by Guy Antibes
“Come in,” Ranno said.
Pol walked in, and there the Emperor sat in Ranno’s chair. He looked older. Ranno’s hair had turned gray, but the pair seemed to have retained their easy relationship.
“Love the view from this chair,” Hazett said. He stood when Pol entered the room and held out his arms. Pol remembered Hazett had said he had a hugging family. Pol endured the hug. “You’ve grown into a handsome man.” He squeezed Pol’s biceps. “Muscle, too.” The Emperor raised his eyebrows as a sign to Ranno, who gave Hazett a tiny bow.
“I’m glad to see you back, Pol. I really am. We have work to do, you and I,” he said as he passed and closed the door behind him.
“Sit,” Hazett said. The Emperor put a hand on his forehead. “It’s been a harrowing four years waiting to hear from you. The first time wasn’t so bad. You’d been gone for what, less than a year? Jarrann cried herself to sleep more than a few times, but now there are tears of joy. Tears of joy.”
“I am glad to be back,” Pol said.
“You brought your Shinkyan princess back with you. She has done a remarkable job holding South Salvan together. She needs an Imperial reward.”
“Give her me,” Pol said. “I’m old enough to get married now.”
“You can have her, with my heartfelt blessing, when this is all over. Until then, you can’t be distracted with a new marriage. She can fight with you, but not as your wife.”
“I’d like to go back to Redearth and take up arms against my step-brother.”
“Not yet, Pol. I wouldn’t count that out, now that Handor works by my side. We can’t thank you enough for convincing me to send him to Deftnis. He loves you like the brother you are. Handor is my heir, again.” Hazett took a deep breath. “You gave him back to me.”
The depth of the Emperor’s emotions was surprising. He couldn’t detect a bit of disingenuousness in his words.
“I am glad he took to Searl’s healing.”
“You inspired him. He still looks up to you.” Hazett looked directly into Pol’s eyes. “Figuratively, and now literally. I need you here in Yastan, as I said. Your ability to stop the mind-control impressed Malden. We had no idea that the Winnowers were spreading their foul message so close to Yasta. Those controlled wouldn’t admit to such a thing. Akonai’s group is currently coming up with a program to disseminate to the rest of the loyal magicians throughout the Empire. In some areas, it’s already too late.”
“West Huffnya?”
“I might send you there at some point. My Seekers haven’t done well there, I’ll admit it, even thought Ranno might have a hard time doing so. I have other duties. I’ll leave you in Ranno’s care until tonight. I’d like Shira and you to dine with the family. For now, stay here. We will meet again very soon. I want you to give me your impressions of Daera. I don’t need a recap of your adventures, but I would like your opinion of the two cultures.”
“It will be my pleasure, My Emperor.”
“Father will do better.”
“My Father,” Pol said, with a smile.
Hazett rose from Ranno’s chair and gave Pol another brief hug. He left the room. Pol could hear him say, “He’s yours again,” as the Emperor walked away.
Ranno entered, looking back, and then he closed the door. He shook his head. “He has the weight of the Empire on his shoulders, yet he still banters.”
“Don’t you do your share?” Pol said.
Ranno grinned. “I guess it’s a way to stay sane. I have an assignment for you,” the Instrument said. “Yastan has suffered a string of bank robberies. People are giving conflicting testimonies, and the city guard seems to be over its head. I’d like you to take some helpers to the latest and see what you make of the situation.”
“Who are the helpers?”
“People you know. Shira, your heartthrob, Loa, and Deena. You know them all, so you won’t be dragged down getting acquainted. Loa is the magic adept, and Deena is all but a Seeker in name. We didn’t put her in the Seeker pool because she isn’t quite detached enough.”
“You mean she has a conscience?”
“That is close enough for now. Not much different from you, I imagine.”
“From a lot of people,” Pol said.
Ranno grunted and slid a token of some kind across his desk towards Pol. “Deena knows where the bank is. You can use this as a symbol of your authority.”
