Frank Poe

Month 12, Day 26, 7:00PM

He walked to the Night Market and arrived at the meeting surprisingly early. Cannelo arrived shortly after him, but he didn’t acknowledge her, then the room slowly began to fill. As he observed the room fill, Frank noticed Liza entered with an unmasked prospective member who wore and a deep and concealing hood, but when the prognos and assistants arrived to question the new woman, Frank put the newcomer to the back of his mind.

“Mariner.” The old cone sat next to him. “What tidings from the sea? Found land yet? The freed Raven bring back a branch?” She cackled.

‘What is she hinting at?’ Frank wondered.

“Just watching the sky.” Frank replied. “Hoping for some good news.”

“The sun was a bright orange and crimson this morning, and you know what sailors say about red mornings.” She said. “Waiting for a Raven is no good; thou’t be better off with doves if you want good news.”

“What do doves know? Foolish birds.”

“Aye. Ravens are cleverer, ‘cause they know, in the end, its all bad news.”

Frank just nodded. What could he say to that? He focused on the assemblage of masked individuals, and the meeting began. Items began to be offered for sale.

Liza sat, redolent, at her table. The prospective member hadn’t yet returned from her interview; Frank noted she took longer than he seen before. ‘Who in the world had Liza brought?’

The first offer was a new type of spirit cage spell, which Frank found vaguely uncomfortable. Midway through his spiel, the hooded—and now white-masked—woman finally made her appearance. The interviewer left her in a chair, hurried over and conferred the arbiter.

“A new member. Welcome. Let us continue, then.”

Now, Frank felt his curiosity bloom. Of course, he couldn’t inquire of this new member or Liza, which would have been a breach of protocol. But he did try to observe what details he could.

The woman wore black clothing and a hood, but for this meeting that was nothing unusual. She had a plain white mask, but that just meant … nothing really. She could have brought it with her, but had she? Frank also wondered why the big production of telling the arbiter and announcing her presence.

He barely noticed the next man offering a mind muddling jinx.

And then there was an offer to sell an enchanted cold box. Frank was impressed with the price. It might be nice to have some way to preserve food at his room at the Agency. He might be able to buy some fresh fish and keep it for breakfasts, and the additional preservation spell could keep potion ingredients too. After the artifact was appraised, Frank put in his own order. He did not work with many potions, but he did hope to start training Marie. He knew that the workshop had some potion-making equipment.

Cannelo and the newcomer didn’t bid, and strangely, Frank felt as if new woman had decided to focus entirely on Cannelo. Did the new woman somehow recognize her?

Finally, they turned to offers. Cannelo’s offer was first, and breath taking in its audacity:

“I’m offering one hundred gold, as well as three green beast cores with a combined energy value of ten million thaums, for useful information about the Raven Queen. I can split up the reward between multiple people, if more than one person has relevant knowledge.”

Frank blinked with surprise. Cannelo was better funded than he thought, and she seemed willing to throw aside any subtlety. He, however, had nothing else he cared to share with her. And, while audacious, it was a poor offer. Cannelo had access to the University Library, and all she could think to offer was money, and the equivalent of money? She would do better to offer magical secrets.

The room, however, opened up with rumor and speculation.

She’d stolen something from the University, no mention of what, although Frank knew it was a book. She was a free caster. This then moved to rampant speculation: a shape changer, able to travel through and command the shadows.

Frank had heard all those sorts of rumors already. The coppers had filled their reports with them, but Frank didn’t think it was possible to travel through shadows. Although, “controlling” shadows would be trivial with a spell array. It could theoretically be free cast as well; it shouldn’t be much different than Frank’s tricks with pipe smoke. It was so unlikely, however, that she could change her shape, Frank nearly scoffed. ‘Change her shape into what?’ Frank wondered. ‘A Raven?’

Someone else said, “I have an investigator-adjutant contact. I can ask them for more information, for the right price. They’re not directly on that case, though, so while I might get more details, they probably won’t have access to any truly classified material.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Frank smiled to himself. Was that him? Canelo already had nearly everything useful the investigation had. ‘With all the additional reward, they must be swamped with testimony by now.’ Frank thought.

Canelo switch tactics. “Does anyone have information about her connection to the Verdant Stag?”

“I heard she might come if you make a pleasing enough offering. Maybe Lord knows what she likes, or has some sort of agreement with her.”

Canelo would also know that much, Frank reckoned. Recalling the Morrows’ heavy-handed tactics, Frank snorted, and said, “or maybe the Morrows just pissed her off somehow.” They’d certainly pissed him off.

