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od did. He walked in with two bodyguards of his own. He wore nice clothing-which meant bright clothing, in T'Telir-but his beard was long and greasy, and he appeared to be missing several teeth. He pointed, and his bodyguards pulled a second table over next to Vivenna's, then arranged three chairs at it. The man took a seat, careful to keep his distance from Denth and Tonk Fah.
"A little paranoid, aren't we?" Denth said.
The man raised his hands. "Cautiousness never hurt a man."
"More food for us, then," Tonk Fah said as the plate arrived. It was covered with bits of... something that had been battered and fried. The monkey immediately scrambled down Tonk Fah's arm and snatched a few pieces.
"So," the man said, "you're the infamous Denth."
"I am. I assume you're Garble?"
The man nodded.
One of the city's less reputable thieving lords, Vivenna thought. A strong ally of Vahr's rebellion. They had been waiting weeks to set up this meeting.
"Good," Denth said. "We have some interest in making certain supply carts disappear on the way to the city." He said it so openly. Vivenna glanced about, making certain no other tables were close.
"Garble owns this restaurant, princess," Tonk Fah whispered. "Every second man in this room is probably a bodyguard."
Great, she thought, annoyed they hadn't told her that before they entered. She glanced around again, feeling far more jumpy this time.
"Is that so?" Garble asked, bringing Vivenna's attention back to the conversation. "You want to make things disappear? Caravans of food?"
"It's a difficult job we ask," Denth said grimly. "These aren't long distance caravans. Most of them will simply be coming into the city from the outlying farms." He nodded to Vivenna, and she pulled out a small pouch of coins. She handed them to him, and he tossed them to a nearby table.
One of the bodyguards investigated.
"For your trouble of coming today," Denth said.
Vivenna watched the m