A hot, damp wind whipped over the curved eaves of the two-storeyed building in front of Farek and rustled his hair. It had been long before but was growing more unkempt as the days went on. His three men stood at his back, facing the wind and the nearly decrepit structure before them—all three of them. Matek was still regaining his strength, but he was here, and he had fully healed from the illness.
Together, they approached the Ageless Academy once more. After asking at the tavern they stayed in—where no one had heard the word Kiaraka before, let alone its estate—they had decided to return here.
Farek tapped the door knocker again, that formless creature echoing off the reduced stone pillars in the yard.
It was Torga who opened the door, smiling to them with his strange blond hair pinned back with a black bone clasp and asking, “Master Farek, you’ve returned. I trust your men have not fallen ill again?”
The disguised Lord Gallendris looked around the stone building front and then back at the major-domo. He shook his head. “I’ve another matter of business to discuss,” he said.
“Do come in,” Torga murmured and allowed the group of them to stride in. Sievus and Matek took a moment to absorb the statue-lined hall and its bold wooden desk, while Farek and Diaren wandered ahead. Their host asked, “Is this business another charitable request?”
“Perhaps,” Farek said. “We’re seeking the House of Kiaraka.”
Torga pursed his lips. “I see. Wait here for a few, again,” he said, then his gaze flicked toward Diaren. “And please, do not touch.”
Farek nodded. “As you wish.”
Torga returned a moment later with a man in a long white robe. The newcomer had silver-flecked black hair and fair skin like Torga, along with a small moustache, of a much different style than Farek’s well-groomed goatee. The newcomer glanced at Farek and tipped his head, but said nothing. It was Torga who spoke up, standing behind his desk and facing the guests. “I’m afraid that is quite a tidbit of lost information. The Academy can share it for you, but not for free.”
“I see,” Farek replied. “You could name a price…”
The white-robed man looked at Torga, saying nothing, and Torga nodded to Farek. “We have no desire for coin here, only antiquity. Bring us an object of note. Something more useful than historical, and something we could not simply procure on our own.”
Farek glanced at Diaren, who crossed his arms, displeased. “You want us to find you something?” he asked.
“Yes,” Torga replied. His companion looked at Farek with distinct blue eyes and kept his lips closed.
“Very well,” Farek said. “Point us in the right direction.”
Torga smiled and looked at his friend. Then he glanced back at Farek. “As I said, something we could not procure ourselves. You want information—there’s no sense in giving it to you to help you get more,” he explained. “I don’t mean any challenge or offence…”
“It’s alright,” Farek blurted. “We’ll find something interesting for you.” He glanced at the big-nosed face of King Hamnu as they walked by. Torga made certain the door was latched behind him, while the strange companion vanished through the door at the end of the long foyer.
“What now?” Sievus asked, walking abreast with Farek as soon as the wind pressed against them.
Farek blinked at the somewhat veiled sunlight on the rise, and looked back at his men. “We’re going to hunt for rumours of such interesting artifacts. Sievus and Diaren, I want you two in the harbour, as much as possible. This will take us a few days, at least.”
“And me, boss?” Matek asked. The loyal man smiled as the other started to suggest locations in the waterfront for one another.
Farek patted Matek on the shoulder. “We’ll be spending our next week in the markets.” He glanced back over his shoulder—a few leaves rustled, caught in a metal-webbed window in the tall stone wall around the property. All for the Ageless Academy… he thought. On second thought, he called to the other men. “Ask about the House of Kiaraka too,” he told them, “in case we can bypass these fellows.”
One way or another, they’d learn something about the mysterious place. And, Farek hoped, something about the assassin who had died in Thrane’s torture chamber before satisfying the Gallendris need for security. They had come to this strange place to follow the assassin’s trail… And they’d find something.