Frank Poe

Month 12, Day 8, 10:30 AM

In the windowless darkened office, sitting at an enormous desk, the imposing figure of Lord Stag himself contemplated Frank and Marie. Standing at Lord Stag’s right shoulder was the redheaded woman that Frank had met before. An enforcer blocked the door way out.

Standing in front of the desk, Frank had a sorcerer’s certainty that he appeared calm. He was not.

In part, his upset was Marie. Not that he faulted her for anything, but because she attended this meeting with him. He would never have have brought a young teenager with him into this situation, but she stood next to him in front of the masked enemy of the Morrows. Frank had invited her along to meet the “manager” because he expected to meet the woman. They would have been in no real danger. But. He and Marie were brought to Lord Stag’s office instead. A wrong step here might become a dire problem. Frank kept his breathing steady and tried to prevent any tells.

Lord Stag’s office had dark wood panelling, spotless plush velvet chairs, a huge throne-like desk chair, and a desk made of wood so dark it appeared almost black. The desk’s maker had not resorted to the cheap ebonizing that Marie’s table had. This wood came from slow growing trees, imported from far away jungles, and was worked into an exquisite display of wealth.

Nor did this office elevate a single custom piece to prominence; there were no second-hand bookshelves or mismatching couches here. Everything fit the room perfectly, and the furniture lacked even a speck of dust or a errant hair. On the desk, a quill pen and a stack of clean paper were ready for Lord Stag’s use. The massive chair behind Lord Stag’s desk had a great tall back that suggested the qualities of a throne.

The room reminded Poe of a banker’s office, rather than that of a criminal mastermind. Or, perhaps, that was point: a successful criminal mastermind ought to have a touch of opulence. And, like a banker, petitioners come before their betters to request the favor of their time and money.

Even as imposing as the room itself, Lord Stag sat in his chair, elbows on the desk, and his gloved hands steepled and touching the chin of his entirely featureless white mask. He concealed the rest of his features under a great black cloak with a grey lining. Frank couldn’t even entirely sure of the color of his hair.

“Frank Poe. And protege.” Lord Stag observed. The mask seemed to have changed and muffled his voice. His voice had slightly eerie presence. “Welcome.”

“Lord Stag.” Frank replied. He kept his face carefully blank. Lord Stag offered no handshake. Nor did Frank intend to sit in either of the two chairs that sat in front of the desk. He itched to draw out his pipe: both for a smoke to ease his sudden headache, and to be ready for the unexpected.

Obviously the enforcer knew his business. Without magic, Frank wouldn’t last half a moment. In fact, even if Frank prepared, the man at the door had an air of danger that even Dinky couldn’t match.

Frank settled for standing, which he knew was rude. But then, Lord Stag was playing games, and Frank had not fallen quite so far that he would let Lord Stag have that much control. Marie, thankfully, followed his lead, keeping Frank between her and Lord Stag’s enforcer.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet our local private detective. You’ve met Katerine?”

Frank nodded. She may not have given her name, but Frank recognized her.

“It seems you had need of our services here at the Verdant Stag yesterday.” Lord Stag said.

“It seems I did.” Frank replied stiffly.

“I hope you aren’t anxious, Mr. Poe. I prefer not to make enemies unnecessarily. The city is not so big that I can afford to have too many of them.”

“We’ll just settle the tab, and be on our way.”

“It’s quite a lot of money.” Katerin replied.

“I don’t need a loan, if that’s what you are suggesting.”

“Of course. But, I suspect you don’t have the gold in your possession at the moment.” She said.

Lord Stag tilted his head slightly. Frank shrugged. He didn’t carry gold with him, but he could withdraw the money from his accounts. Gold had been difficult to replenish recently, but he would have clients. Eventually. He did not worry. Much.

“We could accept your word on payment. You are a successful detective, with many clients. Including the coppers?” Lord Stag continued.

“Sure.” Frank relaxed. Lord Stag seemed to believe he had leverage because of the money they would owe the Stag. True, Frank Poe did not have the great hereditary wealth of say, the Gervins. He just had what he’s saved from stipend and unfortunate inheritance. But it would be more than enough to cover the Verdant Stag’s bill, if it came to that.

“But you didn’t go to the coppers for help, did you?” Lord Stag continued.

“No.”

“You came to my place instead. That suggests something about your trust in that arrangement, doesn’t it?”

In reply, Frank stayed silent. Lord Stag was more clever that Frank had given him credit for. Frank failed to call on the Coppers for help. Lord Stag therefore would guess that Frank did not trust them.

