Вилорп

→The servant politely tells me that no, there isn't. I look at her suspiciously.

→"Any more venison?"

→Astrath shrugs. I've done him some favours in the past and he knows I wouldn't press him if I didn't have to. He instructs a servant to provide me with anything I want, and takes the crossbow bolt and the scrap of cloth through to his private workspace at the back of his house. He scoops up a half-full bottle of wine before leaving the room. I finish off the venison on my plate, take the rest from the silver salver in the middle of the table, and ring for the servant.

→"It's more urgent than that."

→"Do you want to come back in an hour, say?"

→I tell him it is.

→"Maybe. I think they've both got some of her aura on them. Is it urgent?"

→Astrath picks up the bolt and the cloth, one in each hand, as if weighing them. He studies them for a few moments.

→"This is part of the tunic of a man I think was killed by Sarin. She wrenched a bolt out of his chest, which means she's touched this cloth. Can you use these two items to locate her?"

→I produce a small scrap of cloth, stained dark with blood.

→"If you call walking round almost naked with a permanent frown on your face tantalising, then yes."

→"How is Makri? Still tantalising the clientele?"

→Astrath grins.

→"It's the one that Sarin the Merciless once fired into Makri."

→"A crossbow bolt?"

→I drink another goblet of wine, and take a small bolt out from my bag.

→"It's possible," agrees Astrath. "Though we're fairly sure Queen Direeva in the Southern Hills hasn't joined up with him, which makes his going south less likely. But really, it's impossible to say what's going on."

→"I'd guess Amrag's army's gone south," I say. "There have been sightings of his fleet along the coast."

→"We don't know for sure. The whole area is blanketed with Orcish spells of concealment. It might be Rezaz or it might be Amrag's army."

→Rezaz the Butcher, Lord of Soraz, was one of the leaders of the Orcish army who almost captured Turai seventeen years ago. He wasn't with Prince Amrag when he attacked and no one knows for sure if he's pledged his allegiance to Amrag. There has recently been some sort of cooperation between Turai and Lord Rezaz, on economic matters which were beneficial to both sides, but that's not to say the Butcher wouldn't welcome another chance to march into Turai.