hours
each; however, they may change early, on time, or late on any given day. I want
us to be as unpredictable as possible. In addition, I want one of the shifts
off duty to be guarding the entrances or roaming. That means eight on and four
off."

"That will be very stressful over a long
period," Mintz said, echoing what everyone was thinking.

"Yes, very. But we have no choice. Until we learn
different, we have to assume the Angels are professionals, have been well
trained, and will win if we aren't the epitome of the Black Guard—the
elite of the Jax military. Therefore, it will be your responsibility to monitor
our people and keep Lieutenant Elijah and me aware of any real or potential
problems."

"Yes, sir!" they answered in unison.

* * *

I froze in mid-step and felt sweat beading on my
forehead. Quickly, I typed on my Mfi:
Urgent.
status report on all clients
.

Zeruf in his study
.
Sergeant Peller replied.

Kalom talking with
an army lieutenant in Blue room
. Sergeant Glick replied.

Dulice reading in
the library
. Sergeant Ganz replied.

Kathyn on her way
to her room.
Sergeant Haber replied.

I let out the breath I had been holding when I learned
no one had retired for the night. Then I contacted Senior Sergeant Catz on my
Mfi.

"Yes, sir?" she answered.

"You and two Guards meet me at Princess Kathyn's
bedroom." I disconnected as I headed for her room.

"Captain Sapir, this security is very …
annoying," Kathyn said when I caught up with her, Sergeant Haber, and
Corporal Polak near the top of the steps.

"It is, but hopefully over the months ahead you
will come to appreciate it." I kept the amusement I felt from showing.

"Appreciate it?" She frowned

"Yes—when you and your father, mother, and
brother are still alive."

Before she could answer, Senior Sergeant Catz, Private
Smithos, and Corporal Krebs came running down the hallway.

"Sir?"

"I just realized we hadn't cleared our client's
bedrooms and any attached rooms. Princess Kathyn is ready to retire." I
nodded toward her room and entered with them while indicating Haber should wait
outside with Kathyn.

Kathyn's room was massive like the others, and in
addition she had a bath and closet. I tossed an infrared detector to Catz, who caught
it and smiled but stood waiting until Krebs and Smithos finished their search
and indicated it was clear. Then she made a circuit of the room, using the
detector to scan each area. When she entered the closet, she pointed to the top
shelf, causing Krebs and Smithos to move closer to the closet entrance.

"I know you are behind that rolled-up bed cover.
You have to the count of ten to come down or I shoot. One … two … three …"

The cover flew off the shelf, opening to envelope Catz as
it floated through the air and a figure dressed in black landed nimbly in a
crouched position.

Krebs, Smithos, and I fired simultaneously along with
the assassin. A laser beam struck Krebs in the chest, while the assassin took
two laser bursts to the head and one to the chest. The man was thrown backward,
landing at Catz's feet as she freed herself from the cover.

I clicked on my Mfi. "All Guards not on duty,
report to the second floor." I walked back to the hallway.

Within seconds, individuals began appearing.

"Nadel, your team will cover the entrance to the
Queen's room. Mintz, the king's room, and Judt, the prince's room. Wait for me
to enter." I went back into the princess's room.

When I arrived, Krebs was examining his chest, which
looked singed but otherwise all right, and Catz had removed the assassin's head
cap, which had covered everything but his eyes. He was small but I'd wager in
his twenties.

"That was a clever move with the blanket,"
Catz said, looking embarrassed. "If I had been alone, he probably would
have killed me. Worse, I think we'd have missed him without the infrared
detector. He would have had all night to kill the princess and maybe the Guards
in the hallway."

"I want everyone briefed. The Angels are athletic, well-trained,
good shots, and sneaky. Sergeant Catz is right. If there had only been two of
you and you hadn't had on protective body armor, his odds of winning were
excellent. Even with the protective gear he might have won if he realized soon
enough why his first shot didn't kill Krebs. A fact that we should keep
secret." I clicked on Colonel Naxal's number. He answered almost
immediately.

"Captain Sapir?"

"We've had an incident at the castle. Could you
come over and bring a couple of troops? We have a body." I cut the
connection and walked down the hall to the prince's room. When I arrived, Kalom
was standing outside.

"What's going on?" he asked when I neared.

"An assassin in your sister's room. We are going to
check yours next." I nodded to Senior Sergeant Judt and he nodded to Corporals
Toch and Uziel, who entered and began a search of the room while Judt and I
stood watching. When they found nothing, I gave Judt the infrared detector, and
he began the search again with Toch and Uziel following. To my relief, the room
was empty.

I had the four clients sequestered to keep them out of
sight while we searched each room. Minister Seach had given me a drawing
detailing each room on the first and second floors. From the diagram I knew
most of the rooms on this floor were not presently being used, with the
exception of a sitting room and the family library. At each room, the infrared
detector was used to check the door, and then two Guards entered followed by a
senior sergeant and then me. The last room was a bathroom at the far end of the
hallway. When Judt scanned the door, the detector showed a heat source near.

I let my whip drop loose and indicated for Corporal Rong
to open the door. As it opened, my whip lashed out and around the door. I kept
it at thigh-level in case the individual crouched as the door swung open. I
felt the whip make contact but heard no sounds of pain.

A second later, a figure in black dove away from the
door, rolled, and came up in a kneeling position, blood spraying as he rolled.

My whip lashed out again as his arm came up with a laser
in his hand. The whip cut cleanly through his forearm.

