The wizard shrugged. “What else would bring a Brelish inquisitive to my door? The ambassador’s death was two days ago. Old news now. Many die in this city.”
He gestured to a white divan, waited for her to sit, then settled himself in a high-backed chair across from her with a quiet grunt. Between them sat a low glass table, upon which sat a glass figurine of a dryad whose shape was so delicate it was almost invisible in the colorless room. She wondered if he’d designed any of these works of art himself.
“You’re not a suspect at this time, my lord,” she lied, defying the rumor that his mask revealed falsehoods in his presence. She would not be intimidated by this man’s reputation. “Only a potential source of information. I am only here to ask you a few questions. Are you willing to aid this investigation?”
“I am always willing to help the Ministry,” he said, “even when foreign dignitaries are careless and get themselves killed.”
Soneste used to take notes when speaking with important suspects or witnesses. Since her brief training with Veshtalan, she’d learned to commit even spoken words to memory. It was not as easy as imprinting written words in her mind, but with focus she found it manageable.
She took a steady breath, centering her mind. “Is it your belief that Ambassador ir’Daresh brought the murder of his family upon himself?”
Charoth did not answer immediately. He took a deep, rasping breath, leading Soneste to wonder if the injuries he’d suffered had affected more than his face and skin. “It is one thing if royals from the Five Nations wish to send their whelps to foreign courts as a show of peace, but another to parade their aristocrats across national borders while the scars of war still burn.”
Soneste was surprised to find his prejudice so nakedly displayed. Perhaps that was a learning point. “So you do approve of the exchange of royal siblings, of Prince Halix and Princess Borina staying here in Korth-which, I understand, was initiated by your king?”
Charoth nodded. “Such compromises are necessary to maintain peace. But the rulers of our lands must take care not to push the limits. The ambassador, like all of them, was taking a risk bringing his family into foreign lands. Karrnath is not Breland. Your people are well known for wagging tongues. It can bring trouble in our land. Perhaps the ambassador invited it.”
Soneste shrugged, choosing to sidestep the insult to her people. “At any given time, my lord, there are hundreds-thousands-of nobles and commoners from across the Five Nations in your kingdom. What would make this particular man and his entire family victims?”
“You’re the inquisitive,” he answered. “You tell me. Perhaps an old rival took his holiday as an opportunity to settle a score?” He leaned forward, the grimace of his mask clearer to see, adding a touch of sarcasm to his voice. “You know how brutal those Karrns can be.”
“Of course, anything’s possible.” Soneste needed a new direction. “May I ask, my lord, why you were scheduled to meet with Ambassador ir’Daresh if you disapproved of the presence of such nobles altogether?”
“I am a businessman, Soneste,” Charoth answered. “With the war behind us, I am in the business of production and exportation. Ambassador ir’Daresh was a potential customer, nothing more. When I learned of his imminent arrival in this city, I arranged a meeting with him. A meeting of which the Sovereign Host apparently did not approve.”
Caustic and blasphemous, Soneste mused.
“You think me callous,” he continued, “but I am a realist. I have to be. I may have once belonged to a dragonmarked house, but I have lived in Karrnath all my life. It is not a forgiving land, but it is, ultimately, rewarding. You must forgive my candor.”
Soneste offered a genuine smile. “You are entitled to it, my lord, especially in your own home. I am the guest here, and I do appreciate your honesty. Many men and women I have questioned in my line of work are less cooperative.”
“And less interested in justice-Karrnathi or Brelish, as it were. I am well known in this town as an advocate of retribution, when and where it is due.”
“Understood. How did you make the acquaintance of the ambassador?”
“A mutual colleague introduced us via written correspondence.” He offered nothing more. Was there nothing to add, or was he hiding someone?
“Were you aware that Gamnon ir’Daresh was a Seeker?” she asked.
Another blatant lie, but if Charoth’s relationship with Gamnon were strictly professional, he probably wouldn’t know the man’s religious affiliations. Or would he? Choosing a political follower of the Silver Flame almost ensured there would be no use of necromantic interrogation of the victim. How convenient that would be.
Soneste had found this method of interrogation effective at times, used to distract the subject into revealing more. When you couldn’t find the truth, invent a new one and see if it leads you anywhere. It was how she’d found the missing Shauranna Rokesko.
“I … was not,” Charoth answered. “That would surprise me, indeed. The Brelish aren’t known for their devotion to Seeker philosophy.” Of course, the method worked best when you could read the subject’s face. Charoth’s mask, even his leveled voice, concealed everything.
“No, indeed we’re not.” Soneste moved on, not wanting to be trapped by her own falsehoods. “I have only a couple more questions for you today.”
The wizard gestured for her to continue.
“Do you know the name Tallis?” she asked, studying his body language in lieu of his face.
Charoth didn’t shift. “If the Tallis to which you refer is the infamous dissenter, Major Tallis of Rekkenmark-yes, I know the name. He is the prime suspect in the ambassador’s murder, is he not?”
Soneste leaned back, nonchalant in her manner. “Perhaps. He seems to be a local criminal, a major no longer. Did you know him personally?”
“Criminal? What Tallis is depends solely upon who you ask. In my opinion, he is a misguided malcontent who wants to be a hero but chooses the wrong friends.”
“What you’re saying,” Soneste said, “is that you once tried to hire him, and he declined you.”
Charoth laughed, a dry rasp that sounded forced. “You don’t miss much, do you? King Boranel sent the right woman for this case.”
Soneste shook her head and smiled. “Do not think to evade my questions with flattery, my lord. Did you seek to employ him?”
“Employ him? Yes, perhaps.” Charoth gestured idly with one hand. “A man of his skill should be doing something more productive with his time than wasting it on skewed patriotism. I had hoped to hire Tallis as a guardmaster for the shipments I receive from abroad. Some of the raw materials I require for my factory are expensive and in need of greater protection. I would have beseeched the Ministry on his behalf, to grant him legitimate employment in exchange for his martial skills. It would also allow the law to keep an eye on him.”
Soneste considered his words. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t telling the precise truth. Charoth was feared by many, and she could see that he exuded wealth and influence, but he fronted himself as an eccentric philanthropist as well. Could this be real? He owned many of the properties within the Low District Ward, and if rumors were true, helped to keep a lot of the city’s poor employed. Arkenen Glass was doing well.
“Did he give you an answer at all?”
Charoth shrugged. “He was evasive. But then, Major Tallis spurns authority, and that would have included me.”
“Do you know of any prior connections between Tallis and ir’Daresh?”
“I do not.”
“One more question for you, my lord.” Soneste chose her words carefully. “Tallis is a wanted man, affiliated with crimes of desertion, armed assault, murder, and treason. If his whereabouts were commonly known, he’d have been executed by now. How did you know how to find him in order to present your offer of employment?”