Chapter 83: Unanswered Oddities

  SENA

  The problem with being the head of a clandestine order is that you can't really have an easy trail for reporting. It was nearly a day before Sena could find a good time to rendezvous with one of her agents for an update on the most curious issue she was currently dealing with. It was possibly the most pressing, simply because she didn't know how dangerous it actually was.

  It was a strenuous job at times like this. Sena had to maintain public appearances as a member of the military, which often included visiting the troops and observing them during training, or showing up to meetings with other officers. Nobody knew exactly what she did, all she had to do was appear as though she belonged amongst all the other officers with various responsibilities and she knew most would never ask questions.

  In addition to the cover identity’s obligations, she also had to do her actual duties. This often involved lengthy sessions of looking over what little intelligence she did write down in encoded notes. She also had to integrate any new information into what she already had.

  “Still no sign of the stranger.” The petite vaskan shook her head with a nervous twitch in her nose again. Sena was not known to be cruel for failure, but some of her predecessors had been more temperamental. Old habits died hard. “We were able to search the room. He left his travel cloak, his belongings, even his weapons. We delivered his staff for examination.”

  This was infuriating to Sena. It would be easier if the stranger had actually done something hostile. Instead, all he had done was drink with a few merchants and tell a few stories about his hunt for his core and some weird ritual place for a far off tribe. If the latter story were true, it would be something to investigate… but the disappearance of the storyteller just made everything more frustrating.

  The farmers near where the rivers met were much easier to deal with. They were frustrated, and for good reason. But it wasn't Sena’s job to solve their problem. It was her job to make sure that they didn't make their problems the city's problems. A few well-muscled guards leaning on a couple of the farmers quieted them down long enough for a long-term solution to filter through the Council.

  It didn't make any sense. If there were some sort of rebellion fermenting in the city right now she would have caught at least a few rumors of it. But for someone to disappear like this would indicate something very well organized, and very close to implementation. Either that wasn't the problem or they were just that much better than her and her people.

  Sena was not egotistical… but she had confidence in her people.

  Reluctantly, she sighed. “Continue monitoring.” Was the entire point of this to tie up one of her agents? They were valuable, and keeping watch on one random traveler seemed like a waste. At the same time, his very ability to avoid them made him a person of concern. Even if he were harmless, then that skill would be something she could use. Sena was not one to let a possible asset like that walk away.

  This was going to be a headache. She could sense it.

  GENTH

  High Commander Genth had very little time to himself – almost as little as he had time for social calls. When Sena showed up at his home, he knew it was not the latter. It never was.

  As usual, she had been waiting for him. Never mind that it was his house, and never mind that there was never any sign of the locks being forced. It was always her showing up whenever she wanted. Usually these visits were short. Almost always. They included some new information that he would have to act upon. For someone so young, the head of the Silent Order was terrifyingly competent.

  “It has been weeks since you showed up here,” Genth grumbled. He reached down under the counter and retrieved a clay jug, the scent of wine seeping from the stopper. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten me.”

  “Never.” The younger vaskan gave him a polite smile, but her lips didn’t part. He knew the array of sharp teeth made her smiles uncomfortable for many people, so she avoided showing them. “May I impose for a cup?”

  Genth poured her a cup and slid it across the table, taking a seat across from the spymaster. Despite his grouchy demeanor, this was an old game between the two. He was the only person who knew her true purpose, and they were careful to avoid speaking in public with any level of familiarity. The rumors of their close association had been spread simply to deepen the mystery… a rumor without proof, true or false, was far more useful than one supported by evidence.

  He was nearly twice Sena’s age, and while he did not understand her world, he had learned something in those years.

  “Are the farmers going to be a problem after all?” He asked the question before lifting his cup, the potent bite of the wine sending a thrill down his spine. This was not for casual drink… it was for sipping.

  Sena shook her head and nursed her cup, her tail swaying lazily in thought. “No. I believe that will be handled. Another rumor at the market proved to be just a few youths grumbling. For the time being, you may focus on the border. But…”

  Genth paused with his cup at his lips. Sena never truly showed her emotions in public, but when alone with him she sometimes relaxed. Sometimes. And right now she seemed… distracted.

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  “Something else I should worry about?” The question was asked with caution as Genth eyed the younger vaskan. Sena’s agitation was something he hadn’t seen since she was newly-appointed to the role.

  The feral-looking woman twitched one ear and rested her chin on one hand. “I don’t know. And that’s what worries me.” She growled, a low and primal sound that few in the city could replicate. “We lost track of a suspicious individual. I’d say he was just a wanderer, but he’s completely disappeared.”

  That did get Genth’s attention. For someone to completely give the Silent Order the slip was strange. He had never heard of it happening for more than a few hours, and that wouldn’t give Sena cause to grumble. “Has he been missing for a while? Dead perhaps?”

  Sena waved a hand. “Maybe, but the way he disappeared is getting to me. Also, he’s a nightsleek Totem, and those things are just custom-built to be stealthy. I wish I had more, myself.” She snorted. “The thing I can’t figure out is what the angle is… it makes me think I’m missing something big.”

  Genth snapped his fingers, bringing Sena’s eyes up with a jolt. “You have work to do. There’s nothing you can do if your agents lost him. Let them keep looking and do their jobs. If this man turns up again, you can handle it. If he doesn’t, there’s nothing you can do anyway.”

