“The games just changed,” I thought aloud. Negotiation is a game of resources, the more you have, the better chances of you winning. In a situation like this, seldom does the other side have more than you.

“How does he even know?” Blake joined in on the confusion. Suddenly, we were the ones on the defense.

“Zack?” Oliver asked in a more inviting tone. “Are you there?”

“What should we do?” I asked Blake. “Still go with empathy or just try to counterattack?”

“We need to find out his intentions,” Blake answered. “If you look back, he never said what he wanted. He only offered a hypothetical.”

Blake had caught something that I hadn’t processed. He used if not I want. “Hypotheticals are used to either test the waters or misdirect. There’s no change in demand for money, so it has to be the latter.”

I unmute the microphone.

“What makes you say that I’m a criminal?” I asked.

“We both know why you’re a criminal,” he evaded the question.

“Could you enlighten me? How am I a criminal?” I kept on pressing.

“Zack, I really meant it when I said you should’ve gone,” Oliver said darkly. “I had my suspicions, Robin Hood. But you finding me faster than everyone else pretty much confirmed my suspicion.”

So he really knows. Blake closed his eyes. First, he ran his hands through his hair. Then, his arm rested on the table with his head buried into his palm. I straightened my back away from my relaxed position.

“And you? Does this make you Pied Piper?” I asked, fully serious now.

“Why are you asking?” he inquired. “You know that we’re symbols,” he said like it was common knowledge.

“How am I supposed to know you’re Pied Piper?” I growled, slightly losing my composure. Blake looked directly into my eye with disapproval. He had a look that chastised me.

“You really don’t know anything, do you?” Oliver asked with a small laugh. A good sign that he felt comfortable. Condescending me whilst laughing.

“We’re drifting away from the crux of this matter,” I redirected the conversation back to what I wanted. “What do you want for Leah?”

“You care about her safety, right?”

“I do.”

Oliver took a long pause. Perhaps to draw emphasis onto what he was about to say, or because he was thinking about his next move. “Can I trust you with something?”

“It depends on what you’re asking.”

He took another pause, although this one was much shorter. “We’re friends right?”

“Not the word I’d use, but sure,” I cheekily replied.

I heard a small, suppressed laugh come from his side. “This conversation is better suited in person. There’s a cabin; come in and get proof-of-life. Then let’s talk.”

“How do I know that I can trust you?” I drawled out slowly.

“We’re at a stalemate that you can end,” he said. “And I have no reason to take you as well.”

It was my turn to think about my next move.

“I’ll get back to you in a few minutes,” I replied as I ended the call. Blake, seeing I was looking away from the screen, ended the call.

“He’s technically right. As far as we know, he has no reason to,” Blake said.

“That’s what I was thinking too,” I said softly. “He won’t say what he wants otherwise.”

“It’s a bad idea though. Don’t do it.”

“I know that, but he’s alluding to something bigger,” I said as I took a deep breath. “I need to walk.”

I opened the door and took the laptop out. I set it on the hood and went to the other side and opened the door for Blake as well. I immediately felt the cold air on my chest despite the suit’s warmth. My breath was visible as I put on gloves.

I began pacing around the car, rubbing my hands and thinking.

“What are the two reasons you kidnap someone?” I asked out loud.

“One:,” I stuck up one finger. “To ransom them off and get money.”

Blake’s eyes widened as he got what I was trying to say. “Or two: it’s personal.”

“Exactly,” I pointed at him with a closed fist. “He never stated that he wanted money, so it has to be personal. And that must mean they have some connection.”

“She said her parents were musicians. Oliver is in band and played the trombone,” Blake said. He put his hands out. “It’s a bit of a stretch, but what if his personal reason has to do with her parents.”

I stopped in my tracks. “That’s our black swan, our motive. If that’s the case, then he’s telling the truth.” With that thought, I headed towards the trunk of the car.

“And if it’s not?” Blake asked.

