"There's been people gone missing for months now. Mostly children but some adults as well."
Hayley's mind was suddenly in panic mode. Abductions were occurring while the princess wandered around town completely unaware of them! She calmed her mind. The princess was in no immediate danger, Beverly and Gerald would see to that. She resolved to bring up the topic at the next opportunity.
The royal party returned to the Citadel shortly before nightfall. Sophie met them at the door along with Tempus who was waving his tail happily at his mistress' return.
"Is Gerald about?" Anna asked.
"I'm afraid he hasn't returned yet, Your Highness," replied her maid.
"That's not like him," Anna said, "he's usually very punctual. What time did he say he'd be back, Beverly."
"He didn't say, but he wasn't going far, he should have been back by now."
"He's probably drunk in a whorehouse," offered Jack. "A man needs to unwind every now and again. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually."
Anna did not look amused, and Beverly saw her straining to bite back her words.
"Perhaps," offered Beverly, "Jack might be able to round up some guards and go looking for him?"
"Of course, Your Highness, I shall see to it right away." He was about to leave and then turned abruptly to face the princess, "I apologize if I have offended Your Highness."
"Thank you, Jack," she replied.
"I'll rouse the town guard and hunt him down, Highness. What will you do?"
"I'll call together my advisors; perhaps they'll have an idea. Beverly, can you gather everyone? We'll meet in the dining hall."
"Yes, Highness," the knight replied.
Aubrey sat in her room at a small desk making an entry in her journal, dipping her beautiful new feather into the ink as someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," she called absently, once again placing quill to parchment.
The door opened to reveal Hayley, her face framed by brown hair which was, Aubrey noted, a little out of place.
"Beverly says the princess has called a meeting, we're all to attend."
"Why?" asked Aubrey. "What's happened?"
"Gerald's gone missing," she replied.
"Missing?"
"Yes, he left this morning on an errand and should have been back by now."
"Perhaps he's just taking his time?" Aubrey offered.
"You don't know Gerald. When he runs an errand, he performs the task and returns. He's not the sort of person to dawdle."
"Should we be worried?"
"Worried? Not yet, but I am concerned, it's not like him. Beverly's known him her whole life and swears the man is never late."
"All right," said Aubrey, "I'll just clean up here and be right down."
"What are you doing?" asked Hayley, gazing down at the paper.
"I'm making entries in my journal. How do you like my new quill?"
"It's quite remarkable. What is it?"
"It's a gryphon feather," replied Aubrey.
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is. The shopkeeper told me so," defended the young mage.
"I've seen a gryphon up close, Aubrey. Their colours are muted so they can blend into their surroundings. Their feathers are mostly brown. I'm not sure what that feather is, but it's not a gryphon."
Aubrey stared at the quill with a disappointed look. "That's annoying, I paid rather a large sum for it."
"Does it make a good quill?"
"I suppose so, why?"
"Then you've spent your coins wisely. Does it really matter what kind of feather it is?"
"No, it doesn't. I'm just disappointed I've been taken advantage of."
"Well, you best be disappointed later, we have a meeting to get to, come along."
Aubrey quickly closed up her ink pot and wiped down the tip of her quill, placing them precisely on the desktop.
"Let's go," she said, "we don't want to be late."
Princess Anna of Merceria was pacing the room. Tempus followed her, and each time she spun about, the great mastiff would run behind her to follow her steps once again. If the situation had not been so dire, Beverly would have found it quite amusing. Arnim Caster was the last to arrive, having come from the stables. He took his seat quietly, nodding to the princess in greeting.
"Gerald is missing," she started, "and we must find him. I think we can all agree that something has happened to him or else he would be here."
"What are the possibilities?" asked Aubrey.
"He might be injured somewhere," offered Arnim. "Perhaps someone tried to steal from him, and he was harmed."
"I find that hard to believe," refuted Beverly. "Gerald knows how to fight, and I don't see him giving in easily."
"I agree," confirmed Anna. "I once saw him take on three bandits with his bare hands and a cane. I can't believe a mere mugging would take him out. He's a very cautious man."
"I know where he went," said Beverly, "but I'm sworn to secrecy. I will take Hayley with me at first light, see what we can dig up?"
"Could Tempus track him?" asked Hayley. "He must know his scent."
"I'm afraid Tempus is not a great tracker, his skills lie elsewhere. The smells of the city drive him to distraction," explained Anna
"Wait a moment," said Hayley. "I just remembered something."
"What is it?" asked Anna.
"I met a woman at the waterfront today. She said her son had gone missing. Apparently, this has been happening for a while."
"Are the town watch doing anything about it?" probed Anna. "Perhaps the city guards?"
"The woman seemed to think it would do no good. I have a location where her son went missing. Somewhere near Lassiter Street. Does that name sound familiar?"
"Yes," said Beverly, "it's close to where Gerald wanted to go, not too far from the theatre."
"Arnim," said Anna, "you go to the town watch and see if they can shed any light on these disappearances, they might be related. Beverly, send the other knights out to search the streets around the area, perhaps someone's seen something."
