Iiandere leaned back in her chair, stretching the cold out of her limbs. Her office was spacious enough but lacked the niceties of other rooms in the palace.

Furnished simply, with her desk and a couple of chairs, a space for the initiate to sit and perform her duties.

She wasn’t going to be finished today and probably wouldn’t be finished tomorrow. No one had seen or heard anything, of course, and if anyone were to see anything at all, of course, Iiandre’s would be the first name on their lips.

Nonsense, someone had seen something, heard something, and they were protecting their fellows. But as of yet, she hadn’t any cause to hold any of them. Not that she couldn’t hold all of them if she so chose, that was well within her power, but the political situation was somewhat prohibitive.

She needed a break and probably a drink.

There was a knock on the door. “Enter,” she called.

The door opened and admitted not the scullery maid she’d expected but a courier. The woman brought a letter to her desk. Iiandere read it, nodded, and said to her. “Bring her in.”

She turned to initiate Henneil. “Tell my next engagement they’ll have to wait, then have some refreshment brought up.”

The young woman set her quill down and nodded. “Yes, inquisitor,” she said and went to do as she was bid.

The courier returned, young Semma in tow; the girl seemed nervous, looking this way and that. The courier bowed and left them alone.

“Sit,” Iiandere said.

The young woman hesitated, but a glare got her moving, scrambling to the seat opposite Iiandere.

“Well?” Iiandere asked. “What’s this about? And why didn’t you send a message through your contact?”

Semma’s foot tapped. “I don’t know that woman; I didn’t want to talk to her.”

Her anxiety was evident and worrying, she had seemed game only the day before, and now something had spooked her terribly.

“Alright,” Iiandere said. “You’re talking to me; what’s wrong?”

The young woman nodded. “We were doing like you said, keeping our ears to the ground. And I’m at the pub keeping my ears pricked, and I hear about this coach.”

“Coach?” Iiandere asked. “Where?”

“Down by the docks,” Semma said. “Not too unusual, sometimes people with lots of money and no sense come down to gawk at the sailors and street urchins. But this is different; people were saying they saw a coach bearing heraldry, real proper heraldry.”

That was worrying; heraldry meant old nobility. The heraldric council had no business with commoners, a purchased barony, or even someone so high and mighty as a duchess, should that duchy have been gained in the current generation.

New money, a wealthy merchant with a purchased title might venture out that way. But the nobility didn’t go to the likes of the docks, not without a very particular purpose in mind. But would anyone be so brazen as to fly their colors whilst plotting treason? Maybe, she could think of one or two of the old bluebloods she’d met personally who might be so foolish.

“Can you tell me what it looked like?” She asked.

The woman opposite her shook her head. “No, it’s just scuttlebutt now; no one I talked to had seen it themselves.”

Iiandere frowned. “But you seem sure the rumor is reliable.”

“The other girls heard about it too,” Semma said. “It’s all over the docks; someone saw something.”

‘Someone’ saw ‘something’ not exactly actionable, yet, though sailors and gamblers could always be relied upon for fascinating and wholly fictional accounts of their exploits and accomplishments. There was amongst those folk a code of honor in the telling of tales, and such a topic would not lightly fall from their tongues.

“Very well,” Iiandere said, “I believe you, and it is more than I had. But I don’t know how I can use this information. Do you know when this sighting occurred?”

“Couple nights ago,” Semma said. “A week, near as I can tell, but I think someone might have seen it again last night, maybe even three sightings; it’s hard to tell.”

Iiandere nodded; the timing seemed plausible. “Alright,” she said. “If they’ve visited more than once, they might visit again. Stay alert.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Yes, Lady Inquisitor,” the young woman said.

“Is there anything else?”

“Well,” the young lady frowned. “Me and the girls were talking, and we’d be more comfortable if it was you we were talking to, all things considered.”

“Very well,” Iiandere said. “Don’t tell your contact anything, just that you want to talk to me; I’ll make time, but this will be the last time you pay me a surprise visit, not least because you look out of place here. There’s a chance the palace is being watched. You’ll have to stay here for now, and I’ll smuggle you out come morning.”

There was a cursory knock, and her initiate returned. “You have a visitor,” she said. “Lady Inquisitor.”

She wasn’t expecting anyone. “Who is it?”

“One of the wives,” the younger woman said. “Whom we interviewed the other day.”

She frowned; Lisril wouldn’t leave her husband, not while he was wounded, so it must have been…. “Send her in.”

The girl nodded and waved their guest forward. Serra entered and offered a shallow bow. “Iiandere.”

She nodded to the other. “Have you something for me?”

Serra shook her head. “No, not yet,” she said. “I’m here on a personal matter.”

Iiandere’s brow winged up; there were many personal matters she could have referred to; she nodded. “Go on.”

“You were prepared to down your life for my husband. Thank you,” Serra said, head bowed.

It was probably a mark against her that Iiandere’s first instinct was to reproach the other woman. She throttled the impulse and inclined her head. “I only did my duty.”

