“Thank you, Mr. Hadren.” I stood up and shook his hand, then handed him a silver coin. “For your time and honesty.”
He took the coin. “I'm only taking this because I'm out of work.”
“That is for your service to your kingdom, sir. You don't need to justify taking it.”
He nodded and waited to the side as we left. He started to shut the door and then paused. “You know, one of them Sea Dragons that wasn't a Sea Dragon looked like you.” He nodded toward Jucai's guards.
Claw Mahdred and I jerked and then shot back toward Mr. Hadren. “Which one?” We demanded in unison.
Hadren's eyes went wide, and then he pointed at one of Jucai's guards. “Him. I remember his face. It was the last one I saw before someone knocked me unconscious.”
“You're certain?” I asked.
“Yes, sir. It was he.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Hadren.”
He grinned. “You're welcome. Hey, will you tell the King about me? You know, my service to the kingdom?”
“I will, Mr. Hadren. King Saric will know your name.”
“Wait till I tell my friends.” He laughed and shut the door. Through the thin wood, I heard him say, “The King will know my name. How about that?”
“What does this mean?” Jucai demanded.
“Shh! Your Majesty, please.” Diaya motioned to the stairs. “Not here. The walls are thin.”
I nodded and motioned the men downstairs.
The man who Hadren had pointed out looked confused, but he said nothing. Not until we reached the street. Then he approached the Sea King. “I was not a part of this, Your Majesty. I swear it.”
“I know, Sir Matei. There was magic used, remember.” Jucai patted the man's arm. “Don't worry. If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't be one of my guards.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Sir Matei bowed.
“We need to leave.” I motioned to the carriages. “Hurry.”
As the guards got into the carriages behind us, I ushered the Sea King into our carriage. Diaya climbed in with graceful flair and tapped the roof. We rolled away from the sidewalk seconds later.
“Are we going to the wharf?” Jucai asked.
“No, I'll send men out of uniform to ask around. You two will scare people.” Diaya grinned. “It's been a while since I've been a part of such an interesting case.”
“Are we going to question the other survivors?” I asked.
“I think we should.” Diaya motioned behind us. “We need to know if they all remember the same thing.”
I nodded. “Because if someone remembers anything besides a wolf figurehead, we'll know someone tampered with their minds.”
“Can that be done?” Jucai asked.
I shrugged. “Whoever this sorcerer is, they're talented.”
“There's always the possibility that they're lying,” Diaya said.
“No,” Jucai and I said together.
Diaya looked to Jucai and then to me. “You're both certain?”
