I walked into meeting room one to find a rather gaudily dressed man of average height and average to good looks for a man in his early sixties. He wore the same face that the Gray Master shared with me earlier, but he now had a gray beard, and his appearance was far less cool and spooky.

  In fact, it was more tacky and eccentric. His suit, vest, jacket, and cloak were a clash of colors.

  As I closed the door behind us, I commented, “I’m not sure I like this look more than the brooding cloaked version. But it is more…colorful.”

  “In high society and fashion, young mage, it is ill-mannered to say such things. I am chic and fashionable.” He replied with a little bit of a swirl of his robe and attitude in his voice.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it. It has been a long day, and I’m not in the mood to banter words, I’m afraid.”

  “Now don’t be petulant.” He said. I hold you in high regard, so let’s not lose ground so early in our relationship.

  I started to make a flippant remark, and Bella interrupted me. Step carefully. He does like you, but to maintain his respect, you must be unflappable. Do not show weakness. Do not feign strength, but do not lose control of yourself.

  To cover for the conversation in my head, I walked over to the sideboard, poured both of us a glass of chilled wine, and returned. I placed both drinks on the table before us and said, “I was ill-mannered and allowed a conversation I had just previously had to color my remarks. I ask for your forgiveness. I have been looking forward to this meeting. It is not every day one gets to see a piece of legendary history.”

  He steepled his hands and stared at me. Satisfied with the genuineness of my remarks, he regarded the drinks I placed before us both, chose one, and waited for me to pick up the other.

  “To your health,” he toasted and raised his glass.

  “And success in your endeavors,” I replied in kind.

  He smiled. “I hope so.”

  We both took a sip.

  Bella piped in, He is mollified. Nicely done.

  “Before you unveil the price of commission,” I said, “Are there any updates? Is there information that I might share with you that you wish to know?”

  He looked surprised. “Information is often more important than gold. You are in the business to appreciate that more than most. So yes. I will offer something and then ask that you consider doing the same.”

  I expected something like this from him. He is a broker in information as much as items of material value.

  He began. “As you no doubt suspect, the city is in a state of fear thanks to the news of the goblin invasion, which town criers began hailing at 3 pm today. Given Twilight at noon, people are attempting to flee but are being held in the city by force of arms at the gates.”

  “I had not heard that,” I said, dismayed.

  “It is for their own good, even if it is terrible public relations. Anywhere they would go at this point would be subject to roaming bands of goblins or other night creatures. The harbor is likewise closed, and preparations are underway to ship out the young and infirm in a couple of days.”

  He took a sip of his wine and continued as emotionless as if talking about the state of the weeds in his garden.

  “I have been approached by a wide range of wealthy power brokers in the city who have gone from important and influential to insignificant and scared.”

  “How so?”

  “One elderly food merchant has no desire to be stuck in what he sees as a doomed city, conscripted to fight, or, with his health and age, get shipped off to a pirate island with the poor and the vulnerable.”

  “I can’t say that I have a lot of empathy for his plight,” I replied in a stern voice.

  “Given your power and protection in your fortress, I don’t imagine you can relate well with the common man.” He replied with equal sternness.

  “That is not what I meant, and you know it,” I said. “And he is hardly the common man in his abundant wealth.”

  “True. But you must understand that you are in the middle of things. You are protected here by magic paralleled only in the most powerful of mage guild halls. Others, especially those accustomed to lives of ease, are frightened and could do some very foolish things. Foolish for them and the city.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “We both know there has to be a spy or spies in the city. Too much has happened for it to be any other way. These people could ally with anyone who promised them sanctuary. Whether true or imagined, a number of these people with wealth and influence could harm themselves or others by making rash decisions.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Do you know who the spy is?” I asked.

  “If I did, I would have seen him floating in the harbor before now. He is an enemy not only of everyone in this city, but also of every creature who lives. No sensible person, having experienced the Deathlight and Twilight and the reality of the corrupted kingdoms, can have any illusion about what awaits us if the necromancers and infernal-led goblin horde has its way. There is no win for any human under those circumstances.”

  “That was not a straight answer.”

  He sat back and sighed. “I use evasive language like breaths of air. But I had not intended it as such. I meant to make clear my alliance in firm language. I do not know who the spy or spies are, and I am working very hard to find them along with my counterpart, the guildmaster of the bard guild. Bards are master spies, and we hope that between us, we can discover what the Duke and his mages cannot.

  I had not even considered the bards guild, and didn’t have a very fond memory of the guildmaster whom I met during the Journeyman Games recently. “Why was the Bard guildmaster not at the Duke’s meeting? You and the assassins were represented, but why not the bards?” I asked.

  “An unusual sequence of events. The guild master was not in town, and there was not sufficient notice for him to return in time. As I understand it, he has already met personally with the Duke and has pledged to locate the traitors.

  “But as of now, neither of our guilds has been successful. Several paths have opened, and prominent people suspected, but nothing to act upon. It is equally likely that false trails will lead to important people, designed to weaken our trust and resolve. Actions must be decisive but cautious.”

  “You can spin a tale.” I remarked but smiled to remove the words’ sting.”

  He laughed. “True. I let my guard down more with you than I can with my own. Promotion to guildmaster of the Gray Brothers happens as often by convenient accidents as by proven skill and competence.”

