Page 46 of The Thief's Mark

It sounded vaguely familiar to Cal, though he couldn’t place why. Thanking Dores profusely, he rushed out of the courthouse and down the bustling street. Here at the heart of Derimay, the colorful streets were always busy.

He spent the walk back to Griff’s apartment turning the name over and over in his head. But its source still eluded him when he spied the familiar brick building that, despite his best efforts, he’d begun to think of as home.

Griff was already inside when he arrived. The investigator was seated at his kitchen table, poring over scattered pages of notes and muttering to himself. He didn’t immediately notice Cal, and Cal took a moment to admire the broad slope of his shoulders.The distinguished lines of his face. The adorable divot he got in his forehead when he was tackling a particularly hard problem.

Cal’s gaze lingered on a small scar near the inspector’s hairline, barely visible. The shape of it reminded him of the twinkling stars he used to lay on his back at night and watch from abandoned rooftops as a kid, dreaming of a better life off in the heavens.

Cal tore his eyes away. Clearing his throat to announce his presence, he slid into the seat across from Griff. “Got anything?”

Griff glanced up at him, then frowned back down at the mess of papers. “Nothing we didn’t already know. Humbrian Shipping transports all sorts of goods all across the city from as far away as Nalax. I’ve been compiling a list of every company they work with that has ties back to Jumic Enterprises or one of its subsidiaries, as well as whotheydo business with.” He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his eyes. “As you can imagine, it’s a Void-cursed mess. Whatever group is behind all this must have deep, deep pockets. The docks, the markets—Merciful Light, they even make shipments to the Siren’s Call theater!”

Shock rippled through Cal. He sat bolt upright in his chair as the name from the court case finally clicked into place. “Eternal Dark! IknewI’d heard the name before!”

At Griff’s questioning look, he hastened to explain. “I got that record from the clerk’s office—despite you doubting me, I might add—and it identified the defendant as Splendor Investments. My Lord Heneford alias has a minor stake in the Siren’s Call, but I’m far from the only investor. Splendor Investments is another. Their contribution puts my own paltry one to shame.”

A ripple of unease coursed over Cal as he shifted his gaze to the scattered papers. The full weight of his revelation settled on his shoulders, and he swallowed. “And you’re right—theyareexceedingly powerful. They should be, since they’re run by the Pentarchy itself.”

Griff’s eyes widened. “Are you certain?”

Cal gave a reluctant nod, slumping back in his seat. “From what I understand, it’s part of a slush fund used to bankroll their various interests across the city. That’s why we’ve been chasing down so many random leads. They have essentially unlimited resources, so long as they can get approval from one of the councilor’s offices.”

“So, Griff said, a hint of hope creeping into his voice. “That means that anyone working for the Pentarchy with access to the fund might be to blame, right?”

His face fell as Cal once more slowly shook his head. “A purchase as large as the void orb would’ve required considerable rearranging of funds to hide. Only members of the Pentarchy have that sort of authority.”

Silence descended in the wake of Cal’s pronouncement. They’d suspected the involvement of corrupt government officials all along. Hence why Griff had agreed to keep their investigation a secret.

But suspecting something and having proof, however tentative, were very different. At least one of Sanjarka’s five councilors was almost certainly behind a conspiracy involving the most dangerous magic in Allaria.

Maybe I should’ve fled Derimay when I had the chance…

“What else do you know about this slush fund?” Griff finally asked, breaking the silence. “Is there any way to figure out which councilor authorized the purchase?”

Cal shrugged. “I’m a thief, not a banker. But I doubt the records we have will be enough to deduce it, even for Derimay’s foremost detective. From what I’ve heard, the Pentarchy all share equal access to this account, so any one of them could have pulled it off.”

Griff nodded grimly, looking like he’d expected as much. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders. Cal couldn’t help admiring the determined glint in his eyes.

“We need to learn more,” Griff said. “Now that we have a sense of who we’re dealing with, our next step should be to speak with the individual members of the Pentarchy directly so that we can identify any potential motives.”

Cal raised his hands in a warding gesture, his eyes widening. “Whoa, hold on there. You know I’m all for daring break-ins or dramatic confrontations. But these aren’t Brotherhood smugglers we’re talking about here. One word from them could get us executed—or worse, tossed in a cell for the rest of our lives!”

Griff’s chair skidded over the wooden floor as he rose and began to pace. “Precisely. Before I make such a serious accusation, I need irrefutable proof…and that means determining a suspect and a motive.”

Cal rolled his eyes. Disbelief tinged his voice. “Yeah, sure. Because that sounds like such a piece of cake. What would you ask them, anyway? ‘Excuse me, sir or madam. Are you by chance involved in any diabolical plots at the moment?’” Cal snorted. “And that’s assuming you can even convince them to meet with you anytime soon.”

“High Judge Septima and High Commander Pern won’t be a problem. As for the others, I’ll figure something out. I am, after all, still the hero of the hour for that blackmailing case. I might as well put that good will to use.”

Cal couldn’t decide whether to admire Griff’s stubborn doggedness or to disdain it.

“You really mean to go through with this, don’t you?” When Griff only nodded distractedly, lost in thought as he continued to pace, Cal sighed. “Of course you do. Well, in that case, we need a plan to approach them, ideally without revealing thatthey’re under investigation. I don’t suppose you could finagle an invitation to a private council meeting?”

He’d meant it as a joke, but Griff’s eyes widened. “That’s it!” he exclaimed. Cal slowly stood, watching with a confused expression as Griff rushed across the room to his desk shoved in a corner. Fumbling through the messy stacks of papers there, he eventually emerged with a thick roll of parchment. He held it up triumphantly. “Got it!”

Cal eyed the scroll, raising a brow. “Let me guess: that magically contains all the answers to all our problems.”

Griff’s small grin caught Cal off-guard, sending a lingering wave of warmth through him. “Pretty much. It’s an invitation to tomorrow’s state gala celebrating the 15th anniversary of open trade with Vantor. All of the Pentarchy will be there. It’s the perfect opportunity to speak with them one on one while their guards are down.”

Griff rushed to retrieve his notebook and Vantoric pen from the table. Cal watched him go, impressed by his sheer enthusiasm. It was hard not to find his excitement contagious.