Lina couldn’t have known the journey she had been forced to undertake in the captive care of the two humans echoed the journey Jet had taken the day he disappeared. It was unfortunate for Lina, even if she didn’t know it, the lazy Skullcap was once again in command at the gate, allowing the two villains to enter the city without any obstruction. Further, no interested Wardens or concerned parties happened to be passing by as they entered the gate, though humans slid into the nearest alley as quickly as they could. They skulked through back alleys on a long and circuitous route to the Merchant, keeping to themselves and shuffling away from anyone they passed. It was blatantly suspicious behavior, but the residents of the slums of Midburg had little time or energy to invest in engaging the two troublemakers, who had a less than sterling reputation even for the area.
So Lina was tossed around, sick and nauseated by the constant motions of the bag they held her in, a bag that smelled vaguely of vomit. Worse, she was within a cage within the sack, and so many of the sudden turns and sharp jostling resulted in the poor gnome being bounced off the bars of the cage. By the time the humans arrived at their destination and finally slowed down, Lina had several bruises and small lacerations which did nothing to improve her mood. As the sack opened and bright light seared her eyes she resolved to at least bite one of the humans, just to get a little payback.
Glaring angrily through squinted, watering eyes, Tourmaline tried to maintain her composure as she fell onto her rear. The humans hardly paid her any mind however, instead setting her down on a large wooden surface so firmly the gnome, who was just starting to stand again, was pitched over onto her face. Lina swore up a storm, rubbing at her poor nose which had suffered the worst of the fall, as she righted herself.
Her string of gnomish curses and threats of harm, so vivid her mother would have blushed to hear them, died in her throat. Looming over her cage on the other side of the oaken expanse her cage was set upon was, unequivocally, the most beautiful being she had ever seen. And it was wrong, entirely and horrifically wrong. Lina’s startled mind attempted to leap to the nearest comparisons she could draw to try and ground itself. The closest thing she could conceive of to compare it to was a magnificent sculpture made of teeth, or a historic portrait made with blood and fecal matter. The end result was undoubtedly and astonishingly beautiful, but the materials and processes made it caused the mouth to twist and bile to rise.
Hollow eyes stared down at her from a deific face, crowning a small yet undoubtedly cruel smile. Lina felt herself begin to shiver, but couldn’t look away. Her instincts screamed if she looked away from this predator then it would surely strike in that moment of weakness. She almost sagged with relief when the creature looked away from her, directing its awful gaze towards the shorter of the two humans. Lina saw the creature’s mouth contort with displeasure from the periphery of her vision as it addressed Gregor, and Lina knew the creature felt the humans were little more than garbage.
“One gnome? I sent you there to catch a hummingbird, isn’t that right?” It asked, a saccharine sweetness dripping from its words. “I was even so kind as to provide you with a net.”
“That’s right, sir.” Gregor muttered darkly. His grudging attitude came as a shock to Lina, who couldn’t imagine
“So, did this gnome happen to fly into the net instead?” Sarcasm edged in on its tone.
“Well we were standing a bit away when we heard a little bit of a commotion. We came back, thinking we might’ve made our catch, and when we did we saw this little troublemaker and her friend tearing down your net!” Gregor pointed at Lina then, as though trying to redirect all the displeasure onto her.
“Her friend?” Its curiosity was clearly piqued. It inspected the cage, then looked at Thom expectantly. When the tall man shook his head it focused back on Gregor, eyes narrowed. Lina supposed this meant the short, fat human was the nominal leader of the duo.
“A fairy, with gross little wings. Dirt brown, they were.” Gregor clarified. “We didn’t catch one. Unfortunately Thom, the big oaf he is, hit it a little too hard while we were trying to save the net.” Gregor blamed his friend as easily as he breathed. Thom, appalled, clearly wanted to argue the point but his mouth snapped closed as the creature let out a low growl of frustration.
“Let me get this straight.” It began, grinding out each word through clenched teeth. “I gave you two a tip on a special spot before any of the other Dust addicted scum I work with. I gave you a specially crafted net, at my own expense, mind you, and all I ask you for is one measly bird. Instead, you return to me with a gnome. I already had a gnome, one you brought me, if I remember correctly.”
A part of Lina perked up when she heard . It looked like Baba was right, and being at the Hearth at the right time would lead them to Jet. Lina just wished the witch would have been more open about what catching up to Jet would entail. The image of Pug, face contorted with pain, as they tore off his wings flashed through her mind alongside the horrible tearing sound it made as the wings came free of muscle, sinew, and skin. Tourmaline wasn’t sure she’d have let Pug come along if she knew it was going to end like . She refocused on the conversation rather than let the rising tide of despair consume her.
