“Ah, you think so? And Her Majesty?”
“Has not yet been informed. Whether to do so will be up to you after you have heard what I have to say.”
“And this matter relates in some way to the attack on Count Szurke?”
“I will lay the matter before you, and you will judge.”
“Very well.”
“Do you have the reports on the investigation you ran?”
Khaavren tilted his head. “I think the more significant question is, do you have the reports on the investigation I ran?”
The other chuckled. “You know that I hear things.”
“Yes, but it seems you also read things.”
“Come, is it a problem?”
Khaavren shook his head. “We will not speak of it. Instead, tell me what you found significant in these reports.”
“I noticed the same thing you did, my friend.”
“You refer to an interview conducted in the village of Swells?”
“Precisely.”
“Then, indeed, we noticed the same thing.”
“Let us see. If you would, my friend, please read the appropriate section.”
“Very well, if you wish.” Khaavren rose and opened up a chest next to his desk, and from there removed a box labeled simply with the year and the word, “open.” In this box he found a thick envelope wrapped in white ribbon, and from this, after some looking, he removed a particular folio. He sat down again, and, after some searching, read the following aloud: “Question: Have you seen any Easterners in the last few days or weeks? Answer: Easterners, Your Lordship? No Easterners. Just Chreotha brewers, a few Orca, Dragonlords like yourselves, some Issola, a couple of traveling merchants—Jhegaala—and a Lyorn who was visiting his cousin. No Easterners, Your Lordship.”
“Ah, was that the passage that caught your attention, Khaavren? I am astonished.”
“Are you? But, if there was anything else significant, I confess that I missed it.”
“Well, that is only fair, as I missed any significance in what you read.”
“Well, I will explain what I noticed if you will tell me what I missed.”
“That seems perfectly equitable, and I accept.”
“Then I am listening.”
“If you will turn back to the eleventh page—”
“You seem very well acquainted with this document, Pel.”
“It is possible that I have seen it.”
“Very well. There, I am now looking at the eleventh page.”
“Do you see where your observant and well-trained guards describe purchasing six bottles of wine to loosen the tongues of those they wish to question?”
“Yes, I see it, and I even approve.”
“In the margin, you perceive, they list the expense of these bottles.”
“That is customary, Pel; for if they did not, they could not be reimbursed for this expense, but must pay for it out of their own pockets.”
“Of course, it is a perfectly reasonable custom.”
“Then what—ah. I see. I had not observed before, but that is an unreasonably low price for six bottles of Eprishka wine.”
“Exactly.”
“And yet, I do not perceive—”
“Come, Khaavren my friend. What do you know of the Eprishka wine?”
“I know that it is excessively sweet to my tongue, but is nevertheless a not-unpopular wine, grown and bottled in the Eprish region.”
“That is correct, my friend. And permit me to say in passing that your palate agrees with mine. Do you know anything of how it is distributed?”
“Distributed? Why, I confess I never gave it a thought. Presumably carters load barrels, or cases of bottles—”
“That isn’t precisely what I mean by distribution, my friend.”
“What then?”
“I mean that it is not sold to retailers, but only directly to inns, and in large quantity.”
“So then?”
“In most cases—if you will pardon the unintentional play on words—an inn will only make this purchase if there is some sort of significant event to take place.”
“So, then, if the bottles are being sold cheaply, it means a significant event was planned for, and did not take place.”
“My dear Khaavren, your wits are as sharp as ever.”
“Are they? So much the better. I need my wits to be at their sharpest whenever I speak with you. And yet, it seems, they are not sharp enough to see how this matter is of sufficient importance to gain your interest.”
“In itself, it is little enough. But it caused me to wonder what sort of event might have been scheduled, and why it was canceled.”
“You wondered that?”
“I did.”
“Well, had I noticed the price, I would almost certainly have wondered as well.”
“I do not doubt you.”
“I would have more than wondered, Pel; I would have investigated.”
“I am certain you would have.”
“And, if I had investigated—”
“Yes? If?”
“What would I have discovered?”
“You would have learned that a bard was scheduled to perform on the day after Count Szurke was beaten, and the performance was canceled on that very day.”
“Interesting indeed.”
“Even more interesting is the bard. Not a Teckla, as you would expect. But an Issola. Her name is—”
“Saruchka!”
“Exactly.”
“And so, the beating of this Easterner led this Issola to cancel her performance.”
“So it would seem.”
“And yet, I do not see how this information, significant as it is, might turn the incident into a matter for the Special Tasks group.”
“Patience, Khaavren. First, I must acquaint you with an item that did not pass across your desk. Some years ago—”
“Years!”
“Yes, Khaavren. This is an old matter that has just now taken on new dimensions.”
“Very well, I apologize for interrupting. Some years ago?”
“Yes. Some years ago there was a request for Imperial reimbursement for a lost object from Lord Feorae.”
“Feorae? County and city investigations?”
“The same.”
“A request for reimbursement.”
“Exactly. My staff—that is to say, certain friends of mine keep a sharp eye out for unusual matters, even the most trivial, on the principle that the smallest incident may have larger implications.”
“I agree with that principle, my friend.”
“I am glad you do. And so, this request struck my friend as being out of the ordinary.”
“I agree that it is unusual. If something is lost, well, one cannot generally ask the Empire to reimburse the cost, unless—”
“Yes?”
“Unless it was lost pursuant to Imperial matters. Is that not the law?”
“It is close, Khaavren. In fact, the law reads, lost or failed of recovery pursuant to approved discharge of Imperial duties.”
“Ah, so then, it is the ‘failed of recovery’ that is significant?”
“Exactly.”
“In other words, Pel, Feorae lost a possession, and he did not recover it because of Imperial duties.”
“That is the claim.”
“It is most unusual.”
“That was my thought.”
“Nevertheless, well, what of it?”
“Word has reached my ears—”
“Many words reach your ears, Pel! I sometimes wonder if you have been gifted with more ears than the customary two.”