Helmar asked Tharic for the ring the following morning.
He did not demand it before the family guards or reach for the pouch beneath his nephew's shirt. He invited Tharic into a private archive room where portraits of earlier Ruskells covered one stone wall and locked record cabinets covered the other.
Rod attended because Tharic requested it. Helmar's steward remained near the door.
"The attacks will continue while you carry it." Helmar said. "The first crew failed. The second failed. Whoever wants the ring has already proven that hiring another group costs less than surrendering the claim behind it."
Tharic placed both hands on the archive table. "We still do not know what claim that is."
"Then let the family investigate while the ring remains somewhere assassins cannot reach. I don't want to see my nephew die over a piece of jewelry."