“Even worse, you fail to capture either the fairy was there, or a hummingbird like you were told to. I suppose my net was damaged by the little vandals, which is why you didn’t stay and capture one for me?”
The creature was almost snarling by the end of its rant. It took a deep breath, which it let out slowly, and the twisted and contorted features began to slacken and return to a state of serene calmness. The bared teeth were hidden, and though the mouth hid them was not smiling, neither was it belying any rage or displeasure. Still, the two humans both looked suitably cowed. Or so Lina thought until Thom spoke out.
“We brought you fairies before! Other poachers too, I saw ‘em in the cages.” He said defensively, gesturing to the shelves behind them.
Tourmaline was shocked and appalled to realize the shelves were lined with cages much like her own, different in shape and size while function remained the same. Furtive eyes looked out at the exchange between wooden slats and metal bars. One creature, small even when compared to Pug or Lina, was in a cage clearly meant for a bird. The thin gray thing alighted on the perch a small songbird would have sat on in different circumstances. Lina noticed almost right away all the creatures held here, she could see at least, were on the smaller end of the spectrum as far as the inhabitants of the enchanted forest went.
The largest thing she could see was a false dragon, a reptilian creature that looked just like its namesake, though a fraction of the size. This specimen was fully grown, almost ten feet long, though much of it was tail. Its enclosure was far too small though, and it curled in on itself almost twice over. The wings were pulled close to the false dragon’s body, but even still they rubbed against the bars of its cage, rubbing patches of scales away and leaving raw and pink skin showing. Lina felt sympathy for the poor critter, but a long suffering sigh from the monster behind the counter drew her attention back to the threat at hand. Apparently the foul thing had finally mustered the will to respond to Thom’s idiocy
“You have brought me fairies before, yes. However, every subspecies of fairy I know of are brightly colored, whether they have beautiful butterfly wings or iridescent wings like those of the mosquito hawk that lives around ponds and streams. I would’ve liked to inspect this aberration.” The creature sighed disappointedly. Lina, on the other hand, nearly shook with rage to hear her friend called an aberration by the freak in front of her.
“No matter. I’ll set about getting the net repaired. In any case, it’s time for your payment.”
The creature pulled open a drawer on its desk then, and rummaged about inside. It pulled out a small pouch in short order, tossing it haphazardly at Gregor. The thick human had the courage to look insulted by the payment he received. His piggish eyes glittered dangerously as he looked up at the creature.
“This is half of what we usually get.” He growled, fists clenched so tightly the blood fled from his fingers and they turned deathly pale.
“And you brought me a third of what you had opportunity to catch, and less than what I asked for.” It replied, tone firm. The look in the being’s eyes made it clear it would brook no further argument on the matter. “Be grateful I’m not giving this net to someone else. There are many who would jump at the opportunity to earn a little extra.”
He gave the humans an arch look and waited silently. Seemingly satisfied when neither responded, he continued. “Return to me in a few days, the net should be ready then. Oh,” The creature exclaimed, almost as an afterthought. “Would you be so kind as to put the gnome on the shelf? There should be a spot free on the top shelf, near the door. I won’t be needing another gnome for a while.”
Thom wordlessly grabbed Lina’s cage and moved to comply. Lina was secretly grateful for the lack of pushback on the humans’ part. She’d had about as much as she could stand of the monster’s presence and wasn’t interested in being caught in the middle of an argument. Thom silently shoved her cage into its place, which was between a wall and a very despondent looking ifrit. Behind him Lina could see Gregor stalking outside angrily, yanking open the door and letting a flood of sunlight in. Still, despite their obvious displeasure neither of them dared risk slamming the door to the shop, instead closing it gently behind them.
Perhaps the humans are a little more wise than they look. Lina mused. She certainly wouldn’t want to anger the creature, the one standing perfectly and unnaturally still behind the counter, not if she was in their shoes. The creature in question seemed to wait until it was sure they were gone before moving, writing a quick note in a small book it withdrew from beneath the counter. Once done it tossed the book back under the countertop and strode away, moving through a door to a room in the back of the building and then, by the sound of it, down a set of stairs and into the basement.
Relieved the creature was gone, Lina turned to her new neighbor and tried to get his attention. She hissed at him and waved her arms through the bars of her cage, but the smoky little fiend paid her no mind. Though she didn’t want to be too loud and draw the attention of the master of this foul place, she needed some form of contact in this moment. Thoughts of Pug and Jet, the latter of whom she’d failed to locate on any of the shelves, were assaulting her and she needed to distract her.
“Hey, Ifrit!” She called out, too soft to be a yell but too loud to a conversational volume.
