the sable spy

CHAPTER THREE,

Cass flashed him what she hoped was a smile before trying to wiggle her way up. Marcus's hand was on her good arm in a moment. "Don't you dare," he warned. "The doctor told us to make sure you didn't move."

She didn't look at him. Couldn't bring herself to. She didn't know if she could lie if he was staring into her eyes. "Buzz off," she muttered, but didn't fight it, slumping back into the bed and releasing a groan of agony. There were quite a few people in the small room. She recognised it. She spent a few days here a year, once she had opted to move out that blasted day six years ago. Her old room had been given to another agent.

She glanced around. "Seylace. Cadieux. Dumont. Dalton." Her lips twisted upwards. "Georgiana Stone, you little miscreant." She regarded her friend, noting her enlarging waistline. "Are you–"

Georgiana blushed, her chocolate-brown cheeks turning tinted with a rosy shade. "I wanted to write to tell you, but I didn't know where you were. And I'm Georgiana Tyler now."

"I was in Gira, as you'd all know now." Her eyes lingered on Cadieux for a moment, who nodded. "And I'm sure you all have many questions. Quite simply put, I don't know the answer to most of them. I uncovered something... big in Gira, that I couldn't handle alone, and the few friends and allies I had there began disappearing and vanishing without a word. So I grabbed a ticket to Arecia and sped here."

"Not Asayama?" Cadieux asked.

"I have good reason to believe that the person behind this," she gestured at her wound, "has many, many contacts in Asayama. I didn't want to put my family in danger. Especially since we're so close to finally going home." That was wistfulness in her voice. "I was ambushed at the port. I was careless, stupid. Didn't expect them to have people here as well."

"Them?" Laurence pressed.

Cass chewed on her lower lip. "Quite simply put, I uncovered a decade-long agreement between the Phikkais and Gana. Bribery, treason, espionage, corruption, you name it, they've got it."

A groan erupted around the room. Gira and Gana were nearby islands, nearly the same size, but had always been competitors. A Giramen would never get along with a Ganamen. They loathed each other with every breath. Gira was governed by a few major families. The Phikkais were one of them. Everyone suspected that there was some collusion in the upper-class of Gira for years, and the Saians had tried to look into it ever since Gira had become a vassal state. No one could find anything. Until, apparently, Cass. And every person in the room knew how powerful and ruthless the Phikkais were.

"I suspected something was up, like everyone else did, so I decided to go and investigate. I told Ciri, and she told me she'd do what she could, but we never had a chance to discuss what we found. And not just that. There's a Saian involved. I couldn't figure out who. Might be an exile like me, I'm not sure. I think that's who's going after me, if not the Phikkais themselves, though I don't think they've realised." Cass kept her voice calm. This was something very important, and very, very dangerous. Gira was a port, an island nation that depended on larger countries' heraldry. Most recently that was Sai. But if a Saian was aiding one of their ruling families collude with their worst enemy, there would be international repercussions. From the perspective of a Saian patriot, letting this news spread would mean Gira turning from Sai. That couldn't happen. Gira was far too useful. Besides, there were many countries who'd love the excuse to rip Sai into pieces. Even though the current dynasty had ousted her family from their power many years ago, Cass would be the first to admit that they've done a good job. Hence her willingness to aid her family in whatever it took to get them back in the Yie dynasty's good graces. If she caught this elusive Saian traitor, it would speed up the process infinitely. Her great-aunt was old. Far too old. She might not last very long. After all the kindness the Duchess of Dai had shown her and Ciri, it was the least she could do to repay her kindness.