Frank reckoned this was not entirely true, but it was close enough. The coppers would have alerted the Red Guard, and Frank wanted Marie as far away from them as possible. The Red Guard would find Marie’s resistance to Frank’s curse—and now the aberrant’s alluring effects—interesting. Hopefully, the healer kept the blood magic secret, but that was a third reason Frank needed to keep Marie away from the Coppers.

On the other hand, Frank was friendly with Robards. The coppers did do some good work. The Crowns may be selfish and vain, but they did keep the most violent criminals off the streets, and Titus Westbay seemed like a conscientious leader. Interrogation only occasionally involved beatings.

Frank’s silence eventually seemed to crack Lord Stag’s expectation that Frank would respond.

“The Morrows, despite your companion, do not seem to be helping you much either.” Lord Stag waved a hand toward Marie. “She may be one of them, but you did not seek them out either.”

“Let’s just say that the Morrows’ cruelty set my course to seek fairer winds and calmer waters.”

“My representatives have asked you before, Mr. Poe. But, perhaps, now that debts are owed and favors could be exchanged, we may discuss a contract with the Verdant Stag? We could wipe the debt clean, and even put you on a retainer?”

Stolen story; please report.

Marie squeaked. If this meeting wasn’t so serious, Frank would have rolled his eyes. She liked money too much.

“How much?” she asked.

“Oh, say 10 gold per month, to keep the August Agency employed for necessary work. In addition to your customary fees, of course.”

Marie snorted. At least she knew the value of Poe’s services would be more costly than that. Frank, however, tried to keep a stoic expression. Lord Stag must have thought Frank was desperate. Or, perhaps he was hoping Frank would haggle. Frank reckoned he wasn’t that desperate, and he had no inclination to haggle up from a lowball number.

“Do you want an investigator, or a sorcerer, I wonder? That is a paltry amount of money for a sorcerer; even if you are interested in my specialties, you can buy better from sorcerers at the Night Market.”

“Oh, and do you have someone in mind?”

“Liza’s rates are reasonable.” Frank replied. ‘Not very reasonable,’ Frank thought, ‘but reasonable compared to her actual skill.’ Frank continued, “My skills could hardly compete.”

The Stags in the room tried not to react, but they reacted enough that Frank knew they recognized the name. Katerin flashed a scowl, and while Lord Stag’s mask appeared inscrutable, even he leaned away a bit. This was interesting. Frank assumed underworld figures knew the woman, but not that they would be interested in hiding that relationship.

“Gilbratha relies on magic, both small and large.” Lord Stag replied mildly. “In your case, the Stag could make an investment up front, as it were.” Even if the comment on Liza had rattled him, Lord Stag’s voice showed no sign of discomfort. “We don’t need people of Liza’s caliber for every problem that comes along. Sometimes a more subtle sorcerer might be required.”

‘Like the Raven Queen?’ Frank thought. Frank gave a deliberate shake of his head.

“I am not terribly qualified as battle mage, artificer, or potion master.” Frank lied. What he said might be the truth, if he compared himself to a near grandmaster or Liza, or Grandmaster Lacer’s feats of free casting and output distanced spells. But he knew more than the basics in all of those disciplines; he used potion-making and artificery to set up various aspects of advanced divination in his studies at the University. And, he hadn’t learned pipe-fighting because he lived a peaceful life.

But that didn’t matter, because he knew he was a broken sorcerer. Even a few minor spells over the last few days had stretched himself thin. “But, I am not offering magical services. I am a detective.”

Lord Stag seemed to be judging something, pausing before he spoke again.

“You’ve said. You seem the type that might still be interested in a trade. Please sit. I hope we can both benefit from a fair exchange, perhaps some information?”

Frank finally relented and sat in one of the plush, but armless chairs, and Marie followed and sat as well.

“As a matter of fact, I am interested in a deal. Your subordinate seems to think I have some information on the Raven Queen’s father.”

“Do you?” Lord Stag asked.

“Not at the time; but now, we may be able to do business. I obtained some information because I agreed to investigate the Raven Queen on behalf of the Coppers. It is not an ongoing obligation; I merely get the reward if my information leads to her arrest. But I also made an oath to get access. My oath does not let me share details with people that are not cooperating with the Coppers. Would you be willing to tell me that you’ll assist the Coppers on occasion? Think carefully before you answer.”

Lord Stag must have stared quite hard at Frank through that expressionless mask. Frank could almost feel the man’s eyes boring into him.

“The Verdant Stag is a civic-minded institution.” Lord Stag finally replied. “We help them on occasion even now. After all, just yesterday we sent a runner to the Coppers when we heard about a dangerous aberrant.”

