Corwin was caught at the eastern crossing four days later, precisely as Elira's network had positioned itself to expect, though the manner of his capture proved considerably less dramatic than the weeks of preparation leading up to it.
He arrived disguised as a traveling cloth merchant, his cart loaded with bolts of fine fabric that Rhosnyn's border watchers, alerted to the description Kael's letter had provided, recognized as an unconvincing cover the moment they inspected his papers closely enough to notice inconsistencies in his claimed trading history. He offered no resistance when confronted, which troubled Elira considerably more than open defiance might have.
"A man confident in his own safety doesn't surrender so easily," she observed, watching from the keep's receiving room as g
