by Claire Buss
He knew it was the second best meeting room because the pillars were more decorative, the gold swirly ceiling patterns were more intricate and several unusual statues languished in various alcoves. The sort of artwork that you have to display because someone very important spent lots of money on it regardless of its artistic merit. They didn't have statues like that in the third best meeting room. And the floor, this floor didn't have unusual dark stains which meant there was a good chance blood was not going to be spilled but, Ned still felt nervous. Dignitaries were met in the second best meeting room. It was opulent and smelled at least seven social standards higher than the one Ned clung to. He felt small and grimy as he stood in the middle of the gleaming floor. The guards left him alone and he tried to wait calmly. There didn't appear to be anyone else in here. He was idly perusing a rather suggestive series of marble statues in the far left corner when there was a slight cough in front of him. He turned and gulped. The High Left and the High Right had appeared. The Upper Circle was further back. One didn't speak to the Upper Circle. It was best not to make eye contact either.
'Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!' Ned's internal panic monologue had turned on and would not shut up. He tried in vain to look like he knew why he was there and ignore the liquid feeling in his bowels.
'Spinks. Report.' The High Right glared at a spot about six inches above Ned's shoulder. Which wasn't actually that bad seeing as his face looked like it could direct thunderbolts and kill lesser beings on a whim.
'Yes, Sir.' Ned had initially decided to look between the High Right and High Left when speaking but that left him eyeballing the Upper Circle so he ended up addressing the ceiling. He decided the Palace must have heard about the murder and that's why they'd dragged him back in. They couldn't possibly be expecting him to have made any headway with the rose thefts. 'Two-Face Bob came forward with some information about the Rose Thief case but before we were able to retrieve said information, Two-Face was relieved of one of his visages resulting in the unfortunate demise of a beloved citizen.' The ceiling really was rather nice - swirly with hints of gold leaf and some archaic runes of protection.
'And?' The High Left interrupted Ned's internal art critique.
'Er... we bubbled the scene of the crime and identified cause of death as murder by wraith. We have yet to determine who ordered the kill but a magical signature was found at the crime scene. A source at The Daily Blag revealed details of warlock attacks in Narborough. I have issued a request for all materials pertaining to the attacks to see if there is any correlation.'
'So you feel you have the matter in hand?' The Upper Circle's voice was clear and sweet. Ned blinked several times as he realised it was a woman. No-one would've known under those bulky robes and that ridiculous circular headdress.
'Yes, Sir.' There was a deep silence. Ned tried again. 'Sorry, Ma'am.' It didn't make a difference. You could hear dust falling. He was left to sweat it out for several long minutes before the Upper Circle made a small motion with her left hand. High Left leapt to fill the quiet.
'Whilst we appreciate that catching Two-Face Bob's killer is important, murderous wraiths aside – there has been another theft. The rose of enchantment has been stolen.'
Ned hazarded a guess. 'Enchantment is... blue?'
'Good grief man, are you sure you're qualified to even tie your shoelaces? Purple is for enchantment. We only have three roses left. What the blazes are you going to do?'
Ned drew himself up and refocused his eyes on a particularly complex piece of ceiling decoration. 'It would be extremely helpful to the case if we were allowed access to the Rose Gardens. Perhaps there is some evidence linking the thefts and the murder.'
The Upper Circle walked forward. Ned thought both the High Right and Left moved a fraction out of the way so as not to be in her direct path but it was so slight he wondered whether he'd imagined the whole thing. The Upper Circle came to a standstill directly in front of Ned. He could smell her perfume, spicy and warm with hints of caramel. It made his skin tingle. Ned dared not look down. Finally she spoke.
'You and one member of your team will be allowed access to the garden. You will both submit to extensive searches before and after entry. You will agree to be bound by magical contract to not speak a word of what you see inside. Any evidence you gather must be inspected within the Palace and cannot be removed. Breaking any of these rules will have harsh consequences. Do you understand?'
At first Ned found he had no voice so he swallowed rapidly and managed to croak out an affirmative, his mind whirling as to what he might see within the gardens.
