His hand brushed across a metal panel, and the door clicked and opened.
The office within was clearly lived in. One wall was covered in maps, not only of Paladia but also of the neighbouring countries and other continents. A dilapidated sofa was crammed in a corner.
There was scarcely floor space to walk.
“Sit,” he said, slipping around his desk and seating himself. The only window in the room was directly behind him, leaving him cast in shadow. “What do you know about the Ferron family’s history?”
Helena sat staring at her lap rather than trying to make out Crowther’s expressions.
“Just the general things,” she said. “They were one of the early common guild families. Their resonance is mostly for steel alloys. They have iron mines, and a few generations back they developed the method
