“I’d ask how the meeting went but given the fact that move would have shattered a normal door, I think I already know the answer.”
My focus snapped to where Rapunzel sat curled up on the couch, coffee beside her, a book in hand. No one else was in the room, of course, as this was our private quarters, but honestly, I had not been expecting to see her up this early.
“No, it did not go well. Apologies if I startled you.”
“Oh, that didn’t startle me. I could fair well hear you storming down the hall long before you reached the door. Why don’t you let off some of that excess energy before you explode? Then you can sit down and tell me what happened.”
I was already standing before the fireplace when she suggested it. The magic had been building up since before I left the meeting, and it took a fair amount of focus to keep it directed at the fireplace. While the room around me was designed to withstand magical discharge, I did not want to test how much it could handle before something caught fire.
The fireplace, though, was specially designed to absorb and store excess magical energy, so I let loose. A sphere of undefined magic slammed into the facsimile logs with an audible whoomph. Anything else would have shattered and likely burned on impact.
This did not completely erase my agitation, but it made it much more manageable.
“Wow,” Rapunzel commented. “I’m surprised he survived that meeting.”
“It was nothing I haven’t heard before," I grumbled."I was just irritated because of course that blow hard would use the assassination of a king to attack my position. He was quickly reminded it was neither the time nor the place for accusations like that. I know this is far from over, but he did shut up.”
“It’s a good thing someone else got to that punch before you did. Now he has less leverage for the next time he pulls that.”
“Exactly.” I flopped down onto the chair and started fixing some tea until I realized Rapunzel had beat me to it.
“So, Camelot is still in lockdown and the Statesmen are still in charge of the situation.”
“That is correct.”
“That makes sense. They’ll be a good stabilizing influence in the wake of the assassination. I take it they are also going to be heading the investigation?”
“Yes, and when I asked why I was told it was none of my concern. They are freezing me out.”
“That is ridiculous. No offense to the Statesmen, they are a prestigious group, but complex magical investigations are not their strong suit…”
“Exactly!” I interjected. “I agree the Statesmen should be where they are. I even agree it wise to send them to protect other powerful leaders in case they are targeted next. There is no telling where this person will strike next and preparing now can help us better deal with the fallout. Damage control will not solve this problem." I sighed. "But they need to let us do our job.”
“What did Matthias say when you asked to continue your investigation?”
I started to ask how she knew I did that, then thought better of it. Rapunzel knew me better than most, so of course she knew what I was after. She would have asked the same thing, though perhaps in a less aggressive manner.
We were both heavily invested in the situation. We both took it personally when I failed the king.
Neither of us would rest until we saw this through.
“He told me to be patient while accusing me of being spoiled by my superiors, insinuating I could further complicate the delicate situation. I wasn’t even asking to be allowed back into Camelot. There is nothing more there for me to find anyway.”
“Did he say anything about the evidence you gathered? Surely by now they have something to go on that would take us outside of Camelot.”
“I have no doubt they do, but he is blocking all information from reaching me. When I asked why, he cited the fact I am too close to this, then threw some obscure rule at me about waiting periods after long-term solo missions. When I told him I would respect that rule and not pursue anything, he still refused to let me see anything." I didn’t bother hiding my bitterness.
“You don’t think Circe told them, do you?” Rapunzel asked, eyeing me over the book she was reading.
“I know her well enough to know she would only share what was necessary, and she only knows what Dina has told her so far. I can’t blame her for spreading the general facts to the others in charge, so people know what is going on." I sighed again. " I was just hoping it would take longer for the suspicion to start growing.”
“Even so, you think in this situation they would want their best on the case. And by that, I mean me of course.”
I rolled my eyes dramatically at her overly cheeky grin.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I even want to be on the case. Too many people watching over our shoulders.”
“You’re not thinking of going rogue, are you Snow?”
“I don’t know. I’m tired of being left in the dark and if I don’t get something to do soon, I will explode.”
“We can’t have that now, can we? Never fear. I’ll go work my charms to see what information I can rustle up. At the very least I can get us a mission that will get you out of the compound.”
“At this point, I would take just about anything.”
“I have some sources I can tap, and I could use an excuse to stretch my legs.”
“You are much better at sweet talking your way into what you want than I am.”
“Just stay here and cool off. I’ll take care of this.”
I made a shooing gesture that made her laugh as she got up and slipped out the door. Perhaps she would be able to get some information.
Meanwhile, I tried to not dwell too much on the fact that I was being shut out of my own investigation. I was used to some being hesitant to trust me. Some argued I had too much latitude when it came to how I completed missions, either because they didn’t trust outsiders or because they were jealous.
