"He recognized you? You are certain? Where have you met him before?" Aeronwyn and Bron had been spying out the Examiners hall to try and decide how to get in. The Book of Souls, whatever that was, was in there and the geas was pressing on Aeronwyn now that she was this close to it. They had been very careful to make sure they were not followed when they met with Keri but the idea that she had been recognized by the CHief Examiner himself was unsettling.
"Yes, although he couldn't place me. As for where I have met him," Keri said dryly, "well, that is self evident."
"He was in the prison?" Bron asked.
"He was the one that visited Aeronwyn. He kept asking her questions but her answers were incoherent. He only saw me once and I looked very different than I do now." Keri explained.
"Still, he recognized that he had met you before. Did he ask you if you had met and did you lie to him?" Aeronwyn asked.
"Yes and yes. Why?" Keri was puzzled by the second part of the question.
"Damn. Examiners, especially experienced Examiners, always know when someone is lying to them. It's part of their training. That tears it. We have to get in and get out quickly before whatever dogs he has sicced on you finds a scent," Aeronwyn declared.
"You think he has someone investigating Keri? Then there is a good chance she could be put to the Examination if he finds even a hint her background is not iron clad." Bron said.
"Iron clad? It's porous and leaky. We have, at best, a few days before an Examiner shows up here asking Keri some very hard questions. Damn, this messes things up considerably."
Keri, with tears in her eyes, said, "I am so sorry. It is my fault. I shouldn't have gone with them to the palace, I just had never seen king before."
Aeronwyn shook her head in denial. "If not now, then soon. We knew our cover stories wouldn't last. If not you then someone would recognize Bron, or I would run into a healer from the north that recognized me. The real question is, what do we do now?"
"We have a plan," said Bron. "We shall just have to accelerate it." Aeronwyn nodded.
"Keri, there is a small chance that you could be examined before we find the book. If that happens, tell them the truth, never lie. Just don't tell them the whole truth. That is what will throw them off. They can catch a direct lie but not an omission," Aeronwyn said.
"What do you mean?" Keri asked.
"Well, if they ask where you are from, tell them you are from the City of the Spires. If they ask if you are noble born, tell them no. If they ask if you remember meeting the Chief Examiner, say yes and that it was a brief, chance meeting. If they ask where, tell them it was in the Spires. If they ask about Aeronwyn, tell them you know a Rhiannon. Don't say you don't know Aeronwyn but deflect the question. Can you do that?" Bron asked.
"I will try," Keri said softly.
"And we will try to be back her within the next forty-eight hours. Be brave. We will find you and come for you no matter what happens. Do you believe me?" Aeronwyn asked. Keri nodded.
Bron and Aeronwyn made their way from Lord Barik's garden and, keeping to the shadows, made their way towards the Examiners Hall. There were only two sorts of people that went into Examiners hall that were not Examiners. There were the servants who did the drudge work, the cooking and cleaning. They were ignored. The other sort were those unlucky enough to be under Examination. Few of those went in and almost none ever came out.
