Teri McLaren
"By the grace of Nin, Riolla, you have escaped death at the hands of your own assassin. If Saelin had taken this head for you, he would be taking yours for me."
Stunned, Riolla put down her fan and strained to hear what he said next. "But… I could do worse than to let this particular digger lead you to his hoard, bring it to daylight, and then inform him of my prior claim on it."
The Raptor started pacing again. "Yes. You will follow him. He will probably go west, across the desert. Perhaps a good long journey is just what you need. You haven't been getting out much lately."
Riolla began to fan herself again, squirming in her fair, delicate skin at the thought of crossing the desert and sleeping on the ground… at having to speak with commoners all day long. The Raptor said nothing for several moments. Riolla felt perspiration trickle down her back, but her fan kept its steady beat, counting out the seconds. At last she answered.
"As you wish."
The Raptor moved on to another question. "Riolla, what do you know about Kalkuk?"
"Kalkuk?" She coughed, completely off her guard. "I have not seen him for a while…" If the Raptor knew she had killed the old shopkeeper, he would also want to know about how she had put him in the old crypt. The pearl…
"That is odd. He was found dead at the old city. Under very strange circumstances, from what my sources report. I wonder…" he breathed. Riolla did her best to control her fan, timing its languid sweeps to the same rhythm as before he asked his question. The Raptor said nothing.
"Perhaps the diggers did away with him themselves," she began. "Maybe he got in the way of their work, or tried to steal something they'd unearthed. That would make perfect sense. He was behind with his payment, which of course is why I myself am late," she improvised.
The Raptor laughed softly. "Or perhaps you have