“Stop being a pessimist,” I said as I opened the trunk. I dragged a big case towards me and opened it. “Then there’s plan B.”

“What the fuck is a bow going to do against a gun?” Blake shouted as I pulled all my equipment out. First, I put on my gloves, then grabbed the release grip and set up my bow. I converted my backpack into a make-shift quiver by sticking all the arrows inside and slightly closing it.

“It’s a deterrent,” I replied as I finished setting up. I turned towards him and began to walk back. “Stay out here and listen. If things go south, call the police.”

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“This isn’t a game!” Blake shouted out. His voice broke slightly. It stopped me in my tracks. A cold, dropping feeling crept into my stomach.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured with a gentle smile. I got closer to him.

“Y-you can’t be sure,” he mumbled softly. He looked down towards his feet and kicked a rock.

“Please, just trust me,” I said. “I always end up winning, more or less.”

Blake kept looking down, shifting his feet slowly and awkwardly. Every once in a while, instead of tapping, he kicked nearby rocks.

“Blake,” I addressed him. “You know I’ll always be there for you, right?”

He nodded his head. “I know, but that doesn’t make it easier.”

“Do you really think that Oliver has a gun?” I asked gently. “Also, do you think he’s the type of person to pull the trigger?”

He fumbled with his fingers for what seemed like minutes. But looking at my watch revealed it was just seconds. He gave a resigned sigh before looking up. “He’s not,” Blake conceded.

“Exactly,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”

I made a deliberate effort to check my watch in front of him, reminding him of the imaginary deadline. I brought my wrist back down and headed into the woods.

As I went down the trail, I couldn’t help but feel like something was watching me from behind. I felt that there was something pointed at my back. I quickly turned as I drew an arrow and loaded it.

“Nothing,” I whispered out with a sigh. I kept it notched as I looked around. Still nothing. I put the arrow back and I brought out my phone and turned on the flashlight. I began to speed-walk, then jog as my heart rate increased.

All I heard were crickets and my footsteps. Yet, even though I kept looking back, I still had that odd feeling.

I held onto the bow tightly. When I had reached a dead end, I looked around and saw a faint yellow light to the right. It just barely lit up the grass on the floor, casting a slight yellow hue. I was eager to get out of the dark woods so I sprinted towards it.

“Shit,” I mumbled as I tried to regain my balance. The heavy bow messed up my center of gravity and mobility so I had to swing it back to remain balanced. When I did, I slowed down so I wasn’t going full sprint; I could stop easier now.

I reached the house and peered inside the window. My eyebrows scrunched as I moved around, looking through from different angles. One thing jumped at me, or rather the absence of something. Leah.

‘What game is he playing?’ I thought. I saw him sitting on a chair, facing towards the door. He kept tapping his feet. To his side was his trombone leaning on the wall. There were also other instruments; guitars, drums, and flute.

I opened the camera app on my phone and zoomed in to get a better view. I looked for any possible weapons, but all I saw were needles.

‘Reassuring.’ I cautiously walked to the front door. I placed my hand on the handle and, with a deep breath, twisted it. Luckily, it was unlocked and saved me from an awkward position.

I pulled on the handle, swinging the door back fast. I reached back for an arrow before stopping mid-way. I didn’t need to escalate it even more.

CREAK

The chair was pushed back as Oliver rose. I took a step inside as I examined my surroundings. I saw Leah to the left of the door right under the window. Her eyes were closed and her shoulders were slumped forward.

“So Oliver,” I broke the tense silence. “Care to explain yourself?”

He looked at me with a completely neutral expression. His green eyes seemed to be taking a picture of me and examining it. It felt oddly unnerving.

“No need for the bow,” he said softly. He raised his hand and pushed his suit jacket open, in view of me. “See, no weapons. And I told you she was okay.”

I went over to Leah, paying attention to any sound that would indicate Oliver moved. I bent down and put my finger on her neck, searching for a pulse. It was faint and slow, but to my relief it was present.

“Are you satisfied?” he asked as I turned back.

