Chapter 39 – Being Watched
She hadn't closed the drapes when she had entered the previous evening, and the sun was bright this morning as SJ awoke, squinting against the light. She was going to have a bath before she went anywhere today, and she immediately started it running before going down to the kitchen to make coffee.
The sound of sawing and hammering filtered up from downstairs, where Yawnee and Lurtew must already be at work. Not wanting to disturb them, she headed back upstairs as soon as the coffee was made. The bath was almost full, and she added the new oil she had collected from her frantic shopping visit before lowering herself into the blistering water. The scent of fresh linen brought a sense of homeliness and longing she hadn't felt in a long time. Thoughts of her parents, her sister and her uncle Dave came flooding back to her.
It wasn't melancholic but pleasing. A feeling of familiarity and enjoyment. Since arriving in Amathera, her new life had taken over her thoughts; she rarely thought of the family she had left behind on that fateful day. The thought brought her back to her arrival in the white room.
"And your life changed for the better," Dave said cheerily. He had left her to her moment until she remembered how obnoxious he had been when she had decided to call him Dave.
You do realise how much of an ass you were when we first met, don't you?
Dave coughed. "I matured with age."
You were already over 5000 years old, by your reckoning, when we met.
"True, but I was still learning the full intricacies of communicating with you lot."
You lot. After 160-plus Legionnaires, you would have thought you had learned something.
"Yes, and as I have admitted before, my conclusion was that most were stupid."
SJ rolled her eyes at her friend's comment as she finished washing and climbed from the tub, wrapping the soft towel around her. She picked up her coffee and walked to the front balcony overlooking the inner city. It was after nine, and the streets were their usual busy selves. Once she had finished her coffee, she dressed, changing her dress and boots so that they matched the daily life of Asterfal.
She was about to leave and go downstairs when she remembered the fateful words from Navina that others may be watching her. A sigh left her lips as she shrank and left through the rear balcony. The sun this morning was pleasant, its warmth caressing her as she flew over the streets towards the Black Gryphon. SJ knew she could spend hours just watching the city unfold beneath her if she wished to.
The journey didn't take long, and SJ noticed that the tables outside the front of the Gryphon were being wiped down after the previous day's rain. It must have reopened after the Chief closed it, and she flew to the rear and the gardens, where Fas's apartment was located.
She knocked and waited patiently. It didn't take long for the lock to turn, and Grenshaw's wrinkled face greeted her. "Morning, SJ."
"Morning," SJ said as she moved past him, the door immediately being closed and locked again.
Fas's door was open, and Benji was standing in it carrying a holdall.
"Morning, Benji."
"Hi. I won't be long. I'll deliver the letters as requested and then call in at the market." Benji said as he backed out, allowing SJ to enter.
Fas was sitting at his desk. He was dressed casually. A loose top and bottoms, not his street wear.
"You're early this morning."
"Yeah, I needed to talk to you."
"About what? We already discussed the next steps."
"A couple of things. First, yes, the next steps, are you sure you will be able to become Cortisar?"
"Am I confident that I can portray him at a distance? Yes. Am I confident that if I have to come face-to-face with the Chief, then no. He was her closest ally for so long; she knew him better than he knew himself."
"Then we need to plan to make sure that doesn't happen then. Have you had any ideas on how to do this yet?"
"That's what Benji is doing now. He is heading to the orphanages to deliver notes. It won't take long for the rumours to start spreading once the word hits the streets."
SJ nodded in appreciation. "That's great. What do you mean by very long?"
"A few days perhaps, maybe a week or two. Not exactly sure, but rumours usually get back to the Gryphon quickly."
"How can you be sure?"
Fas smiled; his smile was easy and knowing. "I've played Dragon Whispers before."
"Dragon whispers?"
"Yes. Starting a rumour and seeing how long it takes for it to spread."
"Oh."
"What else did you want to talk about?" Fas rose from the desk and moved to the sofa, pouring two glasses of water and handing one to SJ.
"Thanks," SJ took a drink. "This next bit is a little different."
"Go on."
SJ's stomach knotted again as she started to explain. "I met with Navina last night."
"For what reason?" Fas remained neutral; his expression was his usual calm.
"I was invited after I discovered someone had been watching me."
"I see. You spotted Barquin then," Fas nodded.
SJ was lost for words as she stared wide-eyed at her guardian, whom she believed was her friend.
