Wilhelm's horse was not only a magnificent beast, he was fresh and well-fed. The result was that Ralan quickly caught up to Karch trotting along on Ralan's own exhausted horse. As he saw Karch in the distance, Ralan considered talking to him, but he could not think of anything be gained in it, and there being value in just rushing past him, making Karch wonder what had happened.

Wilhelm's comment about the power of the unknown was fresh in Ralan's mind. Karch would see Ralan's black cloak streak past, and know that Ralan rode a horse that was given to him by the Outlanders. The Merchant deputy would have no idea what to make of that, and that uncertainty was what Ralan felt would be the most valuable outcome. The fact that Karch and Larsen couldn't reveal to others that there had been a mission to visit the Outlanders meant that Karch and Larsen could do nothing more with the knowledge of Ralan's visit than speculate amongst themselves as to what he was doing.

As Ralan made his way through the foothills he knew that the Rangers were watching him, but none approached. Remembering his conversations with the Rangers of their respect for Pietro, Ralan had to smile. Soon the raids from the Outlanders would stop, and the Rangers would know that Ralan had somehow helped bring it about.

The South Gate he had exited was closed, but, as he approached, it swung open. Carich stood alongside the entrance with a smile on his face. "Welcome back, Guildmaster."

"Thank you, Carich. My mission went well. Do you know where Alard can be found? I need to talk to him right away."

"He is in the tower, Guildmaster." Carich stepped forward and held out his hand. "Would you like me to take your horse? The Tower stables aren't fully restored, but there is a stall for your horse." Carich's eyes went wide as he finally noticed Ralan's horse.

"Yes, this is a new horse. It was a gift from the Lord of the Outlanders," Ralan replied as he slid off his saddle. The ground felt odd under his feet. He had been on a horse for the majority of the past few days. "See that he is well-cared for."

"Of course, Guildmaster." Carich took the reins as Ralan stretched his legs while he strode toward the Thieves Tower.

Ralan had to ask a few of his guild members where Alard was before he found out that his deputy was in the kitchens, checking on the progress of their renovation. Ralan approached Alard without him noticing Ralan's presence. The dark bald pate was a welcome sight.

"Alard!"

He turned, the huge smile on his face lit up the room. "Ralan!" Alard strode over, not quite jogging, but at a pace that underscored his enthusiasm at Ralan's return. "Are you okay? Did you intercept Karch?" Alard looked Ralan up and down.

"I did not, but there is much to talk about." Ralan grabbed Alard's hand and pulled him in for a hug. Not knowing what to expect, Ralan was surprised at Alard's warm return embrace.

"Let's go to your study. It is at least livable, if not worthy of a guildmaster's presence just yet." Alard clapped Ralan on the back. They made their way up the stairs of the tower, which quickly winded Ralan.

"I need to work on my endurance if I'm going to be climbing these steps every day."

They reached the top floor, and Ralan followed Alard as he strode across the stone. To the left is your study, which I'm afraid has been taken over by someone you know. Raef looked up from a book. He appeared exhausted.

"Raef!" Ralan walked over as Raef stood up.

"Ralan! How did it go? Did you warn Karch?"

"Not exactly." They hugged, and the three of them sat down at a table covered with books. Looking around, Ralan was in awe of his study, which was nothing like the office of his brother. It was more of a library, with shelves and shelves of books.

Ralan outlined his entire mission, while Raef explained what he had discovered. Raef was excited to hear that the Great River was called the Dragon's Tear. "Yes. That would make sense with the mountains named the Dragon's Teeth. Here, let me show you the map I discovered."

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As Ralan looked at the map Raef had found in one of the books, he better understood the position of the Outlanders. They were between a dry plain and a desert, with the only fertile land conceivably near the river. Food had to be a challenge.

"So Ness was a kind of central hub for trade, but at some point in the past, the city guildmasters shut down all commerce outside the city," Ralan mused.

"That appears to be the case," Alard stated. "But there is much we don't know. I have asked Raef to be the guild historian, researching these important gaps in our knowledge of the past. Do you agree?" Alard looked at Ralan.