  That only brought a sigh out of Sena. “Yes… yes I know. Except… I can’t shake this feeling that something is very wrong about this.” She set down her cup. “You may want to leave some troops in reserve here… just in case. I think I’m missing something.”

  The Commander snorted softly. “You always did get too focused on a good puzzle.” He lifted his cup and muttered. “I don’t think we’ll need everyone on the border. I’ll leave an extra squad here if it will make you feel better.”

  Claws lightly scratched over the resin-covered table, too light to leave marks but making Genth flinch anyway. It was an expensive table! Sena was more careful than she appeared, the act only done to help her think. “It would. I’d really like to check out his story with a flark rider, but neither of us can spare one of those for hunting down a suspicion.”

  That wasn’t normal. Genth frowned, then stared at the twitching tail leader of the Silent Order, one of the most powerful people in the Domain, considering the use of a precious resource to chase down a story. Flark were rare, and people who could ride them almost as rare.

  He grunted in annoyance. “Tanus is still injured, and his flark is temperamental. I know you’re qualified. If you think you can control it, and can bring it back soon enough, you could borrow it.”

  This was a risk. Flark were precious enough that if Sena injured it or otherwise made it nonviable, it would be a real loss to the Domain. Sena knew this as well, and he could see her considering it. Ultimately, she shook her head.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I should try some more investigation here, first.” She grimaced. “It’s quite possible the whole point of the stories he told was to distract us away from the city.”

  Genth knew that this was unlikely, but he didn’t say anything. Half of Sena’s job involved the complex politics of the city. The other half was to look for external threats… and the Tribals simply didn’t think in that many layers, in his opinion.

  Abruptly, Sena stood up. “You have given me a lot to consider, Genth. Thank you. Do let me know if Chancellor Passu gives you more trouble?”

  “Of course.” The reply was easy and without hesitation. Just as Genth had no surprise upon seeing her stroll into his bedroom. She didn’t always go in there, but no matter which room she slipped into, she was never there when he investigated.

  He’d just had to get used to that.

  SENA

  The Order had vast resources, but most of those who worked for them didn’t know who they actually worked for. To the Artisan, the tasks he was given were related to the military needs and requests. He almost certainly had some idea that these requests were nonstandard, but very few who weren’t in the military really understood how it worked.

  This is why Sena felt safe visiting herself, instead of sending another agent. Her agents were valuable and very busy. So was she, but this was her project. She could decide if she wanted to waste her personal time on this chase, but her resource-driven mind couldn’t excuse pulling agents away for it.

  “What do you mean, it’s not real?”

  She had not expected the results of the Artisan’s examination.

  “It’s a walking stick. How can it not be real?” Sena’s confusion was visible, and for once she did not bother to hide it. Someone being confused by that was normal, hiding her reaction would have been more damaging to her cover than just letting it out. In a way, that was a relief… or would have been, if she weren’t completely baffled.

  The old-looking vaskan – he was actually only middle-aged, but his Totem made him look old – listened to the outburst patiently. He too knew it sounded ridiculous.

  “It is real in the sense that it is a stick used for walking.” The clarification came with the object in question being laid on the table before Sena. “What makes it unreal is that it is not at all what it appears.”

  Mollified for the moment, Sena took a breath and looked down at the weathered staff. She could be patient for the explanation. She should have expected this. The Artisan was prized because of his extensive attention to detail. That was something she could appreciate. If he’d been twenty years younger, she might have considered him more than a resource. She really liked that trait in a man.

  The Artisan traced a finger over the stained wood, then across one of the scratches along the side. “You see? It is an old stick, isn’t it? We’re familiar with the wood… it grows all over the continent, and is very durable and firm. An excellent choice, but over time sweat and rain and the dirt of the road stain it. Scratches and nicks appear, giving each one a unique story.”

  Sena crossed her arms and frowned. “Yes, I get that. So what is the story of this one?”

  “That is just it.” The reply was with a frown in return. “There isn’t one. The stains and chips are there, but the scents are not. This staff was carried by its owner for a few days, and no one before that. We could find no hint of a previous owner, or the one who carved it, nor even the scent of bone or bronze or stone that carved it.”

  This revelation made Sena’s tail go still and her annoyance give way to interest. “So it’s a new walking stick? I’m sure that isn’t what you’re telling me.”

  The Artisan tsked, which sounded more like a chirp for him. “That is just it. This clearly looks like an old favorite used for months or even years… yet has no signs of ever being held before a few days ago.” He tapped the staff. “So we analyzed its mana signature, and do you know what we found?”

  Sena flicked one ear up. Anyone else would be getting impatient, but he was asking her questions as if she wouldn’t know the answer. Normally, she’d try to guess, but she couldn’t imagine what would be wrong. “What did you find?”

  Once more the finger wandered along the length of the stick. “It was almost perfect. No signs of mana deterioration or damage. Everything flowed together perfectly.” His finger paused at one chip in the wood, tapping it. “This here was not caused by anything. The wood was shaped somehow into this exact appearance to look like it had been through something.”

  He looked up and met Sena’s eyes.

  “Items and weapons have stories. This does not.”

  Emergency Meeting