Chapter Twenty: The King of Spades
The air in Harrisons Department Store was a conditioned tomb, smelling of polished brass, new carpet, and the cloying, desperate sweetness of a hundred sampled perfumes. It was a cathedral of false wants, and today, Kieran Varys was its dark priest, moving through the nave with a purpose that had nothing to do with purchase.
He moved like he was haunting the place. He didn't see the glittering counters of Cosmetics, the rainbow chaos of the Scarf Hal