The morning light had barely turned gold when Lucia reached the intersection of Castor's office. Two horses waited out front, tails swishing in the misty air. She absentmindedly pet one of them as she passed, unable to resist herself. It was too early to ignore them.

Inside, the air smelled of ink and old smoke. She didn't care for the smell, but put up with it if it meant becoming rich. She was uncertain if the captain could be trusted to pay when she uncovered the secrets. There would need to be a clear agreement before she divulged any helpful information.

Castor greeted her from behind his desk, "Not as early as I expected, but we can work with it if we plod along."

Lucia wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself, so she pulled up a chair and sat with her elbows on his desk. "It's early enough. What are we doing here?"

Castor opened a drawer and set down a bundle of ropes in front of her. "First, you are looking at ropes and telling me what you notice about them. These were the ones used to tie my sergeant up."

Lucia reached out her hand and touched the frayed ends, fresh cuts, and then the knotted bundles. She used her ability, but saw nothing useful. She frowned and kept trying. After redirecting her focus back to the knots, she had a breakthrough, and a smile blossomed on her lips.

"Nice try," she said, picking up the ropes and tossing them into Castor's lap. "You tied these yourself. Just wanted to see if I started making stuff up, huh?"

Castor lifted the ropes out of his lap and dropped them to the floor. "Something like that. How about these?"

He produced another bundle of ropes and set them in front of her. Lucia folded her arms and frowned. "I'm not touching them unless you swear to me that they are the real ones."

Castor glared at her as he swept the knotted ropes off the desk and replaced them with a third bundle. He scooted them closer to her and gave her the 'just get on with it' motion.

It didn't take long before Lucia was standing in a dimly lit room. Two men carried Key and set him down, as a third tied his hands behind a post. Lucia got a good look at every single one of their faces, but there was something wrong. They weren't wearing masks, and Key wasn't wearing a blindfold. Why had Key lied about his own abduction? Was he part of it somehow?

One of the men warned him not to try to escape, but reassured him, saying, "Just hang tight, someone will be here soon."

Another man laughed and said, "Silent until the bitter end. You're alright with me."

Key nodded once, and the men left. Why did it look like they were all being amicable with each other? There wasn't an ounce of ill nature in the whole arrangement. Lucia released the rope and sat back in her chair, pondering over what she had seen.

"I have a fourth set of ropes if you are still unsatisfied…" Castor bluffed, eyeing Lucia cautiously.

"I believe I am satisfied, but so very confused," Lucia pointed an accusing finger at the rope. "Key lied about the men wearing masks. No one wore a mask or a blindfold. Key could see all three of them in plain sight. I think he was in on it."

Castor looked down at the rope and then back at her with a raised eyebrow. "No masks, huh? And there were three of them?"

Lucia nodded.

"Can you describe them?"

She nodded again.

"Let's go pay Sergeant Key a visit then, shall we? Coincidentally, I have an extra horse for you to borrow. Imagine that."

The morning mist had all but disappeared as Castor and Lucia clip-clopped through the empty streets. They stopped in front of a massive square building that seemed to be making its own mist. Wisps of steam came out of several round openings at the top of the building. The ominous nature of the building was enough to make Lucia grip the wizard's coin in her pocket. It bolstered her confidence, as she knew she had the power to drive any problem away.

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"Shall we?" Castor asked, opening the door and walking in as if it were his vacation home.

Despite its gloomy look on the outside, the inside was warm. It would have been inviting if it hadn't been filled with inhospitable looks from a handful of uniformed men. A long table seated some of the grumpiest-looking faces Lucia had ever seen, and she had eaten breakfast with assassins. The nasty looks were all mostly directed toward Castor, which she could understand.

"Just because you're a sir, doesn't mean you can barge in here without knocking," one of the men grumbled from over his plate. Another one complained that their 'unwelcome guest' was wearing out his welcome by always bringing other 'unwelcome guests.' The words didn't make much sense, but the sentiment was clear. Whoever this military lot was, they didn't like being interrupted during breakfast.