“I’ll be satisfied when I get her back,” I said. “Feeling her pulse eases my worries, so since you showed me the courtesy of that I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. Why take Leah? She’s innocent.”

“Innocent?” he chuckled humorlessly. His eyes remained impassive. “I’ll admit that she is. But her parents? No.”

“I know you and her parents share some connection,” I probed, pulling on one of the few threads I had. “Care to tell me what that is?”

He looked down at the floor silently, giving a hard kick to a nearby rock. “My dad.”

I raised my eyebrow. Should I ask? I knew it would sound too intrusive. So a subtler approach was better. I remained silent, waiting for him to fill in the uncomfortableness.

“He was a musician, a very talented one at that. Her parents and him collaborated on what was supposed to be his masterpiece, his greatest work. But guess what?”

He looked up at me with a crazed smile. I saw the water in his eyes as his posture slumped. He made a fist with his hands before opening it and revealing his palms.

“Poof! He went away to tend to me for an injury, and THEY STOLE HIS WORK!” he yelled out passionately. “THAN, WHEN HE TRIED TELLING PEOPLE, THEY HIT HIM WITH LAWSUIT AFTER LAWSUIT!”

I grimaced at the volume of his voice. I would’ve covered my ears, but it was at the risk of ruining the rapport established.

“All our assets,” his voice kept on breaking. He took in deep breaths as his tears traveled down his face. “Gone.”

He took a loud heave. “They took his keyboard that he had since he was a child.”

“So that’s what you want? The keyboard back?” He nodded his head.

“It hurts, right?” Oliver looked up at me. “Watching all your father’s hard work, his legacy, being taken in front of you whilst you can’t do anything about it. Then, after the anger passes, you’re left in a haze.”

He gave me a look of realization. His eyes widened and he slightly smiled. “You went through the same thing. Heh, of course, it makes sense now.”

I nodded. “But that doesn’t give you the right to take their daughter.”

“You take gems.”

“Not people,” I tightened my grip on my bow.

“No need for that Robin Hood, I’m not going to attack you,” I said. “All I want them to do is to pay the Piper.”

“And how do you exactly know who I am?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure until you called,” he began. “But the weird absences, the rate at which you found me, and your archery made it perfectly clear.”

“How did my archery make it clear?” I questioned, genuinely confused.

“Come on, Pied Piper and his instrument. Robin Hood and his bow,” he stated as if it was common knowledge. “Must be a hell of a grimoire you got.”

He looked at me before scrunching his eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?” I asked.

“Magic?” he said as he tilted his head. “Paranormal?”

“Give me some of what you’re snorting,” I commented. “Are you saying that wizards are real?”

“Not just them,” he said. “You really didn't know?”

“Okay, I’ve seen movies, so on the off-chance that you’re right, I’m going to need to see some proof.”

“Well the point is that you won’t know if you’re the subject.”

“So you say Harry Potter is real, but you can’t prove it to me,” I surmised. “You should start a religion.”

“Trust me, you’ll see the truth sooner or later.”

“Okay, I think we’re getting sidetracked with all the fantasy,” I said. “If I get your keyboard back, will you release Leah?”

“Can you even do it?”

“Of course I can,” I scoffed. “If I can break into the Tower of London, what makes you think I can’t break into a ho-” I stopped midway as a thought came into my head.

“Does the Plauna mean anything to you?”

A cold chill passed throughout the room. It felt like I had just mentioned something taboo.

“How do you know what that is and nothing else?” he asked.

“What is it exactly?”

“It’s something tha-” Oliver began before he was interrupted.

HOWL

A loud howl came from behind the door

“Shit,” Oliver mumbled under his breath.

“What?”

“It’s a-” he began before the door broke. It was all a blur; one moment it was there and the next chips were falling towards the ground. I instantly loaded an arrow and pointed to the door.

“It seems waiting was worth it,” an old and rough voice said. To the right, right next to Leah, was a wolf.

WOOOSH