Their bartering done with, they took a breath and moved to other matters of import. Lucan watched as Mistress Yanna and her daughter whispered at each other. The whispering turned to hissing when Elayne seemed to refuse something, and her mother pressed her. At last, the quarrel came to an end, and Elayne seemed to dedicate her attention once more to their discourse.
Mistress Yanna’s eyes returned to him after she regathered herself. “Lord Zesh, our matter of foremost concern now is to win the council. For that, you and Lord Ravencroft are generously halving our dues, but we will need allies.” She gestured at Master Orin, and they shared a nod. “Master Orin has assured me of The Blue Guild’s support. Such a strong ally will indeed tilt the balance in our favor, but if we are to outmaneuver Fendrel, we will need more.”
Lucan frowned, realizing that perhaps the coming trial wouldn’t be only to persuade this council, but rather to defeat a political rival of some sort. He should’ve assumed that Mistress Yanna was at odds with the guild master, this Fendrel, from the way she had spoken of him before, but it seemed that he had been late in his judgement. He wondered if he would have not tried to reach an agreement with her regardless, but the question that truly irked him now was whether he could’ve reached an agreement with this Fendrel if he’d spoken to him instead.
“Does The Wheel not have many allies?” he asked.
“We do,” Mistress Yanna said. “But few with whom I may share this without concern, particularly because the council doesn’t know yet. Our every step must be planned. We must have some time before this matter is brought before the council regardless. I will ask for your patience.”
Lucan leaned back in his seat, a frown still marring his face. “I cannot linger in Varencourt. I must return to my estate. I would ask you to be swift.” He paused, remembering something. “I may also be able to win us an ally in the coming days.”
Now it was Mistress Yanna who was frowning. “I did not imagine the lord to have ties in the Union. Who may we expect in our ranks?”
Lucan pondered sharing the name of the guild with her. They were allies now, and in this matter, there was little harm to come from telling her. In truth, there might be some harm from not telling her, since she would know whether such an alliance could be wrought or not. “The Yellow Parchment.”
“And how does your lordship know them?”
That, he chose not to share. Perhaps they didn’t know that his lawfather was Maris Saltner, and that was the kind of knowledge best kept quiet until needed. “I have a letter from a dear friend who has strong ties with them. I believe we can win them to our side.”
Mistress Yanna seemed thoughtful for a moment, and then she nodded. “The Yellow Parchment is not a small entity across the Union. They would be a boon to our undertaking. I will trust you to win us their support. For the time being, it would be appropriate for your lordship to stay at a tavern of proper standing, one that my family owns.”
Lucan huffed, holding back a laugh. He leaned forward and said, “Mistress Yanna, you have not even gotten your house in order yet, and this affair may yet buy me plenty of enemies. I intend to stay where no one may find me, at least for now.”
“I can assure you that our tavern is well guarded. You would be safe from our enemies there.”
Lucan gave her a soft smile. He had no intention of being under her or her guild’s power until matters were much clearer than they were now. “I thank you for the generous offer, but for now, I shall decline.”
She deflated, nodding her surrender at last. “Will you apprise us once you have word from The Yellow Parchment?”
“Of course,” Lucan said. “I understand that they must come to you, and I will impress that necessity upon them should they agree to join this venture.”
“Splendid,” Mistress Yanna said, sipping from a goblet of wine before her. It was only now that Lucan realized there was a goblet in front of him too, one he hadn’t touched.
“If there is nothing else,” Lucan said, standing up, “I must take my leave, for I have affairs to attend to.”
Mistress Yanna got to her feet, and her daughter followed her after an elbow found her side. “It was an honor meeting you, Lord Zesh.”
Elayne repeated after her mother, “It was an honor meeting you, Lord Zish.” Though she made a mockery of it, and Lucan didn’t grace her with a glance.
Master Orin, as was his habit, pretended to struggle to stand up, then nodded his farewell to him. The door was open before Lucan reached it, and he stepped out. He didn’t bother acknowledging the warden. He presumed that he would be more reluctant than his master to spare him any respect.
Tomis fell in behind him as he marched down the stairs. Led by a servant, they were soon outside, blending into the crowd as fast as they could.
