He sat behind a beautiful wooded desk with a surface so polished I could see the insides of his well groomed nostrils in it. Despite the early hour he was impeccably dressed and relaxed looking. I would have been more relaxed myself if I hadn't been rousted so rudely out of bed and if the room hadn't been so packed with Lunar notables at such an early hour. Standing immediately to Sor-Eel's left was his shadow, Bor-Eel, his half-brother. To Sor-Eel's right looking like he'd eaten something exceedingly sour, his habitual look I understand, stood Jotoran Longsword, chief administrator of Pavis. Right behind him, which uncharitable gossipers claim is his usual position, was Jorjar the Quick, Constable of Pavis. At the back of the room watching events and looking every bit as dangerous as a 3 metre square room filled to the ceiling with rabid rubble runners, was Radak, the Iron Centurion, the bloke in charge of guarding Sor-Eel's life. I personally entertain no doubts that Radak could have slaughtered everyone in the room without breaking a sweat. The only person missing was Gimgim the Grim, head of Lunar intelligence in Prax, though of course for all I know he may have been present.
My escort presented me to Sor-Eel and then buggered off for breakfast, lucky bastards. Sor-Eel waved me to a seat before the desk, a singular honour since he was the only other person in the room seated, an honour which I would gladly have traded for being in Adari or nearly anywhere else.
Sor-Eel smiled at me and said in a smooth and cultured voice, "So you are Placidus Treibonus, the informer?" Since an answer seemed to be expected I nodded. "I understand that you used to work in Glamour? Pavis must be quite a change from that." I smiled and ventured a witticism, "It certainly is." That was a witticism? I must have been suffering from stage fright. I wrung out some more courage from my meager store and tried a different tack. "Obviously you want me for something. What is it?" I blanched inwardly at my hubris. Sor-Eel smiled again and said, "Directness. I can value directness." I relaxed my taut muscles and stifled a sigh.
"You are correct we do have some work for you." I noticed that Jorjar the
Quick scowled at that. Obviously something the constabulary would normally
handle. Sor-Eel templed his fingers and leaned back in his chair. "There's
been a death and we would like you to investigate it." "Why isn't the
constabulary investigating this?" I asked. "Oh, they will be investigating
it", replied Sor-Eel, "However the nature of the death is such that I feel
they may be a little out of their element on this one." Jorjar scowled even
deeper at that. Oh great, just great. "How about Gimgim the Grim? Why
can't he, she or it investigate this?" Sor-Eel smiled a faint smile at
that, I must have been feeling more relaxed than I thought to score one, and
said, "Unfortunately he, she, or it is unavailable at this time. I have
heard good things about your work here in Pavis and someone who knows you
from Glamour has had more good things to say about you." I raised an
eyebrow at that, who would Sor-Eel know that I knew in Glamour? Refusing to
enlighten me he continued, "This incident shall we say demands an
independent investigation due to some shall we say political ramifications."
There was that sinking feeling again. I decided that I would get my details
when Sor-Eel offered them rather than asking for more now and getting even
more depressed than I already was.
"We offer you forty lunars a day in expense money, plus 1000 lunars if you
solve the case to my satisfaction, plus performance bonuses if they seem
appropriate. You will have an expense account and a writ demanding
co-operation from those you show it to." "And if I refuse the best I can
hope for is expulsion from Pavis while the worst would be screaming out the
rest of my understandably short life from the vantage point of a cross?"
I've never understood just why in such a dry, wood-poor place that they
bother wasting the stuff on crosses. Sor-Eel shook his head, "Oh no, not
even the best. The actual situation would be the imposition of heavy
licensing fees and taxes on the informer profession. You could stay here
but you would find it unbelievablly difficult to make a living." "Well", I
smiled wanly, "In that case when do I start?"
To be continued.
Oliver
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