The city of Trell did not compare to Saanazar or Ith in size, but it was grand in its own way. A nearby marble mine provided the city with a nearly unlimited supply of what importers considered expensive building materials. Grand pillars lined the road approaching the gate, while a governor’s mansion rose from a hilltop on the northern seaside. Continue reading Renado 71
Renado had hired criminals many times before, but he was not used to such a feeling of waiting. His assassin, Jiyander, was sailing along the coast of Radregar—or maybe he had arrived. Ren knew he had to wait for the meeting to take place, and wait for the assassin to succeed or fail, and wait for the news to get back to him. It was a lot more waiting than he preferred. Continue reading Renado 70
The scheme almost worked according to plan. With bribes and promises of safety, Kalikus convinced Morrus’ favourite woman of the night, Kyra, to steal a letter or some other defining item from her patron’s things. She had been cooperative so far, and she was that night, too. She dropped Morrus’ signet ring from the window and Kal brought it to Ren at once. Continue reading Renado 69
Omma, the broad-shouldered bookkeeper from the days of the Vanci Dispatch, had been spending his last few weeks investigating Archpriest Roithe by studying local archives. He got approval from Renado to spend some of their group funds on a research pass to a prestigious academy in Saanazar, but varied his attendance between several locations. A few days earlier, he had come to Renado with an intriguing find. Continue reading Renado 68
Trying to learn about the mysterious Archpriest Roithe was slower than any of Ren’s previous missions. They spent the first week with nothing aside from his name. It was Kalikus who once again brought Ren his first real clue. A few days earlier, a meeting of the Archpriests had been called. Kal’s contacts at the brothel revealed Archpriest Morrus’ frustrated remarks after the meeting. According to Kal and the women of the Perfumed Palace, Morrus had ranted about the stress of strategizing in these trying times, without the attendance of the full council. His words, according to Kal, were, “Even in these trying times, Roithe is nowhere to be found!” That would explain why trying to find the elusive Grey Brother in Saanazar had produced no leads. Continue reading Renado 67
The harbour of Saanazar was one of the largest in the Known World. Renado had spent nearly half of his life in ports, but today was not a day full of nostalgic reminiscing. The whooping calls of the sailors and the hubbub of the merchants seemed distant due to the glaring gaze of the robed sentries that accompanied Archpriest Par. Renado and his men—just Woodro and Virn today—had not had to wait long. Continue reading Renado 66
Ren buckled his sword on quickly, grabbed his cloak, and hurried out the door of his inn room as quickly as he had entered it. “Lead on,” he called to Urro as he strode across the inn room. His volunteers had already gathered—Asar, Omma, Bran, and, of course, Virn. Their gang strode out from Parla’s and cut a swath through the crowded street. Woodro had been captured and they were going to get him back. Continue reading Renado 65
“I’m not going to buy any,” Renado told the peddler for the third time. Irritably, Ren stepped away from the stall of displayed silver trinkets, toward the next market stand. He was on his own, browsing through the merchants as he watched for the grey-robed man to make up his mind about a gold necklace.
“Then stop wasting my time!” called the silver peddler after Ren. His shout was lost in the hubbub of the Saanazar market—fortunately before it reached the shopping priest—but Ren shot the salesman a dirty glance in retaliation. Continue reading Renado 64
For the first time in his life, Renado attended a religious service. It was a sunny, hot day, but the warm gale outdoors was nothing compared to the stifling heat inside the Grey Temple, where one of the Atmos Septi Archpriests addressed an enormous congregation of Saanazar’s commoners. Renado sat with Ira near the back of the auditorium, barely able to see any details of the sixty-year-old Brethren. Asar and Kal sat closer to the front, while Urro and another of his men loitered outdoors, sharing a puff of a pipe with some of the holy guards. Continue reading Renado 63
A gentle rain was falling when the Divine Trader arrived in the holy city of Saanazar. Low hanging clouds obscured the Grey Temple and the Burnt Keep, oppressing the rooftops of the rising city with a misty grey. The merchant ship was crewed by a mix of mercantile professionals, and captained by a priest of the Grey Brethren. Continue reading Renado 62