Sil walked through the great, ornate doors of the Guild Hall. Adventurers who flocked to Valen worked dawn to dawn regardless of season. In them, the Empire had a willing workforce onto which it could unload many of the more trivial jobs that the great machine could not be bothered to deal with.


    She wasn’t one of them, not really, but played the part for all the benefits she and Tallah reaped.


    The sea of people carried her along towards the great kiosks that crowded the central pavilion of the Guild Hall. Sprite lamps had turned the cavernous insides of the smallest of fortresses into perpetual day and the noise made all the great taverns of Valen seem quaint by comparison.


    After weeks in and under the mountains, all of this made Sil feel faint.


    “Good tidings, miss Silestra Adana. You’re a rare, pale sight for these sore eyes,” the man behind the counter said. He bowed his head as she approached.


    Lucian, a portly human of some sixty Summers, manned one of the many kiosks that bought information off of whoever was willing to sell. His grey eyes always smiled whenever she visited, especially when alone. He wore the green and blue uniform of the Guild, with black buttons signalling his speciality.


    “We haven’t seen you and your mistress around for such a long time that I thought you may have returned to Calabran. I had hopes that you’d at least say your farewells.”


    Sil smiled back and touched two fingers to her lips, mimicking the real aelir greeting of I shall tell you no lies.


    “Good tidings, Master Lucian. The mistress has kept us rather busy outside of Valen since last we met.”


    Information merchants such as Lucian had their own tents set up inside the Halls, guarded against prying ears by powerful enchantments and hidden blades.


    “Did she? I don’t remember seeing your names on any of the sorties we’ve sent out,” he replied, and showed her to a cushioned seat.


    Sil graciously accepted. She gestured an apology, hand over right breast, eyes closed.


    “It wasn’t on Guild duty, Master. We went out on Her Grace’s behalf. She had a mind to explore more of Valen’s beautiful countryside before Winter came down on us.”


    Lucian’s orderly poked his head in, summoned by some secret means, and brought in a tray of tea and sugar cubes. The aroma of rose filled the room. Lucian himself poured her a cup and added six sugar cubes to it.


    “Then it must mean you’ve brought me quite the treasure trove today,” he said as he served her. Sil eyed the sugar, and he added another cube to her cup.


    “That is certainly my hope, yes.” They spoke in quiet voices, the lacquered wood desk between them, both sipping tea.


    Lucian knew his business like few others and treated her with a courtesy that not many enjoyed. Sil knew there were now no other adventurers waiting to be led in to see the man, and keen ears would be listening in on all she had to say. So much attention for one little healer attending to one noble’s wayward daughter.


    Tianna of Aieni Holding was the daughter of one Fyodor of Aieni Holding, head of the Divide Expansion trade company of Calabran. He owned more than thirty ships at sea and nearly a third of the shipping routes between Calabran and Estuary, one of the few humans doing big business with the Aelir Dominion’s great capital.


    That the reclusive Fyodor was long dead, and the real Tianna had been lost at sea wouldn’t become common knowledge anytime soon if Sil and Tallah had their way.


    “And, Master Lucian, it is my, and my mistress’s, hope that you also have something of interest for her. I know it is terribly presumptuous, what with our absence, but I trust you have been as tenacious as ever in pursuing our request.”


    “That depends on what you trade with me today, miss Silestra. You asked for something quite… difficult.”


    Nothing for free was his reminder to her.


    Nothing for free, as always.


    She opened her satchel and drew out several scrolls kept in black, oiled sheaths. One bore the seal of the Valen Library. The others were unmarked.


    “I believe this will much interest you,” she said as she opened the marked container and pulled out an old, battered map. She spread it across the table and Lucian offered his inkwell to keep it from rolling back.


    “The Valen-Drack Passage,” Lucian said after a glance, a more genuine smile creeping under his moustache. “We rarely hear anything of those roads anymore.”


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    “We are aware. They are old, treacherous, and abandoned by gentle folk. You already know this very well.” She opened another of her containers and spread out the scroll inside. It was another map. “And here is what I aim to sell you.”


    Now his impeccably plucked eyebrows really went up. The map she presented was drawn over the skeleton of the old Library one, and showed many side passages, caverns, and cuts across the tunnels. Cramped annotations accompanied the extended galleries. His expression grew even more impressed as she laid out the rest of the scrolls. These departed completely from the original.


    “Mistress Tianna had a mind to practice her cartography skills,” Sil lied, and hid it behind a sip of tea. She had drawn up the maps and Tallah had written the annotations. They were of no more use to them now that Anna was dead but still should fetch a good price. Too few adventurers still braved the old tunnels and the gallery of creatures and rogues they housed.