The man's eyes looked at the arm spurting blood and then
back to me. If eyes could talk, they would have said
take no prisoners
as his left hand holding a long thin dagger
sliced through his neck. There had been no fear or even hate in his eyes. He
had killed himself to ensure he couldn't be made to betray his comrades.

"You were right, sir," Judt said, looking at
the trail of blood from the door to where he lay in a pool of blood. "They
are professionals and damn dangerous. Without that detector …"

I nodded agreement and made my way back to the princess's
room, where I had everyone temporarily sequestered.

"This floor is safe," I said as I entered the
room. "We found another assassin in the far bathroom."

"Why?" Dulice asked. Judging by the way she
was holding Kathyn, I assumed the question related to the attempt on her life.

"I'm guessing, but I think it was meant as a
distraction. Kill the Princess and make a mess so when the servant showed up
she would scream, which would cause everyone to leave their room. When they
did, the two assassins could shoot the king and the prince."

"How could they get away?" Naxal asked.

"They had a hook and rope, so I imagine they would
go over the railing and drop into the lounge, then go down the stairs, into the
servant's area, and out their door as security came up the stairs. Their odds
of escaping would have been good, but it didn't matter. They were prepared to
die if necessary."

"How did they get in?" Zeruf asked looking at
Naxal, who looked pale.

"Your Majesty, for professionals it wouldn't be as
hard as it might seem," I said, wanting to take the heat off Naxal. But I
also wanted to reassure everyone they were safe under Black Guard protection. "People,
including guards, are easily distracted. It won't happen again. We now have
your staff identified, and we will be guarding every entrance to the house."

"How can you assure our safety?" Zeruf asked.
He didn't seem afraid as much as concerned for his family.

"Your Majesty, you hired us because we are the best
money can buy. Now you have to trust that we know what we are doing and follow
our suggestions. We are not seers, but we are very hard to deceive and to kill.
We proved that tonight," I said, leaving off messy details like
now the Angels know what they are up against
.

It was only luck that no Guard had been killed or
seriously injured tonight. The Angels were good, and it would take technology,
foresight, and some luck to survive them without deaths—a thought that
would keep me awake nights.

* * *

"What now, Captain Sapir?" Naxal had requested
a meeting early the next morning, and we sat drinking kaffa in the first floor
room Seack had assigned us. A couple of Guards were sleeping at the far end of
the room; otherwise, the room was empty.

"Unfortunately, that is for the Angels to decide. We
can do little except be diligent. The Angels will be probing for weaknesses. If
that fails, they will try to create one." I would wager he had been up all
night worrying. The Angels would have succeeded if we hadn't been here, and
last night demonstrated just how lethal they were. "What can you tell me
about the Angels of Death?"

Naxal laughed. "Rumors. That is the extent of my
knowledge. I can't even remember hearing of any being killed." He paused
for a sip of his kaffa. "They are a legend, a scary nighttime story for children
or barroom speculation. According to the rumors, they steal children, whom they
train in the art of killing. The children then apprentice under adults for
their first couple of kills. It's said they can walk through walls, never make
a sound, and can kill with a breath. They probably get credit for every death
where the killer or cause is unknown, but there are definitely high profile
assassinations that the Angels committed."

"How do you know? Do they leave a sign of some
kind?"

"Not exactly. But when a powerful person who is
well guarded is killed and no one saw or heard anything … Angels are
assumed."

"Do they have a traditional weapon?"

"Knife or laser. Usually, a clean kill. No evidence
of torture or mutilation that would suggest revenge."

"How does one go about hiring the Angels?"

Naxal gave me a hard look before answering. "In
each major city, there is a man or woman called Marquis with no name. You speak
to him or her."

"Why haven't the kings questioned the Marquis?"

Naxal laughed. "In the distant past, a few tried.
After they were assassinated, the practice was abandoned."

"So a retired Angel is given the job of Marquis. He
or she negotiates the contracts and collects the fees." I was thinking out
loud.

Naxal nodded slowly. "Of course! Who else would they
trust with their secret and give the knowledge to negotiate? I think most of us
always assumed the Marquises were hired by the Angels, merely intermediaries."

"Could be but I doubt it. Come Colonel, let's join
the king and family for breakfast. They probably have hundreds of questions I
don't have the answers to." I gave a snort of amusement.

Naxal looked a bit pale at the idea of not having
answers.

* * *

When we entered the smaller of the two dining rooms,
their breakfast plates had been cleared away and they were drinking kaffa or
other drinks. Fortunately, the room was large; otherwise, the two Guards in
each corner would have been overwhelming.

"What now, Captain Sapir?" Zeruf asked.

"Judging from what I've been told, they are
professionals and have a contract. That means they must try again and again
until they succeed—"

"We hired you …"

"And we will do our best to see they don't succeed.
My point is that neither the Angels of Death nor the Black Guard are going to
terminate their contract, because it would ruin their reputation; therefore, you
must be prepared for a long stalemate."

"Stalemate?" Kalom asked, his face tight with
anger.

"You have few options: find and destroy the Angels
or get the person paying them to terminate the contract. I don't know about the
latter, but I doubt you can destroy the Angels, because they are most likely
distributed across several kingdoms," I said, feeling sorry for the four
of them and me.

A prolonged stalemate could only mean many Guard deaths
and eventually the death of our clients—a lose-lose situation. I was
tempted to suggest to the JCC that they cancel the contract, but knew they
would prefer
Jax tradition
—we
tried—to admitting defeat. To the JCC, the men and women were just pawns;
to me, they were family.