Chương 47: Rava's Day

Return to last night, in the vacant shop that Havlo was surveilling, the archmage that had caught his attention was drawing a demon circle on the floor. This mage was named Rava. She didn't have wings, yet she could fly. She was a half-elf, and she was a member of the Supreme Society. She drew the circle easily from memory, as her talent was in all matters of the arcane.

Once the last rune was in place, she stood back to admire her handiwork, letting her [Light] spell manifest as an orb and float down to trace a path along the chalk lines. All that remained was to gather a few materials and then she could perform the ritual that would summon a demon to Ardark. Was it really necessary? Probably not. But she was going to do it anyway. Just not tonight. Not until she was ready to leave this city behind.

Without dropping her [Invisibility], she left through the back and secured it with [Manipulate Lock] before flying to the Temple of the Golden Hoard. They had her set up in a guest room with a luxurious king-size bed, heated foot spa, and fresh peaches delivered every morning to her door. Having skipped dinner, she stopped by the kitchen for a midnight snack.

The chefs weren't on duty at this hour, so she helped herself to some dried tomatoes, salted fish, and found a nice cut of steak sitting in the ice box labeled with the herald's name. Surely he wouldn't mind if she helped herself. After frying up the steak, she cracked an egg, and then poured herself some wine. The best thing about eating at this time was that she had the entire dining room to herself. She was settling down to her meal when an angry priest burst through the doors.

"Who gave you permission to make a mess at this hour!" he boomed. The moment he saw who he was talking to, the color drained from his face.

"I-I'm sorry, great executor. I thought you were one of the acolytes."

"It's quite all right," she said magnanimously.

"I did make quite a mess in the kitchen. I'd be angry too if I were in your shoes. And I certainly wouldn't let me get away with this."

"I-I'll get the night staff to clean it up right away!"

"If you're willing to wait until I'm done with my meal, I'd be happy to hose it all down for you," she offered.

"I even have the perfect spell for that."

"No, no! That won't be necessary, great executor! The acolytes need to learn the value of discipline and hard work. It is good that we have this opportunity to teach them!" Before the priest could retreat from the dining room, she blocked his way with a [Force Wall]. At first he seemed confused over the transparent barrier, but then he turned and faced her fearfully.

"I'm sure the acolytes have other work they need to be getting on with," she said.

"And it was you who came in here to yell at me."

"I-I'll get on it right away!" The priest scrambled toward the kitchen. Rava continued her meal in silence. It took several minutes before the priest had worked up the courage to poke his head back in.

"Great executor, I couldn't find anything to clean."

"Did you think I would be a bad guest?" she said without looking over.

"N-no, not at all!"

"Then away with you." The priest hurried to leave. But before he could get through the door, she called out to him once more.

"By the way..." He turned stiffly back to face her, trying and failing to conceal his dread. She held up her fork to show him the piece of steak on it.

"Tell the herald he has good taste." The rest of her meal passed by without interruption, and for dessert she grabbed herself a persimmon from a fruit basket and then added the rest of the contents to her inventory for later. Then it was off to clean her teeth before retiring to bed. Next day she didn't get up until noon. A half-elf needed her beauty sleep. When she went out to grab some lunch, she found an acolyte waiting outside her door.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"I was told not to disturb you," he said, lowering his eyes.

"Were you also told not to answer my question?"

"Perhaps an hour," he replied.

"The herald would like to see you."

"Can it wait until I've eaten?"

"I-I don't know." She stepped past him and returned to the kitchen, where a team of chefs were busy fixing up a five-course banquet. She told them her order and then returned to the dining room, where she found a table to herself. The one thing she really missed in her travels was the church's facilities. She was looking forward to using the spa and sauna after lunch. Yesterday had gone really well, and she only had a few minor preparations left to make before her visit to Ygg Latten Bay.

Since she'd promised the herald she would remain here for another day, she could afford to spend it relaxing. Who knew when she would next get the chance? The best part was how the priests all avoided her. Most of them didn't know her role in the church, only that she wasn't to be messed with. And that's just the way she liked it. Once she finished her lunch, she considered ditching the herald and heading straight to the spa. But there was always the possibility that he carried word from the Supreme Council.

With a heavy sigh she made her way over to his chambers. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. His office was gaudily decorated in gold. It was in all the picture frames, it weaved its way into every tapestry, there wasn't a single wall-hanging not plated in it, and everything that sat atop the mantelpiece had that same color shine to it. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought he was a dragon.

But the self-assured mug grinning back at her from across the gold-cornered desk was hideously human.

"This had better be important," she said.

"I have plans for today."

"Did you know that there's a merchant cartel in this city?" he began.

"Why should I care?"

"They're an important affiliate of this temple."

"You didn't answer my question." She noticed with satisfaction that his grin wavered. But this was a man who made his living by putting on a performance, and the momentary lapse quickly passed.

"I've received a report that two of their agents have gone missing in the night," he said.

"There's a concern that it has something to do with a dragonkin that's been seen flying in and out of the city." She didn't care about the missing agents but had to admit that the dragonkin sighting piqued her interest. It was rare for them to be seen outside their lands, as they generally regarded the landbound races the same way human kingdoms regarded tribal villages.

"There's a directive from the council," the herald continued.

"You've heard back from the council already?" She did her best to hide her concern. If an ascendant was this close to Ardark, she'd be forced to answer uncomfortable questions about the destruction of the Moonfoot Keystone before she was ready with answers.

"It's a missive we received last week," he explained.

"There have been unusual activities within the Draegorian Empire. The council wants everyone to send up any intel they can find."

"A lone dragonkin living in Ardark hardly seems like it would be a reliable source of news about the empire," she pointed out.

"Which is why we didn't bother with them until now," he replied.

