Chapter 5

I pulled two silver coins from my pouch and headed straight for the rowdiest, most well-connected tavern in the city.

The place was packed with all sorts of characters, the air thick with the stench of cheap ale and sweat.

I set the coins on the bar. "I want information."

The bartender, a one-eyed man, glanced at the coins then at me. "Kid, this is no place for you."

"I want everything about Valerius Blackwood," I said flatly.

Maybe my gaze, icy and steady, convinced him, because he took the coins.

He leaned in, his voice low. "Lord Valerius is…