“That’s not all you did,” Yarim said knowingly as he walked over to the window. The sunlight cast a golden glow across his brown skin. “It’s been awhile since I visited Salanis. It’s as charming as I remember.” Hesmiled.
Tariel raised an eyebrow at him. “Only charming?” she asked. “Calrain and I were quiteimpressed.”
Yarim grinned, his teeth flashing. “That’s because you haven’t been to Jaharah,” he said. “Nothing can compare to the beauty of the Empire’scapital.”
The four of them quickly cleaned up and dressed, then went downstairs with Wellion. Tariel cloaked them in their mercenary disguises again, and they breakfasted on porridge and eggs while discussing their plans for theday.
“We have two main objectives,” Tariel said. “Book passage to the Empire, and meet with LordRaffis.”
“We should split up so we can tackle both at once,” Yarim said. “Riann, you should go with Tariel to the docks, and Calrain and I can go to Lord Raffis’s home. It is unlikely that he will have arrived there before us, so I don’t see why all of us should goanyway.”
“Agreed,” Tariel said. “Wellion, you should stay behind and guard our things while we’regone.”
Wellion did not look entirely happy about being left out, but he relented. After they finished breakfast, the five of them parted ways. Outside the inn, Yarim hailed a coach, then gave the driver instructions to take them to Harcan House, where Lord Raffis lived. Yarim had gotten the location with a discreet inquiry at the frontdesk.
Harcan House was located on one of the main squares of the city, a multi-storied house that somehow managed to be grand even though the property it sat on was sandwiched by two similar buildings. Like most of the houses they’d passed, it was made of sparkling white stone and red clay tile, but the building was far nicer than any place Calrain had been, including the mansion he, Riann, and Tariel had squatted in during their short stay inKalsing.
Yarim knocked on the large front door using the brass knocker, and within moments, a stern-looking matron opened the front door. “My name is Yarim, and this is Calrain,” he said, and then briefly explained who they were and why they had come. “Is Lord Raffis inresidence?”
“He is,” the matron said briskly, opening the door wider so they could enter. “I will tell him you are here to see him, but do not expect an audience right away. He has much to catch up on after his…absence.”
“Understood,” Yarim said smoothly as they followed the woman through the foyer and down a corridor. The soaring ceilings made the mansion feel even larger than it had looked on the outside, and Calrain made sure to tread very carefully as they passed various statues, vases, and other pieces of art that looked quite breakable andexpensive.
The housekeeper led them into a comfortable waiting room, then fetched tea and biscuits before leaving. But even the cheerful fireplace and the bookcase filled with offerings Calrain had never read—including Carlissian history texts—could not distract Calrain long enough. Within an hour, he was tapping his foot against the floor, growing increasinglyimpatient.
“This is not a good sign,” Yarim said worriedly, glancing at the door. Their tea had long grown cold, and the platter of biscuits was empty. “If he has kept us waiting this long, it is because he is not eager to seeus.”
“Do you think he plans on going back on his word?” Calrain asked. “It isn’t as if we are desperate for the money, but that would be truly disappointing. He seemed like a genuinely goodman.”
“A smile and a few friendly words do not a good man make,” Yarim said darkly. He glared into the fireplace, and Calrain considered asking him to elaborate. He knew that Yarim’s general mistrust stemmed from the fact that someone had framed him for a crime and forced him to leave the Empire, but he had never elaborated on thedetails.
The door opened before Calrain had the chance to make up his mind, and the housekeeper bustled in. “Lord Raffis will see you now, in hisstudy.”
Yarim and Calrain followed the woman down the hall, then through a large, heavy wooden door. Lord Raffis stood as they entered, looking quite flustered. His hair was sticking up on end, as if he’d been running his hands nervously through it, and there was a mess of papers on hisdesk.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, indicating with a hand for them to sit in the small group of chairs by the fireplace. He poured himself a glass of cognac and drank it down like a man who had been driven to the end of his wits, then pulled a purse out from one of his desk drawers and approached. “It is a good thing you have come now, while I still have the money to give you this reward,” he said as he handed the purse to Yarim. “I’m afraid if you had waited a few days, that might no longer have been thecase.”
“Why is that?” Calrain asked, true concern taking root inside him as he looked at Raffis. The man slumped in one of the chairs next to them, looking exhausted. “Is something the matter, LordRaffis?”
He gave a deep sigh. “It would seem that during my absence, someone laid false information against me. The king believes I have been withholding tax from him, and is demanding I pay up money I don’thave.”
“Do you have proof you paid the tax?” Yarimasked.
“I did,” Lord Raffis said, “but it appears someone has switched out my books to make it appear otherwise.” He fluttered a weary hand toward the mess on his desk, and Calrain noted the open ledger sitting amongst the piles of paper. “I have questioned the staff already, and none of them saw the person who must have snuck into my study and planted the false ledger. At this rate, I might very well be arrested.” He scrubbed a hand over his haggardface.
“I know a thing or two about what it’s like to be falsely accused of a crime,” Yarim said, his voice filled with sympathy now that he realized Lord Raffis was a victim, not a criminal. “I was in a similar situation myself, back in my country, and in the end, it did not matter that I wasinnocent.”
Lord Raffis’s skin turned white, and Calrain glared at Yarim for being so inconsiderate. “I am sure things will turn out all right,” he said soothingly. “You and the king are close, are you not? Surely you can make him seereason.”
“The king and I are distant cousins,” Lord Raffis said. “And he has always treated me like family. But he is tight-fisted and does not possess even an ounce of levity when it comes to financial matters. If I cannot prove to him I have indeed been set up, he will jailme.”
“You know, Wellion told us that a man named Lord M was responsible for your capture,” Yarim said, his eyes glinting. “He said that this mysterious man has a high position here in court, and used the bandits to get rid of his enemies. Since that plan failed, he has obviously decided to go about it a differentway.”
“Do you have any idea who this Lord M might be?” Calrain pressed. “Do any of your acquaintances go by a name that starts with thatletter?”
“There is a Lady Miriam,” Lord Raffis said, “but she is a sweet old lady, and I cannot imagine she would hurt a soul, never mind partner with a ring ofbandits.”
Calrain shook his head. “Wellion said Lord M was aman.”