"But if they're interfering with our business..."

"Let me see the report," she said.

"They sent me two for some reason, so take your pick." He held out a sheet in each hand. She took both and quickly skimmed through them.

"These are two separate incidents."

"What?"

"This one here talks about two highway control agents who have disappeared after being released on bail. This other one talks about two subject acquisition agents who haven't reported back from the job last night. The merchant cartel has lost four agents, not two."

"What are the odds of two agents from two separate operations disappearing on the same night?" the herald wondered. Rava didn't find it that surprising at all. The highway agents were brought in only yesterday and bailed immediately afterward. That would certainly upset the people from the caravan they'd attacked. As for subject acquisition, that was a risky job. People by nature didn't like to be abducted, and the agents might have picked on someone capable of fighting back.

In fact that was almost certainly what happened, since the two agents in question had only signed on to be vandals, and were thrust into these new duties without proper training. This was the sort of mess that you ended up with when you went around changing people's job descriptions on them. Still the dragonkin could be interesting. She was curious what one would be doing in Ardark.

"What direction has the dragonkin been seen flying?" she asked.

"They were spotted last night coming in from the direction of the Lorear Hills."

"That's a lot of ground to cover," she said doubtfully.

"If they're interfering with the merchant cartel's operations, they've got to be stopped," the herald said.

"The church has a lot of money tied up in them."

"Why would you be giving them money?"

"It's an investment. Once the merchant cartel seizes control of all trade in both Ardark and Lorelark, they can set the prices and their profits will go to the moon. As financiers, half will flow on to us."

"Lorelark? How do they fit into this?" she asked.

"The closure of Ygg Latten Bay was the perfect opportunity," the herald explained.

"By stopping all travel through the Lorear Hills, the only trade route left open to the Lorelark trading houses is the long way along the coast, by cart rather than by ship. The expenses will kill all their profits. Once their coffers have been drained, the merchant cartel can swoop in and take them over at bargain prices."

"So this is all about money?"

"Of course not. The experiments being conducted under the Dabaux estate are also important. Do you think those would be possible without control of the Ardark City Council?" She had to give the priest credit. As talentless as he was in magic, his creativity knew no bounds when it came to politics and money-making. There was a reason he'd been made a herald and put in charge of this temple. The last time she visited, it had been in a fledgling state.

Now it had just about consumed the entire city and was ready to swallow a second one to the south.

"I'll see if I can pick up the trail of this dragonkin agent," she said.

"But remember that whatever happens, I'll be leaving tomorrow night."

Flying over the Lorear Hills, Rava wondered how something that used to be so fun had, over the years, morphed into a chore. When was the last time she flew for the sake of flying? It seemed like she was so busy these days that she only found herself in the air when she was on her way to something else. Today was a rare excuse to be in the sky and just do nothing. It was clear to her, the futility of searching for the dragonkin in the hills.

The only logical plan was to keep watch over the skies and wait to spot them coming or going. And since that didn't take much focus, she spent the entire afternoon doing twirls and loop-the-loops through the clouds. She did it all while [Invisible] of course. She understood humans well enough to know how many would get upset over the audacity of a two-hundred-year-old half-elf wanting to have a little fun. Time flew by fast, and before long the sun was beginning to dip behind the hills.

She was about to head back to the temple for dinner when something caught her eye. It was where the wilderness gave way to pastures west of the city. The dragonkin woman's deep blue scales and dark uniform stood out against the green canopy of trees as she glided to the edge of the forest and stopped to survey the land beyond. The woman's head abruptly snapped in her direction as Rava drew close.

"Identify yourself. I know you're there." The woman sounded like someone used to handing out orders.

"You're the outsider here," Rava replied without dropping her [Invisibility]. Despite the contentious nature of the exchange, the woman visibly relaxed.

"I'm searching for a child," the woman said.

"We got separated in the storm."

"There hasn't been a storm in days." Seeing a flicker of despair on the woman's face made Rava feel a bit bad about pointing it out. She asked, "What is this child to you?"

"I've been looking after her since her parents died," the woman replied.

"Why do you care that much for someone else's child?"

"I have a responsibility to her," the woman said fiercely. Something about the woman's concern for the missing child touched Rava deeply. She decided that she would help her where she could.

"Maybe someone already found her and brought her to the city," she suggested.

"Have you checked with the Amber Temple?" The woman shook her head.

"She isn't there." Rava landed in the forest and dropped her [Invisibility].

"Not many can sense me like you did," she said when the woman joined her on the ground.

"You must be quite a capable mage. For someone like you to bring a child all the way out to human lands, is there something happening inside the Draegorian Empire?"

"You may suppress your mana," the woman said, "but any mage can tell that you're among the greatest of us all. An elf may only know the touch of the sky when the pinnacle of magic is within their reach."

"Does no one in this world know how to answer questions?" she said, though she had to suppress a smile, as the flattery weighed more than the annoyance. The woman hesitated. Dragonkin were naturally reluctant to discuss their internal affairs with other races. But Rava's ability to fly should give her special status. At last the woman said, "The empire is in turmoil. Dragonkin blood is being spilled. I sought to keep the child safe from all that."

"What sort of turmoil?" The woman hesitated once more.

"I know people who can help you find the girl," she said impatiently.

"Find her first," the woman said.

"Then I will satisfy your curiosity." While this was an inconvenience for her, Rava didn't blame the woman for making use of the only bargaining chip she had. The Dabaux estate was close by. Though the merchant cartel's clandestine operations were focused on banditry and abductions, they nevertheless possessed the most extensive information network in Ardark and its surroundings. If anyone could find a missing child, it would be them.

"Follow me," she instructed, and turned to walk toward the road. The dragonkin woman fell into step beside her.