Pol picked it up. It was an Imperial authorization pasted to a metal plate. It reminded him of the Hawk Clan tile, but this had writing.
“Something new. We call them badges. There is a clip on the back that you can use to attach to your clothing. The people of Yastan have seen these enough to respect the person behind the badge, not that you need any extra respect, My Prince.”
Pol smiled, but he didn’t feel it. “Where can I find Deena and Loa?”
“They are waiting for you in the Commissary. I don’t imagine you have eaten yet?”
Pol shook his head.
Ranno waved him out of his office. “I order you to eat a good breakfast. Now go.”
Pol found Deena and Farthia Gastoria, Malden’s wife, looking on as Loa and Shira talked about their various adventures. They obviously had not waited for Pol to arrive.
Farthia spotted Pol first. “The returning prince arrives,” she said.
Deena and Loa stood, along with Farthia. Shira just grinned and remained seated.
“Sit, sit. Is this an area that is served, or do I have to gather my food?
“Served,” Shira said.
“We are going banking today?” Pol said.
Deena looked at Shira. “We are.”
“Good. I’ve never been in a bank before. What are they like?” Shira said.
Pol smiled. “The best Shinkyan comparison is the bureaucrat's office where you made the clerks give us papers. Banks look much the same. They accept money and give out loans. In the Empire, loans are only given to people who don’t need them.”
“Or to people who are very well-known to the bank officers. My father had a hard time buying his inn, but an old friend worked at a bank and helped him out.”
“Doesn’t seem fair,” Shira said.
“It’s not, but the money is used to make more money, and when people make money, jobs follow,” Pol said.
“He’s right. If a person doesn’t have the means to pay back, the bank loses, and the depositors lose,” Farthia said. “Looking at all of you, it appears that the issue might be one of who sets the lending criteria. Am I right?”
Loa shook her head. “Kell knows all about banks. He uses them in his business, but there are many banks who don’t lend to traders. It’s too risky for them, Kell says.”
A server finally arrived and took Pol’s order. He looked at the four women. “We are only interested in answers, this time. Let’s hope we can get them for free.”
~
Yastan’s banks sat in two rows, facing each other on the street not far from the Imperial Compound. Pol walked in the back, while the three women talked about womanish things. Shira looked back from time to time, giving him occasional smiles.
Farthia had shown up at breakfast to welcome Pol back from his extended stay in Daera. She had to get home to her twin girls after breakfast. The thought of Malden as a father of little toddlers made him grin. Time hadn’t stood still while he lived in Daera.
It appeared that Deena no longer elicited jealous thoughts. Good, thought Pol. If he was to survive his time in Yastan, he didn’t need to have Shira upset with him about a fictitious relationship. Four years seemed to have tamed her down. She had confidence before, but now it seemed to be ingrained, and Pol liked her even better for it.
The women stopped at the Imperial Bank of Orkal. Pol looked around. Many of the banks bore similar names of other countries and duchies. Orkal was one of the Dukedoms.
Pol opened the door for them. His mental idea of the bank matched the reality. He looked at light wood paneling and men and a few women
scurrying around with papers in their hands. It reminded him of Lord Boria’s gambling headquarters. Bureaucracy’s needs seemed to spawn a universal look and feel in their operations.
Deena walked up to the counter.
“We are agents of the Imperial Instrument, here to see the bank lord.”
The man’s eyes shifted from person to person and landed on Pol. “You are the returned Imperial Prince?”
Pol nodded, and then the man bowed. “We are privileged to have you enter the Imperial Bank of Orkal,” the clerk said before he hurried through a door in the back.
A large, nicely-dressed man walked out with a puffed-up chest and an air of self-importance. “Prince Pol, welcome to our bank. I am sorry our misfortune is the cause for your visit. I am Viskal Hammerband.”
