HELOISE VAN ASTELL

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Ray had been acting weird ever since he returned to the Capital. I’m sure he had a lot on his mind because of the Great Shuffle and how Ilias, Mistress Trisha, and Jaime were still missing, but something was off about the young colonel.

It was like he wanted to tell me something, but couldn’t. Like something or someone was preventing him from speaking up.

His unit was also gone—apparently they volunteered to go to remote areas of the world to look for the still-missing villagers.

I find this all hard to believe.

Those four swore to stick by Camaro’s side and they wouldn’t leave it to volunteer unless he asked them to.

I got an invitation from the colonel for a dinner two days from now at the same tavern we went to.

I showed up at the exact time the letter stated and found Camaro waiting, tenser than ever. But something was strange about the tavern. I shifted my eyes around and picked up that there were people watching us. Not only that, they carried the same faces as the patrons that were here the last time.

Camaro and Doria are being monitored. That might explain their odd behaviour.

“How have you been, Heloise?” Camaro asked.

“Why did you invite me for a sudden dinner?”

“Geez, why are you acting so cold? I just want to see a familiar face.”

“That’s a good reason, I suppose.” I glossed over the menu. “Any news of the search?”

“Half of everyone is still missing and no one has been found recently.” Camaro took a sip from his cup, subtly tapping it twice on the table before placing it down. “So, how are the kids you’re teaching?”

“They’re doing better. They’re finally listening.”

The colonel stared right into my eyes, almost as if he didn’t care about the conversation. “That’s good.”

Is he trying to tell me something?

Of course, him tapping was the signal.

“It really is, but they’re still nothing compared to Ilias, “ I said, tapping the table twice with my finger as if I was fidgeting.

Camaro’s face changed to a smug look, letting me know he understood that I was listening.

“How good is your memory?” he asked.

“Do you really think I have a bad memory? I’m basically a walking grimoire at this point.”

“Really?” he said. “Do you still remember the names of the other participants who took the exam with us?”

So he wants me to remember the names. That’s easy enough.

“I only remember the ones I interacted with. Everyone else is irrelevant. By the way, did you let the prince ride Tank? I heard he was riding around the city on an armoured lizard the other day.”

“Prince Bradley loved him, I took him around the Capital after King Arthureus asked me to. Apparently, he’s had a sudden interest in animals. The king and queen are doing a good job supporting his interests.”

“They should’ve called Ivan.”

“They do, but too bad Karma Chameleon’s been dealing with the state of emergency at the Maze Labyrinth and the white whale at Headrig’s Pass. I’m surprised the Royal Guard isn’t helping out more with the white whale. I’ve been running into Sloth a lot at the keep. His look surprisingly matches his namesake. Enyaba would say it’s fate. Do you still remember her?”

The servants saw us to our meals and we began eating.

“Of course I do,” I said. “She’s an odd little woman that was always trying to read my fortune every time I passed her shack.”

“There are a lot of people we know who are helping with Headrig’s Pass. Especially from our exam. Do you remember the Zaltar brothers? They were good with earth jynx, so I heard they were helping mine to the east. General Edwin from the north even sent some of his troops to help with the situation.”

“Edwin? General Armstrong will get mad at you if he finds out you’ve been calling him by his first name.”

“You’re just like Rudolf with these honorifics—you don’t have to be professional all the time. Besides, I called the general by his first name during the trial and he was fine with it. But you have to be careful because everyone is different. One time, a platoon member from my pre-military program named Oswaldo called our superior by his first name. He had to run around the field until sunset as punishment. It was three hours before noon when he started. I’ve never seen a man breakdown like he did.”

“Nine hours straight? That must’ve been unfortunate.”

“Let’s get back to the topic of the Great Shuffle. When the beam of light hit Gilead, I’m sure the kids were together so they must’ve been teleported somewhere close. It’s Trisha that I’m worried about, but Hendrik assured me she’d be fine as no one would be stupid enough to hurt a doctor as skilled as her. Rudolf, on the other hand—he’s always thinking of the worst-case scenario. That man doesn’t help mitigate anxiety at all.”

“Yeah, I talked to him about that. He likes to assume it’s the worst-case scenario because if it’s not, then it would be a relief. If it was, then at least he’s prepared.”

Camaro reached over and fiddled around with my hair. “Why is it so long? Your alias is named after your silver hair. I think you should trim it if it’s getting too long. Are you growing it out or is it because you liked the way Edward cut it back at the village?”

“The second one. He’s one of the only people I’ll allow to cut my hair. If you think it should be trimmed, I’ll cut it myself.”