Rumbling growls issued forth from the very air around her and, already fraught with tension, her composure broke as she squeaked with fear. Peering about, she saw a suspiciously dark shadow in the corner of the room by the door. Even as she watched more shadows seemed to be pulled into it from nearby, diminishing these little pools of darkness yet making the room no brighter in the process. Two glowing pools of red appeared in the midst of the shadows, and the inky black material pulled together into the shape of a dog. The thing was large, easily four feet long and three feet tall at the withers. Tourmaline recognized it immediately as a Black Dog, easily recognizable from the horror stories told around campfires by young gnomes all over the warren. She quickly pulled back from the bars of her cage, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Black Dog as she could. Satisfied she’d settle down, the growls from the beast slowly subsided and though she could no longer see it she could feel the pressure of its malice dissipate as it once more melded into the shadows
“A bit smarter than your friend, aren’t you?” A dry voice said, crackling like twigs on a fire. Lina looked at the ifrit in surprise, and the creature shrugged. “Seemed like you weren’t going to shut up until I spoke to you. You were going to get us all in trouble at that rate.”
“Sorry about that. I just wanted to talk to someone. This has all been a bit… overwhelming for me. My name is Tourmaline, though you can call me Lina.” She said with false cheer, trying to be as positive as she could, though the ifrit just snorted and shook his head. Lina realized what he said, however, and her false cheer was washed away by real excitement. “Wait, you said I was smarter than my friend!”
A quick flash of shock flashed across the ifrit’s face before he shut it down. He turned his back to her as though to end the conversation. Tourmaline pressed her face against the bars of her cage as though she could physically reach the ifrit and shake the answer free.
“Please, I’ve been looking for my friend. He’s another gnome like me, named Jet. You know him, don’t you?” Lina pleaded, but the ifrit ignored her.
“Just tell me what happened to him? He’s my oldest friend.” She begged.
Her pleas fell on deaf ears, the ifrit firmly ignoring her now. Part of her, deep down, knew his unwillingness to answer her questions meant nothing good for Jet. Still, she couldn’t know for certain until she confirmed it herself, and in any case only terrible things awaited her if she stayed here. All she could do for her friend was escape and confirm his condition herself. Thankfully the fool humans hadn’t thought to search her or strip her of any of her gear, content to toss her into the cage as they found her. Sure they’d taken care to make sure she left her more obvious weapons in the mud, but her pack was still on her back, hidden under her cloak to ward off unwanted prying. Even better, the monster hadn’t inspected her too closely either, overwhelmed as he was with the incompetence on display by the two poachers he’d hired out. In all the frustration and arguing and threatening, she’d been placed on her shelf with every bit of her alchemical reagents still on her person.
Lina already had a rough idea of how to get herself out of her cage, the worry being the additional variable of the Black Dog. As long as it was present it was likely any attempt at escape was doomed to fail from the start. She shook her head stubbornly, trying to knock free the pessimistic thoughts plaguing her. Perhaps if an opportunity arose she’d get her chance to break out, and maybe spring a few more people besides. The taciturn ifrit was necessary for her escape plan, however. Lina resolved to whittle the fiery little spirit down and get his promise to help her, and perhaps some information about her erstwhile friend while she was at it.
***
Thalia had to hustle to keep up with Inquirer Reid’s long and hurried strides. Even the court wizard, one Rufus Magnolio, who was a good head taller than Reid, was breathing heavily as the unlikely trio ran to Eleanore’s workshop. Even in the midst of a sprint, Reid still continued the admonishment he started when she first arrived at the old Warden’s office this morning. This tirade had continued from the Wardens’ headquarters to the palace, only temporarily halted as Reid slipped inside and quite literally dragged Rufus from his scrolls and tomes.
By this point Thalia had begun to tune out Reid’s rant. Not out of lack of respect, or boredom or anything of the sort. She was just exhausted from her long trek out to the forest and back. At this point every iota of energy she had was focused into remaining upright and not passing out mid stride. She understood Reid’s point of view, filtered as it was through the haze of sleep deprivation and distraction.
She realized as soon as she had walked into the office she was in for a world of hurt. Reid had opened up on her, convinced she’d fled from his ire over her disobeying her mandated leave of absence. When she explained she had pursued the poachers, as ordered, the old Inquirer changed tack, continuing to chew her out for new and exciting reasons. Even barring just coming back and reporting to Reid they had left the city so they could set a watch, the Inquirer was more shocked and appalled she hadn’t requisitioned a horse. Thalia felt stupid thinking back at that particular part of the lecture, the remembered emotions a pale imitation of how truly shortsighted and ignorant she had felt in the moment as she was lambasted in front of the other Wardens.
