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With shock, Arturon looked around the bustling city. The revelation from My Lady came as a complete surprise. He had been with Ninallia and the baby many times, and he had never seen the prophecy. “It is a gift given to a few, revealed in time,” the gentle voice of My Lady had told him.
He wished he knew more about Beliani. With surgery, she could look like anyone. There were places where they did face alteration and even skin color changes. It seemed like a hopeless quest. At least the weather here was fine, and the food excellent. He chided himself. Such thoughts were not worthy of a Brother of the Order.
Arturon discreetly inquired if a newcomer with the name Ibella lived in the area. In a city this size he was trying to find a needle in a haystack. He sat over lunch in a shorefront café to think. People changed their faces and names; they could not change who they were. In the Imperial City Beliani ran a tavern that served a low-end clientele. Perhaps she would take a job in such a tavern here. She could fool the Imperial forces, but not him. He felt sure he would recognize her if he was in the same room with her since he was trained to recognize auras.
His waitress gave him an unusual look. “You’re a Brother of the Order?”
He bowed. He was not in disguise. “I am on a sabbatical and errand for the Temple.”
“Would you be able to tell if a very young child was gifted? If I should take her to the Temple?”
Arturon answered simply, “The Temple welcomes everyone to be tested.”
The waitress smiled. “I know, I was not raised here. My people are very devout and loyal to the Order.”
This was a very secular kingdom. There were Brothers and Sisters here, but the Order wielded little influence on the rulers.
“I know she is young, but would you be willing to touch her? If she is gifted, I want to raise the funds to take her to the Temple. Could you tell me if she is worthy?”
He started to protest a busy schedule. The woman waved her hands, and an older woman came in holding a young girl with unruly red hair. The child appeared to be about three and was obviously of mixed race. With the number of foreign trade in the area, he was not surprised. What did surprise him was the strength of the child’s ability. He touched her head and peered into her eyes.
“You have done well to bring her to me.” He gazed at the grandmother. “You will help her raise this child?”
The old woman pledged her assistance. Arturon whispered a blessing and placed a small bag of credits in her hand. “Save this until the child is six then bring her to the Temple City.” He inquired if she knew the name of a tavern that would make a good hiding place for a newcomer to the city.
The woman shook her head. “This is a port city, lots of tourists, also many sailors and dockworkers.”
“A place where someone who doesn’t speak the language well could find work?” he pressed.
The two women glanced at each other. “Where would this stranger be from?”
He hesitated a second. “I believe she would be from the Empire, the Imperial City.”
The old woman made a face. The younger woman answered, “Those places are further down toward the end of the ports. There are four bars frequented by sailors from the Empire.”
Arturon made note of the tavern names and their direction. This narrowed his search and saved him days of work. He was much more hopeful when he bade the women goodbye. They had blessed him in return for his advice.
The grandmother whispered a warning before she left. “Brother, guard your purse in those places, they are not safe. Thieves will attack anyone who goes there unarmed.”
Arturon smiled. Any thieves or ruffians who attacked a Brother of the Order would soon regret their mistake. He was skilled in fighting.
The sea air was beginning to cool the area, and the taverns he was seeking were at least a mile from where he met left the two women. It was rundown and smelled strongly. Few of the ships docked here belonged to the Imperial fleet. Smaller companies used the port, and he suspected many of these traded in contraband.
There was distrust, almost hostility when he entered the first place and ordered a meat pie and ale. The pie tasted at least a day old, and the ale was bitter. The other customers watched him nervously.
“Have you heard of a woman named Ibella? She arrived in the area from Adimar. She speaks Imperial.”
The bartender shook his head. “We value the privacy our customers.”
As Arturon was leaving a man slipped off the barstool and bumped into him. It was a common pickpocket routine. The man whispered, “Try the Two Dragons Inn.”
Arturon allowed the man to take five credits from his pocket. Would seem a great joke, and the information was worth its price.
The wind picked up, and he pulled his robes closer. He knew the inn would be open for many hours, but he decided to wait until the next day. No respectable Brother of the Order would be in this neighborhood late, unless it was an emergency, and he did not want to draw attention to himself.
The room where he was staying was simple, clean, and warm. He ordered tea. There would be hot rolls and coffee for breakfast. He took a moment to contact Sayeri and Tegani. They reported things in the Imperial City were much the same. Has Lady Hanoree kept our secret from her husband?
Yes, but it will not be long before Hanoree notices her reticence to discredit the heir. She visited her son yesterday and talked with Miette about his future. Miette could go a long way to help him, if he gives up a few of his vices and take his future seriously, Sayeri replied.
Arturon wished his friends well and broke their connection. He wanted to be in the Imperial City, but it was critical for him to find Beliani and gain access to the bank vault for the proof of Hanoree’s perfidy they needed.
He was preparing to turn off the light in the room when there was a soft knock. Surprised, he peeked out and saw a figure wrapped in dark, flowing robes. Strange green colored eyes looked at the door. He opened the door and recognized Beliani. The once fair-skinned beauty was now dark and exotic.
She glowered at Arturon. “How did you find me?” she demanded. “You will have Hanoree’s men on me.”
“Your mother told me where to look.”
Beliani, now known as Ibella, looked at him with concern. “She is okay?”
“She is well. How did you know I was looking for you?”
“I have friends who heard you mention my name.”
“You left the protection of the League.”
“I value my life. They were going to keep me in custody until this crisis is over. They wanted me to testify against Lord Hanoree,” Ibella explained.
“We need you to access the evidence. We are not sure there is a bank box.”
She looked uneasy. Arturon knew she was going to tell a lie. He frowned, giving her a look that frightened most novices into a confession of their trespass.
“Okay, it’s too late to convince Hanoree I won’t testify against him,” she admitted.
“Doesn’t someone else having the information make you safer? It gives Hanoree another target.”
She gave Arturon the name of the bank and the code to the deposit box. “You won’t find credits or jewels in the box. Those were kept in a separate box, under my name. The evidence against Rico and against Lord Hanoree are the only things in his box.” Tears came to her eyes. “He wasn’t a bad man. He was a good husband.”
He could have reminded her that her husband made his living killing and stealing. His murder of the emperor and empress spread fear and unrest throughout the Empire.
Arturon shook his head. “If you get in trouble, try to make it to the League. They will protect you. If you can’t get to them, you should seek refuge in the Temple City.”
“And freeze my tail off, no thank you. I want to get off planet, not under League safe house arrest this time.”
“You know the League cannot involve themselves.”
She laughed. “They are involved up to their asses.”
He inclined his head in agreement, hoping she understood her best bet for surviving this was to have as many other people as possible be privy to the information.
“He knew the identity of his client. The contact worked for Lord Hanoree.”
“And you can prove this?” Arturon asked.
“No, he’s dead. I saw it on the news feed. I knew they would come for me, so I ran.”
“Why didn’t you tell the general?”
“Because it would be my word against Lord Hanoree, if I lived to testify.”
Arturon frowned. “Can you name the man?”
“No, I knew his face. He was found in an alley with his guts cut out.”
A flash of memory hit Arturon. There had been something on the news feed, a grisly murder. Hanoree murdered or had people murdered at will. He must be stopped.