'Report to the Rose Gate in one hour. Do not be late.' The Upper Circle turned and silently glided away from Ned, across the hall and out through a side door. The two Highs and Ned let out a collective sigh. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Ned's face. He turned smartly, retreating the way he'd been shown in. There was no-one outside the second best meeting room so he began walking towards the main reception area and the doorway out of the Palace. His heart would not slow down and so he gave up on nonchalant walking, breaking into a jog which turned into a flat out run. He burst into the main courtyard at a sprint and had to swerve drastically to avoid a collision with an old man seeking alms. Ned sank to the floor and breathed heavily for a few moments before remembering where he was. Not listening to limbs that screamed in protest he levered himself up and left the Palace grounds. The bright sunlight outside made him blink rapidly in surprise. It was still daytime. Finally his body betrayed him and he was violently sick. Luckily for him the sticky black vomit plastered the street cobbles and not the Palace courtyard but it reminded him that he'd been running on borrowed energies and he needed to replenish them now. Somehow he staggered to The Noose and half fell in the doorway. This was unusual and several patrons turned to stare – normally people fell out The Noose's doorway.
'I got dis.' It was Mortar, a forward thinking troll. Forward thinking in that he had decided rock tasted better than humans and was therefore allowed to live and work within the city. It was more laziness on his part – human bones were small and sharp, they stuck in his teeth and were a devil to pass through his rocky digestive system. If only someone could invent a human smoothie. These days he worked at The Noose as a sort of bouncer. He took people out rather than let them in, Reg preferred it that way as he got to collect a greater variety of coin. Mortar picked Ned up by the ankle and swung him gently as he bouldered over to the rear stairwell. With a practised flip he tossed Ned up the stairs where the expertly placed mattress caught him and deposited him on the floor.
'Thanks Mortar. You're a pal.' Ned croaked.
The rest of his team came out the office to see what the commotion was. Willow and Joe picked up a foot each and dragged Ned into the room. Once the door banged shut behind him, Jenni threw a massive glowing ball of energy at her boss. It made Ned scream, his back arching off the floor, eyeballs rolling back in his head. Then it was dark, but he could hear voices.
'Jenni, was that absolutely necessary?' asked Willow.
'He looked on 'is last legs to me. I am medical hofficer you know.'
Ned groaned, trying to form words. He couldn't move his arms or legs.
'Don't move Boss, you're immobi, immobli, imbobi, stuck – you're stuck.'
'Jenni.' Ned forced the words through clenched teeth. 'What did you do?'
'A level ten energy hit. Very sorry I bovvered.'
'No, no, thank you, really. But could we dial it down maybe?'
Jenni scowled and flicked her wrist. Instantly Ned could move. Instantly screaming lances of hot pain flared throughout his body and blackness descended for a second time.
Ten minutes later he came round. There was less noise this time. Willow was leaning out the window, more than likely teasing the moss that liked to grow on the roof of The Noose. Joe had his head in a book and had adopted the ever popular youthful sprawl position on the floor. It looked effortlessly comfortable yet when Ned had tried
in the privacy of his own room he'd cricked his back and had to spend the next ten minutes looking at the floor before his spine relaxed enough for him to stand upright again. The young had no appreciation of their youth. Ned took a moment to count his fingers and toes. All present. And that crashing pain in his head meant it was still on the end of his neck, more or less. A strong odour swam into being followed by a blurry Jenni.
'Drink this.' She shoved a steaming cup of bright green liquid at him. The smell alone made him want to empty his stomach of everything he'd ever eaten in his life. He tried to back away but found he was still semi-collapsed on the floor. Before he could do anything about his position, Jenni elevated his head slightly, pinched his nose forcing him to open his mouth for a breath and poured the foul liquid down his throat. It burnt the whole way and tasted worse than it smelt, if that was even possible. Gagging, choking, and spluttering, Ned pushed himself up into a fully seated position and leaned back against the wall.
'What was that?'
'Cure all. Hand-me down secret that is, Boss. Better than anyfink out there.'
'Thanks,' Ned replied weakly. 'How long was I out?' His stomach rumbled noisily, so much so it even brought Joe out of his book briefly.
'Ten minutes 'ere or there. Neeps poked her 'ead in and left summik. S'over there.'
Ned eyed the huge packet of papers Jenni was pointing at..
