Rostan snatched at the implication of this memory.
‘Then it occurred to me that a deeper matter might be afoot than the random snatching of a purse. Had the thief perhaps been sent by Barran himself? With all due respect to the man, he is a consummate opportunist and quite ruthless, and more than capable of stealing back something he had just sold to us.’ He began to warm to his tale. ‘And he has skilled cutters in his pay. Unthinkable though it might be to us, the crystals could be...’ He hesitated. To cut such stones would indeed be unthinkable; even the idea of it disturbed him. He forced himself to continue. ‘The crystals could be cut to make many smaller ones, which in their turn could be sold to us.’
‘I am aware of Barran’s character,’ Imorren said. ‘But he has a keen grasp of real
