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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 an remembered

“Are you well?” Karigan asked her

“Very well,” Beryl said She looked pleased with herself

“She got Immerez to talk,” Ty said

“Ian 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 knehat 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 theof 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, kne to find it She is also the one who ordered some thefts”

“The Sacor City War Museuan 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 Eh 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 itnesses say We found no body”