by David M Zahn
"So, you what want us to sneak over to these Isles and investigate this governor for you?" I asked, picking up on where this was headed.
"Partly, yes," Katarina responded. "What I'm really asking is for you to take me and some of my people with you in secret and to assist us in the investigation. Under no circumstances can the governor or his people find out that I am there, so I will need absolute discretion from you and your clan."
"Discretion shouldn't be a problem," I said, "but we don't have any kind of ship."
"We will point you in the direction of a ship you and your people can requisition. Though if you mess it up, the state will be unable to assist you," she said, lowering her voice even further. "For much of this mission, we will be operating outside of the law, and for all intents and purposes, we will be just another group of pirates operating around the Saunora Isles. While the risk is extremely high, I can promise you that if we are able to uncover evidence of the governor's betrayal and bring it to my father, the reward will be great as well. Will you and your clan help me? Unlike your last quest, I want you to know that there will be no penalty for refusal, and you can walk away."
You have received a new quest: Something Fishy is Saunora
"Lady Katarina Amarion has charged you with assisting her in investigating the governor of the Saunora Isles, a chain of islands to the southeast of Istria. This mission will be highly risky, and the Immoral Exiles will be operating outside of the law for most of it."
Type: Rare
Reward: 20,000 XP, 2500 gold, 5000 Reputation points with Altria, 1000 Reputation points with Katarina Amarion
Penalty for Decline: None
Penalty for Failure to Complete: Variable
Do you accept this quest?
Yes or No?
Without thinking about it much, I accepted the quest. I probably owed it to my clan a little more to weigh the pros and cons, but if I was being honest with myself, I wasn't going to be able to refuse this woman.
"The Immoral Exiles are at your service," I said, smiling at her.
"Great," she said, breathing out a relieved breath. "I knew I could count on you, Ryland."
"I've got a question. If you're going with us, who is going to be running things in Istria?" I asked.
"My younger brother, Alexei, will be the acting governor of Northern Altria in my absence," Katarina said, frowning slightly. "He's a bit unseasoned, and as the heir to the throne, my father would like to get him some more practice."
"Well, I guess that works," I said shrugging.
"Yes, hopefully, Istria is still standing when we get back," Katarina replied, staring out to sea. "Well, I have things I need to get done, so if you'll just see yourself out, my people will be in touch once we have located a suitable vessel."
"Sure," I said with a slight bow. "I'll be waiting to hear from you, my lady."
With that, I retraced my steps from the garden back into the audience chamber and collected my companions. Eldertits demanded all of the "deets," but I insisted they wait to hear until we got back to our clan hall. I was trying to respect the need for secrecy and discussing it in the streets seemed like a poor idea.
Once we were in the clan hall, I called for silence, shutting up a couple of other clan members who'd been chatting. Viltria and Turin, who were nuzzled close together over something on her desk, looked up.
"Well, I hope you're all ready for some adventure," I said smiling. "Because we're taking to the high seas, mateys."
Thank you so much for reading The Phoenix of Altria: Book 2 of the Digital Sorcery Series! If you liked the book would you please leave a honest review on amazon to let others know what you thought of it. Without you as a reader this book, and this series would not have made it this far. I'm looking forward to sharing the continued adventures of Ryland, Eldertits, Elaria, and Rondo with you in the near future!
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