“Latro,” Ersabet said, a warm, fake smile on her face. “What a displeasure it is to see you again.”

  He clutched at his chest. “My dear Ersabet, you wound me. I had nearly forgotten how deep your words could cut.”

  “Only nearly?” she asked, a single eyebrow raised.

  “Wounds heal,” he said, some bitterness slipping into his sweet voice. “One can forget how easily they can be torn open again.”

  “Is the sight of me enough to injure you, then?”

  His pleasant face wrinkled, but only for a moment. “The sight of you could break the composure of anyone with eyes, myself included. Thankfully, I know the putrid soul hiding beneath that beautiful mask.”

  “Don’t speak to her like that!” Delen said, his words surprising him just as much as they did me.

  Latro’s eyes snapped to Delen, and the Dalari took a step forward. “Know your place, human. I was not speaking with you.”

  Smartly, Delen remembered his place and stayed quiet.

  Latro’s attention returned to Ersabet. “I see you have found some pets. That comes as no surprise.”

  “Is there something you want, Latro?” Ersabet asked.

  “I only wanted to say hello to an old friend. The others will be so happy to know you’re alive.”

  “The others are here?”

  “Of course. Adventures are always more fun when shared with friends.”

  “Then why are you alone?”

  Latro shrugged. “Just because one has friends does not mean they don’t enjoy some alone time now and then. You can relate, can’t you?” His tone implied she couldn’t, and his meaning was clear. Ersabet didn’t have any friends here.

  “Please, pass on my condolences,” Ersabet said sincerely. “It must pain them to be stuck travelling with the likes of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have places to be.”

  Latro stepped to the side and smiled, gesturing for her to pass him by. “Hopefully, my friends and I will have the opportunity for a proper goodbye before we break out of this sand trap.”

  Ersabet didn’t reply and walked by Latro. We all followed, and only Delen dared to meet his eyes as we passed.

  “Well, that was awkward,” Tabby said when we were out of earshot.

  “I am sorry you had to see that,” Ersabet said. “If you see him again, please alert me so that we can avoid any more unpleasant interactions.”

  “How worried should we be?” I asked.

  “About what?” Ersabet said.

  “About him trying to kill you the next time he sees you.”

  “If he is alone, we have nothing to worry about. Latro is a coward.”

  “I watched him singlehandedly kill a Kurskin less than 24 hours ago,” I said, pointing out the obvious.

  “I am not a Kurskin,” she hissed. “I’ve defended myself against him before. He would not risk it again.”

  “What about his friends?” Delen asked. “You can’t fight them all.”

  “No, I can’t,” she said. “Come.”

  Ersabet approached the nearest guard. “I need access to the town portal. Is it located nearby?”

  The guard straightened his back. “Apologies, Lady. I cannot divulge that information without written permission from a member of the royal council. If you have a signed document, I would be happy to assist.”

  Ersabet took a step forward, and the guard tensed. “How dare you deny me?” she said. “Do you have any idea who I am? Direct me to the portal, or your superiors will be hearing of this.”

  Fear flashed in the guard’s eyes, but he found his resolve. “Then my superiors will hear that I followed their orders, despite your attempt at intimidation.”

  Color me impressed. I wished more NPCs were like this one.

  I tapped Ersabet on the arm and nodded my head away from the guard. He had already given us what we needed.

  “Impudent,” Ersabet said to the guard before turning away.

  “He’s just doing his job,” I said. “V can take it from here.”

  “She can?” Ersabet asked.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “I can?” Val echoed in my mind.

  I held up a finger, indicating I needed a moment with Val. All the NPCs on the royal council have to be special, right? Do you still have access to their base files?

  “Yes, although it may take me a little more time than usual to shuffle through them.”

  Get me as much information about them as you can. I want to know their names, where they spawned, their family, what they like to eat. Get me whatever you can.

  “On it!” Val sounded genuinely enthusiastic about it. It was good for her to feel helpful again.

  “V’s going to get me as much information as she can about the members of the royal council,” I said to the group. “After that, we should be able to track one down and convince them to give us what we need.”

  “How long will this take?” Ersabet asked.

  “I don’t know. It could be a while.”

  “Done,” Val said cheerily.

  Already? I thought you said it would take a while?

  “It did to me! Normally, I could find what you needed instantaneously, at least according to your perception of time. It just took me three entire seconds to find information on these stupid NPCs. It might as well have been an eternity!”

  What did you find out?

  “I just dropped the information in your notes. It will be easier if you just read it.”

  “Forget what I said about it taking a while,” I said to everyone. “V got me what I needed. Give me a minute to read through this.”

