Lein opened the first page of Aleron's notes. Several names and places were listed in order. Some had been crossed out, while others had comments written beside them.
The slaves who had come ashore waited a few steps from the table with their heads lowered. They spoke quietly and only when needed. Laras checked that they stayed in place before returning her attention to the notes.
"Are these the people you managed to meet?" Lein asked.
"Some of them," Aleron replied. "Others could only be reached through a middleman. Not all of them were willing to receive visitors."
Lein pointed to a name that had been crossed out. A large sum of energy crystals was written beside it.
"This one?"
"He wanted payment before discussing any help."
"And?"
"I looked for someone else."
Aleron sounded casual, but his fingers kept straightening the edge of the page. Tauriel watched without saying anything.
