She warmed quickly and her shivers subsided. “What about you?” she asked him. “Aren’t you cold?”
“I’ve a spare. Do not worry.”
Karigan was given a chair and she took in Beryl’s appearance. The Rider was still in Mirwellian scarlet, but also wore a black cloak over her shoulders. Her cheeks were gaunt and her face lined with care, but her eyes were alert and her shoulders square. She looked exhausted and worn to the bone, but straight as steel. This was much more the Rider Karigan remembered.
“Are you well?” Karigan asked her.
“Very well,” Beryl said. She looked pleased with herself.
“She got Immerez to talk,” Ty said.
“Immerez? Talk?” Karigan was still too befuddled by all that had happened to sound overly coherent.
“Didn’t take much,” Beryl said. “He wanted to keep his hand.”
Karigan could only stare. She knew what sort of work Beryl did, or at least she had an idea of it, but it was hard to reconcile a Green Rider engaging in such “interrogations.”
“What did he say?” Karigan asked, not wanting to dwell on how the information was acquired.
“He talked about a book,” Willis said, “that was supposed to tell about the making of the D’Yer Wall.”
“That’s what the king sent you to find in Selium, wasn’t it?” Ty asked her.
“Yes, but Lord Fiori didn’t believe it was there.”
“It wasn’t,” Willis said. “Just where it was hidden Immerez wasn’t clear on, but one of his men went after it. Apparently this Grandmother, who is the leader of Second Empire, or at least this faction, knew how to find it. She is also the one who ordered some thefts.”
“The Sacor City War Museum,” Karigan said.
Lord Amberhill bowed his head into his hand when she said the words, but what really caught her eye was the ruby on his finger. It was the shade of blood, and as she had seen too much of her own of late, she shuddered and looked away, nestling into the fur of the cloak.
“Yes,” Willis said. “Second Empire, working through Immerez and his men, hired a thief to steal a document from the museum. The thief was, or claimed to be, the Raven Mask, apparently out of retirement. In any event, he was slain in the scheme to abduct Lady Estora. Or at least that’s what witnesses say. We found no body.”
“Yes,” Karigan said. “I’d heard that. What of the document? Did Immerez say what Second Empire wanted with it?”
He said it contained instructions for using the book. The problem was that it was in Old Sacoridian, and no one among them could translate it. Which led to the second theft.”
“Selium,” Karigan said. “It happened just before I arrived there.”
Willis nodded. “Once they had the key to Old Sacoridian, they were able to translate the instructions.”
“Why would a book require instructions?” Karigan asked. “I mean, it’s a book.”
Willis and Donal exchanged glances, and Karigan felt silly for asking, but she’d known books to contain instructions, not require them.
“This book was written by a great mage.” It was Donal who spoke, and his rich, deep voice took Karigan by surprise. “It is an arcane object and likely does not obey the same rules as a book of mundane origins.”
“Immerez gave up the instructions,” Willis said. “That the book could only be read in the light of the high king’s tomb.”
Karigan passed her hand over her eyes, feeling tired, almost light-headed. “That’s why Grandmother wanted the tombs emptied of Weapons.”
“Hence Lady Estora’s abduction,” Willis replied. “It was as big a diversion as they could think of.”
Of course it was. She knew all too well how important the betrothal between King Zachary and Lady Estora was for maintaining unity among the provinces. She could only imagine all those members of Clan Coutre besieging the king with their demands for Estora’s safe return, and their threats if he failed to bring her back unharmed. If Estora were harmed, or worse, killed, not only would Coutre and its maritime allies seek vengeance, but the confidence of the people in their king would erode. All this while he and his advisors should be focusing on Blackveil.
Naturally, to appease Coutre and to ensure Estora’s safe return, King Zachary sent his most elite warriors, his own Weapons, in pursuit of the captors. Someone needed to guard the king, so the tomb Weapons were brought above, leaving the tombs without their normal protection.
“Grandmother had no real interest in Lady Estora,” Willis continued, “other than the distraction her abduction would cause. Immerez was more interested in obtaining ransom and committing vengeance against the king for bringing down, and executing, Tomas Mirwell.”
Karigan was more relieved than ever Estora never had the chance to meet Immerez. She did not like to think what he would have done to King Zachary’s betrothed. “The book,” she said faintly. “Where is it now?”
“Immerez believes it is by now on its way to Sacor City and the tombs,” Beryl said. “Immerez was most amused. He said his man should be about there by now, and that members of Second Empire in the city would aid him.”
Karigan looked from face to face at those seated at the table. All were grim. The reason Immerez was amused was that there was not a thing any of them could do to stop the book from reaching its destination. They were too far away.