“What!?” Leo stood up out of his chair.

“Insolvent,” Tomasso replied. “As in b-bankrupt.”

“I know what the word means. What I want to know is HOW? I thought we were making money hand over fist?”

Tomasso slumped in his chair, some of his anxiety yielding to sheer defeat.

“We were,” he said. "We are. Our revenues are steady, but our operational costs… training, equipment, entertainment… our losses have mounted. Espionage & Intelligence, in particular, has seen soaring costs.”

“But — but last year we orchestrated a heist on a dragon hoard. We intercepted a Vedic treasure ship. We made a mint.”

“You did. The p-pair of you are my most profitable adventurers.”

“Three of us. Don't forget Gianna… girl’s worth her weight in gold.”

“Right, the three of you. We have been profitable in some areas, less so in others. And overall…”

“Overall,” Nico said in a flat tone, “the guild's coffers have run dry.”

“Even worse. The coffers are dry, and we are in debt, and we cannot even service the interest on the principal.”

“What about our assets?” asked Leo. “The dojo, our ship, the deed to the guildhouse?”

“Surrendered as collateral, many moons ago. The bank owns it now, all of it.”

“How — I don't — do you…” Leo fumbled for words, speechless. “How does this even happen?”

“It's complicated. Running a guild, especially one like Pathfinders, is no small thing. There’s m-much you don’t understand about the business side of the guild.”

“You seem quite ignorant yourself.”

Tomasso searched for words but found none. The tension in the room was palpable, and for a moment no one spoke. Then Leo hung his head in shame. For all his faults, Tomasso had always been a kind, caring, and generous guildmaster. He’d been like a father to Nico and Leo, not to mention the other adventurers in the guild.

“I shouldn't have said that — I apologize.”

“It's okay. You're right — I've failed. Both you and the guild. All of us.”

“So…," Nico said, "what happens next?”

“We persevere. We keep our head above water, and pray that our creditor doesn't come calling.”

“And who, exactly, is our creditor?”

“Vespers Bank.”

“Duke Ferdinand II’s bank. Meaning if we default on the debt…”

“If I default on the debt, then I’ll f-face the Duke’s w-wrath. The debt is entirely in my name.”

“You’ll be guillotined,” said Leo, dumbstruck.

It was a statement, not a question. The Duke was not a man to be crossed. He was a volatile madman with a penchant for wanton violence, and was generally considered a tyrant. He’d executed greater men for lesser crimes. It was hard to imagine he would overlook a substantial debt being defaulted.

“He sent a letter earlier today. A summons — presumably to discuss the debt. At least, I believe it’s a summons. I haven’t yet had the nerve to open it up.”

“So we flee,” Leo said. “We help you abscond across the Jewel Sea, somewhere the Duke cannot find you.”

Tomasso shook his head sadly. “The Paladisian Empire is vast and the Duke’s reach is long. Ferdinand is nothing if not vindictive and persistent. No one can hide from him.”

“We’ll settle you somewhere distant and remote. Veda or… I don’t know… Parthia. Someplace tropical and idyllic.”

“And what then? Do you think the Duke will happily write off his losses? No. He would try to collect payment from the guild itself, from its members. Your own lives would be in jeopardy. Fleeing is not an option. The entire guild, every member and his family, would need to uproot their lives and flee across an ocean without arousing the suspicion of the Duke or the Black Cabal. No, it will not work. At least this way, if I stay in Verona and face the consequences, I might be able to shield the guild. You see the Duke is not actually inconvenienced by the losses I have accrued. My losses against his wealth is a mere drop in the bucket. But he will not abide me or anyone else fleeing his wrath. I will be made an example of.”

“I'll take the job,” Nico said in a level tone.

“It's alright, Nico. You don't have to,” Tomasso said. “You’ve made your decision.”

“And now I’ve unmade it. I’ll take the job. How much is Cosimo offering? Is it enough to pay off our debts?”

“Most of it. Not quite all of it. A few of our minor accounts would still be in arrears, and Vespers would hold the deed to the guildhouse, but we’d be otherwise on firm footing.” He paused, somewhat dramatically, before continuing. “He’s offering five golden talents.”

Leo and Nico exchanged incredulous looks

“Do mine ears deceive me?” Leo said. “Five talents!?” It was a staggering amount, enough to buy a small island.

“And that’s just if we find this, this… Index in the Library. If we help him solve Ilhen’s Seventh, he’s offering another ten. That's fifteen in all; our debt would be settled. Even our collateral would be remitted back to us.”

Leo ran a hand through his thick golden hair. “Fifteen talents? That’s… he must be as rich as the Duke! It’s almost too good to be true. It is too good to be true. Are we certain we’re not being bamboozled?”

