Page 10 of Fate's Wicked Oath

“You want me to infiltrate their hideout?” Faren guessed.

“I would not send you on such a perilous mission,” Oderin said, sounding almost offended. “No, what I need is for you to gather information.”

“From Mariana?”

“From Mariana.”

“I don’t want to undermine your belief in my talents, but I highly doubt Mariana would share anything pertinent with me—or any Mighty Knight.”

Oderin gave Faren a good-natured smile. “I wouldn’t expect her to. But the road often softens one’s resolve, and perhaps she might divulge something useful without realizing it. My hope is that you also might encounter other Valiant Knights and see what you can overhear. I am not willfully setting you up for failure; I merely wish for you to keep your ear to the ground.”

“Have you brought any in for questioning? They do have Oaths, after all.”

“Yes.” His tone was stiff. “Unsuccessful.”

“What about your Valiant friend? Idris Togren?”

Oderin pursed his lips. “He’s retired,” he said. “And not well liked by Heris or the members of his faction. Mariana, on the other hand, is entrenched—and she’s a weak link. I have reason to believe she’s not necessarily loyal to their cause, but to some sort of threat or promise Heris has made to her.”

“Is there anything Marianaisloyal to?

Oderin spread his hands invitingly. “My hope is for you to find out.”

“You do realize that your plan rests upon the assumption that Mariana has a soul.”

Oderin laughed. “I hate to say it, but she’s right—you do underestimate her. Not in skill, perhaps, but in the way that shecares.” He rapped his knuckles on Faren’s breastplate. “A hard exterior often begets a vulnerable center.”

With a smirk, Oderin turned and retrieved a scroll from his desk. “Your orders are spelled out clearly here, with requirements for your report.”

Faren offered him a quick nod and tucked the scroll with his orders into his pocket.

“You recall that Mariana was assisting my sister with research this past year?”

“I recall,” Faren replied, hoping Oderin didn’t catch the tightness in his tone.

To Faren’s understanding, Oderin’s sister, Phina Farkept, renowned Adept of the Order of Alchemy, had been working on a cure for creatures bitten by Morta up until a few months ago. Her research program had been shut down abruptly and without explanation, but Faren guessed it was because she and her team finally concluded that the only cure for infected beings was death. What he didn’t know was the nature of Mariana’s involvement—nor why such a well-respected alchemist would stoop to working with a criminal. Mariana might’ve had a knack for hunting monsters, but what did that have to do with healing their victims?

“Phina informed me of your…altercation with Mariana when assessing the risk of one of her associates,” Oderin went on delicately.

Faren grimaced, remembering how thealtercationhad ended with Faren on his back with Mariana’s boot on his windpipe.

Not his best moment.

“I know you’ve butted heads with Mariana in the past, but I trust my sister’s judgement implicitly,” Oderin continued. “According to her, Mariana is more trustworthy than she seems.”

“May I ask how Adept Farkept came to such a conclusion?” Faren inquired tightly.

Oderin shrugged. “We tend to stay out of each other’s affairs, but her word is as good as mine.”

Faren did not trustanyone’sword as much as Oderin’s, but he was not about to question his Major’s judgement. Instead, he placed a reverent palm on his breastplate, over his heart. “I appreciate this opportunity, Major.”

Oderin smiled almost pityingly. “I’d say you earned it, but I don’t want you to think back on my words three days from now and take offense.” He clapped Faren on the shoulder, seeing him to the door. “You have a strong moral compass, Faren. I chose you, in part, because I want you to use it on this mission. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Oderin paused with his hand on the bolt. “You have ambitions within the Mighty, do you not?”

Faren’s heart pounded in his throat. He coughed, then straightened. “I aspire to become a captain.”