The only cause, Pol thought, but he managed a smile. “Can we assemble those in your staff who were closest to the theft and the thieves?” He looked around at the customers. “Perhaps in a more discreet setting?”
“Of course. I was about to suggest something like that myself, My Prince.”
He led them back into a conference room. A grimy window looked out at the lovely vista of the wall of another bank. The bank lord moved to the window.
“The light is more important than the view,” Deena said, looking at Pol.
Her seeking out his acknowledgment surprised him. He nodded and smiled. He was about to say the same thing. A good view of the employees as they told their stories could enhance elements of the pattern that they all sought.
“We will sit with our backs to the window,” Pol said. “Why don’t we start with you, Lord Hammerband?”
The man smiled uncomfortably and sat down, as Pol, Deena, Shira, and Loa took their places on the window side of the conference table.
“What would you like to know?”
Pol looked at Deena. She clasped her hands together and asked, “Tell us what happened during the bank robbery and what you were doing at the time.”
“It all happened so quickly. Four men walked into the bank. One of them ensorcelled the staff, asking them to clear out our cash. They cleaned out our cash reserves in the front and left. I was working in my office across the hall from this room at the time and didn’t know what happened until one of the clerks shook off whatever the magicians had done and notified me of the theft.” The bank lord’s face flushed as he retold the story.
“Bring in one of the ensorcelled clerks, if you would, Lord Hammerband.”
The man rose and scurried out of the room like a large rat, at least that’s what it seemed to Pol.
“How many banks have been robbed in the last six months?” Pol asked.
“This is the fourth,” Loa said.
“Have they all been the same?”
Deena tapped her finger on the table. “No. The others had their vaults opened. That didn’t happen here.”
Pol thought he saw the pattern, but they would need to verify what happened at the other robberies.
A woman walked in looking very nervous, which Pol thought to be normal.
Deena rose and asked her to sit down.
“Would you please tell us what happened during the bank robbery?”
The woman’s description matched that of the bank lord. Pol walked around the table and put his hand on her shoulder.
“We are sorry to put you through this. Would you describe the robbers in detail?”
“There were four men, dressed in hooded black robes. Our minds were controlled, and we were forced to hand over all the money in the drawers.”
“Just the drawers?” Pol said from behind her.
The woman flinched. That wasn’t quite a normal reaction.
“I don’t think you are telling the truth,” Pol said.
She gave them a high, thin, nervous laugh. “What could you possibly mean?” Her face turned red and shiny.
“There was no robbery at the Imperial Bank at Orkal, was there? Lord Hammerband saw an opportunity to get you all bonuses, and a large one for himself, no doubt, if you pretended there was a robbery.”
“There were customers…”
“Who witnessed your little play,” Pol said. “You show no signs of mind-control.” Pol looked at the three magicians. “Can any of you verify my finding?”
Loa nodded and put her hand on the woman’s head and shook her own. “No traces.”
“You can see into a person’s brain?” Shira asked, not knowing how far Loa had come as a magician.
Loa smiled. “They have very good trainers in Yastan.”
“Good,” Pol said. “Do we need to administer a truth spell?” He looked at the woman.
“I…I can’t…” Tears began to well in the woman’s eyes.
Pol put his head out the door. Lord Hammerband stood in the hallway. “Inside.”
The bank lord walked into the room and gasped when he saw the woman in tears. “What have you done?”
“Extracted the truth,” Deena said. “We will expect you to return the money you and your staff stole from the bank.” She rose. “If the money is restored, we will let you off, save for your letter of abject apology to the Duke of Orkal. Choose to flee, and the power of the Instrument will find you, and your future prospects will be very dim.”
She rose from the table along with Shira, and they all walked out into the bright sunshine.
“You aren’t going to prosecute them?” Pol asked.
“Why? The city guard should have caught the anomalies.” She snorted. “Waste of a Seeker’s time. Let’s visit the previous bank robbery. I think that one was real.”