"We need to keep a guard on you, Highness," objected Arnim. "If someone has taken Gerald, it could be an attack against you."
"Why do you say that?" the princess replied.
"It's no secret that he's your closest advisor. They might be looking for leverage."
"He has a point," agreed Beverly. "Perhaps we should keep a few guards behind to watch you."
"Organize the knights, Beverly. You and Hayley will remain behind as my bodyguards. Where was Gerald headed?"
Beverly knew she could hide the information no longer, "He was going to a jewellers, Highness. He wanted to buy you a present."
"Have the knights search the area. It'll be too dark to make much out tonight. I want you and Hayley to be there at first light to see if there's any indication of what happened."
"Yes, Your Highness," agreed the redheaded knight.
"The rest of you, help out as best you can. Aubrey, I need you with the knights. Beverly will tell you the location. I want you to oversee the search."
"Me, Your Highness?"
"Yes, Aubrey. You have a keen mind, you're likely to notice things that would escape the knight's attention. Talk to the people thereabouts. Any information, even about the other disappearances, should be considered important."
"Yes, Highness," Aubrey agreed.
"Might I suggest," said Arnim, "that Lady Aubrey accompanies me instead? I thought to talk to the town watch, and a lady of her breeding would get their attention, being a noble and all."
"Very well, then," decided Anna, "Aubrey will go with you to the town watch. Who will command the knights tonight?"
"I would suggest Dame Levina," offered Beverly, "she's the eldest, and the others respect her."
"Very well," said Anna. "Everyone on your way, you have much to do."
They all filed out of the room, save for Beverly and Anna.
"It's all my fault," lamented Anna. "If he hadn't been trying to buy me a
present he'd still be safe."
"You can't blame yourself, Highness," comforted Beverly. "You had no way of knowing this was going to happen." She opened the door and called for Sophie.
Moments later, the young maid appeared, "Yes, my lady?"
"The princess is distraught, Sophie. She needs some rest, take her to her room and see if she can get a little sleep. It's likely to be a long night."
"Yes, my lady," Sophie replied. "Come along, Your Highness, you'll need your energy later, you should rest while you can."
She escorted the princess from the room, leaving Beverly pondering the situation. She tried to recall Gerald's morning words but couldn't remember any details. She was interrupted by the door opening.
Lady Nicole entered the room, "I hope I'm not intruding."
"I was just leaving," said Beverly. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if Her Highness was ready for bed."
"I'm afraid you're too late. Sophie has taken her to her room. She's rather distraught over Gerald's disappearance."
"He's probably just passed out drunk somewhere, like most men," offered Nicole.
"Gerald's not like most men," warned Beverly.
"Well," said Nicole, "I shouldn't spend too much time worrying about it. I'm sure everything will turn out fine by morning.
Twenty-Three
The Search
Autumn 960 MC
Anna paced back and forth. "Where are they?" she asked, to no one in particular. "They've been gone all night, and still we have no answers."
It was Revi Bloom who chose to respond, "Arnim and Aubrey are still at the watch-house, but they have yet to report anything of interest."
"What about Tempus?" asked Hayley. "Was he any use?"
"No," said Anna. "He follows the scent out to the road, but then he loses it. There are just too many smells for him, and he's never been a great tracker. Where are we with the shopkeeper?"
"We were just about to leave. We'll talk to the jeweller and then search the area for any signs of a mugging."
"I doubt you'll find any," responded Anna. "A mugger would take the coins and run, I don't think they'd spend time hiding the victim. It's looking more and more like a kidnapping."
"To what end, Highness?" asked Revi.
"Whoever is responsible must know how much Gerald means to me."
"That being the case," continued the mage, "wouldn't they try to contact you for a ransom or something?"
"That's true," admitted Anna, "but I don't like to think of the other possibility."
"Which is?" pressed Revi.
"That he's been murdered," the princess choked out.
Beverly noticed the princess was tearing up, "We'll find him, Highness, I'm sure of it. Perhaps he's wandering around after being knocked on the head, he could simply be disoriented."
"Let's hope so," said Anna.
The sun was just rising as Aubrey paced in the front lobby of the grand building that housed the town watch. They were little more than glorified foot troops, but their presence made people more comfortable, at least the rich people. Aubrey had seen their like in Wincaster, but most of the heavy work there was done by the king's troops. In Loranguard, there was little evidence of soldiers. Those who did exist were always manning the walls, forever watching westward toward the untamed lands of the Twelve Clans.
Arnim had talked all night with the watch captain, but so far he had yielded little information. She was beginning to think her presence here was a waste of time when a voice carried across the room.
"I told you, we'll look into it," a rough looking man was saying.
Aubrey turned to see a watchman talking to a commoner, a woman very close to Aubrey's own age. The look of desperation on her face tugged at Aubrey's heart, and without even realizing it, she found herself moving toward the woman.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
The guard and the woman both looked at her in surprise. "My son's gone missing, and the watch here won't do nothing about it?"