  “Back to the wealthy wanting to jump ship. Why should I care?” I asked. “If we know who they are, we can monitor them and act if they make a poor decision, as you call it.”

  “There are too many of them to watch and guard the undercity passages at the same time. Besides, there is a better alternative.”

  “I had a feeling you would get to that.”

  “Indeed. It is wisdom to buy when others sell. Their panic is our gain.”

  “But just what is our gain? I am not interested in just a little more money.” I stated flatly.

  “First, it won’t be only a little money. You would receive ten thousand gold standards per citizen for your part. With twenty-two of them so far, that is 220,000 gold standards.”

  That forced me to pause. While I did not need the money, the city is in dire straits and pushing aside that kind of wealth might not be wise.

  As he saw that I was considering the money, he played his best card. “But as you say, it is not just about the money. The resources these citizens can donate are significant. For instance, the food merchant has a warehouse full of food, both fresh and dried, that would feed a lot of people should the siege go on for some time. Instead of hoarding it and hiding it, he would donate it gladly in the hopes that if the city survives, he would be welcomed back to his home as a supporter of the city in time of need, not a coward and traitor who tried to run away. Weapons dealers, armor merchants, an apothecarist with a huge supply of healing balms, bandages, and antiseptic lotions, the list is extensive.”

  “Why the money and not just the resources?” I asked.

  “Several reasons. One, they can afford to pay, and I am in the business to collect such payments. Second, they came to me, and if I acted all benevolent, they would not trust me, and we would be back to their making bad decisions. Third, if I did not act this way and word got out to my people, you would be dealing with someone entirely new and perhaps far more cutthroat. I believe you used the words ‘shark chum’ earlier.”

  “I remember,” I said.

  “And last, but by no means least, there needs to be some legitimacy to this, which can only come from the Duke. And regardless, it is a commission that is asked for here, and you deserve compensation for it.”

  What is the commission?” I asked, knowing that this is what he had built his whole argument towards.

  “It is quite simple. A Single Use Spell ring that teleports our clients to the capital, where they will seek lodging until this blows over. In fact, most already have homes in the capital. Their challenge is being able to arrive there safely.”

  “They may not be safer there,” I said, not so sure of that fact.

  He shrugged. “I believe they would be. The capital is far larger, better defended with more soldiers, and only one-third of the force is heading in their direction, and two-thirds coming here. Regardless, if that is where they would feel safer, that is where we would send them. It’s just good business.”

  “Who all has approached you?” I asked.

  He reached into his vest and drew out a small scroll. “The names on this list represent those, to date, who have expressed an interest along with the terms we have just discussed.”

  He handed it to me. It was sealed with his wax signet mark over the fold. “This way, the Duke will know it came from me and the names are verified.” He explained.

  “Gray Master, I cannot outwit you. I can only stand firm on what I believe is right. But this is above my pay grade, and I will bring it to the Duke.”

  “That is all I ask.”

  “And now your turn. What information can you provide?” He asked.

  “Our engineers, with one of our elementalists, believe that we can block or unblock a series of tunnels that arch out of the Undercity into the barrow mounds. As you know, the barrow mounds are ancient fortifications, before the city walls were built centuries ago. These mound tunnels arch out around the north, east, and west of the city like concentric circles of rolling hills. We are hoping that you and your team could reveal existing secret tunnels in and out of the city and add them to the model in our map room so that we could develop strategies against the goblins using them, or use them to surprise the goblins.

  He pondered my words for a few minutes. Giving up knowledge that his thieves had held secret for centuries was no light matter. But remaining silent and therefore permitting the enemy to discover them and use them could be devastating.

  “It is certain that the goblins will attempt to find tunnels into the city or even make some of their own. They are accustomed to crude mining and digging through soil and even layers of sandstone, which is common around here and won’t pose a challenge for them.” He admitted.

  “And that assumes they do not use elemental magic, which we know their shamans, rune masters, and witch doctors are capable of,” I added.

  “The barrow mounds truly are haunted.” He said. “True, we help perpetuate those stories to keep people away from our smuggling activities, but it is still a fact. They have always been dangerous, and things got a lot worse when the Deathlight fell upon us.”

  “What kinds of hauntings do you mean?”

  “Mostly, it is the undead we experienced in the attacks. They have roamed the Undercity and Dark Undercity for as long as men have lived here.”

  “What is the Dark Undercity?” I asked.

  “Your model shows the sewer and water systems of the city. That is the upper reaches of the Undercity, which goes down several more layers, perhaps another 100 feet. Below that, there are caverns, creatures, and a perpetual darkness that few ever dare enter. That is the Deeps of which the upper levels are known to us as the Dark Undercity. It is a place feared by those who live and work below.” He answered.

  “As to hauntings,” he continued, “there are also spirits, wispy undead, and even a ghost or two. If we were to attempt anything on the scale you suggest, we would need sorcerers, clerics, elementalists, and some strong backs.”

  “That is not a ‘no’ answer,” I noted.

  “But neither is it a yes. Let me think on this for a while. It has already come up in discussions, and the consensus of the brotherhood is that we can handle it.”

  “Do you believe that?” I asked.

  “No.” He admitted.

  “What can we do?” I asked.

  “I have an idea, but it may not be foolproof.”