I found Dahlia at the Hall. “Where is Merrick, that coniving… wait… what?” She stopped in surprise.  “My lady,” I continued, ” Merrick has turned himself in to Captain Carian.  He told me Tolivar is the one behind the troubles.” Dahlia thought about the news, ” Tolivar. Did he say why? I told Dahlia of the meeting I had seen. “Tolivar said that he had been betrayed by the very people he had protected as Spymaster.” Dahlia looked at me, nodding her head. “That was something I could never figure out… Merrick said the old Spymaster died, but he never said who replaced him. I couldn’t find out who it was before Merrick. There was a gap in the scrolls, that listed the Spymaster’s names, after they died of course. There are reports of some pretty brutal things done, during those years. All in the name of “Britannia” of course. But, people who should have been jailed for crimes, ended up dead. There was a good period of peace, but lots of bodies. People had other things on their mind then, though. Invasions, terrible rulers. So that’s who Blackthron had Corian setting up to go after. I had a spy listening at the last Town Council Meeting. I suppose I don’t give Blackthorn enough credit, as heso recently returned. Anyhow. Merrick, he should have come to me. I could figured something out. Instead he turns himself in, to the Royal Guard. This is a headache, and we can’t just let him rot in a prison if… Dahlia stopped talking worried that she was bordering on treason.  Looking at me, she asked “Promise me, you won’t let him rot if it comes to it? Perhaps Captain Corian and the King will hear what he has to say.” Shaking her head,  “Tolivar, a Spymaster… he looked like a doddering old fool. But Merrick always said, Tolivar more clever  than he appeared to be.  He warned me to keep my distance. I get it now. If they get a hold of him now, he’ll definitely be executed. He won’t even given a trial like Vos. He attacked two Britannian cities in the same day. Did Merrick say what he was really after. I shook my head. “No, but he did say that someday he will explained how this started.”

Looking at me sadly, Dahlia said, ” Enough, I need to think and we have to formulate a plan, to protect Buc’s Den. If the Captain of the Blood Flagon isn’t behind the recent attacks. We need to know what he knows. Whitebeard clearly knows he’s after the same Ancient Treasure. I’ll assume from now, that the parlay is real, Which means we need to keep him alive to know what he does.” I replied that it could be a problem as the pirates had gone in to hiding. Dahlia sighed, ” Pirates, Sherry mentioned a pirate in the Vaults. There was one Finneas mentioned being in Trinsic trying to sell jewels. So we have to assume, one of the Blood Flagon’s main pirate crew, is likely helping Tolivar. Which would explain the Blood Flagon ship attacking Jhelom. What a mess…Ahem.” She turned to leave us. “You all rest up, and take care. We’ve got pirates to deal with in a week.”