Then, someone offered a fate ritual to connect them. This, Frank knew, could be disastrous, but before he could respond to the suggestion, and warn Cannelo away from it, the old crone shook her head and explained: “I warn against that. Very iffy results. Even if that kind of compulsion would work on her, what kind of meeting? I certainly wouldn’t want to run into the Raven Queen in a dark alley.”

One of the Pack thaumaturges agreed, and offered a different solution. “I have access to someone with relevant information about how to set up a meeting with her. Lord Lynwood did it. You’ll need to prepare an offering for her in addition to my payment, though. I can give you an answer at our next meeting.”

Frank felt uneasy at that suggestion. He could use his favor with the Pack to get that information, but he had no desire to waste it on meeting the Raven Queen on her own terms. That wasn’t solving her mysteries, that was just cheating.

Cannelo hesitated, but steeled herself and nodded to the horned pack member. “Okay. I’ll pay seventy gold and twenty beast cores to anyone who can confirm a meeting with her, along with details about this offering she requires.”

The horned contact explained the situation and seeming implied that he’d check with his contact, which Poe reckoned was no more than obtaining Lord Lynwood’s permission. Now that the Raven Queen had provided a viable treatment for Miles, Frank expected the Pack would do almost anything for the Raven Queen. If she didn’t want to meet Canelo, it wouldn’t even matter how much money was offered, the Pack would refuse.

The meeting moved on to other requests, including a request for dissolving tincture. Strong acids weren’t restricted, so it wasn’t the sort of item that you needed to buy at the meeting, unless the purpose made its purchase risky. Frank reckoned someone was trying to break into a safe or a lock. He hoped it wasn’t anyone he knew. No one seemed willing to take the requester up on it.

Then, he finally heard the newcomer’s voice.

“I am looking for sempervivum apricus and mandrake root. Both still living.” She said. Her accent was not local, and had the round tones of someone educated. She did not sound rural; rather only slightly exotic. She could be the scion of a wealthy country lord, or a trader. Nothing really that Frank could match to anyone.

Frank found her choice of ingredients interesting. Plants like sempervivum apricus from the plane of radiance could be used to brew healing and regeneration potions. Mandrake, well, that could be used for all sorts of things. It seemed the newcomer had in interesting in providing illegal healing potions, or planned to do direct healing on her own.

Not much of a stretch to make an educated guess regarding who would be interested in those sorts of philitres; either the Stags or the Morrows needed those. And, since Cannelo needed Frank’s support to join the meeting, and she had contacts with the Morrows, Frank guessed it would be the Stags.

Liza was easily, if not cheaply, bribed, and a well known independent. Thus, it seemed that the Stags brought in an another healer from outside the city, or at least someone who had some idea about how to go about it, and hired Liza to get the woman into the meeting.

The girthy alchemical supplier raised his hand. “I have both. I’ll sell them to you for forty-five gold, or an appropriate item in trade.”

“Do you have any need for regeneration potions?”

“Not healing?” he asked. “Well, I suppose. I’ll want them appraised, of course, but if they serve, I’ll take six in exchange for the plants.” Good healers were rare; it took a lot of education and skill. But then, every village had a witch or hedge-wizard willing to brew up something or other. The alchemist was right to require verification.

“Agreed.”

Frank had the sense that he was right; a healer from out of town. She probably didn’t have coin to offer for those expensive ingredients. And, regeneration potions might not be quiet as useful as the more expensive healing potions, but if they were good quality they would deal well with stable injuries, if not sicknesses.

The arbiter noted the usual requests for them: communication or protective artifacts, elemental components, and celerium. A few people offered to sell things to the arbiter, and when their haggling was done, the man spoke again, reciting the usual end of meeting spiel. “This may be a reminder for our old members, but be sure to watch for the signs about our next meeting. You can find the locations on the list pinned to the wall, there.”

He pointed to a piece of paper. “Memorize it, as well as the translations of meaning. This meeting is adjourned. Those who wish may exchange information freely amongst yourselves. If you have agreed to an exchange, please wait for one of us to mediate it.”

Frank made a show of looking, but what he really wanted was to see if he could observe any additional information on the new healer. She gave nothing away, which Frank reckoned as disappointingly competent. They were split, as usual, and Frank was in an early group.

Frank felt no real need to follow Cannelo back to the University, which was her inevitable destination. On the other hand, Frank suspected the new healer would return to the Verdant Stag. While he couldn’t follow her directly, he could watch for her to verify his supicion. Frank walked to the cross streets leading to the infamous inn. The streets were quiet, and the cold kept any but the most determined away. Some beggars had set up a fire, but while they tried to watch him, without watching him, Frank ignored them and waited for the the familiar shape of the new member.

He waited several hours. Either she was used a more complex route avoiding the streets, or she wasn’t staying there, because she never showed up. Perhaps he was mistaken.

If she wasn’t with the Stags, who was she?