Snippet #1805822

There was a twinkle in the old man's eye, but the corner of his mouth barely moved. He ran a wrinkled hand over the hand-stitched, brown leather-bound cover before setting it on his desk. "Miss Lanneth. you are more than welcome to bring your friend to assist you. Should you succeed, you may have the book. From one scholar to another."

Reaching into a pocket deep within his robe, heb extracted a violet coin purse. He dumped out a handful of coins and some paper notes, equaling in total to at least two hundred gold, and held it out to her. "As I said, one cannot be expected to work without compensation. This should be enough for the two of you. Once you identify the traitor and bring me evidence, I will see that you are each rewarded with a lump sum and your book, but do pay Ferdirand a visit. He will have a little extra work for you that may be of some importance. His office is midway between here and the entrance, to your right, on the way out." Alexandria might recognize the door that was ajar when she walked into the hall. "You may tell him I sent you."