Padma
Tanit wasn't there when I arrived at the office. After her expedition the day before, she might still be asleep, but I couldn't help feeling a twinge of concern, as always.
Cassa greeted me, twitching with excitement. “Mistress Padma, there's a rather unusual gentleman. A Captain Rahul Iskander. He says it's urgent...”
From her enthusiasm, I deduced that the customer was rather good-looking. However, I had the feeling I'd heard the name before... associated with black lotus juice and something else. A gear clicked and the cogs finally aligned in my brain. Why yes, this was the name of the merchant-adventurer Tanit had told me about... and the man I had met in the Refuge.
Damn.
“What does he look like?”
“Um, late thirties, quite massive, very dark-skinned, with a beard, green eyes and an earring. He’s dressed like a merchant-adventurer.”
Indeed, this sounded awfully like the man. Had he discovered my identity and come to complain? Had his son taken a turn for the worse? I sighed and sank behind my desk.
“Send him in.”
It was definitely him. As soon as he walked through the door, he filled the room with his presence. I indicated a seat and smiled politely. He was very elegant: his beard had been carefully combed and his hair was tied with a black lace weighted with a teardrop-shaped pearl. He wore an immaculate white shirt, an embroidered red vest, and his polished boots shone like a mirror.
Just as their ancestors, modern merchant-adventurers liked to show off and pretend sophistication. But beneath their refined exterior, they were as tough as the leather of their boots. All he needed was a boarding saber to complete the picture. But indeed, he was very handsome. With his broad build, dark mane and fluid moves, he reminded me of a lion.
Curiously, he too seemed to be examining me with interest. Like a lion checking its next meal. His eyes lingered on the Attalian heptagon on the wall above my head and the white lily brooch on my shoulder.
“So, what can I do for you, Captain Iskander?”
“I want you to find my seal.”
His voice, low and melodious, had something bewitching about it. This added to my confusion, and I didn't immediately catch the meaning of his words.
“I beg your pardon?”
“A seal... The seal of my family," he repeated.
It took me another half-second to understand. I tried to hide my surprise. The seal of a merchant house, like the banner of a warrior clan, symbolized its essence. The patriarch wore it around his neck. He affixed it to the largest contracts. An agreement stamped with the seal could neither be renegotiated nor broken.
My expression must have given me away, because he added with an annoyed air. “I had given it to my son to ratify a promise to sell. It was the first time I'd entrusted him with such an important task. Anyway, after signing, he went to a tavern in the Seven Dials with some friends to celebrate. There he quarrelled with a bunch of good-for-nothings, was injured and lost it. He must have rolled into a corner during the fight.”
I relaxed a little. He hadn't recognized me. “I understand your problem, Captain, but this kind of case needs the involvement of the police, maybe a private detective, but there's nothing magical about it!”
He nodded. “I've already searched the tavern, to no avail, and put a detective on the case. However, this seal is a bit special. It's an Attalian artifact. Perhaps even a talisman. So, I'm afraid it's going to end up in the hands of an antiquities dealer. Respectable or not.”
I nodded. “Now, I can see your point. What does it look like?”
“The top is a large beryl pebble with inclusions representing a dolphin and an octopus. The base used to make the mark is in the shape of a twelve-toothed flat pinion. It is made of orichalcum...”
I refrained from gaping . “Um... The object you're describing was very famous... It was the seal of the House of Krakens du Méral.”
“That's right. I'm descended from them through my mother. During the Northern colonization, the survivors fled to Nadinh and the object remained hidden in my family for generations. I took over my ancestors' business eight years ago.”
The Krakens. The most devious, the most daring, the most legendary of all merchant-adventurers. Either this man was a particularly bold imposter, or... it was extraordinary.
“Incredible!" I said out loud.
“So, I'm afraid it can seriously tempt a collector," he replied darkly.
“Indeed...”
“I assume that, as a witch, you're on good terms with all the antique dealers in the city," he said peremptorily. “Let them know I'm ready to buy it back. I'm also offering twenty aspres of gold to anyone who can provide information. If there's already a buyer, I'll outbid him.”
His eyes had amber reflections in the sunlight... I almost slapped myself in the face and went back to my thoughts. “This object wasn't a talisman, so I wouldn't be able to perceive it if I were nearby. However,...”
A vague memory emerged at the back of my mind. I went to the library and pulled out the General Index of Attalian Artefacts. I opened it on the chapter devoted to the Kraken seal. While the beryl in the upper part had only been known for eight or nine centuries, the twelve-pronged pinion dated back to the time of Attalis. It was speculated to be the central part of a tellion. And there was an avid tellion collector in the city...
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