For nearly two weeks, Farek tailed Lord Polanar or had his guards take his place. They developed a list of pubs that Polanar frequented, asked Reu to investigate those he frequently met with, and ultimately determined that Polanar must have acted alone, if he did, in fact, hire Lannon to attack the Gallendris estate. It was halfway through this period of inquest that Jannia’s letter arrived. Continue reading Farek 69
The mansion of Lord Wartha was impressive by Lo Mallago standards. Farek dressed up for the occasion—an hour-long ordeal that involved shaving his beard down to its usual moustache, washing his hair, and buying a loose, clean linen shirt from the market. Of course, House Gallendris’ wealth far exceeded the financial claims of anyone in Lo Mallago. When he attended his self-invited dinner to meet Ofena, Farek did his best to act impressed, not condescending. Continue reading Farek 68
Lord Sha’s instructions for contacting one of his chief spies seemed needlessly convoluted. Nonetheless, Farek carried out the spy-craft as he had been told: he bought three apples from a particular market stall and asked the merchant if he could pay in Matriarch coins. The man scowled and told him, “No, only Grey Sea coins or Lo Mallago chips.” Farek shrugged and paid with Grey Sea coins. Continue reading Farek 67
It took most of the afternoon to walk from the harbour village to the walls of Lo Mallago; by the end of the hike, Farek was exhausted. He had no experience in a climate so arid. The sun felt hotter, the ground harder, and the wind filled his eyes and mouth with gritty sand. Out of necessity, the first order of business for Farek’s small troop, was finding shelter and a place to stay. Continue reading Farek 66
It took Farek nearly a week to get everything in order. Lord Thrane had not heard back from his contacts in Lo Mallago yet, so Farek managed to convince the lord to share a few names. Contrarily, Lord Sha was eager to provide detailed instructions of who Farek should speak with to deliver the details they had learned about Harloss and his “blue hand” guards. Continue reading Farek 65
Though Jannia offered to take a turn, it was Farek who reluctantly leaned behind the iron-barred cell in their basement the next time that Sha questioned their prisoner. He felt responsible for everything that happened to Lannon now, so he would endure the sessions as well, like a separate, unharmed companion for their captive. He watched Lord Sha take position, crossing his arms while the bald torturer slid into a chair near Lannon’s slumped shoulders. The wooden box remained closed, for now. Continue reading Farek 64
It had been a confusing discussion, after Lannon’s last interrogation, between Farek and Jannia. First, they debated the likelihood that Lannon had lied. Farek was inclined to trust this accusation levelled at Lo Mallago for two reasons—Lannon had learned a well-guarded secret somehow and it also fit. If each story the assassin had told was a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, this one fit Farek’s empty space, while the Grey Brethren did not. The two tales might be connected, but Farek had not yet seen any proof of it. Continue reading Farek 63
From behind the positioning of Lannon’s prison chair and behind the iron bars of the prison cell, Farek’s frown could not be seen. He folded his arms and leaned against the brick wall as he watched Lord Sha enter the prison cell. A short bald man entered behind Sha, carrying a small wooden chest; as he entered the timid individual placed a flat piece of metal in the wide brazier in the corner, leaving the utensil’s leather handle at a safe distance from the flame. Lord Sha’s guards positioned themselves outside the cell, near the door of the entire room.
Lannon, lifting his head weakly, managed a whimper as he saw his torturers returning. There was little introduction this time—Sha folded his arms and nonchalantly asked, “Where’s the coin stashed, Lannon?” Continue reading Farek 62
Farek looked at Jannia’s hand in concern. She held two reeds in her fist, their heights matched. Farek was to choose one to resolve their indecision. Lord Sha had agreed to permit one of them to attend Lannon’s interrogation. While they agreed it was necessary, neither Farek nor his sister wanted to witness the things that would transpire in that cell. Continue reading Farek 61
Devender Akursh made for excellent conversation on the road. They chatted about topics from the weather in Bellasa to the miasma that had driven mad the Baron’s army on the Great Isle—which Farek had asked Devender to investigate. Devender had learned of several magicians who could cause a similar effect—such as paranoid delusions—in individual subjects, but he was still amazed at the story Farek had told. Farek, on the other hand, had hardly considered magic as the cause of what seemed a major chemical cloud.
Their escort of thirty guards led them back to Soros without incident. They arrived close to the end of the month, delivering their captured and their wounded to the estate on Coin Hill before dispersing into the city for some rest and rehabilitation. Continue reading Farek 60