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the back and I’ll explain.”
    Kyra was really curious now. Rarely did Hoggard feel the need to leave the bar to discuss a job. Normally, if he was comfortable with the crowd, he simply talked in low tones. There must be something special about this job for him to be so secretive , thought Kyra.
    Hoggard sat at his desk and waved at the open chair across from him.
    Kyra sat down and waited for an explanation.
    Hoggard said nothing.
    “Are you going to tell me or are we just going to sit here and meditate?” asked Kyra.
    “Shush, child, I’m deciding whether or not to tell you.” Hoggard paused, “Damn it! I never should’ve mentioned it. I know you’ll just pester me until I tell you.”
    Kyra gave a sly grin. It was true. She could be very persistent, or annoying, depending on who’s point of view one was getting.
    “Here is the job. A client has an enemy who has been sabotaging his business interests and killing his allies. He has had no luck finding out who is behind the attacks with the normal methods. It is likely that some on the city guard are on the payroll of whoever is behind these attacks. He needs to find out who it is.”
    Kyra frowned, her brow furrowed as she pondered the problem. “This doesn’t sound like a job for a thief or a forgery artist. Nor does it sound incredibly dangerous. I mean sure it is dangerous, killers and all that, but I’ve dealt with dangerous men before. What makes this job any more dangerous than those ones? What aren’t you telling me?”
    “It’s more dangerous because of what I haven’t told you. The client is Prince Valentine Astor.”
    Suddenly, she understood. Prince Valentine, son of Tristan Astor, ruler of Draisha, was the future king of Draisha. If he had an enemy powerful enough to take on the prince, whoever was sent to find out the secret would be dealing with a highly motivated killer who would not want someone snooping around. It also explained why it was strange that the normal methods hadn’t worked. Prince Astor had access to the city guards, the royal palace guards, and unlimited funds to hire investigators, mercenaries or sellswords to find the information he was seeking. That Prince Astor would come to Hoggard with the job meant everyone else had failed. “How many people has the prince hired so far?”
    “Three that I know of,” admitted Hoggard. “He has put enormous pressure on the city guards as well, but they seem incapable of making any progress.”
    The city guard was corrupt. Everyone in Draisha knew that. However, if the prince couldn’t get info out of them, then no one could. His pockets were deep in coin and influence. Everything a corrupt city official desired. “How many of the men he hired are still alive?”
    Hoggard scratched his chin nervously. “One. Well… possibly one. Two were found in alleys with their throats cut, the third is missing. All were ex-soldiers, very capable warriors with experience in such matters.”
    “If the sellswords who specialize in such work are getting killed, why did the prince come to you? You aren’t the one people come to for thugs or mercenaries. You are the one they come to to obtain things.”
    “I said the same thing to the prince. He said he wanted someone with a different approach to tackle his problem. He wants someone who thinks outside the box, someone with unorthodox methods who can hopefully find out the information he needs without dying first. I told the prince, I only know one person smart enough and crazy enough to take the job.”
    “And what did Lanister say when you offered him the job?” asked Kyra jokingly.
    “Ha! Lanister is certainly crazy enough to do it. Just show him enough coin, and he’d do just about anything. No, Kyra, you are the only one smart enough to actually figure this little mystery out. But how to do it without getting your throat cut is what concerns me.”
    “Trust me, Hoggie, I’m too fond of my neck to let it be slit. But I will take the job,