'Right. Willow, get your head out of the lichen. We've got to go through these papers. Joe. Joe. Oi JOE! Go make a run for pizza. Go to Gariboldi's not Garibaldi's like last time. That pizza tasted like mouldy shoe leather.'
'What shall I get?' Joe's face looked the most alive it had all day. Pizza was a bit of team favourite.
'Green Goddess for me, Joe.' Willow winked at Joe sending his Adam's apple bobbing alarmingly.
'I'll 'ave the fungal surprise.' Jenni shoved several silver bits into Joe's back pocket.
'Get me a large Best of the Rest and whatever you fancy, kid,' said Ned.
Joe muttered the list under his breath as he walked slowly out of the room. For a top level spell-caster he was sadly lacking in every other area of his life. Ned staggered over to the table and sat on the desk.
'How long since I got back from the Palace?'
'About twenty, twenty-five minutes, Boss. Why?'
'Dammit! Jenni, go catch up with Joe and get the pizzas quick. You'll probably have to give Gariboldi's some assistance. They won't mind, we've got a standard assistance order in place. You need to be back here as fast as you can. We're going into the Rose Garden in less than twenty minutes and I have got to eat something before then.'
There was a loud greasy pop as the sprite disappeared.
'We've been given access to the Emperor's, may he live for ever and ever, Rose Garden? The actual garden?' Willow was so excited buds were appearing in places no buds should ever appear. Soon blossom would start spontaneously combusting.
'Calm down, Catcher. I'm taking Jenni, they're only letting two of us in and I need her skill set.'
Willow pouted. 'I have skills.'
'Yes you do and if I need the entire Rose Garden pollinated within five minutes then I will certainly call on your superb talents.'
'What if you want to talk to the roses? They might have seen something, you know?'
'Jenni – sprite – remember? She can do what you can do, more or less.'
Willow's buds were shrivelling and falling off her smooth green arms, which had begun to darken and brown in anger when there was another greasy pop. The alluring aroma of pizza filled the office and for a short while there was nothing but moans of delight and the smacking of lips.
Sparks entered through the open window and chittered at being left out of the pizza order.
'Here, have some of mine.' Willow placed a piece of greenery on Spark's shelf and he flashed his butt at her in appreciation.
Ned stood up and wiped his hands on his trousers, leaving faint greasy marks, but he was in too much of a hurry to care.
'You lot start going through this paperwork. We're looking for anything on a Warlock using red, spiky power. Sparks, you'll have to report to me later. I've got an important appointment. C'mon Jenni.'
Jenni puffed her chest out in pride at being chosen to go until she realised that no-one was paying her any attention. They were all so full of pizza they didn't care.
'You'll have to pop us there Jenni, we don't have time to walk.'
She grabbed his arm and whisked him through the distance between the office and the Rose Gate. On arrival Ned swallowed several times in order to keep his pizza in his stomach. He still wasn't feeling fully recovered from using his abilities earlier. What he needed was a good long sleep and another decent meal but for now he had access to the legendary Rose Garden.
Chapter 6
The green Rose Garden gate was ajar when they arrived. Jenni and Ned looked at each other for a moment.
'You sure this ain't a trap, Boss?'
Ned shrugged. It was impossible to keep track of the everyday political swirls that happened in Roshaven. Despite the fact that the Emperor was officially in charge of everything, everybody and everywhere, there were still positions of semi-power to fight over. Like the positions of High Left and Right – there had been six of them so far this year. Usually filled by bony men with no hair and large noses, or if they had hair to begin with it soon fell out with the stress of office. The position of Upper Circle was a strange one. Ned now knew it was filled by a woman but who would give a woman that much power? He considered the others. The Lower Circle was Fat Norris – he looked after trade, well he owned practically every building that housed a crafter or merchant and possibly all of the dockland warehouses as well. He more than likely owned Two-Face Bob. Or at least had. Ned made a tired mental note to look into that relationship as soon as he could. The Stalls was of course Madam Silk, the high madam of all the whores in the city. Whoring was not a crime per se, however, indignant wives had been known to cut off rather necessary equipment from husbands who dallied more than they should. It was usually a quiet, private and mostly secretive transaction – after all the Emperor, with a thousand and one wives, knew it was more than his tackle was worth to start sticking his nose into that area of commerce. Women may not have much power in Roshaven but they had enough.
