Charlie was watching as both dragons began to size him up. 'What are you doing? I didn't say anything about fighting me. By 'paying the price' I meant you'd need to offer up a literal sum of money in exchange for a pardon.'
Cali laughed. 'That's how your justice system works?'
'This is how business works,' Charlie corrected. 'How do you think I keep this place running, and ensure that the Grand Council remain ignorant of what's going on.'
'You have someone on the inside?'
Charlie laughed, blowing his long scruffy hair back to stop it from sliding over his face. 'You don't honestly think I'm going to answer that, do you?' He then stared at the pile of ash next to him. 'Mrs Tate was also known as Inspector Elizabeth Fyre,' another laugh at our reaction. 'She was on my payroll, and now nothing is stopping the Grand Council from coming here. So I'll repeat, pay up. I'll need to acquire new contacts thanks to those two, and they're expensive.'