She stammered in her response. "You knew?"
"Of course, I knew. I've been watching you since I became your guardian. I knew straight away as soon as Barquin moved into the apartments behind your building."
"But... but..." SJ fell silent.
"Don't be so surprised."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"I have no idea what to think. If anything, I feel betrayed."
"I have had watchers watching you for your safety and also the safety of your home and friends."
"Only when I'm in Asterfal, I assume?" SJ asked, a sense of unerring uncertainty clawed at her.
"Yes. Only ever in Asterfal. You have enough friends in Killic that are watching out for you continually."
SJ's cheeks felt flushed; she could also feel her temper rising.
"Who has been watching me?"
"That I can't say."
"Why can't you say? I know you have been spying on me now. I think it's only fair I know who?"
"And what good would it do you if I tell you, or told you I had beings watching over you? You would have acted differently if I had."
"That's what Navina said," SJ snapped. She felt hurt to learn that Fas had been watching her. "I can't believe you have been watching me."
"I have and always will. I took an oath when I accepted the guardianship position. Your life is my life."
"So what about when I have completed quests for the guild?"
"What about them?"
"Have you had watchers then as well?"
"They don't sit outside 24 hours a day or follow you around the city, but your movements are noted. I have eyes and ears in most places."
"You could track my whereabouts yourself through our clip connection. There's no need to have beings spy on me."
"Yes, but that only gives me a position. Not what's going on."
SJ downed her water, slamming her glass down a little too violently on the table as she processed the details. Fas noted her expression, his own staying as calm as always. He rarely showed any signs of frailty or uncertainty.
"Why have I never sensed them?" SJ's tone was curt.
"Why would you, our senses work mainly off of threat? At no point would any of my watchers be a threat to you."
"I'm glad to hear that," SJ replied sardonically.
"The kobold-loving scum bag," Dave blurted. "He's been spying on you all this time."
I know. I feel dirty. I was worried about his reaction to finding out that Navina was spying on me and what she said, and it appears that was a fruitless exercise.
"I have some information for you, by the way," Fas said, breaking SJ from her stewing anger.
SJ just stared at him blankly, her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed.
"What information?" SJ said after a pause.
"I've a possible location of that designer that Yawnee mentioned, an Evelyn Dashwin. She has apparently been frequenting one of the guilds."
"You mean a tailor's guild?"
"No. I mean, one of the main class guilds, not a profession-related one. Here in the district."
"Which one? And why would a supposed designer be involved with a guild?"
"From what I have discovered, I don't think she is the designer that she was made out to be."
"Which guild is she attached to?"
"The thieves' guild."
"How can you be certain about her being the right person then? Do they go by the name?"
"No. It would require further digging to confirm everything, and that's the tricky part. The thieves' guild is the worst of the worst, and I have no means to get information from the inside."
"I thought you knew everyone?"
"I don't know everyone personally; I just know 'about' most beings."
SJ stood and walked to the drinks cabinet at the side of the room. Fas watched her grab one of the bottles and a fresh glass, pouring herself a drink. SJ didn't even pay any attention to what it was as she drank it. Her throat constricted from the fiery liquid, glancing at the label. 'Guntrew's Dwarven Brandy'. She grimaced slightly, holding back a cough while noticing the slightest smirk on Fas's face as she poured another and returned to her seat.
"What do you suggest then?" SJ asked, her tone still sharp.
Fas relaxed more in his seat, leaning back as he considered his response. "The thieves' guild operates differently from the assassins' guild. They have no scruples and operate openly in many parts of the city, though less so in others. Their reach is across the entire city; they have several fronts."
"Fronts?"
"Various establishments and businesses that they operate and serve as covers. I believe you have already visited one of their gambling dens. There are also certain taverns and pawn shops. Several locations where they move their stolen goods and also recruit new guild members. Places come and go often as tower guards become aware of them."
SJ may have been simmering, but her thoughts were focusing on analysing the implications. "You think Evelyn is using one of these fronts?"
"Not directly, no, but her name was overheard by one of the wardens, so she could have ties or at least be associated with using their network or be involved in some way. The fact that it was a Ponzi scheme reeks of the thieves' guild and their usual methodology for ripping beings off. They prey on the vulnerable and will take what they can when they can."
"You said you can't get information from inside the guild?"
