Inspector Clara lay back in the cart as it traveled along the bumpy dirt road that wound through the jungle. Now well away from Walton and well south of the Southern Line, she considered how things stood between the Souran queendom and the Vanurian counties. The Fo'Ri Liraya's attack had scared the Sourans badly, and Countess Almeida was going to have to work very hard to restore relations. Luckily, Lord Kalan's best decision, to make a secret Ri mage his heir, had paid off immediately. Still, the question of whether or not Dwayne's sheltering of Walton's Vanurians would make up for the damage of Liraya's attempt to kidnap the Guardian of the Wall remained to be seen.

"I'm glad we left when we did," said the guard driving the cart in Vanurian, his slow drawl marking him as a native of a southwestern county. "Those guards were just hunting for a reason to string us up."

The other guard shrugged, her eyes searching the undergrowth and trees. Bandits rarely ranged this far north, but when they did, they were desperate. "It would have been nice to see if the Souran fighters were all they're cracked up to be." Her accent was clipped. She probably hailed from Luema, where the Abandoned Throne sat.

Clara glanced at the remains of Liraya's Vengehna. "The city guard aren't much, but those garrison troops are trained like the old Praetorian guards."

"Hah! I bet they act like it too, looking down on us from that stupid wall of theirs."

"At least they aren't the Ri," said the driver. "They believe in borders. Whoa!"

There were two thumps, and the cart rumbled to a stop.

Clara sat up. "What's wrong?" She got to the front of the cart where the two guards were slumped in their seats. Sighing, she climbed out of the cart and faced the culprit, a thin figure in a pale pink robe that had the rising sun embroidered on the front.

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Someone popped into being behind Clara and leaned in close. "They'll take it from here, Inspector."

Clara peered at her nails. "Do not hurt my guards."

The robed one in front of her nodded and raised a hand, and a half dozen people, barefoot and in pale blue smocks, burst from the jungle and swarmed the cart. Clara stayed still, keeping her eyes on the road ahead and not turning around to look at the person standing behind her. After Liraya and her Vengehna were bundled up and taken into the jungle, a smocked one slid behind Clara and whispered something.

The one behind Clara asked, voice grating, "Where are the knives?"

Clara didn't move. "They were stolen, most likely by a boy named Huan Li."

"You let this happen?"

"His absence would have disrupted my mission." Clara clasped her hands behind her back. "His sister wields an unusual weapon with unusual skill, he travels with the young lady who brought down Liraya, and most importantly, he is close to the lost Ri slave. If he were to disappear, they would search for him."

"Those knives are ours."

"And we will have them back. We can track them after all."

The tarp, folded, landed on the ground in front of Clara, and a set of fine clothing was dropped on top of it. The robed one bowed and climbed onto the cart, setting it down the road with three of the smocked. The rest melted back into the jungle.

The one behind waited for the cart to disappear around a bend in the road. "Why were those on the cart?"

Clara picked up the suit of clothes. "Are you going to send another after the lost Ri slave? Rodion has been asked by Lord Bartholemew Kalan to travel with him and his apprentice to Bradford in order to serve as his steward there."

"Rodion can disappear. There are others in Bradford."

"Yes, but Rodion has his trust. They do not, and while Lord Kalan is a foolish man, his sister, his niece, and his apprentice are not."

The one behind considered. "Rodion will reappear. He will travel with the lost Ri slave. He will report to the full moon in Bradford."

Clara bowed, picked up the tarp, and stepped into the undergrowth. There she was left on the tarp with her black jacket, brass badge, and violet eyes, and Rodion with his brown eyes, tied back hair, and blue suit came to be.

He stepped out onto the road. "I don't need your help getting back into Soura." He adjusted his cravat. "Say that Dana is committed." He walked back up the road.

Behind him, there was nothing.