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“Two of them were. Fringe-guard, supervising the other eight, employed by the guild. So eitherourpeople are involved, or theirs are.”
“I guess we have an investigation after all,” Kadou said. Dammit. He felt rather resigned and unsurprised about the whole thing—perhaps last night and this morning had drained all his reserves of fear. “Let’s go talk to Armagan, then.”
When they arrived, Armagan was working quietly in çir office in the Copper Court, bent over a writing desk and scribbling what looked like an extremely long letter. “Your Highness,” çe said when they came in, surprised but not unwelcoming. Çe rose, came around the desk, and bowed. “And Commander Eozena. I . . . wasn’t expecting you. Did you send word?”
“No,” Eozena said. She strode forward into the room, looking around briefly—once a kahya, always a kahya,Kadou mused to himself. They all checked rooms like that, cataloging doors, windows, dangers.
Evemer and Sanem posted themselves at the door as he followed Eozena in. “We were just passing by,” Kadou said. “And we were curious about something. We thought you might have some insights.”
Armagan spread çir hands. “Of course. How can I help?”
“The Shipbuilder’s Guild,” Eozena said. “Funny thing.” She helped herself to Armagan’s desk chair, tipped it back, and put her heels up on the desk. Her long brown fingers tapped the armrests. “How did the thieves get in?”
Armagan frowned slightly. “They bashed the doors in—you were there, you saw the damage.”
“What did they use, though?”
“A . . . battering ram? One presumes?”
“It would have had to be pretty heavy, wouldn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” çe said. “It would have to be. Sorry, was this what you were wondering about, Commander?” Çir eyes flickered between her and Kadou.
Eozena glanced at Kadou with a question in her eyes—did he want to ask anything? He shook his head. He was busy watching Armagan. She turned back. “Was there any trace of such a thing at the scene?”
“Not that we found, Commander.”
“One of the guild guards discovered the thieves in the process of ransacking the offices, isn’t that right?”
Armagan was getting tenser now—Eozena wasn’t doing a very good job of disguising her tone. She sounded like she was interrogating çem. “Yes,” çe said. “I’ve written as much in my notes.”
“She ran them off, did she?”
“That’s what she told us.”
“So what happened to the ram?”
“I beg your pardon, Commander, I don’t quite follow.”
Eozena dropped her heels off the desk, the front two legs of the chair slamming back to the ground. She sat forward with her elbows on her knees. “That big heavy battering ram, Lieutenant,” she said. “When the thieves got run off, did they stop to collect it and haul it away with them?”
“You’re asking me to speculate,” Armagan said. Çe was getting frustrated. “But if I have to, then I’d say that seems like a logical conclusion. It couldn’t have just walked off on its own.”
“Couldn’t it? Did you look around for it?”
“Of course.”
Kadou’s mouth went dry. Evemer had been there for the investigation. Evemer had said that they hadn’t looked for it at all. Armagan’s notes had never mentioned a search either.
A lie. His heart stuttered and quickened in his chest.
“And you didn’t find it?” Eozena asked.
Armagan spread çir hands again. “We don’t always get that lucky.”
“I did,” Kadou said. “Get that lucky, I mean. Though it didn’t take much.”
Armagan stared at him. “I beg your pardon, Highness?”
