Dennet Mordain was, by his own standards, an excellent enchanter. He expected a lot from himself, and generally accomplished what he set out to do. He made an adequate amount of money selling his goods, but much more selling services. Enchanted items are all well and good when you are presented a list of things which you can purchase, but it means so much more to be allowed to ask for exactly what you want, and to be told that you can have it, for a certain cost. Enchantments that are not on an item, but instead are part of a place or building, are even more customized, and even more thrilling to receive.

That was the romance of enchantment, but honestly, Dennet didn’t care all that much about it. He considered himself a better accountant than he was a businessman, and a better businessman than he was an enchanter. And again, he was an excellent enchanter.

The business of enchantment services meant having good relationships with a lot of people. It meant coming and going without anyone knowing exactly who your clients were, so that nobody could press you for information on specific items owned by anyone else. And the accountancy of enchanting services included charging people a very reasonable rate for that secrecy, on an ongoing basis, and making quite certain that you got paid on time, every time.

If there was one exception to be made, it was that the king of Seyona, the world’s foremost nation when it came to enchanting knowledge and industry, got to know the secrets of everyone in his nation--but only if he knew exactly what question to ask. Dennet considered this to be a form of tax; the King was allowed whatever knowledge he had, but only if and about what he asked. And as a person who prided himself on accounting, paying this tax seemed a perfectly natural part of the business of enchantment.

Being called in by the king, then, was partly a responsibility, partly an exciting business opportunity, and partly a wonderful source of gossip. If the king needed an answer about something, then goodness but someone was in trouble!

Walking in the king’s garden was a treat in itself. Dennet was not a big fan of topiaries, and he wasn’t an enormous fan of flowers. He was, however, a fan of birdsong, and the garden attracted a great number of songbirds. Some came for the flowers, or the insects that the flowers attracted. Some were attracted by seeds and syrups put forth by the gardeners. Some enjoyed the baths and the mirror-smooth fish pond. And some were attracted or even trapped with enchantments, bindings, or more mundane physical cages. Dennet had helped with one or two of them, but none were so complicated that they needed his touch. One, in fact, he had done for free, simply content to be able to hear the bird singing when he came by.

Although it made him a few moments late--not more than that--Dennet took a detour by the pond, listening more than looking at the birds or the scenery. A bed of flowers in many colors stretched around most of it, with a few brick-lined paths allowing access to the pond itself. Dennet chafed for a moment at the sight of a groundskeeper on the other side, but after looking for another moment, he recognized one of king’s aides, there to keep others out while only pretending to tend to the flowers. So, taking a moment to let the frustration pass, Dennet paced back towards the meeting point.

He was unsurprised to find that the king was not yet there. It wasn’t impossible that he would miss the meeting, for one reason or another, but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon even if that was all that came out of it.

So he sat on a small bronze-topped bench and waited. The sun was warm but not hot, with a few large clouds giving brief intervals of cooler weather. The birds enjoyed it, from the sound of it. So Dennet just closed his eyes and let time pass. This was a safer place than he’d be able to enjoy again for… who knew exactly how long.

After drifting away and jolting back upright about... two or three times, he was surprised to find that the king’s daughter had appeared next to him while he dozed, sitting silently. He glanced around quickly, but the two of them were alone.

“Ah… Princess Margarit. It’s you, today?”

“Father was… not entirely interested in the specifics. But we do need to know.” Margarit ran one hand through her hair nervously. Dennet didn’t know how she behaved around others, but the few times he’d encountered her, she was always nervous. “It’s about the Egrethore mansion.”

That made Dennet’s good mood sour. “Oh, them.” He paused, then offered a somewhat calculated grin. “Please tell me they’re in trouble. Amon is a nightmare, and the dealings I’ve had with his son were entirely unnerving.”

“They seem to have assassinated members of the Yunian Order.” Margarit sat quite still for a moment, not looking at Dennet. After a moment when he didn’t reply, she added, “We’ll need to get a spy into their organization as soon as possible.”

“A spy…” Dennet’s mouth twisted into a dark frown, and then back into a smile. “Well, here’s one unpleasant little secret. Not normally fit for a lady’s ears, but under the circumstances, I think we must. Roan Egrethore, the heir apparent, was targeted by an assassin some time ago. Nasty woman at heart, but she looked very sweet, almost certainly the type who are trained to go after a man’s, ah, weakness. She got to be alone with him, in his bedroom, and it should have ended there. But Roan doesn’t trust anyone and he got her trapped. So he asked for… ah, conditioning spells. Wanted to make her into a... personal servant instead.”

“Personal servant…” Margarit made an ugly face. “I suppose he’s as abusive to his servants as his father?”

“Oh, his servants seem to like him well enough. But she became his toy, lady, and he does not treat those at all well. I’ve already had to fix her more than once, when he got too… enthusiastic.”

“Ah.” Margarit weighed the words, and her facial expressions showed that she understood and then chose not to dwell on it. “Well… I suppose you mean, then, that this assassin has no loyalties to him, and part of her conditioning is built on your own custom spells. Spells you might be able to... tweak.”

“Exactly. I might be able to prepare something that anyone could use… but it would be easier to do it in person. If I can get in there, what with the trouble that is, apparently, about to befall them.”

“Do both.” Margarit stood up quietly. “We have word the Order has already sent another investigator. Prepare something that should work. We will send someone, but do follow up in person. We will pull you out if we must, so do try not to get killed before then.”

“Of course, Lady Margarit. Princess.” Dennet stood clumsily, but before he could bow, the Princess had vanished as quietly as she had appeared.

Dennet strode out of the garden quite happily. The princess had not even tried to ask what this would cost. That meant no matter what he charged, he would get paid.

That made him happy as an enchanter and as a businessman, but especially as an accountant.