“Regardless,” Serra said. “I’m grateful, and it would be unwomanly to fail to offer thanks.”

Iiandere considered the other woman. “I suppose it would,” she said at last. “You are welcome; that man seems a hellion; you should keep a close eye on him.”

“I’ll do so,” Serra glanced at Semma. “Am I interrupting? That’s Rosslln’s friend, isn’t it?”

“Actually, you’ve come at an opportune moment; Semma needs somewhere to stay until I can see to her. Would you take her to the young lady? They should be happy to see one another.”

Serra nodded. “I can,” she said. “has something happened already?”

Iiandere was ready to dismiss the question; after all, it was her investigation. But, on the other hand, Serra had easy access to the palace archives. “Does your office still maintain a record of imperial heraldry?”

“Yes.” The archivist nodded.

“Good,” Iiandere turned to Semma. “Did you manage to glean any details?”

The young woman frowned. “Well, maybe, it’s all-”

“Good enough,” Iiandere said. “You’ll work with the archivist and attempt at least to narrow our search. Serra, the young lady will explain; please take her back to the Archives with you.”

Serra nodded. “As you say, Lady inquisitor, come along, Semma.”

The two of them left, and Iiandere leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Not much progress today,” the initiate said, taking her seat.

“No,” Iiandere agreed. “Not much progress initiate Henneil, such is our task.”

The young woman nodded. “Yes, inquisitor. Inquisitor?” she asked. “You traveled with her magnificence yesterday.”

“I did. What of it?” Iiandere asked.

“What did you think of her man?”

Iiandere turned to the young woman. “Interested?”

“Not that there would be anything wrong with it,” her subordinate said. “But my curiosity is merely academic; it seems he’s likely to be our emperor soon.”

Iiandere gave a noncommittal grunt. “You think so?”

“I think it seems reasonable,” the young woman said. “A Lady does not escort a man as her Magnificence did without reason.”

Iiandere couldn’t refute that, and after all, her initiate was probably right. Still. “See to it you keep her confidence.”

“I will,” the woman said. “What do you think of him?”

Iiandere thought about it; what did she think of him? He was- Well, he made things interesting. Elliza certainly seemed fond of him, and it was clear they were close.

As to him personally, they hadn’t spoken much, and she got the sense he didn’t like her; probably, he sensed the friction between Serra and herself, so he was loyal, and that was heartening.

“He’s interesting,” she said at last. “Beautiful.” She hesitated. “Heroic. An excellent hand at knife throwing.”

“Knife throwing?” the initiate asked.

“Never mind that. He has charmed several exceptionally discerning women that alone should give you an idea of his character,” Iiandere said.

“Yes, inquisitor,” she said. “You seem taken with him, so he must be.”

Iiandere frowned, taken? Perhaps she even was, a bit, but. “My personal life is none of your concern.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the young woman said. “Sorry, ma’am. May I ask what that girl wanted, ma’am?”

“Oh,” Iiandere said. “Yes, it seems there are rumors circulating in the docks; someone sighted a coach bearing heraldic imagery at around the right time.”

“Worrisome,” the young woman said.

“Come to think of it. Initiate, your family is of the old nobility; might you have some ideas?” Iiandere asked.

She shook her head. “I would need more; there are certainly enough brazen fools amongst the nobility. It could be a grab for power, or it could just be a rumor…. I didn’t see anything in our reports about separatist movement.”

“You can’t see what isn’t there,” Iiandere said. “Our agents have been worryingly quiet.”

“But we are still getting reports?”

“We are,” Iiandere said, nodding. “But it looks as though we’ve been shut out; if our agents haven’t been discovered, they’re suspected.”

“What shall we do?”

Iiandere sighed and shook her head; the initiate was still young, after all. “We shall do nothing. The inquisition's agents are the inquisition's, you don’t know who they are, or you shouldn’t, and their fate isn’t your concern. If the inspector general determines their lives need be expended in the course of the inquisition’s duty, then that is what shall happen, and neither you nor I have any say in the matter.”

“Yes, inquisitor,” the young woman said.

There was, of course, the unspoken suggestion that perhaps it wasn’t the inquisition’s agents who had been shut out, but Iiandere and, by extension, the initiate training beneath her.

It didn’t seem likely, but she would be a fool to fail to consider it, the possible reasons, and the implications thereof. And while much could, and had been, made of her myriad personality defects and moral failings, Iiandere Seressiver was no fool.

The food was delivered, a modest meal for a modest pair, housed though they were in the halls of the mighty.

“Ma’am,” the young woman said. “If I may.”

“Go on,” Iiandere said.

“I’d like to meet him,” she said.

Iiandere didn’t look up from her meal. “Is that so?”

“He’s impressed you,” the young woman said. “And I’ve seen few enough women capable of such a feat.”

Iiandere sniffed. “Maybe, not today, certainly. Finish your meal quickly; we need to get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.”