The coach started its journey back toward Killic, and they watched as it turned the corner on the street and headed towards the outer wall. Holly and the boys had joined Alice on the coach for the return. The boys were so excited about going on an adventure, although Holly was understandably nervous and uncertain about taking her children away from the city that they had always known as their home. Holly had only confirmed that they would go an hour before the coach was to leave.
"I hope they settle well in Killic. The boys need a fresh start, never mind Holly," Yawnee said.
"I am sure they will be fine, and I will be back before they arrive and can help them settle in," SJ said.
"Right. I better be off," Lurtew said. "I need to go and close our dealings with the brewers guild."
"Good luck," SJ said.
"I am sure it will be fine," Yawnee said, giving Lurtew a brief hug before he left towards the guild headquarters.
"Did you get confirmation of the wood shipment you needed?" SJ asked.
With the switches they were making from not just manufacturing barrels but also moving to crates, they needed a new wood source. All previous barrel wood had been part of the brewers' guild rules, that they provided it.
"We did. The price is quite steep, though, and being a solo trader means we aren't buying in bulk."
The economics of Amathera were similar to those of Earth in many ways. Larger volumes meant lower prices.
"After you mentioned it, I was thinking of a potential solution to provide cheaper materials. I will have a conversation with Edward. Maybe there is a way that your materials can be purchased alongside their own, reducing your costs. There are no guarantees, but it may be an option to consider."
"That would be amazing if it's possible," Yawnee said.
"I will see what he says. I have some more time now that I am not going straight back, so I want to try and find out more about the rebuild in District 3."
This morning, the inner city appeared normal as SJ casually walked towards the tower. The streets were much quieter than the scenes from the execution in the park. She passed pleasantries with several beings as she walked the streets, and the appearance and behaviour of many were similar to those in Killic within the inner walls boundary. It was as she reached the large open expanse surrounding the tower that she sensed an unease. Her vision didn't see anything untoward, but something felt different this morning. The usual guards stood at the entrances to the tower, and SJ continued across it unabashedly.
It was only as she reached halfway that she noticed movement from her left and then also from the right-hand side. SJ stopped and turned, looking at the beings that had begun to move on a similar path as her. They weren't rushing, but they definitely appeared to be closing in on her. She changed her path, deciding not to walk directly into the tower, but turned and changed her route, moving towards the two beings on the left side and in the direction of the Astaria. The beings continued their path, and as SJ neared them, she felt tense, ready to equip her claws at the first sign of danger.
The two beings passed in front of her, neither paying her any attention as they did, and they continued towards the tower entrance.
'What's up with me?' SJ thought.
"No idea. I wondered what you were doing. They are just heading to the tower," Dave said.
'Then why do I feel as though I am being watched?'
"I can't see anything unusual. I think you are a little paranoid."
SJ opened her map. 'I knew I was being watched,' she thought, as the dot on her map told her exactly why she sensed someone watching her. Carlito's dot was just off to the side of the tower, and she glanced over in his direction. She couldn't see anything unusual or any being standing where the dot was positioned, so she looked around the area, knowing the dot wasn't perfectly accurate based on what she had experienced watching it.
'This doesn't make sense?'
"Now that we have his dot and he is your guardian, he is probably just watching out for you."
'I know he may be, but really. I don't need a shadow following me.'
Dave didn't reply as she scanned the open ground. None of the beings that she could see seemed to be looking in her direction. The couple of beings on the right of her now having reached and climbing the tower steps. There was a line of carts parked outside the tower, which were a regular sight with the number of tower workers who used them.
'Where is he?' SJ thought, not being able to locate Carlito.
"I can't see him anywhere," Dave replied.
SJ shook her head and again headed back to the tower entrance. Carlito's dot didn't move on her display, and she wondered if the earpiece that he had worn had been dropped or left there. After a moment, she again turned and headed towards where his dot was showing on the map. She was now standing directly on top of where he should be, and even considering the slight variance on her map, there was nowhere nearby where he could even be hidden.
After scanning the ground, she saw no sign of an earpiece or similar device and shook her head in confusion.
"Ohhhh," Dave said.
'Oh, what?'
"I think I know where he is."
'Where?'
"Yep. There he is."
'Where?' SJ thought annoyed.
"Look up."
SJ's eyes shot skywards, but she couldn't see anything. Even with her enhanced vision, the skies above looked clear; there were a couple of birds flying past, but nothing else.
'I can't see anything.'
"Oh. This is even more intriguing. So you can't see the dragon that is hovering several thousand feet above the city."
SJ stared upwards in shock. Carefully focusing on a small dot that was directly above her position. Even her enhanced eyes struggled to make out the tiny dot in the sky above.