Jenni tugged at his arm, breaking Ned's train of thought. He pushed the gate fully open and a heady fragrance filled his nostrils. This was it. The famed Rose Gardens - he went in eagerly. Narrow pebbled walkways wound complicated paths through elaborately planted rose beds. There were trailing vines decorating romantic trestle arches, bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering and only a slight sour tang to the air from the liberal use of enchanted manure. It made things grow faster but smelt stronger for longer than the usual stuff. Rose perfume made everything feel thick, as if you were trying to walk through a cloud. Tinkling water fell from beautiful marble fountains and naked female busts were sprinkled throughout. The different rose colours swirled inward leaving a perfectly circular flower bed in the middle, showcasing the most treasured rose of all. The red red rose of love. Looking at it made Ned feel all warm and fuzzy in places he thought had fallen off forever.
A blue shimmer fell over both Jenni and Ned, the magical sweep checking they had no weapons or spells. At Ned's current energy level, the sweep would be unlikely to even register his spell-caster ability. Jenni glowed orange for a moment and was then cleared as she emptied her pockets. It was a small vial of beetle juice. A delicious tipple in the fae realm but of course no beetles allowed in the Emperor's gardens.
Ned raised an eyebrow at her as she flushed defensively, then threw the vial in the bin nearby.
'I forgot.'
'Walk with me,' a voice commanded. It was the Upper Circle. Appearing from nowhere and swathed in her bulky robes but without the ridiculous headdress. Ned felt something tickle the back of his mind, she looked so familiar with her dark, square, haircut and heavily kohled eyes. Then he realised wh
at it was. This was the face he'd seen on the imperial seal, the image branded into Roshaven's currency. She was the spitting image of the Emperor.
He nudged Jenni but she was oblivious, too busy sniffing the air and trying to work out the different spells in place. Only a high level warlock or spell-caster would've been able to make it in and out of the gardens. All warlocks were banned from the city and all magical training was scrutinised heavily so it was highly unlikely he, or indeed she, was a local. Ned remembered the spiky red power signature he'd felt and shivered.
They followed the Upper Circle through the winding pathways until they reached the scene of the first theft. The swathe of pink roses looked sick. The smell of decay hung heavily in the air as many of the rose heads hung down in defeat, their petals tarnished brown. The soft earth below was littered with petals that had lost the fight and now lay rotting.
'What happened?' Ned asked quietly.
'The theft of one has led to a sickness with the others. Here is where the thief made his cutting.' The Upper Circle pointed to a pink rose bush with a blackened stem. It looked like tendrils of poison had spread from the cut down the bush, through the earth and was now infecting the others.
'Something on the blade perhaps,' Ned murmured, leaning in for a closer look. He absently reached out with his ability forgetting his levels were so depleted. Jenni nonchalantly brushed his leg, sending a jolt of power through his body. It made him gasp which he quickly turned into a cough – not too out of place considering the rotten stench that hung in the air. With that much power raging through his veins he could see the pale remnants of the red power spike like a haze around the rose bush. Looking around slowly he could see faint red clouds hanging over the white, orange, yellow, and purple flower beds. There was no residue for entry or exit, only spikes of power over rose bushes. Ned looked down at the ground, no ley line marks. He looked up – there. So faint it had almost disappeared but there was a shimmer that didn't belong. The garden was of course open-air. It was located on the far side of the Emperor's Palace, the furthest point from the city. Ned and Jenni had gained access through the garden's gate, the gate itself was located within the Palace. It did not have access to the outside world directly except through its lack of ceiling. Various anti-burglary spells and alarms criss-crossed the open space above the garden and rows of spiked metal thorns and wicked-looking glass shards decorated the circumference. A thief would not be able to climb their way into the gardens. They would have to use magic. Now that he thought about it, they had taken a certain liberty popping in like that. No alarms meant they'd either been observed and reluctantly approved or fae magic wasn't something the Palace defences were equipped to deal with. The Upper Circle followed his gaze.