Feeling she had come out ahead, Illymoyas read on with a smug smile.
The rest covered the keeper's duties and rules. She could roll around in the Treasury, rub against the Gold Narls, and pile them into mountains. In return, she was forbidden to steal from it. If Gold Narls went missing, the actual holdings failed to match the inventory, or she colluded with outsiders to rob the Treasury, the penalties ranged from a pay cut to dismissal to expulsion from the Free City.
Illymoyas had just thought those punishments sounded mild when she saw the final clause, written in red Common Tongue: "Forever cast aside by Annan."
Illymoyas put every little scheme out of her mind.
"Could I—"
"No," Ingrid said, as though she knew what Illymoyas was about to ask. "Don't worry. Besides you, the Tower Spirit Lilith will be watching the Treasury too. As long as you don't deliberately break the rules, you'll be fine."
And so Illymoyas signed the Contract.
As the Free City Treasury's new keeper, Illymoyas now had a Lair: the Treasury itself.
"I understand that much, but what does it have to do with Illymoyas taking Gema's money?"
"Because Miss Illymoyas thinks of the Treasury as her Lair..."
"Whoever came up with that idea was a genius..." Annan was at a loss for words. "What about the Crystal Lair?"
"Miss Illymoyas has been living in the Treasury for the past two days. She hasn't gone back."
Annan couldn't tell whether Illymoyas was devoted to her job or simply obsessed with money.
He asked for the Contract and read it carefully. Pointing to one clause, he asked, "What does 'the Finance Department has the right to use Illymoyas's likeness' mean?"
"Minister Ingrid plans to make Miss Illymoyas the face of the Gold Depository."
Another