  My eyes went distant as I navigated to the notes section on my interface. It took me a few seconds to find it, as I hadn’t ever needed it before. When I opened it, there was a file labeled ‘The Royal Council of Nessa, Expertly Compiled by Your Dearest Friend, Val.’

  I opened it, and my vision was flooded with text.

  Prince Raif Balaban

  Gender: Male

  Age: 42

  Magical Affinity: High

  Spawn Location: The Royal Palace of Nessa

  Information: Prince Balaban, also known as the ‘Forever Prince,’ has ruled Nessa for twenty-six years following the death of his father, Burak Balaban. During Burak’s rule, he declared himself a king and seceded from Vedra. As you can imagine, King Contance, the ruler of Vedra and all its cities, did not take this well. After a long, drawn-out war, Burak’s forces were defeated, and he was forced to sign a treaty, rededicating Nessa to the Kingdom of Vedra. In his benevolence, King Constance allowed Burak to retain his title as king, though he was stripped of any real power and forced to disband most of his army. When Burak passed away, his son and heir, Raif, became Nessa’s leader, though he was forced to remain a prince forever.

  Prince Balaban prefers to let the rest of the royal council handle city matters, while he focuses on the bigger picture, or so he claims. In truth, he wastes much of his time with courtesans and revelry, just as his father did.

  Selma Balaban

  Gender: Female

  Age: 35

  Magical Affinity: Moderate

  Spawn Location: Leywin’s Brothel, Nessa

  Information: The bastard daughter of King Burak Balaban was conceived after the death of his wife, Meritha. In his mourning, King Balaban sought the comfort of courtesans, eventually conceiving a daughter with Melis Sand. Melis found refuge at the brothel as an orphan, eventually becoming a courtesan herself when she came of age. Well-known for her beauty and prowess, Melis quickly became the king’s favorite, and when she grew pregnant, he demanded she lie with no other man but him. She retired from her life as a courtesan, and the king took her to the palace, where they raised their daughter, Selma, together. Despite their love for each other, the king never married Melis out of respect for his deceased wife, Meritha. Their daughter, Selma, shared the king’s last name, but without the binding marriage, her legitimacy has always remained in doubt due to the nature of Melis’s work in the brothel.

  As a result of her upbringing, Selma had little respect for her royal duties and spent more time among the people than she did with her royal peers. Eschewing courtly life, she made a name for herself beyond her royal honors in the business world. Selma owns the largest distillery in Nessa and has invested in many establishments throughout the city.

  Grand Vizier Alim Asaya

  Gender: Male

  Age: 62

  Magical Affinity: None

  Spawn Location: The Royal Palace of Nessa

  Information: The shrewd Grand Vizier served King Balaban in his last years and was retained by Prince Balaban. In recent years, the prince has given the grand vizier tremendous power, and many whisper that he is the true ruler of Nessa. Alim Asaya is part of a long line of politicians and has family members in most of the smaller courts of Nessa. The Grand Vizier knows about everything that happens in Nessa, and he controls the government with an iron fist.

  Melis Sand

  Gender: Female

  Age: 78

  Magical Affinity: None

  Spawn Location: The Great Garden, Nessa

  Information: King Balaban’s lover and the mother of his daughter, Selma, holds no formal titles or powers; however, she is quite influential among the court and still has the prince’s ear. When she first gave birth to the king’s bastard daughter, she faced accusations of bewitching the mourning king. She weathered this storm for years, and over time, the public’s perception of her changed. She is now well-regarded by the citizenry. While no longer the beauty she once was, she still carries herself with a self-assured grace and is one of the few people in Nessa with influence over the grand vizier.

  Magistrate Efram Kant

  Gender: Male

  Age: 56

  Magical Affinity: None

  Spawn Location: High Court of Nessa

  Information: Magistrate Kant is an expert on Nessa's laws and customs. He has a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind. There is no law or statute he can’t cite from memory, and he enforces the laws of the land with a zeal that few can match.

  When Magistrate Kant was a boy, his father, a baker, was killed by an influential member of society. When the current magistrate refused to punish the man, Magistrate Kant took matters into his own hands. His revenge took years to see through, but eventually Efram Kant climbed high enough in the court to build a case against his father’s murderer. The man was corrupt beyond imagining, so the prosecution required little effort on Kant’s part. The murderer died in prison, but Kant continues to seek justice at all costs for those who break the law and others who were let down by it, just as he was as a boy.

  I took a moment to ponder everything I had just read. It wasn’t as much as I had hoped for, but it was enough to point me in the right direction. I relayed everything I had learned to the group and gave them a chance to see the same path forward that I did.

  “So, Selma it is then?” Tabby asked. “She doesn’t sound as uptight as the others and can probably be found outside the palace grounds.”

  I smiled. “Who’s the best actor here?”