"I was stopped by a messenger from Blackstone,” Sylvie said simply and held out a folded sheet of paper that had been sealed with black wax, the crest of the main guild of the city impressed into it. “Seems urgent.” Siobhan broke the seal with a quick twist of her fingers before unfolding the paper. Deepwoods had strong ties to Blackstone, the master guild of Goldschmidt, and often took on minor jobs for them. To be given a message like this wasn’t unusual. To get it this late in the day, however, spoke of impending trouble. She scanned through the letter quickly and unease coiled into a cold lump in her stomach. “Listen up,” she called to the table, not taking her eyes from the letter. A hush instantly descended. “This came directly from Guildmaster Darrens. His daughter Lirah has gone missing.” “Missing?!” several people repeated in shock. “She apparently was going to Sateren to negotiate something for her father but she never got there. He’s verified that she went through Island Pass so she at least got to Wynngaard, but it’s now three days past when she was meant to arrive and there’s no sign of her.” She raised her head and looked around the table, stating what everyone had already guessed. “He’s asked us to go after her.”

Publication Year: 2014