“Currently at Revenant Company. Target has made contact with the shop owner. Based on the conversation, he matches the intel as the intermediary. Owner is short, round-faced, with thin hair cropped short. Conversation suggests high risk of flight. Request immediate capture. Continuing to tail.”

  “Roger. Currently in the west entertainment district making contact with our collaborator. Cooperation secured. Proceeding to Revenant Company at once.”

  “Sorry to cut our talk short, but we’re heading straight to Revenant Company. The target might try to run, so we’re taking him in. You coming?”

  “Of course I’m coming. Just think about those conditions for me.”

  Enola nodded.

  Revenant Company was just north of the entertainment district.

  It was common in this area for women to take gifts from clients to pawn shops and turn them into cash. Smart clients would buy the items cheap at the pawn shop and give them to the women, who would then pawn them again for the money. The difference became the pawn shop’s profit. The same item could be cycled endlessly, and everyone walked away happy.

  Revenant Covanas was a slightly different breed of man.

  He would draw out conversations between the women and their clients, buy the information at a premium price, then sell it to thieves. After the thieves stole the items, he would buy them dirt cheap and resell them.

  One day, a thief got caught and spilled the source of the tip. The man who had been robbed stormed into Covanas’s shop to complain. Covanas talked circles around him, extracted information about a rival merchant’s incoming shipment, had the thief rob that one instead, bought the goods, and sold them right back to the original man.

  Ever since, he had become the go-between for the thieves.

  Today, Covanas was sorting through his stock—getting rid of unsellable items to other dealers.

  That was when he felt a presence.

  “Hey. Did you sell my information to the military?”

  A voice came from the shadows in the back.

  It was Titus.

  “You? You weren’t supposed to come here. Even if I sold it to the military, there’s no money in it, and I don’t do anything that doesn’t pay. Maybe one of your own men sold you out?”

  “As long as it wasn’t you, fine. I’m leaving this place for a while. Watch your back. Wouldn’t want someone slitting your throat while you sleep. See ya.”

  The presence vanished.

  Covanas gathered anything valuable—gems, jewelry—took gold from the safe, and stuffed it all into a bag.

  He had decided to lie low for a while.

  He always kept an escape bag ready.

  He slung it over his shoulder, stepped outside, and locked the door.

  “Oh, closing up already today?”

  It was a woman with sun-kissed skin and long hair.

  “Sorry. I’ve decided to shut the shop for a bit. Come back another time—or there are plenty of other pawn shops around here.”

  He answered with his usual friendly smile.

  “I see… that’s too bad. I really wanted to ask about Titus.”

  The man’s face changed so fast it was like he’d been wearing a mask. It became cold and reptilian, completely devoid of human warmth.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “That idiot got tailed, huh? Hey, lady, how about a deal? Let me go and I’ll tell you anything you want.”

  “Then talk.”

  The moment the voice spoke behind him, Covanas felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and blacked out.

  ◇

  A slap across the cheek brought Covanas back to consciousness.

  He looked around and realized he was in the storeroom at the back of his own shop.

  “Wakey-wakey?”

  “So it was you, Aidonius. Never thought you’d be running around with a woman. You’ve grown up. I’m not talking for free, though.”

  “Hahaha. I don’t have any money to give you. You’ll be questioned properly at headquarters. I already sent a messenger to my superior asking for backup, so just stay put and take a nap.”

  Panic flashed across Covanas’s face.

  “You’re stupider than I thought. Get me out of here right now.”

  “What are you talking about? I told you the carriage is almost here.”

  “Are you an actual idiot? Forget that—just run. You’ll get killed too.”

  At that moment they heard the front door rattling violently.

  “They’re already here, damn it. There’s a basement under that chair over there. Get in.”

  Covanas whispered urgently.

  “Why would I get killed? Explain.”

  Covanas stayed silent.

  Another knock on the door.

  “My superior is here.”

  Aidonius started toward the front door to open it.

