A woman sat waiting and seeing the three men enter, she rose and crossed to them, a smile on her face. “Richard, how nice.”

“Livia,” said Pug, bowing slightly. “I believe you met my companions.”

“Yes,” she said, “albeit briefly. Martin, Amirantha. It’s a pleasure to see you once more.”

Amirantha’s expression broadened. “As it is mine,” he replied. “I was sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to speak with you last night. Perhaps…?” He let the question hang.

She glanced at Pug as if gauging his reaction, then said, “Perhaps. Now, what may I do to help?”

Pug said, “Martin and I are commissioned by the King of Isles and the Prince of Krondor to investigate certain discrepancies in our relative histories, especially looking for accounts of the period after Kesh’s withdrawal from the region, but prior to the Kingdom’s expansion westward through Yabon.”

“I think I know where to start you,” said Livia. Looking at Amirantha, she said, “And you?”

“I have a different charge, from my master, the Maharaja. At this point, I would be interested in subjects of a mystical nature.”

“Mystical?” she said, as if not quite understanding.

“Our faiths are much the same as yours, but apparently there are some differences. Our gods have different names, and slightly different aspects.”

“How odd,” she commented. Then realizing she sounded judgmental she quickly amended that by saying, “I mean, it’s odd that there are differences, not that your view is odd.”

“I took your meaning,” said Amirantha with a broad smile. “It might help my understanding if you could show me anything on…non-faith tales of magic and spirits, ghosts, and demons, let us say. Sometimes the tales of the villages and towns give us more insight into the beliefs of a people than the official records of the government or temples.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she replied. “Let me get you two”—she said to Magnus and Pug—“situated, then we”—she said to Amirantha—“will start looking for folk stories and legends.”

With a smile and a nod, Amirantha conveyed he was amenable to this, and for a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, Pug found himself annoyed.

They moved off down the hall, toward the rear of the archives.

Amirantha stood with his mouth closed only by conscious will. The term “jaw dropping” had entered his mind as he stood looking at a mountain of tomes, books, scrolls, and codices. There was one table in the far corner of the room, and no chair.