    Tens of requests to the Guild went unanswered when they concerned those gods-forgotten places and the unfortunate people living close.


    “That is a very dangerous place to explore for… practice.” He wanted to reach for the maps. Sil saw it in him as she rolled them back up and slid them back into their cylinders. “Especially for two novice adventurers. I am delighted to see you safe and hale after such a journey. It must have been dangerous.”


    “It was, and it took a significant amount of cunning on the mistress’s part to see us through.”


    She opened her last canister and showed him a scroll full of notes in a tiny, meticulous script.


    “These are locations for some creatures that might interest the Guild, as well as some unfortunate victims of the tunnels that we have run across.” She pushed the scroll across the table to him. “Mistress Tianna wishes to hand this over freely, a token of her gratitude for your meticulous services. You have been of great help to her since she has arrived in your wonderful city. I call it a token of our friendship.”


    Something changed in his face when he read the scroll and strained to decipher her horrid hand. It came and went in a flash, meaning that some information there might have been worth more than the maps. Bugger. She forced herself to keep smiling and chew the sugary slush at the bottom of her cup.


    Lucian was quiet for a long while.


    “I will buy the maps off you, miss Silestra.” When he spoke up, his features were carefully arranged into a mask of friendliness that strained to hide a predatory grin. “I will also reward some of the news here. Some people are interested in these things.”


    “That is very kind of you,” she replied, matching his smile. “If you do not mind my asking, what got you so enthused?”


    He leaned forward and spoke in a low whisper. Sil couldn''t help but lean forward to participate in the charade.


    “You see, you describe a verman pack on here. Unless I’m wrong, they were of some interest to the Storm Guard. They’ll be keen to get news of their destruction.”


    Sil’s heart boomed at the mention of the Storm Guard, but she resolved not to let it show.


    She whispered, “What about the victims?”


    “What?” He drew back and read the scroll again. “Oh, these. Human male, paladin order, and female aelir, unknown. We have so many groups missing, miss Silestra, that I couldn’t guess if they were some of ours. And if I wrote a list of all missing persons for which we’ve posted queries, the stack of scrolls would be taller than yourself.”


    Sil checked the boy off her worry list. Now for her real reason she played this dainty charade with the most unscrupulous agent of the Guild.


    “On behalf of mistress Tianna, I accept what I’m sure will be fair compensation for our effort. I am certain she will be as pleased as I that we have aided the Storm Guard in some small measure.”


    She drummed her fingers on the lid of one of her containers. Lucian went back to one of his shelves and extracted a scroll from among many.


    “I’m afraid your mistress will be terribly disappointed in me on this matter. This is all we could find and all we may share out. But, if you may indulge me, please tell why she needs this information. It’s not something I normally get asked for.”


    He reached to pour her some more tea. She placed her palm over the cup and refused politely. If Lucian had his way, they’d be talking until morning, and she’d spill secrets without even realising it.


    “It is no great secret,” she said. “Mistress Tianna has often heard of this rather exclusive clique of sorceresses when she was a student at Hoarfrost Academy. She would dearly like to meet some of them and learn from their vast experience. Her power grows...”


    She left the implication hanging.


    “Well, I’m afraid she’ll be disappointed.” He unfurled the scroll and cleared his throat.


    “Christina Cythra, dead. Confirmed. Murder.


    Anna Theala, believed dead. Last seen in Drack. Date of sighting uncertain.


    Bianca Vel, dead. Confirmed. Details redacted by order of her Imperial Majesty, Empress Catharina the First.


    Lucretia Saral, believed dead. No recorded movements in over five decades. Last seen in Drack.


    And Deidra Aratol, wanted for crimes against the Eternal Enlightened Empire. Sizeable reward available for any information on her whereabouts. No information available.”


    He handed her the scroll with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid mistress Aieni is too late to find or meet most of them. And she would be foolish to seek the one still kicking around.”


    They had left off one name from the list. Tallah Amni, traitor to the Empire. Dead. Sil did not think it wise to mention the omission. She nodded and accepted the list.


    “It was a fancy of hers. It is regrettable, but I believe it will only encourage her to surpass their legend by her own means.”


    Everything on the scroll was near worthless except for one thing. They knew that one more of the group was alive. If the Empire pursued this Deidra Aratol then she could be found. And she could be killed. A new hunt rose on the horizon with the Winter sun.


    It was more than enough to warrant stomaching Lucian’s questions about their travels.