In the Tower bedroom, the aroma of the dinner Sansa had brought still lingered in the air, along with a faint trace of a young woman's fragrance.
Lynn closed the door and turned to face his uninvited guest.
Varys, the Master of Whisperers in King's Landing, known as the "Spider."
The smile on his face was gentle and harmless, like that of a plump neighborhood merchant. Yet the eyes beneath his fleshy lids were like two bottomless wells, revealing no genuine emotion.
"Ser Lynn."
Varys's voice was as soft as silk, oddly at odds with his corpulent body.
"You must be exhausted."
He walked over to the table without waiting for an invitation, picked up the cup Lynn had just drunk from, and poured himself some water, as though this were his own domain.
"After all, saving the prince in the blink of an eye is hardly something an ordinary 'secret art' could accomplish."
His words carried a hidden meaning.
Each word was like a slender needle, gently pricking at Lynn as he tried to gauge his reaction.
Lynn said nothing, merely watching Varys put on his performance.
Of course, Lynn knew that from the moment he entered King's Landing, his every move had likely been under this spider's watchful eye.
But there was no need to hide anything from Varys.
Deliberately concealing things would only make Varys more eager to investigate.
Varys gently swirled the water in his cup, watching the ripples spread as he continued speaking.
"My 'Little Birds' sang me quite a spectacular tale today."
"A direwolf from the North ventured into King's Landing alone."
"That young wolf from the north should have been the first victim beneath the golden lion's claws."
"But who could have imagined that the web so carefully woven by the spider lurking