Kevlin stood in a long, low-ceilinged room deep in the dungeons under the central palace. He and his Swordbrothers waited while Harafin examined the captured mercenaries. Leander had stabilized the worst of the injured.

Harafin stood and withdrew the glowing hand he had held pressed against the forehead of the leader of the attackers. The man watched him with a terrified expression.

"I find no mind traps on these men," Harafin said. "I don't believe they'll die under questioning."

"What do you mean, die?" the prisoner asked.

"I'll ask the questions, young man," Harafin said. "If you answer truthfully, you might even live out the night."

The man gulped and shared a fearful look with his companions. "What do you want to know?"

The heavy oak door banged open and Ah'Shan strode into the room.

Harafin nodded a greeting. "Thank you for coming quickly. I was just about to begin the interrogation."

Ah'Shan gave the fearful prisoners a dismissive wave. "Leave that rabble. We need to talk. Now."

"Hold on a minute," Kevlin said. "I want to know why they tried to kill me."

Ah’Shan didn’t bother looking at him. "They can wait. You'll want to hear this too."

They left the prisoners in the large cell under the watchful eyes of a pair of soldiers and followed Ah'Shan into a nearby circular guardroom. The empty room held nothing but a small table, half a dozen chairs, and a weapons rack along one wall.

The door on the far side of the room opened just as they entered, and Gabral strode in. He was still dressed in his party finery. "Why was I not informed of this interrogation?"

"Why should you be?" Jerrik asked.

"I'm the emperor's champion." Gabral drew himself up to his full diminutive height. "I'm personally responsible for security arrangements tonight. Any breach was to be reported to me immediately."

"So you're the one who gave the asinine order banning all long weapons tonight," Drystan said.

Gabral glared and pointed a finger at Drystan. "Watch yourself, soldier. I will not tolerate insubordination."

"I nearly died tonight because I didn't have my sword," Kevlin said.

Gabral gave him a withering look. "I have bigger concerns than your safety, mercenary."

Kevlin really disliked this man. The little colonel had made it clear from the first day they met that he considered Kevlin a second-rate soldier. He hadn't revised that opinion, despite all they'd been through.

Then again, Kevlin had disliked him from day one. He still did, but it was deepening, like rotting cheese.

"Enough bickering," Ah'Shan snapped. "We have important things to discuss." He made a sweeping motion with one hand, and the walls began to glow with amber light, similar to the shielded spheres Harafin had used during Kevlin's training sessions.

Harafin raised an eyebrow. "Is that necessary? We're in the most secure wing of the dungeons already."

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"We cannot be too cautious."

Leander took a seat. "I admit, the theatrics make me curious."

"I just completed probing the minds of the men captured in the assassination attempt on the emperor," Ah'Shan declared.

"Who wanted the emperor dead?" Drystan asked.

"That's the surprise. The entire attack was a fraud. We were all duped." Ah'Shan pulled a chair around and sat down with his arms draped across the back. "Two of the men died before I learned the true secret."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Leander asked.

"What secret?" Harafin urged.

"The emperor was not the ultimate target."

Gabral huffed. "Impossible. We were there. Without our intervention, without the Mace to drive them off, the emperor would have died."

"That's what you were meant to think. The truth was buried deep, protected by no less than three mind traps. Kevlin and Drystan were the targets. They were to be taken alive and delivered to the attackers' master."

Keelin had been right when she questioned the attackers' motivation. The assassins hadn't made a sloppy tactical error. Well, other than attacking the company in the first place.

Ah'Shan continued. "The attack on the emperor and the ambassadors was nothing but a diversion, an attempt to mask the real mission."

"Impossible," Gabral protested again. "No one tries to assassinate the emperor as a cover-up. There's nothing more important."

Ah’Shan’s voice turned grave. "There is. Harafin, they seek your secret."

"What secret?" Gabral demanded.

"They seek to know who is bearer of Tia Khoa," Harafin said.

"And the location of the stone, no doubt," Leander added.

"Who would go to so much trouble to hide their intent?" Drystan wondered.

"Tanathos." Harafin's word confirmed what Kevlin already suspected.

"That's the biggest surprise," Ah'Shan said. "Hidden in the mind of the leader of those men, even more heavily guarded than the true purpose of their mission, was the secret of their employer. It was not Tanathos, but someone named Masego."

"Masego?" Kevlin exclaimed. "That's the name of the guy Rhea said she was working for."

"That is a very interesting connection," Harafin said.

"And here in the palace," Leander added.

"So Masego's a player," Ah'Shan said. "One we haven't met yet."

"But one who's been after Tia Khoa from the beginning."

"Could he be working with Tanathos?" Kevlin asked.

Harafin said, "There's no way to know, but perhaps it was this Masego who tampered with the shield matrix."

"I'm wanting to meet this person more and more," Ah'Shan said.

"Me too," Jerrik said, patting the hilt of his sword.

"This Masego has good intelligence," Gabral said. "He knows we were there at Il'Aicharen. He suspects we know the secret, even though Harafin has kept even us ignorant of the truth."

"He'll likely attack again," Drystan said.

Jerrik grinned and flexed his huge arms. "I hope he doesn't wait too long."

Harafin said, "He already has."

#

"You are licensed fugitive hunters?" Harafin asked the leader of the men who attacked Kevlin in the sunken garden.

The man gestured with the papers he held in his hand. "We are. We have all the right permits, so let us go."

"If only it were so easy. Who hired you?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know. I got a letter this morning with the job."

"Do you often take jobs by post?"

"First time. But there were one hundred gold crowns with the letter, so we weren't asking lots of questions." The man spoke with a Hallvarri accent.

Harafin nodded. "Do you have this letter?"

The man shook his head. "Strangest thing happened. I put the letter down on my desk and it caught fire."

"That does seem strange, and still you proceeded with the mission?"

"Seemed like the right thing to do. The letter promised another hundred in gold upon delivery."

"What were the terms of the engagement?"

The man pointed at Kevlin. "Take that man alive and deliver him at midnight to the catacombs for payment."

Gabral took a step forward. "You're supposed to deliver prisoners to the Department of Justice, Fugitive Recovery Office to collect bounties."

"Normally, that's what we do," the man said, unfazed. "But this was a non-sanctioned hunt. We was told the target stole from a high nobleman and he wanted justice." The man shrugged. "Seemed reasonable at the time."

"You'll lose your license for this," Gabral threatened.

The man barked a laugh. "Lost half my team tonight. You think I care naught for your permit?"

Back in the guard room, Harafin said, "Masego has indeed struck again."

Jerrik frowned. "How do you know it's Masego? They don't even know who they're working for."

"It has to be. And tonight we're going to meet him."

"How do you plan to do that?" Gabral asked.

Harafin smiled. "Weren't you listening? Masego is expecting mercenaries to deliver Kevlin to the catacombs at midnight. We have just enough time to make it."

"Do you really think it could work?" asked Leander.

"We cannot afford to miss the opportunity." Harafin's face turned hard and his eyes sparkled with power. "Come, my friends. Tonight we begin the hunt."