Three women serving food in the kitchen reacted differently to the two. One of them, who had a smile like warm sunshine, ordered them to sit down while she prepared a breakfast plate for each of them. Castor took up her offer and squeezed in between two of the unhappiest men at the table. Lucia chose a spot secluded from the rest, and soon a plate with eggs and potatoes was set in front of her.

When Castor explained they were waiting on Key, no one attempted further conversation. Two bell chimes sounded, and more people began funneling in, filling the empty spots at the table. Lucia was just investigating a fermented pepper sauce in the middle of the table when two men sat across from her. She recognized them instantly. They were two of the three who had tied Key to a post.

"Who's this?" One of them asked, pointing at Lucia with his fork.

Castor lazily brought his attention around to him. "She claims to have witnessed Key's abduction firsthand. We are waiting for him now."

"Key doesn't usually get up until the third bell," the man replied and whistled. "Saw it firsthand, did she? Too bad they were all wearing masks. I would really like to give them a piece of my mind."

"Actually, no, they weren't," Lucia said so softly that it was astounding when her words reached the very end of the table. There were eight others, all looking directly at her.

"Are you calling Key a liar?" The man across from her accused.

Lucia gripped the coin in her pocket, locked eyes with the man, and replied, "No, but since you were one of the three who tied him to the post, I'm calling you a liar."

Silence enveloped the room. Dangerous looks surrounded her in every direction. Castor dipped a potato in the fermented sauce and slowly lifted it to his mouth. He gave it a preliminary taste before committing to a full bite. He gave an 'it's alright' face.

The man across from her laughed. It started out as a small chuckle and grew as the others joined in. Lucia smiled along, but kept the coin at the ready in a white knuckled grip.

"Who did you see exactly?" The man asked jovially, but no less threateningly.

"You, you, and one other," Lucia pointed to the two men across from her.

"What did the other one look like?"

"Like he had been beaten over the face with a shovel."

"She's right," the man shrugged, replacing the tension at the table with that of a different sort. "Dalgren was there too."

Castor stood up, brushed the crumbs from his uniform, and beckoned for Lucia to follow him. He thanked the women for the meal and made it to the door. Lucia stopped him and asked about waiting for Key. He shook his head as if it was of no consequence and left. Lucia followed him back, and when they reached the office, the negotiations started.

"You solved the case," Castor stated, anti-climactically. "Sergeant Key was abducted by the other sergeants for a hazing ceremony. The prince witnessed it and misunderstood the whole thing. You now know two major secrets: the prince's identity and Key's disappearance. I can't give you a thousand gold, but I am in a very unique position to make you a once-in-a-lifetime offer."

"Oh yeah? Once in a lifetime?" Lucia scoffed, but she was curious. "How?"

Castor held up his hand and tapped the gaudy ring he was wearing. "Do you see this? This is the king's seal. I will have it for as long as I have the prince. It's to allow me to nullify official orders, but I can also ratify them. With this, I can offer you any rank I want, and if you are willing to work for me, I can forge you a commission with the king's seal. I suppose that's corruption for you."

"How much?" She asked, unimpressed. After all, any amount less than a thousand would be unimpressive.

"If I give you the rank of lieutenant, you will get two Royals per week."

"Five," she countered.

"It's not a value, it's a rank, and if I make you a general, you'll stand out too much," Castor explained, before placing his hands together and bringing the tips of his fingers to his lips. "I'll commission you as a Lieutenant, refer to you as a private investigator, and pay you one gold for every crime that you solve, starting with the one you've solved already." He pulled out a gold coin and held it out of reach. "You won't have to wear a uniform, but you won't get the credit. All of it goes to Key's office."

Lucia thought about it for a long time and then held out her hand. "I accept, but I solved two already, not one."

Castor sighed and dug through his desk. He placed two Royals into her outstretched palm. "It makes me wonder if someone else hasn't done this before. Write up a commission and then collect the gold. I'll have to investigate that, after I drop you off at your new office, that is."

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