FORTY-ONE
It took time to calm Philemon down and persuade him that the capital was probably the best place to start looking for the thief, though Anahita suspected that the jewels and precious metals had most likely been melted down and made into smaller, more portable things by now.
Nevertheless, he agreed, and within two days, they'd reached the capital. A city that changed little, usually.
"That went up quickly. I didn't know Father intended to build a new palace, and we haven't been gone that long. Do you remember hearing anything about this...edifice?" Anahita asked, peering through the gleaming gates of the brand new palace.
Haidar shrugged. "Nothing at all. Palaces take years to build, not weeks. I smell magic at work."
Magic that could erect a palace in a matter of weeks was
