Secrets of the Swords, Book 1

Epilogue

Outskirts of Sang Bur, country of Andilir

1,487 years after the Pretian Split

802 years after the fall of the Old Gaaric Empire

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As soon as Enji had received the news, he had set out for Mountain Spirit Tavern, Irikri's payment at the theater heavy in his pocket.

The old man had arrived first despite taking the evening train from Fai, and the tavern-keeper wordlessly directed Enji to the appropriate room upstairs.

"Thank you," Enji said at the door, turning to pay her.  The price of her silence significantly lightened the purse he had received from Irikri, but she had proven that she could be trusted, and he wasn't about to risk her loyalty now.

She merely nodded and turned to go back downstairs, and Enji focused his attention on the door in front of him.

Candlelight glimmered under the doorway, and with an intake of breath, Enji cracked open the door.

The room's occupant was seated on a wooden chair beside a matching table, hunched over an upturned boot held between his knees and scraping at the bottom of it with a knife.  He looked older than when Enji had last seen him, with deeper lines on his face and more fat around his middle.

The man looked up with a grunt at the sound of the creaking hinges.  "Finally."

As soon as the door was firmly closed behind him, Enji turned and tossed the purse on the table with a thud that rattled the rickety legs. "You need to be more careful with who you refer to me, Uhi," he said.

Uhi grunted again, more focused on dislodging the pebble stuck in the sole of his boot.

"Did you know the Sylterrans have deployed their mercenaries here? I met one just a few days ago, and he seemed to know me pretty well."

That got the old man's attention. "I never sent any Sylterrans after you," he growled, straightening up from his crouch.

Enji tilted his head curiously, stepping forward. "And a Montese girl?"

"I haven't seen someone from that country in months," Uhi affirmed, setting the boot and knife down and crossing his arms. "And come to think of it, I haven't even referred someone to you directly in at least two winters."

Enji raised a brow. "Well, somehow they knew my name, and managed to convince Irikri it was a good idea to meet me. And Irikri said they were referred by you."

"Irikri?" Uhi rubbed his chin, then moved up to scratch agitatedly at the back of his head, topknot shifting at the motion. "The last customer I referred to Irikri was someone Saer Lon knew, and they weren't Sylterran or Montese. What did they want?"

Enji let out a sigh and pulled out another chair, sitting down across from the older man. "Irikri told me it was about a Pretian ring, with dragons circling a blue gem set in the middle."

"Well, that is the description they gave me. But it wasn't a Montese girl who was the customer. And I'm guessing they weren't looking for just a ring?"

Enji slowly shook his head, his smile humorless. Uhi cursed.

"They already knew your name?" the man asked, furrowing his brow. "And a Sylterran—oh."

Uhi's cheeks puffed out as he exhaled at the realization. Enji leaned an elbow on his knee, propping his chin up with a fist while waiting for the answer.

"Hintoro and his big mouth," Uhi grit out. "It was a scorpion wine transfer from Saer Lon's place."

"Who's Saer Lon?" It was the second time the man had mentioned her.