Soon, they moved from a street to an alley, and then Tomis spoke. “A man is on our trail.”
Lucan narrowed his eyes, glancing back and seeing no one. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“Then let us give him no trail to follow,” Lucan said, meeting Tomis’s eyes. “Lead the way.”
Tomis bolted down the alley, and Lucan was close on his heels. They rounded two more alleys, slipped into a crowded street, and cut into a small market that Lucan hadn’t known existed before Tomis judged that their tail was no longer there.
“I hadn’t thought you able of discovering stalkers in the middle of a city.”
Tomis shrugged. “I feel it when I’m being watched.”
They shared a nod before continuing their march back to the inn, their eyes suspicious of every passerby. It wasn’t long before they were pushing open the doors, slipping into the common room, or at least Lucan had hoped they would be slipping in unnoticed. Their hostility must have been apparent, since many patrons looked their way with concern, though most of them soon turned away when they found no real cause for that concern.
Inside, they found Ryder sitting with the boy, Venn, at a table in the corner. The innkeeper was giving the pair the stinkeye for some reason, and Lucan imagined that he didn’t like seeing his stableboy sitting around doing nothing, and being guarded by an armed man beside that.
They joined them at the table, and Lucan relaxed at last, letting out a sigh. “Quiet here since we left?”
Ryder tilted his head. “The gang sent plenty of their filth sniffing around the inn. They haven’t come inside, but he,” the man-at-arms nodded in the direction of the innkeeper, “seemed distressed. One of the patrons whispered something to him that seemed to drain the color from his face, and then several others left the inn. I stole a few looks at the men sent our way. Parties of five. Several of them.” He gave him a meaningful look.
Lucan held back a curse so as not to scare the boy. It seemed this gang was not some upjumped group of miscreants but a large order of criminals. “Did any of them see you or the boy?”
“No, but I suspect they knew we were in here.”
Lucan hummed for a moment, then nodded. He turned to the boy. “Venn, you said you knew how one would go about finding this prize they’re chasing.”
Venn bobbed his head. “I know of a warehouse, a place where you might find some clues.”
“Might?”
Venn opened his palms as though showing his helplessness. “I do not know where it is, master. I only know that the gangs chase it with endless fervor.”
“And why aren’t the guilds stepping in to claim a God’s Orb?” Lucan whispered with narrow eyes. Even if some large gangs populated the city, none would be able to stand against the truly powerful guilds that ruled it.
Venn let out a suppressed laugh. “That is where the secret lies, and why they want to catch me. No one knows what they look for, except the Green Scars, the leaders of the Green Scars that is. The rest of the gangs only search for it because they see how much the Green Scars covet it.”
“Huh.” Lucan rocked back in his seat. So the gang saw a priceless opportunity, and they were keeping it as quiet as they could, though their efforts hadn’t been as discreet, and now their rivals wanted what they wanted, whatever it was. It was still within the realm of reason that the guilds would pounce on the prize once discovered, but for now, it seemed only the gangs fought for it, and most of them blind. “And how do you know of this Orb?”
“I knew the adventurer who found it,” Venn whispered. “He is dead now.”
Lucan nodded slowly, then asked, “Where is this warehouse then?”
Venn began describing the place, and Lucan could only be perplexed by his words. After a time, the boy was finished, and Lucan met Ryder’s eye. His man-at-arms nodded and got to his feet.
“Caution,” Lucan said simply. Ryder dipped his head in acknowledgement, leaving the inn shortly.
Lucan then turned to Tomis. “I need you to deliver a letter for me.” Before the man-at-arms could shake his head, he continued, “We have little time if we are to see to all these affairs. I need allies.” He took out the letter that had been under his garments and near his breast for most of their journey. “Deliver it, and if you have concerns, then it is only more reason to return swiftly.”
It was Tomis who sighed this time, and Lucan raised a brow, having never seen the stoic man-at-arms show such a mannerism before. After a moment, Lucan huffed, smiling. “Be on your way then. We will be well in the inn. They don’t seem intent on breaking into an establishment and getting the guards on their backs.”
With a stern countenance, Tomis gave him a simple nod.