"You did what?" Godolphin stared at Pol, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Let me get this straight. Instead of following my explicit instructions, to leave a marker with Bussilbee, you broke into the room of Prince Gilbert and left an assassin's cloth on his pillow?"

"Bussilbee was too easy," Pol hastened to explain, an earnest expression on his face. "A child could have broken in, stuck a knife between his ribs and stolen all his valuables, with no one the wiser. You wanted me to test the palace security... I did. And it's not up to scratch."

"But to make an example of Prince Gilbert, of all people! You know full well, how much he stands upon his dignity. When he finds your marker, I'll be able to hear his scream of outrage from here. Unless I'm mistaken," here Godolphin smiled thinly at this extremely unlikely event, "the Prince will be bitterly offended, and demand to learn the identity of the perpetrator and then insist on you being flogged!"

Pol gulped. "But-" I was just following orders, he was about to say, but swallowed the words before they left his lips... because he hadn't. He hadn't followed the orders he'd been given.

Godolphin allowed a few moments for the reality of the threat to sink in, before he continued. "Fortunately for you, as it turns out, I have a new assignment which will take you far from the palace. All the way to our southern border, into Eskia."

"Eskia?"

"Our neighbour," Godolphin reminded him with a touch of impatience. "I want you to go to a town called Ashvale, just over the border. Once you get there, you'll need to find the laboratory run by Professor Maybury."

"A scientist?"

"Of sorts. We would have called him an alchemist in the old days, but he uses the modern abbreviation, chemist."

"And? Is he a danger to Mancuria?"

"Perhaps. That will be for you to determine. There are rumours he's made a discovery that, in our hands, could restore the fortunes of the Royal Family, or... be a disaster if it is acquired by anyone else."

"A weapon?" Pol felt a bit as if he were pushing through treacle, trying to get to the heart of the matter. What, exactly, did Godolphin want him to do? Eliminating sanctioned targets in one's own backyard was one thing, assassinating persons of note in a foreign country, a different kettle of steam entirely. If he were caught, it would surely be a hanging matter.

"Not exactly. He's invented a substance that can turn base metals into gold. You can imagine the power it would give whoever controlled such a thing."

"Is that even possible?" Pol asked, doubtfully. "I'm no scientist but I thought that idea was impossible, a myth."

"Our spies tell us that Maybury has succeeded."

"Could it be a trick, a fabrication?"

"I suppose that could be so," agreed Godolphin, with some reluctance. "Though I can't quite see who would benefit from such a thing. In any case, I want you to investigate. If there's any truth in the matter, we need to know."

"And if there is such an invention, you want me to steal it?"

"Exactly," said Godolphin, nodding. "I'm sure you understand, this mission is absolutely secret. No one can know where you are going or what you'll be doing. To the best of my knowledge, Maybury's project is unknown to the general public. His physical location is remote and he has published nothing for the last five years. The average person knows nothing of him and the scientific community has long dismissed him as a quack. And it's to our advantage to have that remain so for as long as possible."

It all sounded farfetched to Pol, but he wasn't going to argue. He wanted to be far away when Gilbert woke. And who knew, maybe the Alchemist's formula was a real thing, and he could get back in favour with the Royal court.

"What of Eskia's rulers? Their Council? Surely, they must have him under close surveillance. If Maybury succeeds in creating such a formula, they'd want it for themselves. Is he under guard?"

"Our spies say not. Apparently, he has been working on creating this formula for the last ten years. Indeed, he made a premature announcement about five years ago with very unfortunate results. Interest has dwindled since. We suspect, this time, Maybury is keeping his success to himself."

Pol fought to keep a straight face. It all sounded too much like wishful thinking. Everything he was hearing made him more and more convinced he was being sent on a fool's errand.

"And my mission, is simply to steal the formula? What about Maybury? What's to stop him creating it again?"

"So bloodthirsty, Pol!" Godolphin's expression was an odd mixture of disapproval and admiration. "Not this time, we don't want to start a war. No, it will be enough to have the formula, leave Maybury alone. The important thing is to avoid a monopoly, unless it's our own, of course."

"I just want to be clear," said Pol, who didn't think he was bloodthirsty at all. He much preferred not to kill anyone if he could avoid it. He just wanted to know what was expected of him.

"Of course, it's possible... that you might find you have competition. I shouldn't be surprised to discover the Guilds have their own spies. The Council may present a united face to their people but in reality, they have many competing interests. There are at least two other powerful guilds on the Council, apart from the Goldsmiths, that I'm certain would love to get their hands on such a formula. If you do come across a rival, you have my permission to do what is necessary."

"I understand."

"And now I suggest that you pack what you need and get started." He handed over a slim emerald green sash, along with a small pouch of coins. "Here's your messenger authority, and your funds. I've gone for a bit of diversion and used the Queen's colours, so that should suggest you're on a social assignment, not a political one."

Only to those who don't know our Queen, thought Pol, ruefully.

He left Godolphin sitting there, and hurried to his own quarters further along the passage. There wasn't much time. He needed to be packed and gone before Prince Gilbert woke.