'No way?' SJ thought.
"Yep. He is above the city."
SJ had to know, so she tapped the gem on her ear. There was no connection, and then, with her map still open, she saw Carlito's dot suddenly shift much faster and farther than she had witnessed before, disappearing from her display.
"He must have gone beyond the city walls. I don't think the range of the device will work that far, anyway. I believe it is city-bound only," Dave said.
Unsure of how to react to suddenly realising that Carlito was in his dragon form thousands of feet above the city, SJ was thrown off balance. Her face was a picture, her mouth open wide and staring in the direction the dot had moved. It was several moments before she gathered her thoughts and, shaking her head, turned, heading back towards the tower.
'That is so unnerving, knowing he can see me from that far away. I know he was watching me.'
"I have no idea about a dragon's vision, but I would expect it to be much better than most beings, especially in terms of the speed at which they travel when flying."
SJ had only had a brief conversation with Bob about his journey from the Northern territories to Killic and knew that from the distance Dave had said it was to them and the time he had stated it had taken him to get there, that dragons could fly at very high speeds.
'I am not sure I like a dragon watching my every move,' SJ thought as she entered the tower. In a trance-like state, she walked to the front desk and asked if the chancellor was available. The clerk asked her to wait while they found out. SJ informed the clerk she would wait in the dining hall and that she was in no rush. The benches were empty in the hall at this time of day, and only a smallish line of beings were still waiting to be let in for the free meals they were entitled to from District 3. After ordering coffee and some cake, she sat on the partitioned side of the tower members.
The time ticked by as she waited for a message from the clerk, and it had been almost an hour before a being approached her.
"Ambassador. The chancellor will be busy until late afternoon. He has back-to-back meetings, unfortunately."
"I see," SJ said. "I was hoping to catch him for a brief chat, that was all."
"If you wish, I can ask for you to be added to his schedule?"
"Please do so," SJ said, going to stand.
"Of course. Give me a few moments, and I will let you know what time," the clerk said, hurrying off again.
Moments later, the clerk returned, informing SJ that he had booked her in for a meeting in three hours. There was no point in SJ sitting in the hall waiting for the remainder of the day so she left the hall and the tower again.
'What to do while I wait?' she thought.
That was when a voice called out that she recognised.
"SJ. My dear."
SJ turned to see Petunia's smiling face, who had just climbed down from a cart that had pulled up at the tower.
"Petunia," SJ smiled.
"Were you just leaving?"
"I called in to see the chancellor, but he isn't free until later today."
"I see, and I am not surprised. Come, join me. We need to catch up properly. I haven't had a chance to yet."
SJ could hardly refuse Petunia's offer, so she turned and walked back into the tower with her. After several tongue lashes from Petunia to a few of the tower members, SJ entered her office. It was situated not far from the chancellor's, and on entering, SJ was surprised at how plain it was. A single small desk and a sofa were all that adorned its interior.
"This is a little different to Alex's office," SJ said as she sat on the sofa.
"Ah. Yes, I used Alex's office while he was away, but I really have little means for most things. I prefer an empty canvas rather than the clutter many have."
Petunia walked to a small burner where a pot sat, steam rising from its spout on a small stove.
"Tea?"
"Please," SJ said.
Petunia made them both a drink before joining her on the sofa.
"So then, fill me in on everything that has been going on," Petunia said.
SJ spent the next while talking to Petunia about Holly and her family and that they were now on their way to Killic. That conversation led onto the issues in the districts and the problems being faced there.
"Great idea about the food runs," Petunia said.
"They are working ok then?"
"Yes. The districts have been very grateful, and we have had very little trouble. There were a few problems in one district where the district guard tried to stop us from performing our duties, but I soon sorted that out when I spoke to Ernesto."
"Who is Ernesto?"
"The lieutenant for District 10. He is a funny old being. Has some very set ways and didn't appreciate the church being involved in the district. He came around to my way of thinking, though, after a brief chat."
SJ could imagine how one-sided that chat would have been, knowing how feisty Petunia was. She hadn't met anyone yet that stood a chance against her tongue.
"I'm glad to hear things are working out well."
"Well, not everything is." Petunia sighed.
"Why, what isn't?"
"What I am about to tell you must stay within these four walls."
SJ sat forward. "You know you can trust me."
"There have been two deaths at the Astaria. It is currently being dealt with internally, but we may have to get the tower involved."
It felt as though ice had just been placed on SJ's back, and her whole body tensed.
"What happened?" SJ asked, trying to stay calm.
"Two acolytes were found poisoned."