In a desperate attempt to shift the focus of the conversation from herself, she mentioned the fairy she had saved thinking the good deed would buy her at least an ounce of leniency. It did stop Reid in his tracks for a moment, but the old fox’s mind was as sharp as ever and he was perfectly capable of continuing a dressing down even as he planned their next steps. Ordering her to follow, he’d set off for the palace to collect a wizard immediately. Speaking of the wizard, Thalia turned her attention onto the gangly, pale man.
The wizard wasn’t much to look at. In fact, if Lina passed him on the streets she wouldn’t give him a second glance. Average looks and a bland, expressionless face were accentuated by the completely benign and non-threatening aura Rufus possessed. Even pulled from his studies and apparently completely uncertain what he could do to help the unfortunate fairy Reid was taking him to, Rufus was rather cheery. He made sure to wave to the people they passed, apologizing over his shoulder as they all but pushed people out of the way. He even smiled at Thalia reassuringly, even if the effect was somewhat mitigated by his overall lack of substance.
Not Thalia felt she needed reassurance. Certainly the little creature was a witness and she’d prefer if it survived, but she’d set the expectation for herself the creature might not survive since she’d first gathered it into her arms. There was precedent for mystical creatures to testify, so it would be nice to have it take the stand as a witness when trying the two poachers, however the wizard and Reid had both insinuated there were additional reasons to ensure the safety and well-being of the fairy. After a bit of pressure they’d told her there was a treaty between the kingdom and the Wylde, though both clammed up when she pressed them for more details.
Thalia was shaken from her thoughts as, in her exhaustion and distraction, she ran straight into the doorjamb of Eleanore’s workshop door. Rubbing her aching shoulder, she was aware of Reid’s telltale scowl deepening and the concerned glances of Rufus and Eleanore. The former she gave an apologetic glance, complete with wide puppy dog eyes which caused Reid to scoff and turn away. Thalia and her looked to Eleanore and her work desk, amazed to see a little humanoid sitting at the edge of the desk looking back at them curiously.
“I thought you said the fairy was dying.” Reid muttered. “He looks well enough to me.” Before Thalia could respond Eleanore leapt in.
“He was dying. Luckily we were able to replace his wings, which were torn out, and seems to have stabilized him.”
We? Thalia mouthed at her past Reid’s back, but Eleanore couldn’t see her past the wizard, who she was introducing to their little visitor. Rufus had closed in on the fairy, uncomfortably close if the little creature’s expression was any way to tell. Watery brown eyes peered over bent and crooked spectacles as he poke and prodded at the fairy’s new wings.
“You did this?” He asked, skepticism clear in his tone. For some reason his doubt in Eleanore got Thalia’s hackles rising. The Warden tried to figure out why, but her overworked and sleep deprived brain refused to give her any hints.
“Not alone. A woman came into my workshop, though I don’t think she was really a woman at all.” Eleanore stammered nervously, subconsciously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she fidgeted. “She did some sort of ritual to get the wings in place. The wings themselves are spare parts for my automatons, but she seemed to think they would work just fine.”
The wizard nodded as she explained and withdrew a small writing pad from a hidden pocket on the inside of his shirt. Rufus began to jot down notes and sketch out the fairy’s wings, much to the little creature’s discomfort. Sensing her part was done in this particular incident, Thalia crept over to her work station and sat down, using her arms as pillows on the desk as she laid down. Despite her exhaustion, sleep was slow to come, so she watched on with amusement as the wizard interrogated the fairy about his new wings. Much to Magnolio’s dismay, most of the technical questions seemed to end up with the fairy or Pug, as he proclaimed proudly when Rufus asked for his name, simply not knowing.
Before long Reid stepped in and questioned him, getting a description of the poachers and an account of what happened in the glad Thalia found him in. Pug was able to give clear descriptions of the two humans he encountered and advised them he had a friend, a gnome named Lina, who was kidnapped. Reid’s stress level visibly increased when he heard another denizen of the enchanted forest had been harmed in this incident, teetering dangerously for a moment under the weight of this epiphany.
“I assure you, we will do everything we can to capture these two poachers and get your friend back. Any assistance you can offer would be more than acceptable, though I acknowledge we are in violation of the treaty and in no position to ask for your help.” Reid said solemnly, even shocking Thalia as he bent into a small bow.
