THE MAN GRINNED. “YOU MAKE that sound like a bad thing.”

I made a face and looked back into the techno-bag with new appreciation. “What’s going on?”

“I’m the messenger. I just run errands for Mr. Mazur.”

“Is that a nice way of saying you spy for him? Find out everyone’s dirty secrets so that he can use them against people and keep playing his games?” Abe seemed to know everything about everyone—especially royal politics. How else could he manage it without having eyes and ears everywhere? Say, at Court? For all I knew, he had my room wired with microphones.

“Spying’s a harsh word.” I notice the guy didn’t...