Smugger's Virtue (Lathos Galaxy Chronicles Book 2) Read Free

man who was still Chancellor for the time being. Once his heir-apparent was out of the way, Kellenar could focus on the slightly more difficult task of eliminating Maxall. He had no doubt the government would act quickly to name him the new Chancellor, and he had the loyalty of enough of the military to coerce any in that government who might waver.
    "I hope you have good news, General," said Maxall Torin when his image appeared on the view screen.
    "I’m afraid the news isn’t entirely good," Kellenar replied, putting on his best concerned look. "Your daughter suffered greatly at the hands of the man who abducted her. My medical staff and facilities are not equipped to treat her injuries properly. We are heading back to Lathos at top speed, but her condition is grave." The Chancellor looked as if he might explode. Good, thought Kellenar, the more irrational he is, the easier it will be to catch him unawares when the time to eliminate him comes.
    "Did you capture the man who caused all of this?" asked Maxall. Maxall Torin was the same age as Kellenar but he looked at least a decade older. His hair, once the same brown as the general’s, was now completely gray. His hazel eyes looked tired and worn, and the lines that creased the man’s face seemed to deepen with each new worry. He was never equipped to rule an entire world, thought Kellenar, and the years of trying have taken their toll. He would be doing the Chancellor a favor by relieving him of this burden.
    "He was killed during your daughter’s rescue."
    "Even better," the Chancellor said. "General Ragen, you insisted that no one but you and your men be involved in the mission to rescue my daughter. The man that took her away from me may be the cause of her injuries, but I want to make it clear that I am holding you responsible for her safe return. See to it that she makes it back to Lathos in one piece, or don’t bother to return at all."
    "Understood," said Kellenar with a grim smile. "I will do everything in my power to get her back to you safe and sound, old friend."
    "See that you do, old friend ," the Chancellor sneered and then the view screen went dark.
    Kellenar sat back in his high-backed command chair and cupped his chin with his palm, placing his elbow on the chair’s armrest as he thought about the way their conversation had ended. Maxall certainly had reason to be angry and upset. After all, Kellenar had just told the man that his daughter was clinging to life by a thread. It was a little surprising that the chancellor was turning that vitriol on him.
    It was possible that he had discovered what Kellenar was planning. It wasn’t as if this was something that had just been conceived of overnight, and no matter what else Maxall Torin was, he wasn’t a fool. After mulling it over, Kellenar decided that it didn’t matter. Xandra’s death would be easy enough to blame on the man that took her away from Lathos. It seemed now that she may not have been as unwilling as everyone thought, but since she would never live long enough to tell her side of it, that didn’t matter either.
    As far as her father was concerned, there were any number of poisons that were undetectable in the body and would make it look like the overworked and grief-stricken old man’s heart finally gave out when news of the death of his only daughter reached him. Timing, of course, would be everything. Xandra needed to die first, but the poison needed to be administered to Maxall soon after. That way, even if he did suspect what Kellenar was planning, he wouldn’t have time to tell anyone else. Fortunately, he already had a man in place that was just waiting for the order to be given.
    Kellenar Ragen had always been a man who knew how to make the most of an opportunity. He had been assembling people loyal to him for years and putting them in positions to be of use when the time came. Now, his patience was being rewarded.
    Xandra was always the most difficult piece to the puzzle.