The Arcanist by Greg Curtis Page A

Therion had actually been made in the thirteen other realms the House traded in, and the tax paid there. It was an obvious lie. So obvious that sometimes Edouard had wondered if he'd done it deliberately, intending to get caught. If he'd done it specifically to embarrass the house. But still his father had paid the coin back and in keeping with the traditions of honour, another half again. That had been a lean financial year and of course there had been more formal apologies.
     
    After that King Byron like the rest of the city had realised that Simon was far too greedy to ever be trusted with a position of responsibility and any hope he might ever have had of obtaining a high position had been lost. He would never be the next Left Hand nor attain any other high position within the realm. Not that Simon cared. There was no gold in the titles.
     
    Their father though had still had faith in him. He had hoped that this branch of the tree would straighten in time. But was that just foolish hope? Edouard thought so. Because when Simon had stolen his mother’s own divorce settlement leaving her destitute, even that hope had to have been crushed. Now Th'yssen lived as a ward of the family, divorced from their father like the rest of his wives, but unlike them forced to live on his charity. The rest of the ex-wives stayed in the manor to look after their children. But they could have lived elsewhere had they wished. Th'yssen no longer had that choice.
     
    Simon's crimes against the family had of course been hushed up. They had to be; it was a matter of keeping the family name and that of the house above reproach. Besides, when all was said and done he was the eldest son and the laws of primogeniture said he would one day become the head of the house regardless of his misdeeds. Edouard did not look forward to that day. But it was still destined. Simon had not transgressed so far that their father could disown him.
     
    Still, some claimed that he had mended his ways these past years. Personally Edouard doubted it. He suspected he had just become better at hiding his crimes. Since being kicked out of the house he had bought his own business; another trading concern that rivalled that of the House of Barris. Actually it was a lot larger than theirs and operated in far more than just fourteen realms and cities. But his business was not simple trade like that of the house. It encompassed gambling, drinking, prostitution and any other vices that men engaged in. He owned or part owned most of the brothels, gaming houses, inns and alehouses in Theria. He supplied most of the ale and cider they served.
     
    Some said he also traded on the local black market. Others said that he more or less owned the black market. That many of the traders secretly worked for him. But he kept his name out of the purview of the justices, and his wealth was such that even the king had to accept him in the court. Many other nobles were actually said to be seeking his favour, and some were looking at buying it with the hands of their daughters. He was considered a good suitor for any house down on its luck.
     
    Of course Simon had no interest in marriage. There were rumours of scandalous affairs with the wives of many members of the court, and with the daughters of others. There were stories too of bastard children and women being sent away in disgrace. But there was no proof of anything. Simon was too careful for that.
     
    None of that explained why he was there annoying Edouard. But as the future Count Severin and head of the House of Barris, Edouard had to be careful around him or one day he might well find himself thrown out on to the streets as a penniless vagrant. After all, his home too was a part of the House of Barris.
     
    “Little. Very little.”
     
    Simon had to know that already though. There were enough other investigators and technologists wandering back and forth over the site where the portal had appeared, and all had been reporting the