Chapter 122: The Lorathi Merchant
"My dear Hand of Shira, my old friend:
After this period of diligent work, I have found the most suitable candidate to be our eyes—Jorah Mormont, the Lord of Bear Island whom Eddard Stark sentenced to death for selling poachers to slave traders.
Robert has promised him a pardon, and I have promised him something else, something far more important to him. You need not worry that he will be a detriment to Viserys and his sister.
In short, with Jorah in place, Robert should not send other assassins for some time, which is enough for us to delay until the Khal's wedding. After Her Highness the Princess marries Khal Drogo, any new assassins sent by Robert, whether they succeed or not, will only serve to anger the Khal and make him firm in his conviction to send his army to Westeros.
As for the other matter you raised—to immediately introduce Ian Rivers to young Griffin and have him join the company of Jon Connington—I cannot agree with this plan.
Although it would be a great boon to our plans to have this young man you admire so much develop an early friendship with young Griffin, it is too great a risk at present. It is now known that the descendants of House Darry and House Grafson have journeyed to Pentos to join Viserys. At this time, preventing them from meeting him and instead sending them elsewhere would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Besides, you know Viserys's character as well as I do. Anyone who sees him in person will surely be disappointed. As long as Sir Ian is truly as clever as you believe, then even after following Viserys for a time, he will switch his allegiance to our little Griffin without hesitation once we bring him into the light.
I hope you will seriously consider my counsel.
—Pendant Box"
After writing the letter, Illyrio cut off a small piece of sealing wax, melted it in a spoon over a candle, then poured the molten liquid onto the envelope and stamped it with the seal of an eight-legged spider.
The Hand of Shira and the Pendant Box were the secret names he and Varys used in their correspondence. The source was Illyrio's late wife, a Lysene courtesan named Shira. After her death, Illyrio had preserved one of her hands to commemorate his lost love, and he kept her portrait in an exquisite pendant box. Both items remained in his possession.
***
"Jorah, you must take a ship to Pentos and deliver this to Magister Illyrio," Varys said, handing the sealed letter to Jorah Mormont. "After that, Illyrio will inform you of your specific arrangements."
The tall knight took the envelope, responding only with a grunt from deep in his nose. On his arrogant face, Varys could clearly see the man's disdain for him.
But Varys did not care. He simply smiled. "By the way, if your… operation continues to make no progress, Robert may try to send other assassins. Remember, nothing is to happen to the Targaryen siblings."
"And you remember our agreement," Mormont replied, not answering Varys directly. He offered only the curt reminder, then turned and left in a hurry.
***
"This is it." The spymaster Hazru handed a thick stack of papers to Ian. "We spent a great deal of time collecting these. They are reports on individuals in Pentos whose power has grown rapidly in the last two months."
"One hundred and six men?" Ian's mouth twitched. *Why not add two more and call them a band of legendary outlaws?*
"We have done our best," Hazru said helplessly, mistaking Ian's reaction for disappointment.
"Of course, I can see that," Ian sneered inwardly. The list was so outrageously broad it was as if they had included every person who even slightly matched the characteristics he had described. It was, indeed, Illyrio's intelligence network in action. Ian was now certain that players, or agents directed by players, were somewhere in this pile.
But with so many names, the difficulty of verification increased immensely. And this list didn't even include players who might have managed to quietly replace an actual Pentoshi citizen.
"Share with me some of the more interesting things that have happened in Pentos recently," Ian said, noticing Hazru sitting boredly while he read.
Hazru immediately launched into a nonstop torrent of gossip. Most of the stories revolved around the new city guardsmen. These mercenaries, having rushed to Pentos at the smell of coin, were now running wild through the city.
The entire situation struck Ian as ridiculous. Increasing the city's guard was a superficial act of self-consolation. If Drogo's khalasar were truly hostile to Pentos, they could increase the guard tenfold and it would not help.
Not that Drogo could invade the city itself. The Dothraki had no siege weapons, nor any experience in siege warfare. Even if Pentos did not add a single guardsman, Drogo could never take its high walls.
But the Free Cities, which had developed as massive urban centers supported by vast, open lands, were uniquely vulnerable to a foe like the Dothraki. Only a kingdom with a network of castles and fortified towns could deter the nomads from deep, destructive raids, as they would have to worry about garrisons sallying out to strike their rear.
The lands around the Free Cities were almost entirely devoid of castles. Drogo could easily unleash his wrath upon the villages and towns across the great plains to the east, turning the fertile land to scorched earth.
Once Pentos lost the support of the millions of farmers in its hinterlands, it would descend into chaos and decline, even without a single Dothraki warrior ever setting foot inside. Therefore, the Pentoshi truly had only two choices when faced with the Dothraki: defeat them in a field battle, or dutifully pay for their protection. Bolstering the city's defenses was pointless.
Ian continued to sift through the documents, his mind on these strategic realities.
Suddenly, the appearance of one name nearly made him jump out of his chair.
[Gini Taime, a merchant from Lorath, came to Pentos two and a half months ago. With his small gang, he made a small fortune at the port through some shady means. Soon, they used this money to generate a greater fortune and even formed a large mercenary team.]
[Suspicious Activities: Several Westerosi who had attempted to visit Magister Illyrio died under mysterious circumstances after being turned away. The merchant and his companions were always near the scene of death.]
[Current Location: Unknown. This person's last public appearance was half a month ago, at the Red Temple atop the highest hill of Pentos.]
*This resume screams 'player'.* Ian pulled the single sheet of paper from the stack.
*Of all the ridiculous, attention-grabbing names to pick… this guy has to be one of us,* Ian thought, a smirk playing on his lips. *And to be so blatant about it, without even trying to find me… is he not afraid of a true fan's righteous criticism?*
---
⭐ $5 Tier – Early Access!
Stay 50 chapters ahead of public releases on RoyalRoad, Webnovel, and Scribble Hub.
Latest available chapter: 172.
Chapters are uploaded as soon as they're completed, so you'll always be ahead of the curve.
By joining, you'll be directly supporting the story while enjoying exclusive early access.
🔗 Patreon link is in My Profile/About.
⚠️ Please select your membership carefully, as I have multiple novels ongoing.
🍎 If you're on Apple, consider subscribing through your browser instead — it's cheaper for you, and I'll receive payments faster.