"That sounds awful. How did it happen?"
"It appears that they were poisoned from a drinks bottle. The beings room where they were found was known as a heavy drinker, and it seems that a fellow acolyte had joined him, but the bottle he drank from contained poison. We are trying to trace where the alcohol was purchased, not that we believe there will be much luck as it is a common drink sold by many vendors. The note of interest is the poison that they died from."
"Which poison?"
"Faltirolyne. It is the same poison that you were affected by that time."
SJ winced at the comment. Thankfully, her reaction was understandable to Petunia.
"I know I heard of the affair from Wystria when you were poisoned. It's a horrible poison, harrowing way to die."
"So you don't know if it was deliberate?"
"Well, poisoning a drink bottle is deliberate. The problem is we don't know where the poison came from. It could have already been in the bottle when purchased or added afterwards. The being whose room it was was a hefty drinker and had caused several problems within the Astaria as well as the wider city. He had been under recent investigation, and it is believed he may have been targeted due to recent comments he had been making."
"I see. So he wasn't a very nice being?"
"Not particularly, no, it still doesn't mean that he should have died for voicing his opinions even if they were bigoted and inaccurate."
"You said two had died. Who was the other?"
"That is where it gets a little bit more problematic. He was the investigator looking into the other. He had been looking into his dealings. It appears that whatever had happened, he had become friends with the other, and reports had started to surface that they were often drinking together."
"So your investigator had become friends with his target?"
"We aren't sure exactly whether it was a deliberate ploy to get closer to the target. With everything going on, he hadn't been reporting to his chief cleric regularly, and he wasn't due to report his findings for another week."
"So he may have been corrupted then?"
"We will never know," Petunia sighed.
"It sounds like a tricky situation."
"Not so much tricky, just annoying to deal with. Wystria is being dragged from pillar to post currently with her tower roll, and her second at the Astaria is a lovely being, but not as quick-witted or as sharp as she is, and several things have slipped recently. So, I have had to step back into several areas and support. I thought my days of running the Astaria were over, but it seems the gods don't see it that way just yet."
"For someone that Zigferd said had retired, you are heavily involved in everything still," SJ said, no longer wishing to talk about her assassination victims. At least, it seemed as though the other being may not have been as good as assumed initially.
Petunia smiled at Zigferd's name. "I will never retire fully from the church. It doesn't matter what I do."
"You said you had been planning for a friend to arrive to see you when we spoke before. Have they arrived yet?"
"No, they are due soon, weather permitting."
"Weather?" SJ asked, frowning.
"Yes. They are flying, so it will depend on the winds."
"Flying?" SJ said in astonishment.
"Yes. Flying."
"Are they fae?"
Petunia chuckled at SJ's comment. "No. Fae aren't the only beings that fly, and you must have seen the griffins and hippogriffs that several use."
SJ had not, since arriving in Asterfal, seen any flying beasts other than birds and what she now believed may have been Carlito in his dragon form above the city.
"I have never seen any."
"Ah. You should take a trip to the flight stables. There are some magnificent beasts on display there."
"What beast do they have?"
"Ah. He doesn't."
"Then how is he flying."
"How else but with wings."
"How? What is he if not a fae?"
"Ah. You have probably never met any of them before. They are a very private race and keep themselves to themselves most of the time, but they hold a high standing within the church due to their affiliation with the gods. He is a Valkyrie."
At the mention of the name, SJ's thoughts spun back to her initial time in the white room when she had arrived and been given the choice of various races. Valkyrie had looked like a magnificent race, but none of the classes they could be had been ones she had considered.
"Wow. I would love to meet a Valkyrie."
"So you know of them?"
"Only through legends," SJ said, thinking back to all the stories she knew from back on Earth about Valkyrie.
"Legends. That is a rather strong word to describe them, although I suppose several of their race have performed legendary tasks over the years."
SJ felt slightly embarrassed by her statement, knowing how strange it probably sounded to an Amatherean.
"I am here for another couple of days before I need to head back to Killic again, so I would love the chance to meet him before I leave if that's possible?"
"I'm sure it can be arranged if he gets here as expected," Petunia smiled.
There was a knock on the office door, and it opened after Petunia called.
"Your Worship. There is a matter of urgency for you to attend to if you are able?" The kobold who had entered wore robes of the order.
"What urgency?" Petunia frowned at the clerk standing at the office entrance.
The kobold glanced at SJ and back at Petunia.
"Speak. SJ, here is a trusted friend and ambassador," Petunia said.
The kobold's scales coloured slightly; he only looked young. "I received a message from the Astaria that there has been another."
"Another what?"
"Death."
