Page 91 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I found Tengven back at the Shrieking Ghost, at his usual table, eating his usual seafood soup, and listening to everyone around him while looking as if he weren't. With a look and a jerk of my head, I indicated that our conversation was better suited to his boat. Teng paid for his meal, and we walked to his ship together, mostly in silence. As someone who made money off the indiscretion of others, Tengven knew when to keep his mouth shut. The only talk was of the safe variety; my health, his crew, his stupid soup.

At last, we were in his cabin, the door shut and the sea wind the only witness to our words.

“I got it.” I pulled out the bottle.

“I thought you were going to take all his potions?” Tengven asked.

“Hard to do when he has a collection larger than I could carry. Even harder when I had to steal it practically in front of him.”

“You're certain this is the one?”

“I asked him to show it to me first.”

“Risky. If he notices that it's missing, he'll know it was you.”

I shrugged.

Teng peered at the bottle. “Doesn't look all that exciting.” He tucked it in a pocket. “I'll have my guy analyze it.”

“There's something else.”

“Oh?”

I pulled out the gold coin. “The King would like to hire you.”

Instead of looking thrilled, Teng backed away. “To do what?”

“Relax, he doesn't know who you are. I'm playing the role of the hooded man.”

“I appreciate that.”

“As if I'd ever do anything to put you in danger,” I huffed. “I told him you could gather information about Lord Crushei of the Shanba.”

“Lord Crushei? The wine merchant?” Teng stepped forward and took the coin. “What does the King want to know about him?”

“If he hired me.”

“What?”

“Yasima gave up the hooded man—Lord Yusef Lancarester. Except when we went to arrest him, he was dead. Murdered unprofessionally.”

“Well, fuck.”

“Yes. That's not all. We found evidence in his home—a log book with the initials of his clients and their targets. He listed the man who hired me as CV.”

“Crushei Venlebar. Fuck.”

“Yes.”

“But there are other men with those initials in this city. I'd wager there's a whole lot of them.”

“Yes, but Crushei has a history of butting heads with the King, and we also found a letter in Yusef's desk written by Crushei. It was unaddressed but in it, Crushei asked for help with the King and offered to pay more than the usual rate. And he signed it.”

“Who the fuck writes to someone about hiring an assassin, then signs it?”

“Exactly. It doesn't make sense. When we confronted Lord Crushei, he denied it. He said the letter was one he wrote to the palace steward, Lord Paslan, to request that Paslan arrange an audience for him with the King. Paslan controls the King's public meeting schedule and has been taking bribes to adjust it.”

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