Pol smiled as Shira walked with him, following the other two. “Not much of a pattern to detect,” she said.
“I wonder if Ranno already suspected that the Orkal bank was fraud rather than a robbery,” Pol said. “At least I got my feet wet doing a little investigative Seeking.”
“And, just think, I got to witness it,” Shira said. “Aren’t you worried about our next stop?”
“Not worried. I think I know what happened. Much the same thing as before except the robbers probably used mind-control on the bank lord to get the vault open. The cash up front is nothing compared to what’s in the vault. I would imagine Lord Hammerband didn’t have the courage to clean out the bank’s vaults. It would have made his life much, much more complicated.”
Shira squeezed his upper arm. “If you’re so smart, then why did we even come out?”
Pol smiled and patted Shira’s hand. “It’s a good excuse to walk around Yastan with my girl on a nice sunny day.”
~
The interior of Swift’s Saving & Borrowing Bank looked much like Orkal’s lobby. Deena had spoken to the bank lord in the original investigation and had them in his office in quick order.
“You have new information?” the bank lord said.
Deena shook her head. “Not new information, but new investigators. May I introduce Pol, Loa, and Shira? We are all magicians and are approaching your break-in from a magical point of view.”
“Nothing magical about forcing me to open my strong room,” the bank lord said. “They did put some kind of spell on me.”
“May I touch you?” Pol asked.
The bank lord shrank back a bit but recovered his composure. “Certainly.” He furrowed his brows as Pol put his hand on the bank lord’s forehead.
“A mind-control spell still exists,” Pol said. He stepped back. “Loa?”
She did the same. “I see it as a translucent layer.”
Pol nodded. “I think we see mind-control the same, but wards are a different thing.” He looked at the bank lord. “You might be disoriented a little.” Pol grabbed the man’s arm and removed the mind-control. The bank lord swayed a bit.
“I think you are right. What is mind-control? Did the magician put it inside me?”
Pol brushed off the man’s sleeve. “Essentially. You didn’t even resist opening the strong room, did you?”
The bank lord blushed. “No,
and I’ve been feeling guilty about that.”
“I’ll want to examine all your staff who were here that day. The robbers might return again, and those affected wouldn’t resist handing over more money,” Pol said.
The bank lord looked at Deena. “Isn’t he the missing Imperial Prince?” He said it as if Pol couldn’t hear.
“I am,” Pol said, “and I am a good magician, so let’s get your people looked at, so you won’t have to worry about an Imperial Prince returning.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“No, you didn’t.” Pol gave him a smile and left the office.
~
The bank robbers had left all the employees mind-controlled. Pol didn’t see any evidence of compulsion. Mind-control made it clear that the Winnow Society needed cash and had no desire to earn it.
“We can’t post magicians at all the banks,” Ranno said.
“But we can shield the employees and change the locks on the strong rooms so that no one in the bank has access unless a magician is notified, one who can deal with the banks. That means one magician can protect all of the banker’s row,” Deena said. She looked at Pol, who had given her the idea.
“We can manage that in the short term. I suspected magic,” Ranno said. “But I couldn’t be sure.”
“The conflicting testimony is easy to create. You just tell what happened to different mind-controlled employees, and then the investigator doesn’t know what to believe.”
Ranno pulled at his beard. “Did their stories align after you removed the spell?”
Pol nodded. “They did. Each bank had the same issue. A group of four men entered. One was the magician who administered the mind-control and gave the conflicting information. The bank lords complied with the thieves’ requests to empty their strong room, except for the fourth robbery.”
“That one was from the inside,” Shira said. “Nothing left the strong room, and that’s how we could tell it was done as a copy of the other three robberies.”
“You didn’t arrest them?” Ranno said.
“We couldn’t very well have twelve people following us around from bank to bank,” Pol said. “I’d go easy on them, or the Duke of Orkal will lose his bank. Fines or something.”