“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.”

“But — but last year we orchestrated a heist on a dragon hoard. We slayed a vampire. 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. Overall…”

“Overall,” Enzo 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.

“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…," Enzo 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, so 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.”

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

“It's alright, Enzo. 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 Enzo 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 blond 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.”

“There’s another problem,” Enzo said. “How do we get in? Like I said, the Library is no ordinary library; it’s a top-secret government research institution.”

Leo shrugged. “We’ll don disguises. Blend in and walk in. Our usual tactic.”

“Only a few hundred scholars, scribes, and mages work in the library. 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 Genoa 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 Invitation from the Duke.”

“Fat chance,” Leo said bitterly.

“Unless…” An idea occurred to Enzo. “I’ll be right back.”

He swept from the room and returned a few minutes later, 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 Enzo 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 Invitation. 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, Enzo.”

“We'll use aliases,” Enzo said with a thin smile. “I’m not Enzo; I'll be Niko.” Niko was one of the many aliases Enzo 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 Enzo. “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 the Vampire Lestrade, purloined the Parthian crown jewels, and intercepted a Vedic treasure ship. And now he was endeavoring to find legendary deathtrap.

What a joy to be alive.