The Hour of the Lady
A ciphered letter, found where it had no business being, put the Chancellery on alert: someone is prying for another crown. The spy knows the corridors better than the guards do — an ill sign: it is one of the household. On the Chancellery's list stand Codrin the Huntsman, Margica the Innkeeper, Sword-Bearer Dragos and Father Nicodim; one of these names covers a lie. The hours in question: "at dawn", "after matins", "at noon" and "at dusk". Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
From the Chancellery archive
An espionage dossier with an hour named in its title tells you, before you have even opened it, where the difficulty lies: not in what was learned but in when. The news left the realm within a short interval, and that interval is all the Chancellery has.
The four suspects are people who move about a great deal. Codrin the Huntsman ranges the forest. Sword-Bearer Dragos carries his lord's sword and goes wherever his lord goes. Margica the Innkeeper stays put, but the whole world passes before her. Father Nicodim moves little, yet everyone comes to him, which amounts to the same.
The places: the merchant's house, the great stable, the guild forge and the customs cellar — four places of work, none of rest. The objects: an ermine cloak, a signet ring, a rusted sword and a bronze key.
Tier III. The testimonies are the key to this dossier, and one of them is false. Do not begin with it; begin with whatever can contradict it.
Suspects
He knows the royal forest better than the castle corridors. Tracks, he says, never lie - men do.
1.87 m
right-handed
green eyes
black hair
At the Golden Boar inn, wine and secrets are spilled in equal measure. She never forgets a debt - or a word let slip.
1.61 m
right-handed
dark eyes
chestnut hair
He bears the king's ceremonial sword. At the tourney he has never lost; at dice, always.
1.86 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
He hears the confessions of the whole court. Forgetting, he says, is a gift from the Lord - one he sells dearly.
1.72 m
right-handed
blue eyes
greying hair
Locations
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the great stable
It smells of hay and hurried departures. Horses give no testimony.
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
Objects
the ermine cloak
White fur with black tails - only the royal family may wear it. It has a tear at the hem.
the signet ring
The crest has been filed away almost completely. Almost.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
Moments
at dawn
When the citadel is barely waking and the guards still doze.
after matins
The hour after the morning service, when the abbey empties.
at noon
Midday, with bustle in the markets and silence in the alcoves.
at dusk
When the shadows lengthen and the lanterns are not yet lit.
Open the Grid (below) to solve the case, with the testimonies at hand.
Touch a cell: blank → ✗ (excluded) → ✓ (certain) → blank. Each pair of categories meets exactly once.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- The chronicler notes drily: the signet ring matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the customs cellar and the rusted sword go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the suspect with dark eyes handled the signet ring.
- At the Chancellery, Sword-Bearer Dragos maintains: "I handled the rusted sword".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Father Nicodim was at the great stable.
- Codrin the Huntsman declares under oath: "I was there after matins".
- The gate guard swears: the suspect with blue eyes handled the ermine cloak.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Sword-Bearer Dragos was in the place with more secret drawers than drawers.
- The Chancellery checked twice: Sword-Bearer Dragos was not present at dusk.