Genuine surprise spread across Cassarah's face. So this man [i]did[/i] know of the book she carried, and judging by his comment on the numbers, he knew of its contents as well. Did he have a copy himself once? Before Cassarah could even move to get the book out from her bag, Leneas began with Astech. Cassarah was sick enough of Leneas' belligerence that she let him talk, interrupting only to calmly ask questions to elaborate. Astech turned out to be a particular variety of demon that Cassarah already knew of, but this specimen described was larger than usual. Probably a leader of a raiding clan or something. That was the only way Cassarah could fathom Leneas knowing the demon in such detail.

Cassarah had to put Leneas' question on hold while she scratched down the last of her notes on the interview. After a few seconds, she put down her quill and looked up silently. "Um," she swallowed, "I'll just have water."

By this point, Cassarah was a little less adverse to the guard's presence, so she decided to honour their agreement. She pulled a thick rectangular leather pouch from her shoulder bag and placed it on the table. Unlacing the leather and pulling it away revealed an old, faded book. It wasn't especially huge, but it was rare and precious as the vast knowledge it held. The cruel, jagged runes on the cover read its title in a common demonic dialect: [i]The River of Steel.[/i]

"What chapter did you want to see?" Cassarah asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the book cover.