Frank thought about the information he would reveal, to see whether he felt any restraint from the oath. It seemed fine. As he suspected, the oath was very manipulable.

“Clear our debt, and I share what I know about Ennis Naught. Also, I’d prefer that you’d give Professor Lacer a fair hearing if he ever comes to you asking to pass on a message to the Raven Queen. I suspect you can do this?”

“Thaddeus Lacer?”

“Yes.” Frank gave a small smile. A little consideration for Professor Lacer would make the professor happy, and hopefully asking for this favor would give Frank some credibility with Lord Stag as well. Frank had not been good with connections, but absolute independence seemed overrated after all. His mind flashed to that moment on the dark street when his desperation had driven him here, Marie dying in his arms. He wasn’t even certain that the Stags would have helped, and he felt lucky they had.

It might also have been a symptom of the paranoia from will strain. He surely could have found an independent healer if he’d run in the correct direction, and Poe reckoned in the light of day that the Morrows did view Marie as of their own.

Lord Stag gave a slow nod, showing his agreement to bargain. Frank nodded back.

“Let’s lay this out clearly: I am trading straightforward information: ‘What is Ennis Naught telling the Coppers in Harrow Hill?’ in exchange, the Stags clear our debt, and keep any part of what you learned here including my apprentice’s unique situation confidential. Do we have a bargain?” Frank explained.

“How will we remember it?” Katherine asked.

“Easy. We’ll write it down.” Frank replied.

“He means I’ll write it down.” Marie muttered.

“If you are willing to go on a retainer …” Lord Stag began.

Frank held up a hand to stop Lord Stag’s tack to that subject. “Respectfully, I’ll not fly an ensign for you Lord Stag. But, I will consider investigative work, if you ever need it.”

“You have your pride I see. This is acceptable, for now.”

Frank had Marie write out the agreement, then they all sat around the desk while Frank explained the copper’s information on Ennis, and Marie wrote out notes for Lord Stag and Katerine. Frank explained the information that Ennis had told the Coppers about his daughter.

“The interviewer’s notes tend to describe him as a pawn in the Raven Queen’s scheme. And, he doesn’t seem to know anything useful. But, they have not been eager to have his trial; the coppers seem unwilling to give up on Ennis. The coppers seem to hope he might lead them to her involuntarily somehow.” Poe considered for a moment, and then decided to go ahead and express his opinion. “He comes across as a rather greedy man to me: selfish and petty. He’s a man who would try to get your confidence, then betray you for money or advantage. If he weren’t under truth compulsion spells, I wouldn’t trust anything he says. Maybe not even then, because Siobhan Naught contacted him twice. That’s why the coppers won’t stop questioning him.”

Frank reckoned that sharing what he knew and his opinions about Ennis wouldn’t help Siobhan Naught escape the coppers or him. Frank wasn’t giving up much to tell them that Ennis didn’t know anything useful. What he did not say was that the coppers were wasting their time with Siobhan’s father. A petty thief and con-man, his daughter seemed to know how to keep out of the public eye, despite her flashy reputation. In fact, the Coppers knew very little about the whereabouts of the Raven Queen, and Frank didn’t mind giving that information either. It was already widespread knowledge that the Raven Queen had slipped their searchers, even after sending ravens to Ennis.

Even if Lord Stag’s mask hid it, Frank sensed he was pleased. Frank reckoned that even if the Stags were not protecting Siobhan Naught outright, then they were invested, at least, in preventing her capture. Frank wondered idly if she was instead one of their agents, but then he concluded that if she was, she would be a dagger pointed at the heart of the Stag’s enemies.

“Is our bargain complete?” Frank finished.

“It seems so.” Lord Stag replied. Frank motioned for Marie to stop writing.

“Good.” Frank hesitated, but decided to add one last thought. “If I ever return here and agree to work with you, I am assuming that I’ll have to let the investigation into Siobhan Naught drop?”

“You will.”

Frank sighed. “I thought so. Fair weather to you. Your medical treatment was first rate. I hope we can maintain such a friendly relationship in the future.”

“I hope so too.” Lord Stag murmured.

…

After Frank and Marie had left the room, and Huntley had shut the door firmly, activating the privacy wards, Oliver turned to Katerin. “Try to keep an eye on the August Agency. Mr. Poe by himself doesn’t seem like much of a threat, but looks, as we know, can be deceiving. Even if the girl has been affiliated with the Morrows, he’s no friend of theirs, and we might be able to use that. Provided we can keep him looking away from us and Siobhan.”