“Your report was most enlightening, Katherine.” Bambatu smiled, his teeth a dazzling white against the darkness of his skin. “But I fear you must change your plans. The Lady has considered the information and is determined on a new course of action. The foolish druids of the Hidden Circle have embarked on a path the Lady believes will be both their downfall and that of the Lord Protector. She is convinced of it. In fact, she is sure they will collapse in such a decisive and spectacular manner that they shall need no help from us. Such self-destruction suits the Lady’s plans better than the original plan to disrupt them from outside. Therefore, she wishes that you no longer participate in any operations that will curtail the Circle’s activities.”
“What about Verner and Estios’s crew?”
“They must not be allowed to disturb the Circle, either.”
That was a troublesome order. Sam was not going to be easy to dissuade. She had encountered his dogged persistence during the doppelganger affair. And since they had become lovers, she had learned how deeply his passion for justice ran. He would not give up on this chase until it was concluded. He would be impossible to live with if she forced him away from his quest to make the Circle pay for their evil.
To her surprise, she found herself worried about that possibility. Why? He was just another bedmate. Wasn’t he? She hadn’t even begun to consider the implications of her concern when Bambatu resumed speaking.
“The Lady has decided that eliminating Verner from the situation would disrupt the runner operations most effectively with the least repercussions. She expects you to handle the details with your usual efficiency.”
“I’ll get him out of the country immediately.”
“Oh no, Katherine. That will not do. He must be killed.”