Page 50 of The Thief's Mark

Griff blinked. He didn’t reply for a long moment before curiosity finally got the better of him. “I know I’m going to regret asking this. But go on.”

Cal might’ve been wearing Lord Heneford’s face, but the twinkle in his eyes was all his own. “I’ll leave it to your imagination to work out. Suffice it to say, he won’t be able to show his face in a kitchen for a while. Or a stable, for that matter.”

Griff gave a snorting laugh that he hurriedly muffled with a cough when he caught a few of the nearby nobles glancing at them. “As…interesting as that is, I doubt it has anything to do with us. Let’s stay focused.”

Cal shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

They found the High Chancellor first. He was hard to miss, his boisterous voice rising above the general din of conversation as he held court at a table laden with drinks and sweets. A small crowd of hangers-on surrounded him, nodding along and offering their encouragement of every word that came out of his mouth.

Cal gave the High Chancellor’s ruddy face a disgusted look. “I can’t believethatis who the common people chose to represent them on the Pentarchy. Perhaps Ilthabard has the right idea with their monarchy.”

Griff couldn’t help but agree. He watched High Chancellor Dewani a moment longer, then started forward through the crowd. “Come on.”

“Do you honestly believe someone like him could be behind all this?” Cal asked.

“When you’ve done this as long as I have, you learn never to dismiss anyone as a potential suspect,” Griff replied.

They reached the front of the crowd, which put them near the High Chancellor. Griff waited for a lull in the High Chancellor’s diatribe to snag his attention. “Excuse me, sir. I don’t know if you remember me, but I was hoping I might have a moment of your time.”

High Chancellor Dewani frowned, peering at him. Then, his face lit up. “Ah, Inspector…Banton, was it? Of course, of course, how could I forget?” Wrapping a sweaty arm around Griff’s shoulder, he tugged him forward and spun him to face the crowd. “Come, regale us with the tale of your recent triumph!”

Griff swallowed as he suddenly found himself facing over a dozen pairs of staring eyes that ranged from curious to openly hostile at the man who’d stolen the High Chancellor’s attention.

His roving eyes settled on Cal’s smirking face, and he regained his equilibrium, clearing his throat. “Very well. It all started with a complaint registered by a foreman at one of the warehouses downtown…”

He launched into a recounting of the blackmail case, doing his best to liven it up for the audience. He was no bard, but he seemed to hold their drunken attention well enough. At least, until the High Chancellor decided to cut in.

“That reminds me of this recent encounter I had at the Beakeasy. Do you know the restaurant, Inspector?” When Griff shook his head, the High Chancellor appeared shocked. “Really? Why, they have the best stews in all of Sanjarka! You simply must try it the next time you’re out. Now, where was I? Ah, yes! So, I was at the Beakeasy when out of the blue, thisgorgeouswoman approached me. I thought she was the server at first, but instead of taking my order, she sat right down at the table across from me. I could hardly believe it! Naturally, my guards went to remove her, but I waved them back. I must admit, I was intrigued. Who was this beautiful woman, and what did she want…other than me, of course.”

High Chancellor Dewani guffawed, and the rest of the crowd joined in. Griff and Cal shared a look.

As the High Chancellor continued his story—which Griff doubted had any basis in reality—he casually removed his aura blockers. Using his power was tough here with so many people crammed into such tight quarters, but he did his best to focus just on the High Chancellor.

The man’s aura was a hectic hodge-podge of flighty oranges and yellows—much as Griff had predicted when they’d first met at the Siren’s Call. He searched carefully for anything else that might hint at a darker nature or hidden depths. But the High Chancellor’s aura appeared as vapid and substance-less as the High Chancellor himself.

He and Cal tried several more times to draw him back into conversation or entice him to talk about anything more significant than his nighttime exploits and sexual conquests. But it soon became apparent it was a lost cause.

After watching a while longer, they gave up and moved on. Despite what he’d said earlier about not dismissing potential suspects, Griff had to admit that the High Chancellor would be near the bottom of his list. It was hard to imagine the man caring about more than where he’d get his next drink or lay.

They resumed their circuit of the ballroom, keeping an eye out for any of the other councilors. They’d nearly reached the back when Cal tapped Griff on the shoulder and pointed. Griff muffled an internal groan when he saw that it was High Judge Septima who Cal had spotted.

Griff considered steering past her, but the investigator in him wouldn’t allow him to risk compromising their case like that. He couldn’t dismiss the High Judge as a potential suspect any more than the High Chancellor…no matter how little he wanted to talk to her.

Best to just get this over with.

High Judge Septima was chatting with several nobles Griff didn’t recognize as he approached. When she spotted him, however, she excused herself to join Griff.

“Inspector. I hope you’ve been well since the show.”

“Keeping busy,” Griff grunted. Once again, he tucked his aura blockers into a pocket so that he could observe the High Judge’s aura.

Reading auras was far from an exact science. There were usually multiple reasons why someone’s aura might shift or adopt a particular appearance. But he’d still found it a useful tool for plenty of past interrogations.

“How about you?” he asked. “Any tough cases keeping you up at night?”

High Judge Septima hmphed. “Always. But I do my best, along with the other magisters, to interpret the law’s proper intent.” She peered at him with a slight frown. “I recall you being quite good at that yourself. Do you remember that time you argued in favor of reinstating capital punishment? Your mother was quite impressed with how well-reasoned your argument was…even if she disagreed with your position herself.”

Griff tightened his jaw. He jerked a nod. “I remember. Though my stance has evolved over the years.”