Bayt followed, latching the flooring closed behind him.
Her master might be a successful spice trader, but this room was where his true wealth was built.
Most of the cramped space was filled with papers and scrolls. They were all encoded in a script Bayt had invented. He had promised to teach it to her one day, but until that day, she was welcome to break it herself. It had been a pet project of hers for almost a year now, but she still hadn’t broken it.
She didn’t know what made Bayt more proud: the fact that she had been trying for over a year, or that his script had resisted her persistent efforts. She might not possess his ear for language, but there were few codes she couldn’t unravel.
A small table stood in the center of the room. Alena took Niles’ coin purse out of her pocket and set it on the table with a satisfying thunk. Bayt took one glance at the crest. She thought she saw a flash of worry in his eyes. “Where did you find this?”
“From a new student at our school. He didn’t seem like he deserved it.”
“You should get rid of it.”
Alena blinked. “What?”
“Some money isn’t worth the trouble it brings.” He pointed at the crest. “Do you know who this is?”
Alena shook her head.
“This is House Arrowood. They’re a newer named family, and one you had best steer clear of.”
She crossed her arms. “Why?”
Bayt looked around the small room, as though worried someone might overhear. “If half the rumors I’ve heard are true, they earned their name solving problems for the emperor. Problems no one else could. Extortion, bribery, even assassination. Nothing is beyond them.”
Alena frowned. She tried to reconcile her image of Niles with the description Bayt provided. She couldn’t get them to match.
Bayt’s real income and real power came through the information that flowed through his shop along with the spices. If he believed something, odds were it was true. But Niles? He’d been well-trained, but an angry fool.
Still, ignoring Bayt’s warnings was even more foolish.
“If they are so dangerous, why are they in Landow?”
Bayt shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard even a whisper of their arrival. This,” he pointed to the purse, “is the first I’ve heard of them. If they arrived here this quietly, it’s even more cause for concern.”
“What should I do?”
“Dispose of the money. Throw the purse someplace that it can never be tracked to you. Pray to the gods that young man doesn’t figure out who stole from him.”
Bayt wasn’t given to dramatics. Alena had seen him deal with belligerent investigators with a cool and easy grace. But that crest frightened him more than threats of a life imprisoned.
“Don’t you want the money?” Normally, he would fence her goods for her in exchange for a sizable share of the profit. Alena never complained. He paid well enough, and her real reward wasn’t in coin, but in knowledge. Bayt had taught her most of what she knew.
“No, and you shouldn’t either. When you get rid of it, make sure no one can trace it to you.”
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”
“If anything, I’m remaining remarkably calm. If anyone but you had brought that, I’d be turning them in myself.”
That stopped her in her tracks. Bayt’s primary income was illegal, but he held to his own sense of honor. Alena could never quite pin down the rules he followed, but she had never distrusted him. For him to turn on his own associates was unlike him.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. And Alena?”
“Yes?”
“Could you talk to your mother about coming by here all the time?”
“I’m not sure it would do much good. She is set on you offering me a full position here.”
“I thought you told her you were going to university.”
Alena shrugged. “Maybe? She would be excited to have me stay in town.”
Bayt put his hand on her shoulder. She tore her gaze from the crest on the purse and met his. “You’re going to need to decide soon, you know. University exams are only a few months away, and you won’t be able to play both sides then.”
She glared at him, and he held up his hands in mock surrender. “I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But sometimes it’s good to be reminded.”
“Thanks.” Alena scooped up the coins that had fallen from the purse, then put the purse back in her pocket. She would have to leave soon if she planned on dumping the coins and purse somewhere safe and still be home in time for the evening meal.
She went to the steep staircase, where she went to work on the latch of the hidden entrance. Bayt mumbled and she looked at him. “What?”
“You would need to be very careful, but if you could find out what the Arrowood family is doing here, that is information I’d pay quite a bit for.”
5
Brandt watched Kyler half-place, half-drop five large mugs of beer on top of the table. Only the giant man’s meaty fists could possibly hold so many handles at once. Kyler’s delivery was greeted with a chorus of thanks, and the wolfblades each jostled one another for the nearest mug.
Brandt waited until the others had taken long pulls before sipping at his own beer. The brew tasted more bitter than usual. He made a face, but the others didn’t seem to suffer the same problem. He was pretty sure Kyler was half out of beer before he finished sitting down.
He barely noticed when Lola reached out, took his beer from him, and took a long pull. She placed the mug back in front of him, now more empty than full.
Kyler looked between Lola and Brandt, tensed for conflict. When none erupted, he looked even more concerned. “That doesn’t bode well.”
“Relax. The sergeant’s
