Tifnar's gaze rose from the work arrayed on his desk and Sollvar became the focus of his attention. Not a pleasant sensation. He'd always been more of a distant supervisor, rarely showing interest in Sollvar's reports. To have them devoured with this level of attention was disturbing.
'What do you have?' asked Tifnar.
Sollvar placed copies of the glyphs before him. 'These were found where they watched from. Our people say the first is the sympathetic glyph used to activate it.'
Nodding, Tifnar studied it intently. 'Would that be our people in Akar or those here in Idstil?'
'Both. Although the ones here have only had them a few minutes. I wanted to let you know as soon as possible.'
'Good, good. I recognise some elements, even if I don't quite understand how it works.'
'That was the general feeling about it.'
'They'll have time to work it out. I'll ensure these are given priority.' Tifnar shifted his attention to the other one. 'This... shouldn't work.'
'That was also the consensus,' said Sollvar.
'Does it do anything?'
'Not that we know. It could merely be idle whittling, or a distraction.'
'It may. There's nothing distinctive about the lines, although something about the style...'
'Someone said the style reminded them of old stuff from Wotyn's time.'
Tifnar frowned. 'I suppose it could. Few of them actually work. What about the originals?'
'Being watched.'
'You didn't disturb them?'
'Not without knowing they're safe,' said Sollvar. 'The first one could be, since it's burned, but I didn't want to destroy it without checking with you.'
'We have a copy,' said Tifnar. 'The sooner it's destroyed, the less chance of the Society getting hold of it, assuming they haven't already. As for the other...'
'I didn't want to risk doing anything until we know what it does.'
'That would be safest. Did you find anything else?'
'Nothing useful,' said Sollvar. 'We believe we've established the timeline of the incident, but it doesn't offer clues as to the perpetrator.'
'Very well,' said Tifnar. 'What of the investigation in general?'
Sollvar managed to suppress his unease at the lack of progress, sharing the only lead they'd found. 'I've had people working back through the accounts searching for anomalies, although we're still only a few months back so far...'
'The accounts?' said Tifnar, his tone sharp. 'How exactly do you expect to find a spy through the accounts? And a little side business, while not strictly allowed, is hardly uncommon. You're in danger of clouding the issue.'
'Possibly,' said Sollvar, taken aback at the vehemence of Tifnar's irritation. 'Although most side business would be done outside the Alliance accounts proper. If glyph secrets are being stolen it seems an efficient way to get them out, considering the security measures regarding which written glyphs may be taken. It’d be easier to sneak them out by selling them at a reduced rate. That way they get a working copy, which I understand is more useful than a written one.'
'Yes,' Tifnar said, nodding thoughtfully. 'It's marginal. And to be honest it feels as though you're grasping at straws.'
'I haven't done this sort of thing before.'
Tifnar regarded him with a hard gaze, maybe considering his mistake in assigning the job to a negotiator. If so, Sollvar agreed completely. 'It seems a digression, and a waste of time,' said Tifnar.
'The time wasted is that of the accountant I assigned to it, and given the urgency I considered it worth the expenditure. Since he found something it could prove useful.'
'What did he find?' asked Tifnar.
'It seems one group of mercenaries are being sold arms outside their price range, at a significant reduction.'
Tifnar was silent a moment. 'They were undercharged?'
'Yes, sir. There was also a lack of the usual checks made on such sales.'
'Who was responsible for the sale?'
'We don't know. The listed name is wrong, and we've been unable to determine who would have been in a position to set it up. No way to narrow it to a workable list of suspects.'
'I see.' Tifnar didn't appear too pleased with the report. 'The glyphs in question aren't martial ones, so frankly this appears unconnected. Something warranting investigation, certainly. Good work finding it. But as it's unlikely to be related, I'm not sure I want your time wasted with it. I’ll assign someone else to investigate.'
'Sir, with respect, this appears to be the only lead until we get reports back on the glyphs. If not this then I'm at a loss for what to do.'
Tifnar's gaze pinned Sollvar in place. The eyes held him there a while before Tifnar responded. 'Very well. Look into it – carefully – but don't let yourself get drawn too far from the main investigation.'