"It is not that simple. There are levels rather than rungs. The kill and the killer must be acknowledged and confirmed before he or she can move up to the next classification."
Which sounded a whole lot more formal and complicated than I’d expected. "It’s still something that should be investigated."
"There are Cazadors examining that situation as we speak." She pushed to her feet. "I wish an update once you talk to Catherine. I need to keep the council informed as to your progress."
"And what if there isn’t any?"
"I still wish an update."
Her expression made me gulp. No progress was not an option if I valued my life. "Is it possible to get a list of anyone who might have held a grudge against Alston and Boulanger?"
"That could be a very long list."
"Meaning you’ll arrange it?"
"The list is being prepared as we speak," she said, a cool smile teasing her lips again. "But it is an encouraging sign that you’ve asked. You might yet survive this little task of ours."
She turned and walked out of the room, but her scent and her presence lingered, casting darkness through the sunlit room.
As soon as she’d vanished, Azriel reappeared. Valdis lay quiet across his back. "She does not linger. She has left the house."
Tension slithered from my limbs, and I blew out a breath. "Do you have any idea what might be attacking the councilors?"
He shrugged. "There are many things—both in the gray fields and beyond—capable of such acts."
"But surely most of them would have enough sense not to attack a councilor."
"Most of them," he corrected, "would only do so if ordered. Those who break through the dark gates under their own power are generally not so selective with their targets."