The next few days passed in the blink of an eye. There was no shortage of welcomes, and no shortage of work. Her mornings had been spent with Zino, going over a hundred different documents concerning the town, and her manor. Brazen was off early every morning, to explore the town, and fish from the docks. Fykes lounged about in his underwear, and laughed any time the subject of work of any kind rose. Katerin was able to convince him to wear pants for lunch, and as they ate Zino approached with a frown.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I'd forgotten about this. Someone stopped by, to give you this. Said it was no hurry and that they were a friend." He held out a hand in a thick envelope, with a graceful yet blank wax seal on it's cover.

Katerin opened it as she ate, and immediately knew the sender, from the perfume on the envelope. She was wondering where Mordai had gone. Graiden hadn't yet mentioned him, but she had assumed it had been because there were many other topics to discuss.

"When did Mordai come by?"

"Charming fellow, silver hair. About two months ago." Zino's frown deepened. "I had Typhon check it for any magic, but he said there was nothing to worry about."

"Oh, he wouldn't do that to me," Katerin smiled as she pulled the folded parchment from the envelope, and flipped it open.

'Dearest lady Katerin,

I hope you can forgive me for not awaiting your return. I had some pressing business back home, that I needed to see too. But don't you worry that beautiful hair of yours. No ones in trouble. I wrote this to say my farewells, and to offer my wishes that you found whatever it might be that you went off searching for.

Also, I must give my thanks. Not only for the tournament invitation, embarrassing as my loss was, but also for the loan. I do promise to spend it well. And when you figure out my little ploy, do apologize to those poor saps, on my behalf.

Sometimes I wonder if you think me forgetful of all the times you helped me out of trouble, and so it is in the spirit of that, that I offer you this warning. Don't return to Hearth-Home.

I am sorry, but I can't have you, or that rube who shares your bed, interfering here, for awhile. It's in your best interest to simply stay away. As I think you might find yourself to be most unwelcome, in the presence of the guards.

Yours sincerely and with love,

Mordai.'

Katerin read the letter, and read it again. Her expression morphed, her eyes narrowed, and the lines of energy on her arms began to glow, though they were not nearly as bright as when she used magic.

"Katerin?" Fykes asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, your face only does that when you're angry," Brazen said, around a mouthful of food.

"Godsdammit," she said, as she pushed her plate away and rose from her chair. "I'll be right back." She took quick steps down the hall and around the corner. "Zino," she called, as she rapped quickly on his office door."

He opened the door, with a wide-eyed gaze. "Yes, my lady?"

You do not have to call me my lady, she thought. But instead she said, "Is anything missing from the vault?"

"Not that I am aware of, my lady."

"Please check?"

"Of course." Zino moved to his desk, unlocked the middle drawer, removed a false bottom from it, and pulled his key to the manors vault free. As Zino moved for the basement with quick steps, Katerin chewed her lip.

"Why would there be something missing?" Fykes asked, having followed her as she stormed off.

She sighed and held the letter out to him.

"I thought the two of you were friends," Fykes said as he handed the letter back. "I mean, I know he doesn't care for me, but..."

"We are friends," Katerin said, "We were friends?" She sighed. "I don't know."

"Why would he tell you not to go to the city?"

Katerin could only shrug. "I have no idea. I don't know why he would steal, either. He's plenty well off, and always done more than fine for himself."

A few more moments passed, and Katerin's thoughts spiraled, wondering why, and what for. Was the letter a threat? Or was it truly a warning?

Zino reappeared, shaking his head. "Nothing is missing from the vault. Not even a copper piece, my lady. Besides that, the wards would have triggered if anyone tried to enter that wasn't supposed to."

Katerin sighed. "Zino, you do not have to call me 'my lady'."

"But you are, my lady," he said, with a nod. "It is only polite."

"I never said you have to be polite. I'm not paying you extra for it, am I?"

He only offered her a shrug.

"Wait," she said. "Fykes, how well guarded is Sahn-Raidar's treasury?"

"Uh, I would assume very well."

Without a pause, she left the office, donned her boots and made a beeline for the keep. She wound up the stairs and knocked only once on Graiden's office door. It might have been distinctly more office like, but it was much more difficult to get to.

"Katerin?" Graiden asked, as he showed her in. "Is everything alright?"

"Are... are you missing anything? From the treasury, I mean." Her expression was pinched, and she could feel the beginnings of a headache setting in.

Graiden took his seat, and looked at her with a questioning expression for a long moment before he spoke. "As a matter of fact, yes. I've been trying to find out what happened. Why?"

"How much?" she asked, her words tense.

"A worth of about fifty thousand gold in gems, is missing."

"Oh," she said, letting out a cross between a groan and a whine. She closed her eyes and held out the letter to him.

