Tanathos stepped through a thick wooden door into the rear entrance of a large building in the north end of the central marketplace. Remiel had chosen a convoluted path. Tanathos had no idea what merchandise might be sold here.

They passed through a storage room filled with blank boxes that revealed nothing of their contents. They entered a huge showroom that filled most of the main floor. The front door was locked, and shutters covered all the windows. The only light came from a small lamp sitting on a table beside a hooded and cloaked figure who sat in a comfortable, padded chair. Two other hooded figures flanked the seated person.

Tanathos followed Remiel toward the trio. The floor of the showroom was laid in glistening hardwood, and display cases were situated at staggered intervals throughout the room. Every case was covered with black velvet, concealing their wares.

The seated figure motioned toward a polished wooden chair that faced him.

"I will remain standing," Tanathos said.

Did the fool think to so easily subject him? Tanathos held close his anger. It gave him strength. He would show this fool very soon who was master here. First, learn what they had to offer, then consume their essence.

The seated man said nothing, so Tanathos goaded him a little. "Are you a coward to hide your face from me?"

The man chuckled and said from under the hood, "We both wear necessary disguises for now."

"Your slave informs me you wish to make an offer."

"I do."

"How can you serve me?" Tanathos asked.

The man chuckled again, his voice strong and cultured. "We cannot learn to trust each other unless both benefit from the arrangement. My offer allows us to serve each other."

"You wish to trust me?" The man was a bigger fool than he thought.

"Perhaps. But first you will trust me."

Tanathos remained silent. He could never trust anyone in this city. Masego had proven that.

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"I bring word from the Sigrun," the man said, as if reading Tanathos's mind.

That was a surprise. Could he be telling the truth? Tanathos had felt no mental contact. An attempt to communicate over such vast distances would have consumed many lives.

The man continued. "I can prove the veracity of my words."

"How?" Tanathos felt intrigued despite his caution.

There was a slim chance the man might be telling the truth. The Sigrun surely controlled other spies in the city. Tanathos had wished in recent days that he knew their identities so he could contact them.

The man made no move, gave not the slightest indication that he wielded power, and suddenly a vision poured into Tanathos' mind.

It was a sending from the Sigrun council.

He knew the Sigrun from over a century serving them. The sight of them thrilled him with eager anticipation to join their ranks even as familiar fear chilled his soul.

Nyyrrikki, one of the twin leaders of the Sigrun, spoke. "Command Tanathos to complete his mission. He must return with the stone before the snows. Success will earn him a seat on this council." Then he faced Tanathos. "Fail us again, and you will suffer the fate of all the unworthy."

Tanathos shivered with eager anticipation. They still offered him the coveted seventh seat on the council. They didn't know that he had nearly succeeded in his plan to supplant them all and wrest all power from them into his own hands.

The seated figure must have used Sthenic energy to push that sending to him. His identity didn't matter, only that the Sigrun had sent another servant to support him. If they knew what he had attempted to do, they would have sent this man to kill him.

Pain so severe he could scarce comprehend it exploded through Tanathos' entire being. It ripped through his body and unprotected mind in a single overwhelming blast. Tanathos collapsed to the floor and his limbs shook with agony. He tried to shut out the pain, but it raked through his soul like nails.

It denied him the capacity to scream.

After seconds that felt like hours the pain faded, leaving him quivering on the floor. The others watched, silent and unmoving.

After a few minutes, Tanathos regained enough strength to climb into the wooden chair the seated man had first offered.

"That last part of the message was a subtle motivation to stay loyal and not fail again. Your ambition is commendable, but don't stray from the path appointed to you."

Despite the risk, Tanathos reached for his gift and shielded his mind. Either the house was shielded from the wards placed around the city, or this house was not actively monitored.

The influx of strength calmed and centered his mind. If only he had a slave available so he could feed on its life force. He yearned to reach beyond the edge of the city to where his forces remained concealed.

Tanathos tried to speak, but his throat was dry as aged parchment and painful as if scraped raw with sand. It felt as if he'd managed to scream after all. Finally he managed to croak, "The message is clear. Now tell me how you can help me take the man Kevlin."

"I will provide a way for you to enter the palace complex undetected."

As the man explained the plan and the resources at his disposal, Tanathos forgot his pain and smiled for the first time in a long time.