“Sure.”
I pointed out two of the Predators that were standing by and ordered them to follow me.
Once again, the butler led the way, taking us to the main hall near the entrance of the mansion. The entire kitchen staff had been lined up shoulder to shoulder, and many had nervous expressions on their faces.
Venari clapped twice to get their attention. “It has come to my attention that someone has been poisoning the food of our guest.”
Hushed murmurs broke out as everyone discussed this new information.
“Now,” she said, the whispers immediately dying out, “while I do not believe it was any of you who did it, I still have some questions to ask.”
She then proceeded to question the entire staff. Apparently, Hayek was the only one who delivered food to Nicodemus. While most of the other staff were worried about catching whatever ailment afflicted him, Hayek had no such qualms. Even when it was someone else’s turn to bring him food, Hayek always insisted on doing it himself.
“It did seem a bit odd, but I didn’t really think much of it,” one of the chefs commented.
“If it helps, mistress,” said one of the quieter servants, a middle aged woman with graying hair, “I did notice him leaving the mansion in the middle of the night.”
“How often?” Venari asked curiously.
“Oh, only once or twice a week. It might have been more, but I only noticed it a few times.”
“That is helpful, thank you,” she said. “I appreciate the assistance you have all provided. I ask that you please keep this interaction a secret. You may return to your duties”
There was a chorus of “Yes, my lady,” before the kitchen staff dispersed.
Venari let out a frustrated sigh once everyone had left. “Cella, alert the city guards to be on the lookout for Hayek. Give them a description but keep it quiet, understand?”
“Of course, my lady. I shall do my best,” the butler said before leaving.
“I’m guessing you’re not sending the whole guard and Wild Hunters to search because you don’t want the whole city to know about Nicodemus, right?” I ventured.
“You are correct. With how difficult it is to acquire the royal helms, I doubt that Hayek could have gotten them by himself-”
“Which means he’s got someone wealthy or influential on your side,” I finished her sentence.
Venari nodded solemnly.
“Any idea who it could be?”
“I have my suspicions, but I would like to capture and question Hayek before I act on them.”
She shook her head in frustration. “But it won’t be easy now that he’s left. I doubt he’s planning on coming back.
My eyes lit up when an idea popped into my head. “I could help you find him, y’know.”
“Really?” Venari asked skeptically.
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“Yep. But it will take a bit of time, and I’m not doing it for free. How does 50 gold coins sound?”
“Too much,” she replied. “20 gold coins.”
“How about 30?”
“Done,” she said, sealing the deal. “But I want results within 5 days.”
“Will do. I’ll leave my assistants here to keep an eye on Nicodemus while I make my preparations. It’ll only take a day or two. Oh, also, make sure you have someone taste test the food before you give it to him. Hayek might not be the only traitor in your household.”
“Of course. Keep the medallion so you can get back in when you return.”
Once business was taken care of, I left the mansion with my two bodyguards in tow.
“[You could have charged a higher price for your services.]”
“I know, but the point wasn’t really to make money, it was more to get on her good side and show her that I’m useful. Think of it as an investment.”
Even though it was the middle of the night, I didn’t feel worried about being out in the noble district. With so many guards patrolling every street, there was no chance of me being attacked or robbed. When I exited the noble ring and entered the merchant ring, I made sure to stick only to the brightly lit areas and kept an eye out for anyone who might have been following me. My experience from living in the slums of Detroit with my father kept me on edge, knowing that there could be a potential threat behind every building and street corner.
I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I set foot back into the commoner ring. Even though the streets were dirty and smelly, it was a welcome change of pace from the stuffy feeling that the merchant and noble rings had. The dark alleyways and hooded figures walking around at this time of night reminded me of back home. I felt like a fish that had returned to water, and I was in my natural habitat.
Keeping my hood drawn over my face, I got out of the city as soon as I could and went to the area where the trucks were still parked.
“Get in,” I ordered the Predators, pointing at one of the trucks. The vehicles creaked under the weights of the robots, but within a few minutes we had driven to a small grove of trees just outside of Ocaephis. Hopping out, I pushed through the foliage until I reached a spot where the dirt had been recently disturbed. Brushing aside the soil, I revealed a large steel box embedded into the ground. I undid the latch that kept it closed, and with the help of the Predators, extended a long antenna-like object from within.
This was the transponder that Eidolon had installed a few days ago. Although I wasn’t expecting to have to use it so soon, it would come in very handy over the next few days. While the Predators pulled out several different types of drones and surveillance equipment from another steel box nearby, I pulled out a cord from the transponder and plugged it into the core in the center of my chest.
Now that I, and by extension Eve, were connected to the transponder, she could relay messages all the way to my home base. Even though I already had some drones here, I would need way more to find Hayek quickly. While Eve dispatched more drones and robots to my location, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. Sure, I didn’t need to sleep anymore, but after all the excitement over the last few days, it was nice to just rest for a bit.
Time passed quickly. Before I knew it, the sun had started to rise, its golden rays dispersing the light fog that had formed during the night.
“Eve, you done yet?”
“[Yes. I had already finished several hours ago.]”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“[I did not want to disturb you. Also, I wanted to enjoy the silence with you.]”
“Heh, that sounds kinda odd coming from you.”
“[You did say we were best friends, correct?]”
“Yeah, that’s true. So when will the other drones and stuff get here?”
“[They will arrive in approximately 23 hours and 43 minutes.]”
“Cool. What do you say we explore more of the city then?”
“[Are you sure that is the best idea? It may be dangerous.]”
“Oh it’ll be fine. Who knows, maybe we’ll come across Hayek while we’re exploring!”
“How are your power levels?” I asked the Predators before we left.
“Power level currently at: 43% charge. Estimated operating time remaining: 36 hours and 22 minutes.”
“Oh, that’s plenty of time.”