It drove me mad some days.
Usually if I stood my ground long enough, someone would break, and they would let me in on the situation. They also had a habit of trying to dissuade me from pursuing different missions but, again, they usually relented.
Their decision now made absolutely no sense. Rapunzel was right, they needed their best on this. Lady Circe herself had given me this job and now someone higher than her was trying to take it away.
I could have called on Dina to vouch for me, but with the situation being what it was, I did not want to put her in that position. Not unless I was left with no other option, and I still had more strings I could pull.
Like Rapunzel.
Perhaps I was too close to this. Perhaps I needed to take a step back to re-evaluate things.
Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I was right.
The one thing I knew for certain was I needed to do something productive, or I was going to snap, and something would end up on fire.
“There is no rest for the wicked it seems.”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I paused momentarily at that statement before resuming my measuring. Several finished potions were lined up against the wall, waiting to be corked. Spread out before me was a variety of powders, dried herbs, and other such things. I finished the mixture and carefully funneled it into a small pouch, then cinched it tightly with a colored ribbon.
“I see you went for answers and came back with orders. Do I want to know what happened?” I asked, moving on to my next concoction. Rapunzel stopped just inside the door and leaned against the frame. My attention remained focused on my task, but I could feel her watching me.
“I am amazed you can sit so still on hunts. You haven’t stopped moving since you got back.”
“It takes practice and discipline. Like the discipline of knowing when you need something to occupy your time before you light the living room on fire.”
“Well, it's helping your self-control. Your mood? Not so much.”
“We have firmly established the fact that I am grumpy," I grumbled."Did you discover anything on your walk about the compound?”
“I uncovered quite a bit of gossip, but nothing of use unfortunately.”
“Anything about me?”
“No. At least, nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t think most people know what happened yet, and those who are in the know are staying quiet about it. Not sure how much longer that’ll be the case." She stepped closer, eyeing the table curiously. "What are you doing?”
“I figured it was best to put that energy to good use. Some of these ingredients were not going to last much longer, so I figured it would be a good time to rebuild our stock of powders and potions.”
“An excellent thought. What have you made so far?”
“Health and rest potions. A few knockout draughts. All our usual powders, including the concoction you like for your runes. Give me another hour and we will be set for months. Now, spill it. What do you know?”
I set the bag I was working on down and turned my full attention to Rapunzel. She already had her braid twisted up in a bun as if she were planning to go somewhere. Looking closer I could see she carried a folder as well as the envelope carrying our new mission.
She slid the folder across the table, and I quickly flipped it open.
“Don’t bother reading it. We are off duty for the time being and are encouraged to take some personal time whenever we are not training.”
“So, they are benching us. Wonderful.”
“My usual sources proved unhelpful, but I was stopped by a runner on my way back.”
“And?”
“They had a message from Dina. It seems she has a message she would like us to deliver personally.”
“Is that the message or are those her orders?”
“That is the message. She said you would have the orders.”
I reached into a pocket that had previously been empty to find a small scroll bearing her seal. I had been so focused on my work I never noticed its appearance. With Rapunzel watching me, I carefully lifted the seal and unrolled the scroll.
It has come to my attention the Lord Peter Pan and the Blue Lady have not yet been informed of the current situation. Our normal methods of delivering information to them proved inadequate given current circumstances. So, I am entrusting the two of you to deliver this message to ensure it gets to its destination and is read promptly. The Lost Boys will be expecting you.
I would not be sending you if it were not of the utmost importance. As you are still in your resting period after your previous mission, I have approved you for a few days leave and a travel stipend. There is a lovely little town by the portal you will be using. Take some time to enjoy yourselves in a new place. I will let you know when you are expected to return.
The rest of the letter contained details of our destination and our expected departure time. We had some time to finish preparations, as they would need time to prepare our stipend and alert the Lost Boys to our pending arrival.
I pulled the rest of the seal off the scroll before tossing it to Rapunzel. I broke the seal and my eyes glazed over as the spell took effect. Dina’s voice echoed in my ear.
“Those who need to know have been made aware of your trip to Neverland, as well as your leave time. I told them a visit to old friends would do you some good. Lady Circe agreed you have earned a break. Hopefully the Pan or the Blue Lady will be able to provide some clarity on this situation.
Tread with caution. Trust your instinct. I will stay in touch.”
“Well, that’s oddly cryptic. I’m not going to complain about a chance to get out of here for a while, though. It's been a rather boring few weeks,” Rapunzel murmured, carefully tossing the scroll onto the table.