Graiden snorted. "You think it's your friend? Why would he want to steal from Sahn-Raidar? He barely knows who we are."

"Graiden, you told me you were going to hire him, before we left."

"Well, I did have a secretary... for awhile. Surely, it wasn't your friend."

Katerin pressed her palm into her forehead, and her shoulders sagged. "You don't remember?"

"No, strangely. I can't recall them. When I try to remember the face, it's always blank."

"Can I have your hand?"

Graiden pushed a stack of papers to the side, and offered his hand to Katerin. As she took it, she chanted under her breath. One minute passed, then another, and still she chanted. She worked to find the spell Mordai had used, and absolve it from Graiden's mind. A tricky accomplishment, to be sure. But one she was familiar with. The magics he used were not hard to remove, but she would be damned if they were easy to find. Her spell invisibly wrapped over Graiden, and she kept her eyes closed and focused, until finally she saw that strand of magic. Her spell reached out, and snipped it as if it were a stray thread.

Graiden's eyes grew dull for a moment before he blinked, and a frown instantly came across his features. "The bastard stole from me." His eyes widened. "He snapped his fingers, and robbed me blind."

Katerin's shoulder's sagged. And she looked at Graiden with a mixed expression. "I'll... get it back. Or, convince him to... repay you... I.."

Graiden snorted. "I won't try to dissuade you to get the coin back, but it isn't on you. If you can just bring him here... I can handle a thief."

"I can't believe he would... okay... I can't believe he would actually do it, but I can easily believe he thought about it."

He held up hand. "While you were looking, did you find any other... similar spells?"

"No. Nothing." Katerin's hands knotted into her leggings. "I'll... see what I can do. I need to think, for a minute."

As she left Graiden's office, she turned a glance toward the manor, but made her way to the gate, instead. Walking along the road she took a moment to calm her thoughts, once she had still the shaking in her hands, she sat down alongside the road, far enough aside to be in thigh height grass. She pulled her coin pouch from her side, and grinned. All she needed for the spell was something of Mordai's, or something he had given her.

She still remembered vibrantly when he had pressed the pouch into her hand as she left, kissed her cheek and said, So you'll think of me when you amass great riches. Of course the pouch now only held a few coins and was more for looks, seeing as she kept her money safely tucked inside her magical bag, and her vault, when she was home.

She closed her eyes while holding the pouch, gestured with her pointer and her pinkie and muttered the phrases to the spell under her breath. She felt the spell complete like a soft buzzing in her ears.

Mordai, what the hell's did you do? Fifty thousand gold? Fifty thousand! What kind of trouble are you trying to get me in?

Oh, but I didn't drop you into anything. I am glad you found my note. I was worried that your little secretary might have... forgotten. There was mirth in Mordai's tone.

Only if you made him forget, Katerin hissed in response. What did you do? Why would you ever need to steal?

If you're going to steal something, you might as well go for something big.

If you needed it so badly... I would've helped you.

Helped me? Please. There was a snort. You were too busy running around with that bastard nipping at your heels.

Oh, don't you dare talk about him like that. He isn't a criminal.

Are you sure?

Mordai, he's not the topic. What is going on?

Hearth-Home is experiencing... a new era. It's going to be grand.

What do you mean? Katerin asked, worry tearing at her insides as though it had eight inch claws.

I won't answer this spell the next time you try it, Katerin. I was giving you an honest warning. Don't go into the city. I am sorry that my loan has upset you, and if it really matters so much to you, I promise to pay you back. Money will be no concern, in time.

Mordai! Her thoughts called after him as the spell faded, and her eyes snapped open. The marked lines upon her glowed brightly, and she couldn't tell if it was from her anger, or her recent use of magic.

As she walked back to the manor she gripped the letter tightly, with one hand, reading it silently, in a mocking tone. Yours sincerely, with love, my ass, she thought as she closed her door behind her.

Fykes was sitting at the table in the great hall, finally wearing a shirt. "I take it from the look on your face and the.... crumpled letter, that something is missing from the vault?"

"Oh, yes. Fifty thousand gold, Fykes. Fifty thousand!"

"Well, that's certainly something." Fykes blinked.

"And somethings wrong in Hearth-Home. I need to go."

He stood, and gently took her hand. "Katerin the letter you just ran around deforming, warned you adamantly against that. Now, I'm no expert on traps, but that smells like one, to me."

"Well, than what? I just sit here and wait for Mordai to repay what he stole? And what is something is wrong, in the city? My mother's house is there. So is Kindra... I can't just leave it alone."

"Give it a day or two. Do your research, like you always do."

Katerin snorted out a laugh. "Did you just tell me to do research?"

He pulled her close, and kissed her creased forehead. "I did. Besides, we just got back. Whatever is happening, can wait a day for you to reacquaint yourself."