In a private chamber on the upper floor of an expensive establishment in the Royal Capital, three men sat around a polished wooden table, each wearing an expression that suggested he would rather be somewhere else.
The room had been reserved under an ordinary merchant's name, and the servants had been instructed not to disturb its occupants until they were summoned. A bottle of expensive wine rested between several untouched cups, while a collection of reports lay scattered across the table. Outside, the streets remained as lively as ever, but inside the chamber, the atmosphere was considerably less welcoming.
Gideon Marholt was the first to break the silence.
