Four days passed.
The afternoon sun hung heavy. Cast long shadows across the stone buildings.
A figure moved through the merchant quarter.
Wearing dark coat, wide-brimmed hat pulled low. Scarf wrapped high enough to obscure most of his face.
He turned down a narrower alley. The noise of the main thoroughfare fading behind him.
Found the building he wanted.
He pushed through.
The interior was cooler. Quieter. Professional. A reception area with polished wood furniture. Ledgers stacked neatly on shelves.
A clerk looked up from behind a desk. "Can I help you?"
"Here to see Veltris. He's expecting someone from the south."
The clerk frowned. Checked his schedule. "I don't see—"
"Tell him it's about the delayed contracts from last week. He'll want to hear this."
Doubt flickered across the clerk's face. But the mention of delayed contracts, that struck a nerve.
"Wait here."
The clerk disappeared through a door.
Returned two minutes later.