"What would you have us do?" the man retorted. "There's no indication of what happened. You tell us your son is missing, but that happens all the time. He's probably run off."
"My son would never run off," she bit back angrily. "He's out there somewhere, something's carted him away."
Aubrey seized on the words, "Something? What makes you think it's not a person responsible?"
"My boy knows everyone in the area. None of them would mean him harm. Something's carted him off, I tell you!"
The watchman turned to Aubrey, "I'm sorry, miss. We get these complaints from time to time, probably something mixed in with the gin."
The woman looked like she was about to explode and Aubrey put her hand onto her forearm to calm her.
"Let me help," she offered. "My travelling companion and I are investigating another disappearance, they might be connected."
"Thank you," the woman gushed. "I'd be so grateful. My Eric was taken this morning."
"Can you show us where?" she asked.
"Yes, of course, follow me."
"Arnim?" called Aubrey. "We have a recent disappearance. Come along, we must hurry!"
They followed the woman, who led them further into town. The city was a strange layout for it was built upon the side of the river. The river forked here, forming a 'Y' shape and the top of the 'Y' was the Citadel. Now they were heading south, paralleling the river as they did so.
They soon came to a rather narrow street which held a tight group of run down looking structures. They were primarily of wattle and daub construction, but most of them looked neglected and in need of repairs.
"It was right here," the woman was saying. "The last I saw him he was cutting across the back here, down this alley."
"Where does it go?" asked Arnim.
"It crosses the small back plot and then comes out on Lassiter Street."
"That's the merchant district, isn't it?" asked Aubrey.
"Aye," the woman agreed, "but that's a block north. Down here it's all houses and such."
Arnim began examining the alleyway. It was unpaved, allowing him to clearly make out numerous footprints. "How old is your son?" he asked.
"Seven," the woman answered.
"These must be his prints, then," he noted. "They're fresh, and the others are far too large."
"Can you see where they went?" asked Aubrey.
"Let's see," he muttered, beginning to move eastward, down the alley.
Aubrey followed, but they had gone only a short distance when Arnim stopped.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"There's something strange here," he offered. "His footprints start cutting across the small open area here, but then they stop."
"Could someone have picked him up?" she asked.
"No, there's no other recent footprints at this point. I would surmise that most people cut down the alley to get to the next street, but our young friend here was likely cutting across the plot to get to a mate's house. The tracks just stop, I've never seen this sort of thing before."
Aubrey came closer to examine the ground. It was still wet from an early morning mist, a common enough occurrence by the river. Her own feet were making distinctive shapes as she moved and she could fully understand Arnim's reasoning.
"What do we do now?"
"Have you your journal with you?" he asked.
"Yes, in my pack," she answered.
"Write down what we've found," he said. "It may come in useful later."
"We should inform the princess, shouldn't we?"
"We will, but I want to check around the area some more. Something very strange is going on around here, and I want to see if anyone heard or saw anything."
Beverly looked in through the jeweller's window. Unlike most businesses here, it had glass windows, consisting of small panes set into a wooden structure. She marvelled at the workmanship and imagined the cost it must have entailed.
"Are we going in?" asked Hayley, already a
t the door.
"Of course," she agreed, "I've just never seen a shop like this before."
"They do have windows in Wincaster, you know. Haven't you ever been shopping in the capital?"
"No, I'm a knight. The only things I like to buy are for fighting."
"I'm guessing you don't socialize much," offered the ranger. "I'm a ranger, and I've still found time to wander the shops. What do you do in your downtime?"
"Downtime? I don't have 'down time'. If I'm not on campaign or patrol, I'm training."
"Doesn't that get boring?" asked Hayley.
"No, I quite like it, it keeps me strong," she said, pushing open the door.
The inside of the shop consisted of a table behind which sat an ancient bearded man. He was peering through a strange apparatus that looked like a small metal hoop, but as she got closer, Hayley saw it had glass set into the middle.
"May I help you?" he offered, though he declined to look up from his work.
"Yes," said Beverly. "We were wondering if you had seen a friend of ours. I believe he came in yesterday to see you?"
The jeweller looked up from his work at the enquiry. "Can you describe this man?" he asked.
"He's an older gentleman. He has a short beard with rather a lot of grey in it."
"Oh yes, I remember him. He's a visitor to these parts. I'm guessing you two are as well."
"Yes," agreed Beverly. "We're from the Kingdom of Merceria, to the east."
"Yes, I remember now," said the man, starting to rise. He hopped from his stool only to reveal his short stature for he was a member of the Dwarven race. "He quite surprised me," he continued, "even knew a few words of my native tongue. What would you like to know?"
Beverly continued, "Can you tell us what time he left here?"
"It was just before noon," the Dwarf answered. "I remember it very well. We chatted for quite a while, he's an interesting chap. We would have continued, but my noon meal was brought in by my son and interrupted us. Your friend said he didn't want to take up my time and so he left."
"Have you any idea which way he might have gone?" Hayley prompted.
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