Dead Letter (22 page)

“
What was all that about, Mertin?” asked Kettna.

“
You don’t need to worry about it.” His assurance was undercut
by the nervous quiver in his throat. “Everything is going to be
fine.”

“
I do need to worry,” said Kettna. “And you need to talk about
these complications you are wrapped up in.”

“
Business is complicated. You’ve never had to worry about such
things, being who you are.”

Kettna
fumed, but held herself in check. “Who I am is going to be of great
importance to you, because I know what you have been involved with.
You have two options from here. I can be another thorn in your side
or I can be your saviour from all this mess.”

Mertin
went pale and gripped her hand. “What have you discovered?” he
asked, more afraid for Kettna’s discovery than for his
own.

“
I am investigating the stolen glassware and I know you are
involved with the Jandans.”

“
I see,” said Mertin with relief, pausing to allow the
Inspector to reveal any other details.

“
That is all you have to say?” asked Kettna, stunned at his
lack of concern. “Mertin, it is time to come clean. Who stole the
shipment?”

“
I don’t know!” said Mertin with conviction. “It wasn’t
me.”

“
What
do
you
know?” asked Lanuille in frustration. “You have a hoard of secrets
to make a dragon envious, yet you can’t spill a whisper in the
confidence of the Order. I think I know why those thugs wanted to
cut off a finger.”

“
What got you involved with the Jandans in the first place?”
asked Kettna.

“
He came looking, Wasnid is his name. The man was repugnant,
but he wanted all my stock and then some. I saw an opportunity that
would benefit everyone.”

“
Was he a poacher?” asked Lanuille.

“
How could a poacher get through the gates? I doubt it. Unless
he was in disguise. He wasn’t the type.”

“
What is their type?” asked Lanuille.

Mertin
squirmed. “I imagine a man of that persuasion would be loath to
deal with me, given in a redeemer’s eyes I am a man of treacherous
sin, practicing magic without sacrifice. “

“
What was the glass apparatus for?” asked Kettna. “What if the
Jandans are making blaze?”

“
Blaze? I didn’t ask. I simply referred him to the Glaziers
Guild to get a commission. I purchase all my orders from them.
Glazier Thossam makes the finest components anywhere. Better than
the masters in Tashiska and most definitely better than any of the
ungainly lumps coming from Jando. Wasnid was likely going to make a
mountain of shine exporting the goods to Jando.”

“
Bones,” corrected Lanuille.

Mertin
blinked, missing her point. “Sorry?”

“
You mean a mountain of bones. I’m disgusted just thinking
about it. Why help a Jandan profit from Calimskan expertise? A
decent man of the Order of Calim would have shown him the door, not
introduced him to his supplier.”

Mertin
dropped his head in admission. “Of course, it shames me to have
done so, but as you know, I am in dire financial strain and the
Jandan was … persuasive.”

“
He bought it out of you? What if the equipment was for
poaching?”

Mertin
acceded the fact with a pitiful nod and blubbering lip. “No, no,
it’s not like that. I didn’t break my oath to the Order. I didn’t
poach and I didn’t know what he would do with it.”

The
hypocrisy of Kettna’s questions stung her insides like a swallowed
spider; for she knew her own oath was for naught. “I doubt that.
You are Master Mertin, one of the finest alchemists of the Order.
How could you not know what this equipment was for?”

Mertin
was silent.

“
Answer her,” insisted Lanuille. “Or shall I spread the word
of your friendship with the Jandans?”

“
I can only assume the equipment he required was for decanting
of some kind,” said Mertin.

“
Decanting what?” asked Kettna.

“
I don’t know for certain!” Mertin was deliberately blind to
what he had done. How else could a Master of the Order live with
such an association? The shame had to be buried in
denial.

“
Then guess,” suggested Lanuille.

Mertin
relented. “Mana … perhaps.”

“
And there you have it,” said Lanuille. “Aiding a
poacher.”

“
You don’t know that!” argued Mertin, clinging to his
crumbling monument of dignity. “It might be for plant or mineral
extracts. Poaching is purely supposition and the elders would throw
such an accusation out.”

“
Mertin,” pleaded Kettna. “I need something to go on. Anything
that will lead me to the real villain in all of this.” From the
corner of her eye, the Inspector saw a shadow move in the
stairwell. Startled, she stepped back and tripped on the edge of a
rug.

Captain
Malik came up the staircase in plain clothes, quiet as a burglar
without his armour. “Being a bit heavy handed, aren’t you,
Inspector?”

Mertin
clasped trembling hands behind his back. “All is well, Captain
Malik. No need for worry.”

“
What are you doing here?” asked Kettna, regaining her
balance. “The Constable said Night Watch should be turned
in.”

“
I’m here on personal time.”

“
A vampire without sleep is a terror for the night,” said
Lanuille.

“
So how d’you manage?” asked Malik with a cunning
smile.

Lanuille
waded into the weave, flexing her talent, ready for a fight. “I
feed on night watchmen.”

Malik’s
hand moved to a dagger at his side. “You’ll eat those
words!”

This
woman was relentless, stoking up conflict with every word she
uttered. Kettna had to diffuse it before Malik took an acid arrow
in the eye. “Enough! If we come to childish blows, the Constable
will chain us in silver and dangle us before a dragon. Malik, what
are you doing here?”

“
I promised Master Mertin I’d keep an eye out for trouble …
and I saw trouble. The door is wide open and all I hear is you lot
giving Mertin a beat down.”

“
So concerned that you lingered in the shadows,
eavesdropping?” asked Kettna.

“
I heard enough to know that you’re frightening the old man.
Look at him. He’s shaking.”

“
Only since you crept in,” said Kettna, sure that Mertin was
not afraid of her. “We were just asking questions about the heist
on the Glaziers Guild. Would you happen to know who did
it?”