“Treaty? What treaty?” Pug’s face twisted as he raked his memories for any mention of a treaty. Apparently coming up short the fairy simply favored Reid with an inquisitive expression, much to Thalia’s relief. An explanation finally coming, she propped her head on her hand and blinked the bleariness from her eyes. She jumped in surprise as Eleanore stepped up beside her and slid a cup of tea, which she seemed to have procured like magic even though Thalia knew it wasn’t, into her hands. Thalia thanked her friend with a quick smile, which Eleanore reciprocated before taking a sip of her own tea. Together they focused on Reid as the Inquirer began to speak.
“I can understand humans not remembering the treaty any more, but a creature of the Wylde?” Reid grumbled, casting his irate faze about the workshop, receiving shrugged shoulders and unknowing stares in response from all but Rufus who nodded sagely. “Well to make a long, bloody war short and palatable, to stop Wyldelife and boogeymen from kidnapping people, turning them into stone, trapping them inside of cursed paintings, and all other manner of magical mayhem our country agreed to set aside certain tracts of land for their use and we would not take any harmful action against the creatures living in those lands. The largest and most well known of these lands is the forest you went to last night, Thalia. The agreement was drawn up between the king at the time and the Queen of the Sidhe, who rules over the forest and all the creatures inside.”
Reid paused for a moment to make sure he hadn’t lost anyone. Rufus looked like he wanted to interject, likely to add further detail but Reid quieted the wizard with a quick shake of the head. Rufus frowned but didn’t interrupt even though he was clearly dissatisfied.
“The agreement was far more complex than what we are able to discuss right now, of course.” Inquirer Reid said, mollifying the wizard with a soothing hand gesture. “But the idea was we could defend ourselves from any creatures in our territory, which meant we didn’t have to leave ourselves open to attack from the more nefarious beings. Likewise the Sidhe and their subjects could defend themselves if we trespassed and became aggressive with them. What happened to Pug and his friend is clearly a violation of the treaty, and if we don’t resolve this soon the Sidhe could retaliate or seek punitive action through the treaty. We really don’t want either of those things to happen, I guarantee you. Which is why I brought Magnolio here, to try and save your life.”
“I’d be more than happy to help you however I can. Even without the treaty, my friend is still somewhere in this city and I need to save her. We were also looking for another friend of ours who went missing, and I think he’s here somewhere as well.” Pug said, standing though he was still quite shaky and weak. “If need be I can fly about and search the city, see if I can’t find the two humans who caught us.”
As though he meant to demonstrate the little fairy beat his new wings rapidly. So rapidly it seemed to even take him by surprise, given the look on his face. The flying little man pirouetted and swooped, testing out his new wings before they suddenly froze mid-flight, sending him careening back into the desktop where he impacted with a tiny thud. His face twisted into a grimace as he pawed uselessly at his chest just above his heart. Everyone in the room lurched upright to get to the fairy, thoughts of this hitherto unknown treaty now at the forefront of their minds.
Magnolia was the first to reach the fairy and whispered a few arcane syllables covered his hands in crackling corposant energy. He cupped the fairy with them, the energy wreathing his hands seeming to flow into the fairy like water to a sponge. Though no one else understood what he had done, the cantrip the wizard cast must have provided him with some sort of reassurance. Nodding sagely, the wizard turned back and addressed the rest of them with particular care given to Reid, who looked as though he was about to have a heart attack from stress.
“He’s fine. It looks like he did a little too much too fast.” He assured them. “I can’t say for sure, but it looks like these new wings of his might not be as efficient as the ones he was born with. They’re leeching a fair bit of his magic from him when he uses them to fly.”
Eleanore bit her lip guiltily, clearly thinking her wings were at fault, but Rufus was quick to clear her conscience.
“It’s not your fault, I think the person who healed him was more concerned with him surviving than how efficient his flying was. Give him a bit to sleep and recover and he’ll be fine.”
Rufus had tried to cheer Eleanore up, however she still gnawed at her lip as regarded the unconscious fairy. Seeming to make up her mind, she began to rifle through various drawers and chests, putting together a small mat for him to rest on. Thalia almost went to help but was stopped by a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Reid, his stern expression letting her know she’d better wake up and make damn sure to remember what he said next.
“As soon as the fairy is capable, I want you to help him find those poachers. Until you do, you don’t need to worry about the Faerie Dust case.” Reid quickly raised his other hand to forestall her complaints. “I know what you’re thinking and it’s not an excuse to get you away from the case. This is legitimately just as big of a concern, if not bigger. You’re already involved and you’ve seen the culprits, it makes little sense to put someone else on this matter.”
Reid patted her shoulder and took a few steps to the workshop’s door before pausing for a moment. Thalia looked at him curiously as he gave one last parting remark.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back to checking the archives for me in no time.”
Staring after the chuckling Inquirer, Thalia decided it was time to take a page out of Pug’s book and promptly used her desk as a bed.
