Secrets of the Swords, Book 1

Chapter 37: The Courier, Part 3

"Well?"

The city guard was waiting for her, in much the same spot where they had last met.

"His appearance is average, from what I could tell," she replied. "Plain middle-class robes, long hair—untied, and no unusual facial features. Got a bit drunk towards the end of my visit, too."

"And his reaction to the letter? Did he seem troubled? Surprised? Eager?"

"Bashful, to be honest." She pulled out the letter with the unstamped seal from her bag, and with expert hands popped the seal open. "He seemed embarrassed to go through the trouble of sending a reply back in a casing, and forgot to stamp the seal. Read it for yourself."

The man's snatch was a little too eager, and she let the paper go with a yelp.

"Hey! Careful not to rip it!"

The man's eyes darted back and forth as he scanned the contents, muttering some of the words aloud under his breath. "Dearest...the days are arduous...I long for..." He paused, then read again. "I long for...your embrace?" He looked up at her, incredulous.

She shrugged. "Perhaps that's why the first letter came in a casing. He did say the man at the theater had a lot to lose if people were to become aware of their situation."

"It's signed as 'Your Love.'" The man waved the letter in her face. "You expect me to believe this is the letter he replied with?"

She shrugged. "You can check my bag, but I'm only carrying that one."

His expression soured, and he thrust the letter back at her. The paper crumpled in his hand, and she hastily tried to smooth it back out after he'd let go of it.

"And there was nothing else remarkable about him? You're sure?"

"Heavenly Realm, what else could possibly be helpful to know?" she snapped, tired after her long journey and impatient with the man's selfish behavior. He'd nearly wrecked the letter and damaged her good work reputation. "What would you be looking for, that would strike you as suspicious?"

The man sucked in a deep breath, as if trying to absorb his deficiency in patience from the air around him. "I just want to make sure – absolutely sure – that you aren't missing any details that could potentially help in my investigation."

She paused, a flash of memory coming to her like the flicker of candlelight in the tavern. "He was wearing a ring, in the shape of the Green Serpent."

The man snapped to attention. "Made of jade?"

"No, just metal. It was wrapped once around his finger, facing outwards, with the head, wings, and tail aligned atop one another."

"Hmm."  The city guard turned away, looking thoughtful. "You've done well. Take the letter and leave. And if you speak of this to anyone, I will find out and make sure you come to regret it."

She re-folded the letter in her hands as best as she could and stored it back in her bag. She would replace the sealing wax later, when she was closer to the theater.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said. "Good night."

She could feel the man's eyes boring into her as she walked away, but she missed the sinister smile that slipped across his face.

~*~

Hi, it's me again!  Sorry for the long delay.  Things are just crazy busy, as usual, but I tried to make up for it a little with this 3-part chapter.  As I continue to write this story, I realize that I need to incorporate more points of view earlier than I had originally anticipated (at first I was just planning for Suthe and Ulsper's POVs in this book, then adding more in the following books), and rather than stubbornly continue with the original plan and then go back and make changes, I figured I might as well just start now, though the plot will still be mostly Suthe and Ulsper-centric.  So, sorry for the change, but I hope it's interesting!  I'd love to hear what you think.