“Why don’t you let my Marching Dolls do it with their rapiers? They’re very accurate.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not letting you touch my hair.”

“Fine,” Camaro chuckled. “Edward’s been found, so if you ever need a cut, I’m sure he’ll love to get a chance to cut your hair again.”

“Have you gone sightseeing while you’ve been here?”

“Not really. I’ve been swamped at work. But I do get invited every once in a while to watch a show at the amphitheatre where Decan was executed. Andrea doesn’t come, though. She’s never liked theatre.”

“You’re calling the lieutenant by her first name now?”

“We call each other by our first name if there are no soldiers around.”

“That’s a lie. It’s so blatant. If you like her, call her by her first name in front of her, not behind her back.”

“Relax, I don’t see her as that. I just find her first name more interesting.” Camaro finished up the rest of his meal. “Anyways, I’ve got to head back to work. I’ve got this lead on a thief named Yasmin and I’m going to interrogate the prisoners for some information.”

“Of course, you’re a busy man after all.”

“By the way, if you ever feel like drinking high-quality wine, go down Ogre Street and find a shop owned by a man named Strauss. He has some bottles from the east and anything from there will only get rarer.” He drank the rest of his drink. “By the way, did you know that the more you say a word, the less believable it sounds? Try any word. I picked trajectory and now that word doesn’t seem real.”

I sighed. “Moist, moist, moist, moist, moist—this is stupid.”

Camaro chuckled, called for a waiter, and tapped twice on the table to let her know we wanted to pay.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

That’s the end of the message.

He took out his purse. “I’ll pay for both our meals.”

The colonel then nodded to me before heading off. Not long after, he was followed by the people watching us.

When I left the tavern, I noticed that I too was being trailed by two people. I’d have to pretend I was oblivious or risk everything Camaro was trying to tell me.

As I entered the apartment, I shivered to show I felt cold before shutting the doors and pulling down the curtains. I then grabbed a notepad and hid in the privy.

Remember the names. What message did he hide this time?

I wrote down the names in the order Camaro said them.

Bradley loved the armoured lizard.

Arthureus asked.

Sloth has been running into him.

Enyaba says it’s fate.

Zaltar brothers from our exam.

Edwin in the north.

Rudolf and his honorifics.

Oswaldo was punished.

Trisha is who he’s worried about.

Hendrik assured him.

Rudolf thinks of worst-case scenarios.

Edward cuts my hair.

Edward has been found.

Decan was executed at the amphitheatre.

Andrea hates theatre plays.

Yasmin was close to being caught.

Strauss the shop owner.

Now, what was the message Camaro hid?

I heard he managed to send a coded message to Gilead when Armstrong was keeping him hostage in Rockbell. He did it by having the first words of each sentence spell out a message.

Hold on…

I noticed a pattern and underlined the first letter of each name, revealing the secret message Camaro was trying to tell me:

Bradley

Arthureus

Sloth

Enyaba

Zaltar

Edwin

Rudolf

Oswaldo

Trisha

Hendrik

Rudolf

Edward

Edward

Decan

Andrea

Yasmin

Strauss

BASE ZERO

THREE DAYS

I burned the note immediately.

Why does he want me to go there?

Ever since Camaro was here, it seemed as if he wanted to tell me something but couldn’t. Perhaps he wanted me to rendezvous there to tell me whatever it was he wanted to say.

Though not as heavily as Camaro and Doria, I was being monitored. If I checked out whatever was waiting for me at Base Zero, then that would mean staying in the Capital wasn’t safe.

The next day, a heavy knocking came upon my door and I answered it to a bunch of soldiers wanting to search my apartment. Apparently, a prisoner from the dungeons had escaped and they were looking for him.

I spent the next two days going about my normal routine. On the third day, I packed my things as if I was an adventurer, dropped off a letter to the landlord saying I was ending my lease and to sell all the things I had left behind, and headed for Base Zero.

Base Zero was supposedly hidden well, but Camaro and I helped as proctors on different years so we knew where it was.

On my way there, I noticed I was being trailed by two figures. Without so much as a thought, I summoned a mini twister to crash their heads into each other and knock them out. I then used arcane jynx to bind them against a tree and set the bonds to break at sunset.

I wandered around Base Zero, looking for whatever Camaro wanted me to find.

Maybe I have to say a safeword?

“Why did Ray use such a weird word?” I asked aloud. “It’s an uncommon word to say in conversations, I suppose. This is stupid. How am I supposed to say the word trajectory to call someone?”

I continued investigating the halls when I heard a somewhat familiar voice. “Uhh, hello.”