“I don’t think so. The money is in escrow at Vespers Bank. Tomorrow I’ll make inquiries, do some diligence, ensure the funds are intact and genuine. Make certain everything is aboveboard. When the mission is complete, Cosimo must make an attestation, and then the money is ours.”

“There’s only one problem,” said Leo. “What if Cosimo dies on the quest? We’re venturing into a deathtrap. If he perishes, how do we claim our reward? Is there a contingency?”

“Then you would both need to submit to Immotalus, a truth serum. Bank officials would question you. An unpleasant experience, assuredly, but a worthwhile one, for fifteen gold talents. The main challenge, I daresay, will be infiltrating the Library.”

“I thought — err, you told Cosimo that you could obtain a Letter of Imprimatur from the Duke.”

“A bluff, Leo. A little… ah, self-aggrandizement… to emphasize prestige. Prestige is the currency of our guild.”

“And here I thought currency was the currency of our guild,” Leo muttered. He shrugged, and in a louder voice said, “It’s no matter. We’ll don disguises. Blend in and walk in. Our usual tactic.”

“Only a few hundred scholars, scribes, and mages work in the library,” Nico said. “They’re each known and recognizable to one another. A disguise would need to be unimpeachable. It would take weeks of preparation.”

“We don’t have weeks. If I have the measure of Cosimo, he won’t wait that long; he has far more money than patience. He’d sooner bribe every guard in the Myriad Isles to look other way. There’s no other way to gain entry to the Library? We need to impersonate an existing worker?”

“Well, one other way is that we could obtain a Letter of Imprimatur from the Duke.”

“Fat chance,” Leo said bitterly.

“Unless…” An idea occurred to Nico. “I’ll be right back.” He swept out of the room.

While they waited on Nico’s return, Leo asked, “Was Lucius able to scrounge up any intelligence about Ilhen’s Seventh?”

“Ilhen’s Seventh — no. That seems to be a well-kept secret, and not one we have pursued with deliberate purpose. He was, however, able to find some details on the Azkaya Library which may come in handy.” Tomasso set a reaf of papers down on his desk, smiling. “A bit of light reading to accompany you on your journey.”

Just then Nico returned, carefully holding a pair of alchemical vials.

“Show me the writ — the summons from the Duke.”

He examined it closely, nodding to himself. Leo took one of the vials which Nico had set on the desk. The liquid within was waxy and translucent and had a blueish hue. “What is it?”

“Citrine sap. Careful. It's explosive when agitated.” Leo set the vial back down and took a cautious step backward.

“The other one is a refined solution of muriatic acid. The first can freeze a wax seal; the second will dissolve the adhesive bonds, so that it can be cut away. It's experimental — something I obtained from the apothecary."

“That's… that's some fucking black magic.” Leo grinned.

“Not magic. Chemistry… and rather esoteric chemistry at that. Once the seal is removed, I can use an epoxy or adhesive resin to apply it to another letter—”

“—A Letter of Imprimatur. A forgery.”

“An immaculate forgery, with the Duke's own seal and signature, as if penned by his own hand. I’ll use the original as a guide. No one could ever deny it's authenticity.”

“Forging a letter from the Duke… you've got moxie, Nico.”

“We'll use aliases,” Nico said with a thin smile. “I’m not Nico; I'll be Émeric.” Émeric was one of the many aliases Nico deployed for his work with Pathfinders.

“Brilliant!” Leo said. “Of course, if we're caught, they'll put us to the guillotine.”

“If we don't try, the same fate awaits Tomasso.”

Tomasso’s smile faltered somewhat. “Wait — what about the other members of Cosimo’s party? The contract makes references to supplemental party members. Will you furnish disguises for them too?”

“I’d rather not. But if it’s in the contract, I suppose I have no choice in the matter.”

“Maybe you do…” Tomasso ran his finger along the parchment, searching for a particular clause. “Ah! Yes, the contract is quite vague on that point. It obligates you merely to find the Index in the library, but it does not say you must lead Cosimo or his other adventurers to it. Of course, if the Index leads to Ilhen’s Seventh… well, to collect the second prize, Cosimo must be present. The contract stipulates that he and his party intend to enter it.”

“That’s a pretty big if,” said Nico. “I’m willing to bet long odds the Index leads to nothing valuable, let alone Ilhen’s Seventh. We’ll make our initial foray into the Library alone. Alone, and unencumbered.”

Leo nodded, barely able to contain his glee. In the past year he'd crossed steel with an undead viscount, purloined the Parthian crown jewels, and intercepted a Vedic treasure ship. And now he was on a quest to find legendary deathtrap.

What a joy to be alive.