“
Why bother asking me? It’s bleedin’ obvious who did it. Any
idiot can see the Jandans are pulling us all through the wringer.
Go and hassle them. Mertin said what he knows. He’s done talking
with you.”

Kettna
disagreed. It was too convenient to blame the Jandans. “The Jandan
trader has everything to lose from the heist; it is unlikely he is
responsible.”

“
How could you know that? You’ve not even laid eyes on his
crew, have you? Well, I have and he’s nothing but a crooked bone
sucker. Typical foreign agent; in through the gates to trade, then
off skulking around with lies and promises he can’t
keep.”

“
Rest assured, Captain,” said Kettna. “I will interview Wasnid
this evening, when I know he can be found at The Outpost Inn. I am
not going to turn the city upside down to find a man who has made
no effort to escape Calimska, after such a profitable heist. It
makes no sense. I will pursue my own timetable of
investigation.”

“
Have a heart then and quit badgering honest folk like Master
Mertin. He put all his shine into this deal and now these bastards
have bankrupted him. The right thing to do here is go and collect
all the shell and shine from that poacher-loving bastard and kick
him out the gate. Mertin deserves a good deed and the glaziers need
to be paid too. You’ve got the authority and the evidence that
points to the Jandans. Ever think they did the heist as a cover to
stay here longer and spy on us. All the while, sinking their hooks
in for the next batch of blaze to hit the streets? My boys will
check in on Mertin and make sure he doesn’t take flight. If he’s
involved in a sour way then I’ll be the first to lock him up. That
ain’t the case, though, is it Mertin? You are as polished and pure
as Calimskan gold.”

“
You go, Inspector. I’m not leaving the shop,” said Mertin,
giving Captain Malek an uneasy smile. “I’ll walk you to the
door.”

“
Fine,” said Kettna, worried for Mertin’s safety with Captain
Malik. “Make sure you close the front door tight after we
leave.”

On the
way out, Kettna admired the remaining circulatory distillation
vessel again. The pelican was so named because it had two curved
condensing arms that returned vapours to the central body.
Alchemical teachings made the comparison of a pelican mother
pecking her breast to feed blood to her young. The device was a
symbol of sacrifice in which any solution gave up its essence to
make something new.

“
Mertin, who bought the other pelican? Was it the Jandan,
Wasnid?”

“
A courier bought it on behalf of someone. He wouldn’t say
who, just that it was urgent.”

Kettna
knew without asking that the courier was Rix.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Moondrops

The
Jandan, Wasnid, would wait till evening. There was another heist to
investigate, that of the Jewellers Guild. There was no finer
gemsmith in Calimska than Lapidary Schon. He was known to the Order
for his ability to source precious stones with rare properties from
across the continent and had fallen victim of a large heist the day
following the heist at the Glaziers Guild. Kettna suspected each of
the thefts were related, but could not understand why until she had
more information. If they were connected, finding a clue at the
site of one crime would shed light on the other.

The
guild of gem cutters and setters was tucked behind the best real
estate on High Street. The elite came here to purchase exquisite
luxuries sourced from across Oranica. The middle class came here to
look through windows and the poor knew better than to bother.
Boutiques nestled together in a warmth of wealth, selling exotic
tobacco, imported wines, unique liqueurs and fashionable clothing.
Expensive restaurants complimented houses of hospitality where
ladies and guildermen pampered their desires.

The way
to the Guild was via a small avenue of floral extravagance.
Magnificently groomed emerald green shrubs grew alongside redbud
trees. Yellow flowering creepers decked the sides of the buildings
while lilies, tulips, dahlias and crocus bloomed in a bed of every
colour imaginable, every petal as beautiful as a rare
gemstone.

At the
end of the vibrant avenue was the Jewellers Guild, secured by a
gate of vine woven iron. Just outside the gate, lurking in the
shade of a tall plum tree, were two private guards. Kettna walked
ahead to speak with a broad shouldered woman — at least, Kettna
thought it was a woman. The guard stomped toward her like a
battle-hardened destrier, not at all happy Kettna had approached
the gate. Her companion, a lean Reik with untamed hair and a
self-assured swagger, circled off to the side, whistling a jaunty
tune. The female fighter drew a huge blade and squared her hobnail
boots in an imposing battle stance. “Bugger off, back where you
came from, afore I part your head!” she yelled, flourishing the
two-handed greatsword.

In
response to the threat, Adept Lanuille reached into the weave and
pulled a shimmering shield over herself. The Reik winked at Kettna
with a devilish smile and caressed the hilt of his sword. Kettna
called forth her connection, mentally flipping through a catalog of
spells she knew would be perfect for her predicament, yet
eliminating everyone from her mind, knowing they were out of her
ability to control. She settled for a simple cantrip to distract
the warrior, should her words fail to satisfy, and back-stepped
toward her more powerful companion. Kettna was worried the
whistling man would slip in and attack from behind, so she called
to the twins, “Keep that Reik in line, guildermen!”

The
twins obliged with force equal to her worry, summoning a flaming
aura upon their hands while stepping toward the tuneful swordsman.
With his chance to flank them eliminated, the Reik ceased whistling
and held his position.

“
There’s no need for violence.” Kettna raised her hands,
showing she was no threat to the massive armoured fighter. “How
about you sheath that steel? We’re here to see Lapidary
Schon.”

“
He’s out,” said the Reik. “Best you come back
tomorrow.”

“
Where is the head guard?” asked Lanuille.

“
You’re looking at her. So suck ash!” bellowed the cleaving
warrior woman. She had no intention of sheathing her monstrous
blade.

“
Shouldn’t you be behind the gate?” asked Kettna.