"Of course! This is perfect for Raef. I've normally pointed him in the direction of doing things like finding the best way to annoy Larsen, so this is perfect. Telling him to find some ancient secret? He'll love that." Ralan shoved Raef in the shoulder.

"Absolutely!" he replied.

"I am glad that is resolved, but what do we do about Larsen and Polo?" Alard asked.

"Well, Karch will tell Larsen that they need to handle Polo themselves. Knowing Larsen, he'll probably have his Blade sneak in to assassinate Polo." Ralan scratched his chin, which had a few days worth of stubble.

"But wouldn't he have tried that already?" Raef asked, which elicited a nod from Alard.

"I'm sure he has tried, but he has been unsuccessful as of yet. There will be more attempts, I am sure," Alard replied.

"Have we warned Polo? Does Maela have any information?" Alard looked at Ralan and lowered his head.

"She has not returned. We have inquired through our Harvest Guild channels, but we have heard nothing. We fear she has been captured or killed in trying to warn Polo." Alard shook his head. "I am concerned."

Ralan didn't quite know what to say as he swallowed hard. He really liked Maela. Her short curly hair. Her fearlessness. Her lack of any regard for Ralan's position. Her dark skin and sharp features. "Let us continue to look for her. We will not and must not assume she is dead until there is verification of that fact."

"Understood, Guildmaster."

Ralan drummed his fingers on the table. "We are in dire trouble unless we can protect Polo. With his death, Larsen will run the city. As we know from the guild history, I will not be able to veto a unification vote on my own. Polo and I need to work together."

"Indeed. I'm not sure what we can do to protect Polo. I had considered doing the opposite, but there is no real way to reach Larsen."

Ralan stopped drumming his fingers and looked at Alard. "Wait. What do you mean, 'I had considered doing the opposite?'"

"If Larsen would wake up one morning with a knife embedded in his nightstand with a note that said 'If Polo dies, you die next,' I believe it would stop him."

Ralan's face lit up. "Yes. That would assuredly stop him. He is so confident in his power that such a thing would shake him deeply." Nodding his head in excitement, Ralan continued, "This is a great idea! I know Larsen. He will not do anything if he feels remotely threatened."

"Alas, we have no way to get to him," Alard replied. "We could easily assassinate him when he is active outside the tower, but we have no way to easily threaten him with an assassination, indicating we can get to him even if he hid."

"What do you mean? I've snuck into his bedroom all the time. There is a small food lift that goes from the kitchens to his bedroom. He stopped using it when a glass of wine spilled, ruining his food. After that, he demanded that his food be carried to him, but that doesn't mean the lift doesn't work." Ralan couldn't suppress a mischievous smile. "I would hide inside, and pull myself up to steal money from him."

"You were born for this guild!" Raef laughed.

Alard nodded. "Fascinating. The lift sounds like a new addition, and would explain why we had no record of it in our plans of the Merchant Tower."

"This mission is simple," Ralan said excitedly. "Put someone small in the kitchen, have them pull themselves up to Larsen's room, and they can leave the note and escape the same way." Ralan felt good. He was creating plans like a real guildmaster.

"So does this solve all our problems? We threaten Larsen. He stops worrying about Polo, and things are back to normal?" Raef asked.

"Raef, we will never be back to normal. There are things going on that we don't even comprehend yet, I'm sure. Think of Ralan's visit with Lord Wilhelm. Somehow we not only have to stop Larsen, we need to figure out how to re-open Ness to the outside world." Alard peered at Raef. "But to do that, we need to better understand the guild history."

All the air left Raef as he exhaled in defeat. "But I can't find a single book about the Thieves Guild. It's like we don't exist. And I couldn't even begin to tell you how our past fits with our future beyond what we know already."

Alard put his hand on Raef's shoulder. "It's okay. You have time. All we need to worry about right now is our present, and that's threatening Larsen into leaving Polo alone."

Standing up, Alard added, "I can make the preparations. In the meantime, let's continue with returning the Tower to its former glory."

Ralan smiled, he would finally be able to focus on the lower stress things like learning who his captains were, how Pietro had organized the guild, and just keeping things running without problems.

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