He had changed his hairstyle and facial hair, but there was no doubt I was looking at John Armstrong, the same man Camaro incarcerated.

“So you’re the prisoner that escaped.” I pointed my staff at him. “Why are you here?”

“It’s you,” he said. “Heloise the Heroine.”

“Answer the question.”

John raised his hands to show he was of no threat. “Mrs Heloise, the colonel sent me here to meet up with you. He told me to stay hidden until the safeword was spoken—and you said trajectory.”

“What are you here for?”

“I’m here to deliver a message. The colonel and lieutenant are being watched and there is too much he wants to tell you in code. So he let me escape so I can act as the messenger.”

I lowered my staff. “Okay then, where’s the message?”

“Actually, he had me memorizing everything. I advise that you sit down. Everything you hear will hit you harder than it did me.”

It was a good thing John had me sit down. I almost keeled over when he explained Camaro’s findings. A hidden plot the government was behind, the Capital not being safe, the incantation circle that teleported an entire village, where everyone was teleported to, and the targets these people were after.

“Why Ilias and Mistress Trisha?” I asked. “What do they have to do with all of this? I mean, Ilias is a special child, but why his mother?”

“That’s what the colonel wants you to find out.”

“And now it makes sense why King Arthureus personally exempted me from the state of emergency to raid the Maze Labyrinth. They couldn’t risk me seeing Mistress Trisha.”

“But if they need Dr Payne and Ilias,” John said, “they’d need them alive, correct?”

“That’s right. So we know, at the very least, that Trisha is alive somewhere. If they found her dead, they would’ve told Camaro and shown him her body. However, if she was alive and they announced her as dead, it would be suspicious if they didn’t show him a body.”

“And for now, Ilias and Jaime are safe. According to the colonel’s findings, they would’ve been sent right above the Great Sand Sea.”

“Yes, if they find each other, Ilias will know what to do. However, we’re cut off from him, and knowing my student, he’ll journey back to the West without knowing he’s walking into danger.”

“What’s your move going to be?” he asked.

“The prediction is that it’ll take two years for the miners at Headrig’s Pass to dig a tunnel to the east. And unless they manage to kill Moby Dick, Ilias and Jaime and the other villagers will be safe on that side for a while.”

“What about officials in the east that are in on this grand plot?”

“I doubt there are many. As you said, King Arthureus sends away people that are against his plans. This is why a proud military family such as the Armstrongs are so far up north and why General Clegane is so far west. Besides, all of the waypoints are on the western side. Anyone in the east will be as clueless as the people living there.”

“So I take it, Ilias and Jaime aren’t a priority?”

“No, they’re safer if we’re not actively trying to reach them. We must find Mistress Trisha because she’s probably being held as a prisoner somewhere.”

“The colonel says not to head to Seraphim or Port Town. Once you’re gone from the city, they’ll assume you’ll head there to let the Cleganes know of Camaro’s findings. You can’t contact them just yet.”

“What does Camaro suggest?”

“He says to go to Dr Creed because he might know things.”

“Of course,” I realized. “King Arthureus sent him to Gilead to aid Trisha with childbirth. He must’ve been sent to make sure things went smoothly. No one knows he’s alive either.”

“Also, he says to try and find Scar.”

“Yes, that’s a smart strategy, but it’s just odd looking for someone who’s known as a serial murderer. Never in my lifetime would I assume he was doing good.”

I picked up my briefcase, put on my pointy hat, grabbed my staff, and headed out the door. “Let’s go, the binds I put on the soldiers following me break at day fall. We have to make a lot of ground before that happens.”

“You’re really fine with someone like me coming along?” John asked.

“You’re a wanted man and I’m sure they’ll suspect that the colonel freed you. If you’re found, you’ll be tortured and killed. You’re knee-deep in this whole thing, whether you like it or not.”

“What if I betray you?”

I went up to John and stared into his eyes. He backed away, trying to avoid my gaze.

“When I saw you at your trial, I saw an arrogant selfish man who was full of himself…” I began to make my way to the exit. “But I don’t see him anymore.”

John stared at me, surprised at my response.

I swung open the doors. “If you don’t want to come, then that’s your choice and I can’t force you. Everyone has the freedom to choose their own path, I suppose. I was just looking out for you is all.”

As I was about to step out, John shouted out, “Mrs Heloise, the colonel told me to do whatever I want once I’ve delivered his message. He told me that if I choose to accompany you, to look after you and never leave your side. And I don’t mean to.” He put on his backpack and grabbed the briefcase I was holding. “I’ll be staying by our side.”

With the fate of Armestis resting on our shoulders, the two of us took our first step on a long and perilous road.