  “You idiot! The reason you’re being used is because your superior is the one pulling the strings!”

  “The Chief of Royal Capital Security is using you?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So the leak really was coming straight from my direct superior…”

  Aidonius waved it off and called for Enola.

  “Nicely done. Is that how you got Bat Serra too?”

  “No, that one was my subordinate jumping the gun. The unexpected idiot you brought along. While I was still piecing the information together, he went and did it. By the time I noticed, his face was already swollen. Looking back, he might have been a plant too.”

  “You set me up…”

  Covanas glared at Aidonius.

  “The one who gets tricked is the fool. That’s your guys’ favorite saying, right?”

  Covanas ground his teeth.

  “What about above the chief? Who’s giving the orders? Should I use you as bait next to reel the chief in and make him talk?”

  Covanas remained silent.

  “Hey, take this to that butcher shop on North Street—the one called North Street Butcher—and give it to that idiot Mikeiros. Tell him what it says.”

  Aidonius scribbled a note on a piece of paper with ink and handed it to Enola.

  She read it, nodded, and left the shop.

  “What are you planning?”

  “I told you. I’m using you as bait. I ordered that idiot subordinate of mine to go to the chief and say, ‘We captured Revenant Covanas.’ Then tell him to come to this location. I’ll just hide here and watch what happens.”

  “How far does your stupidity go? Someone like you can be crushed in a second. I’ll talk—just change the location.”

  “I can hear it here just fine. Changing spots is a pain. You want me to carry you while I run? No thanks.”

  “It’s the Chancellor.”

  “The Chancellor? You mean Alexios?”

  “Yeah. So let’s get out of here already.”

  “Got it.” Aidonius stepped outside.

  “Untie me!”

  Covanas was bound hand and foot, wrists and ankles connected so he was arched like a shrimp, lying on his side.

  Enola was standing by the entrance.

  “Got a carriage?”

  “Of course. We’ve already secured Titus. It should arrive in a few minutes, so just wait a little longer.”

  “Efficient as always. I’ll wait inside.”

  He crouched down and looked at the man whose cheek was pressed to the floor, face twisted in pain.

  “Lucky you got caught by me. At least you won’t be killed. For now, anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I already knew there was a leak. The question was where it was coming from and who it connected to. Thanks for talking so honestly—it really helped.”

  “Everything you said was a lie?”

  “Obviously. I’m on leave. No idiot reports a leak when they already know it’s leaking.”

  “What are you going to do with me?”

  “Hand you over to the people who want you.”

  “Who?”

  “Why would I tell you?”

  Covanas fell silent.

  “They’re here.”

  A woman’s voice came from the entrance.

  Aidonius flipped Covanas face-down, grabbed the ropes, and dragged him out.

  Covanas screamed in pain, so Aidonius stuffed a rag with a handle from the shelf into his mouth, then hauled him to the carriage waiting out front.

  Another woman was already standing beside it.

  “This is Leda.”

  “Mendels Rediana. Thank you for your cooperation.”

  “I’m Marcus Aidonius. Mind helping me load this baggage? He’s small but surprisingly heavy.”

  The three of them lifted Covanas into the cargo bed, pushed him all the way in, and covered him with a cloth.

  Covanas realized there was already someone else under the cloth.

  It was Titus.

  Aidonius and Enola climbed into the back while Leda took the driver’s seat. The carriage set off.

  Their destination was the Aelius mansion.

  In the basement was an old detention room.

  It hadn’t been used in years, but they had gone to the trouble of renovating it just for these two.

  Right now both men were bound and locked inside cages.

  Leda began the interrogation.

  “What about you?” Enola asked.

  “Hmm. Looks like I still won’t get the full truth for a while, right?”

  Enola nodded.

  “Then I’ll head home and enjoy the rest of my leave. Let me know when you’ve got something.”

  “Here—this is thanks. Take care of yourself.”

  “Thanks.”

  Aidonius accepted the leather pouch full of coins.

  It was stuffed with a surprising number of silver pieces.

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