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Kaldar frowned The Hand was bad, the Mirror was dangerous, but the Claws of Bast were in a league of their own There was a reason why their patron goddess was called the Devouring Lady

"Can you handle a wyvern?" Lady Virai asked

"Of course,reptile and a horse, really

"Good You will be issued one, together with funds, equips you may require I want you to use it to fly to the south, find this device, and bring it to me Find the object, Kaldar I don’t care if you have to chase it to the moon, I want it in my hands and I want it yesterday Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes One question?"

Lady Virai raised her eyebrows a quarter of an inch

"Why yptians tells ers," she said

"How do they know?"

Her eyes flashed with annoyance "They didn’t specify But it’s hardly in their best interests to lie The Hand hired the Edgers to do their dirty work and now they have vanished into the Broken They think they are beyond o noill brief you and see to the details"

Kaldar ducked his head and headed for the door Fate finally smiled at him

"Kaldar"

He turned and looked at her

"I’ that you are smart as well as pretty, and those s my orders Don’t disappoint me, Kaldar If you fail because of lack of ability, I will simply discard you But if you betray rinned at her "Understood,room lay just a short walk from the conference roo it open Erwin rose from a chair with a neutral smile

Lady Virai’s pet flash sniper had a pleasant face, neither handsome, nor unattractive His short hair, halfway between dark blond and light brown, didn’t attract the eye Of average height, he was tri, but at the saed wherever he was Never unco et he was in the rooers, and once you passed him, his flash would take your head clean off Erwin could hit a coin thrown in the air with a concentrated blast of ic from fifty paces away

"Master Mar" Erwin held out his hand

"Master Erwin" They shook

Inconspicuous Erwin When Kaldar first met him, he’d taken the time to replicate the look and the ht past the security into the Ducal palace twice before he decided to stop te the fate

"Would you care for a drink?" the sniper asked

"No"

"Very well On with the briefing then" Erwin turned to the large round table and tapped the console The surface of the table ignited with pale yellow The glow surged up and snapped into a three die pyraold "The Pyrayptian pyraressed into houses of worship and learning This particular pyraypt, is devoted to Ptah, God of Architects and Skilled Craftsypt, he is particularly venerated because of his intellectual approach In essence, if Ptah thinks of it, it co"

"A useful power," Kaldar said