Casimir Thrane arrived at Vossmere Manor two days after the stone in Case Fourteen had refused to cool.
Liora recognized the merchant's carriage before the gatekeeper announced him.
It was an unremarkable thing, dark wood, polished brass, sturdy wheels, but somehow it always arrived looking as though it had traveled twice the distance of everyone else's without collecting a speck of dust.
Thrane stepped down carrying a rectangular box wrapped carefully in faded oilcloth.
The moment his boots touched the stone courtyard, Liora knew he had brought another acquisition.
And judging from the expression on his face...
He believed this one was special.
"Miss Vant."
His smile appeared as warmly as ever.
Casimir Thrane was one of those people everyone seemed to like.
He was polite without being overly familiar.
Well-dressed without appearing wealthy.
Talkative enough to put strangers at ease, yet somehow impossible to remember in perfect detail after he'd left.