“Don’t act like you weren’t going out on other missions while I was gone.”
“I was borrowed for a few day trips but nothing nearly as exciting as we usually get into.”
“Don’t worry. I have a feeling things are about to get much more interesting.”
A snap of my fingers and a map unfurled, floating a few inches above the table. It was easier than trying to clear off enough clean space, given how long it took me to get everything organized.
I stood up to get a better look and Rapunzel followed suit.
“Huh,” she mused. “I guess if they were going for discretion that portal makes sense. It is rather out of the way, and we would have to take an indirect route just to get there.”
“I think the route is the point. How soon can you be ready to leave?”
“I can be ready to go in a few hours.”
“Good. We might end up having to be gone for some time.”
“How long do you think Dina will be able to keep them off our trail?”
“I’m certain she will buy us as much time as she can, but either way we will need to move quickly and with caution. The last thing we need is someone catching on to what we are doing.”
“I have a friend who can get us out under the radar, but he goes off shift in two and a half hours. Do you want a hand?”
I considered her offer for a moment. “Let me finish this last round, then you can take over for a minute. I only have a few things I need to grab before I am ready to leave. These should be easy to make. I finished the more precise ones earlier.”
“Excellent. Show me what to do.”
Rapunzel sat down next to me, and I walked her through the steps of what I was creating. It was something we had made together before, during our initial trial, so she caught on quickly. I left her to prepare several more pouches while I ran back to my room to gather some things.
Some small odds and ends that held only sentimental value went into a pocket in my cloak.
I also gathered more practical things, like extra sets of clothing and any weapons I had stashed about the room. It all went into a nondescript bag I often carried around the compound, along with several books. There was no way of knowing what we would be running into, so the more resources we had the better.
As I looked around my room to make sure I had not missed anything, I noticed Darling had snuck into my room. The curious kitten sat on the floor near the head of my bed and there was a look in her eyes I had never seen before. Not for the first time, I found myself wondering what was hiding behind that cute little face.
“What is it, Darling?”
She pawed at my pocket, staring at me intently. Without breaking eye contact, I reached into the pocket and withdrew the golden key that tended to follow me around. It never remained in the same place I put it, but it was always somewhere it could be found when I needed it. The first time I found it was the first time I found anything, and the first memory I had after coming to this realm from wherever it was I came from. The enigma haunted me for years, yet I had told no one about its ever-presence. I stood out enough as it was, with my wayward magic and mysterious past. They didn’t need to know all my secrets. Not that I would have any answers for their questions.
All I knew was the key was important, and it was meant to be mine. So, I kept it safe, and now I would need to take it with me. Something told me it would prove important.
Rapunzel had many theories as to its origin, but nothing concrete. Dina seemed to recognize it, but she would say nothing when pressed. When asked all she would say was I would understand when the time was right. She did rather enjoy being cryptic.
The trip down memory lane was cut short when a small set of claws latched onto the back of my cloak. I leaned forward slightly to give Darling, a curious little kitten with no sense of personal space, an easier time as she worked her way up my back. A common ritual for us.
She eventually reached my shoulders and settled herself around my neck like a scarf. I scratched her ears, and she purred happily, effectively breaking my melancholy. I tucked the key carefully into my cloak, and endeavored to not think about it.
I had other things to worry about.
After a few more stops I rejoined Rapunzel in the laboratory to take over preparing some of the trickier things I had left on my list, moving carefully so as not to dislodge the sleeping kitten. An hour remained before we were expected to depart for our mission.
I dropped my bag on the ground next to hers.
“How are you handling things?” she asked, working on measuring out a powder. I reached over and gently corrected something she had over-measured, showing her a more efficient way to do so.
“About as well as one could handle having their charge murdered under their watch by supernatural means. I keep playing it through my head, wondering what, if anything, I could have done to save him. What if I had gone to the vault after the coronation? What if I had done another check of the grounds, refreshing the wards to ensure nothing could break through? There were many things I could have done differently but I didn’t and now the king is dead.”
“Snow, you can’t blame yourself for this. I know you don’t like others being hurt, but even you can’t save everyone.”
“I know. But the fact that there is nothing I could have done does not make the situation any more comforting. I’m having trouble comprehending the direction things have taken.,” I admitted. " Part of me wants me to believe it isn’t true, that I’m missing something. I want to stop this before it gets out of hand but I’m afraid I won’t be able to move quickly enough. The quicker word spreads, the more dangerous this will become.”
“I think our mentor and our leader fear that as well. I know I do. But they can’t keep this quiet for much longer, not with the possible implications.”
