It was fairly simple.  I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.  Hidere had accepted a large sum of money in exchange for letting foreigners slip into the harbor without going into the official records.  They were brought in as part of the normal merchanting traffic, even though they didn’t have a contract or a seal to expedite their place in the dock queue or bypass any of the usual regulations around foreign vessels.  Their belongings and cargo weren’t searched by customs, they weren’t inspected by any city officers prior to being released into the city.  This wasn’t terribly unusual.  He was hardly the first person to accept bribes like this and the crown expected some level of corruption from whoever controlled such an important resource.

The crown intervened when it reached unmanageable levels.  So of course Count Hidere found the foreigners’ actions very suspicious and did his own due diligence.  He had them followed by some of his people.  That was how he knew a god died.  His spies didn’t see how it was done.  They only saw the aftermath.  Unfortunately, the group returned directly to the harbor and were on their boat before the spies reported to Hidere.  Far too late for Hidere to do anything to stop their departure.

So they escaped.  And as they slipped from Manere’s grasp, she realized belatedly what they’d done, and in her rage she attempted to claw them back and everyone else paid the price of her rage instead.

“Well, you’re going to be under arrest,” I said casually.  “Might even get taken to the queen.”

No, he certainly would be brought before the queen, but Manere wouldn’t know that.  I was still playing a part, after all.

“Oh?” he said, suddenly regaining his confidence.  “No one trusts you, Manere.  You ruined that with your own hands.  It’s funny how little it takes for a god to lose their people’s confidence.  Especially for a god.  Nobles can at least repair our reputations with enough time and money.  You… they’re just waiting for a sign that their god has turned against them.”

He wasn’t wrong.  It was a sad truth that people regarded their gods with awe but more than just a little bit of fear.

“No, I think you’re going to keep what you found to yourself,” he continued smugly.  “You tell them you tore someone’s mind apart to find out what Count Hidere did and people will stop listening after the ‘tore someone’s mind apart’ bit.  If she’s willing to do it to them, they’ll say, what will stop her from doing it to anyone accused of the smallest crime?”

“I know all this,” I snapped crossly.  “That’s why I’m not actually Manere.”

I snapped.  Our signal.  Manere appeared at my side at the same time the illusion dropped.

“My word,” I continued, “is what will be judged here.  Tell me, how much weight do you think my voice will carry?”

All of it, the look on his face told me.  Enough to have him arrested for heresy, treason, and so many other things that would see him hanged like a commoner before the year was up.

I admit I was deeply pleased by the terror on his face.  That’s what he got for being the reason I had to come all the way out here.

His guards at the gate switched their allegiances as soon as I walked out with Manere dragging Count Hidere behind me.  They were quick to take him in custody and together we all escorted him to the city council.  We scrounged up enough members to make a decision to imprison Count Hidere and transfer control of the harbor to the council while this whole mess was sorted out.  By the time this was done, it was well past sundown, and by then Sir Carid had returned to the city.

I was relieved.  I was tired and hungry - as was he - and everyone involved wanted nothing more than to settle in for a late meal and retire for the night.

“I am concerned about the presence of a mage,” I mused to Sir Carid as we returned to my rented rooms.  “I don’t think that was part of Hidere’s contingent.”

“I don’t think it was either,” he agreed. “The ambush felt sloppy and a mage isn’t just something you can pull in on short notice.”

The kingdom didn’t allow mages into the country that easily.  We had no mages of our own, so we had no way to counter them except through the gods.  And the gods were easily offended by people who had their own power and who might dare to use it against their people.  A mage entering the country had to do so through formal channels and was closely monitored.  A mage entering in secrecy was certainly possible - and did happen - but they had to hide their magic until it was needed and then figure out how to get out before a god intercepted them.  That was something that most mages weren’t willing to do except for a lot of money or other rewards.

“Count Hidere got in over his head and it happened so fast he didn’t have time to plan,” I mused.  “He was trying to salvage a situation that couldn’t be fixed.  If he was willing to let go of the harbor, he might have saved himself by fleeing the city and vanishing into anonymity, but he wasn’t willing to do that.  Now look at him.”

I laughed.  If I’d known they were going to make me the Beloved, would I have done something similar?  Probably not.  I’d have done what Hidere was and rationalized that there was a way out up until the point they held me down on the altar.

“So where did the mage come from?”

Sir Carid was sticking to the problem at hand.  I didn’t answer.  I didn’t need to.  It was obvious to both of us where the mage came from.  Whoever was behind the god’s murder had left one behind to help hide the deed.

“I really wish Manere hadn’t killed her,” I grumbled.  “We could have known everything if we’d just gotten our hands on her.”

It would have made everything so easy.  Now we had to figure this out the hard way, which meant that my role in this was far from over.  I had one bright spot to look forward to, though.  With Hidere in custody, my work in Manere would be done, and I could return to the capital and perhaps enjoy some peace and quiet while the queen’s spies sniffed out our next lead.