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do!”
    “There is a place…” Aric said, looking through a window.
    “No. Don’t even think about it.”
    But he was thinking about it, and he even knew how he could get there.
     

    The Paladin shifted his weight as the Emperor read his report. Tarsus was sitting at a Dragon bone table. The Paladin calculated it had to be worth more money than he would ever see in his entire life.
    “Contraband is up. Again…” the Emperor murmured. “Have we ever had this many apprehensions as this winter?”
    By his side, with a hand on the back of the Emperor’s chair, Vigild said no with a shake of his head. “The Paladins are becoming ever better at their job, your majesty,” he said.
    Tarsus threw the report onto his table.
    “Don’t pretend to be naïve, Chancellor,” Tarsus said. “The more Runium we catch, the more gets to the streets. It’s almost as if trafficking has become normal.”
    “I already gave orders to double the patrols on the docks and customs offices,” Vigild assured.
    “And the contrabandists will find someplace else to bring the Runium through,” Tarsus replied.
    Vigild held his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t see that there’s much else we can do, your majesty. Not with the resources we have available.”
    “More resources? How many more times will I have to raise taxes, Vigild?”
    “Not every resource is money,” the Chancellor replied. “If the Paladins had more authority, if they could carry out their searches without the bureaucracy to delay them. Am I right, commander?”
    The Paladin shuddered. “Yes!” he blurted out. “Yes, of course.” He tried to pull himself together. “In most cases, when the magistrate’s authorization arrives, the smugglers have already had time to move the merchandise. Right before our noses.”
    “Probably tipped off by tribunal clerks on their pay roll,” Vigild added.
    Tarsus rose, walked to a window, and contemplated his capital. The Citadel was the highest point in Augusta. From there you could see all twenty bridges that crossed the Safya River, as well as the Docks’ district – the commercial heart of the Empire and the shadiest part of the Imperial city.
    “And the nobility will protest, once again….” Tarsus lost his gaze in the city. “When will I lose them for good, Vigild?”
    The question went without an answer and the Chancellor moved nervously.
    “No,” Tarsus said. “We are already preparing a controversial law. I will not risk another provocation.”
    “Maybe we can do more at the source of the problem,” the Chancellor said. “After all, there is no Runium without Dragon blood.”
    Tarsus didn’t move. Down there, in the docks, a ship untied itself, released a sail, and was pushed down the Safya. Towards Capra, the Emperor assumed.
    “The Paladins have a mandate to control the Dragon Hunters, Chancellor. If the problem resides there, then this mandate is not being well executed.” Tarsus spun to face Vigild.
    “That’s where all Dragon blood comes from, your majesty,” Vigild replied, “and I will be the first to admit the mistakes of my men. There are two possibilities. Either the Hunters aren’t delivering everything they hunt to my Paladins or the Paladins themselves have found… a new source of income.”
    Tarsus glared at the Paladin in his office. The man shifted his weight from one leg to the other while swallowing through a dry throat. “I shall begin an inquiry immediately, your majesty!” he said.
    “Do that, commander. It would be a horrible thing if you found yourself, not controlling the Hunters, but keeping them company in some Dragon cave in the desert.”
    The Paladin kept still, but color abandoned his skin. Vigild gave him permission to leave with a gesture.
    “One more thing, commander.” Tarsus was once again looking at his city. “From now on, it would be best if the apprehensions produced not just the Runium, but also the Mages buying it.”
     

    The day dragged itself