“Why don’t you start from the beginning? We’ll have a better idea of what’s going on if we order things chronologically.” Nisos said.
Arvad nodded.
“Two weeks ago, Father had set off on a trip to deliver goods with an important client in Tamery. According to him, it was difficult to beat the competition, but the returns from this trip would be worth it. He organized a caravan with nearly fifty staff members and twenty guards for the trip to Thebos. Last week, we received a letter in the mail from the bandits demanding 1500 platinum coins to release our father, and the letter was marked with his personal stamp.”
Adonya nodded and continued.
“After we received the letter, we requested aid from the guards. They said that an expedition into the desert like this one would require approval from the council. Given that the council seats are up for election in a few months, most of them did not pay us any attention. We had to pay a steep ‘consulting fee’ with a councillor in order to get anything done, and he only ended up sending a token force from the guard who came back within the same day.”
Her fists tightened as she scowled in frustration.
“When we tried to reach his office to demand an explanation for that farce, his guards threw us outside, but not before I caught sight of that bastard Baltasar. He was sitting there and laughing with the councillor like they were childhood friends!”
The young woman seethed, as Ati asked her a question.
“I am assuming from the context that this ‘Baltasar’ character is a competitor?”
“Yes; as a matter of fact, he’s our primary business rival. Father offered the Tameryian client a better deal than Baltasar, which is why we suspect he has a hand in all of this.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. Please carry on and tell us what happened next.” Nico said, and Arvad sighed.
“After that, we knew the council couldn’t be relied on. We didn’t know who else our rivals had their slimy hands on. We went to the adventurer’s guild and posted a quest with the details of the situation thus far. We got fortunate and a party known as the Desert Roses came to our aid. They were known to help those in need without pay, and their generosity did not stop at our doorstep. They promised to find Father and to capture and interrogate the bandits. The day after that, the whole episode with their severed heads at our doorstep happened.”
Little Tanni carried on explaining from that point onwards.
“After the Desert Roses died, everyone at the adventurer’s guild was spooked and didn’t want to intervene in the matter. People even blamed us for the deaths of the Desert Roses, since no one could believe a few desert bandits could kill them. We’ve locked ourselves inside after a mob nearly broke in, only to be pushed back by a local guardsman.”
A deathly silence took hold of the room as the Hiram siblings looked grimmer than ever.
“I think I see what’s going on here. What do you guys think?” Nico asked us.
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?! It’s that Blaster guy who’s responsible!” I said, prompting Nico to close her eyes and take a deep breath.
“Let’s try that again. What do you guys, with the exception of Kiara, think?”
“Hey!”
“Well, for starters, I think that a local authority figure is involved. If not the councillor they spoke to, then someone who traded a favor with him.” Ati said, and Nico nodded.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Right. We don’t have enough information to figure out who our enemies in the authorities are; just that they exist. They also lack either the motive or the ability to directly fabricate a crime on the Hiram family, so they’re content with wasting your time and resources and letting the bandits do the dirty work. Anything else?”
“I don’t think that the Desert Rose was killed by the bandits. It took about a week for the ransom letter to arrive here, but the severed heads were sent here within a day. I’d say that they were murdered nearby by a third party that framed the bandits or is working with them. Though I struggle to imagine how the bandits would get someone that powerful to work with them.” Nisos said.
“Hmm. Hold that thought; Did the letter that arrived with the heads carry your father’s seal?” Nico asked Arvad, who shook his head.
“No, it didn’t. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I’d thought that they’d already proven their identity once before with these heavy-handed and gruesome methods.”
“Then I think Nisos’s assumption is safe to assume as true. As to who has the power and connections to murder the Desert Rose, I would wager that it’s the same person who was getting in your way with getting help from the council. If they didn’t kill the Desert Rose themselves, they could simply get someone or some group capable of that to do it on their behalf. Now, do we have a list of suspects?” Nico asked Adonya.
“Besides our business rivals, nothing. I’ve no clue who would be trying to do something like this.”
“I see. Then we’ve got to get more information from our one remaining lead: the desert bandits. The problem is that we can’t leave the Hiram manor defenseless since we have an enemy out in the city. I’ll stay here to guard you lot; my abilities were made to protect others. Nisos, you stay with me as well; your ability to communicate silently over long distances will be invaluable.”
Nico then looked to me and Ati.
“Kiara, Ati, you two should go to find and capture the desert bandits for interrogation. Ati, your priority is to sneak in and save the hostages while Kiara does the bulk of the fighting. I can’t trust her with something that needs any kind of finesse, but that should be your forte. Do you think you can do that?”
“Hey! This is the second time you’ve thrown shade at me!”
Everyone ignored me as Ati answered.
“I can get it done. I am also confident I can interrogate the bandits at the camp, if you need that done.”
Nico hesitated for a bit before nodding.
“If you can, then do so, but don’t maim or kill them. We can’t rely on the guards to do their jobs, so we’ll have to make do where necessary. That said, you’re more likely to find useful information in any written records they have, so search for those first.”
Ati nodded, then Jezibel asked a question of her own.
“What am I supposed to do? You certainly aren’t expecting me to stay here, are you?” she asked.
“Actually, I am. You have a personal stake in this, which is exactly why you shouldn’t be going. You need a clear head to get things done, and depending on what we find there, you may not be able to do that. I also doubt you’d go on the mission comfortably knowing that your siblings are in the crosshairs of an enemy in the city. That said, I would appreciate it if you sent your owl with Kiara and Ati; having eyes on site would be good. Is this compromise satisfactory to you?” Nico said, and Jezibel sighed but nodded anyway.
“We should also come up with ways to signal a few words through the owl, such as ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ That’ll help us coordinate a little bit.”
“Actually, I think I can help with that. I’ve got a pair of items that just might do the trick.”
***
“Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3….” I said through the strange, conch-looking magic item.
“I hear you, Kiara. It seems to be working fine. Now come back so we can continue talking.” Nicotris said through the conch, and Ati and I made our way back to the guest room from the living room.
“Are there any issues with the clarity of my voice?” Nico asked.
“No, it was easy to tell what you were saying. Are you sure this thing is going to work over such a long distance?”
“We used this to talk with father when he was all the way in Ionia. The only question left was if it still worked, and you just proved that it did.” Arvad said.
Nico had just finished placing a map of the continent on what was left of the table.
“We’re going to make sure you guys don’t get lost by using local landmarks to figure out where you are and where you should be going to scout, so don’t lose the communicator. Got it? Ati, don’t let Kiara get close to even touching it. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
I rolled my eyes, too exhausted to do anything but roll with the punches at this point.
“Let’s go already. If you’ve got anything else to tell us, say it through the communicator.” I whined.
“We’re done here; move past the mountains and start flying over the road to Thebos. Good luck.”