"Not easily, no. The guild doesn't trust anyone, not even half of its own members, never mind outsiders. Loyalty is not something they are renowned for. They have no qualms about disposing of beings they suspect are plants or changing locations on a whim. Several tower guards have fallen foul of their schemes in the past."
SJ stood again and walked to the window, looking out over the large garden. The morning sun was climbing high now. Grenshaw was standing at the bottom of the steps to the apartments, a thick billow of smoke rising from a pipe he held. The outside world seemed peaceful compared to her inner turmoil over everything that was going on.
"There has to be a way to infiltrate them and find out about the scheme and who was behind it," SJ spoke quietly. "Yawnee trusted Mrs Kawil, and Mrs Kawil trusted whoever set this up. There has to be a trail that leads back to an originator somewhere."
"I'm sure there will be, it's just finding it," Fas agreed. "The question is whether you wish to do this yourself or wait for more information to filter through. With what we are already planning, it may take time, as I have limited resources."
SJ turned to look at him, her anger still boiling at his surveillance, but she recognised he was still offering to help as best as he could.
"How much time?"
"If I continue putting feelers out, see if any contacts have heard any whispers about the scam and can collate any more solid details about a scam in District 6. Some of the thieves' guild can be sloppy at times, but if it's controlled or organised from within the inner circle, it could take considerable time to discover details, if any. Some can't resist bragging about the scams they have pulled, but those who do, don't usually last very long. It could take a few days or a few weeks, but someone may slip up."
"If I don't want to wait, what can I do?"
Fas's smirk returned, subtle but present. "Then do what you are best at. Investigate it yourself. Start with the victims and work from there. There is no immediate rush on dealing with the chief now that your heirloom is safe, and it will take time for the immortality rumours to spread, anyway. I'm sure you can follow the paper trail, if there is one. We already know there is some form of documentation, however vague it was."
SJ's mind was racing through possibilities as she moved back to the sofa again. Her forensic accounting background screamed at her; this had been her bread and butter back on Earth. Shell companies, false identities, charity scams, false or forged references, she had seen it all. There had to be something she could follow.
"I think we should be going to look at the shop they set up in District 6," SJ said. "There may be some evidence. From what Yawnee said, it just closed down."
"A good place to start. I've not had anyone look into it directly. I was using other means to gather information. You think they may have left something behind?"
"Perhaps. The building is still there, and if no one else has moved in, there may be. Beings get sloppy as you say; make mistakes."
"Well, my watchers watch and listen; my stirrers just hint at ideas; they don't investigate. That would be your speciality."
The comment floated between them. SJ still felt angry, but knew that Fas was only doing what he did for her benefit. "You won't help?"
"I will help if I'm needed by you. Which I don't believe I am. I will be maintaining the network details that Benji is setting up this morning. It is precarious even considering dealing with the chief. One slip could bring it tumbling down rapidly."
"Fine, I'll start with the shop then." She eventually said.
"Yawnee told me it was called 'Threads of Glory'. It should be easy enough to locate in District 6. Here, I'll write down what my watchers discovered for you." Fas stood and moved to his desk before writing in elegant script across the parchment and handing the note to SJ once finished. SJ read it as Fas poured himself another glass of water. The details were of several locations in the city where individuals had been overheard mentioning Evelyn's name.
"What is Benji doing exactly?"
"Speaking to the orphanages, the children are some of the best gossipers in the city, and their caretakers talk even more than they do. From there, I expect it will soon spread to the markets and taverns, then eventually here to the Gryphon."
"And then?"
"That's the part I'm still working on. If she takes the bait, we have to have a way to remove any suspicion and put her in a position of vulnerability. That is when the task gets much harder."
SJ looked at Fas. "Navina said I shouldn't involve you. She said you are too important an asset for her to lose."
Fas couldn't hold in the laughter. It took him several moments to stop while SJ stared at him.
"Sorry. I find it quite amusing that she believes that I'm an important asset to her."
The statement confused SJ. "Why would you think that?"
"I work for myself, and although that is the main guild, it isn't the only guild I work for."
"I'm still angry with you," SJ said finally.
"I know."
"But I do understand why you did it."
"Understanding doesn't mean you accept it."
"No, I don't." SJ stood and moved towards the door, then stopped before leaving. "When this is all over, we're going to have a proper conversation about boundaries."
"I look forward to it," Fas smiled. She couldn't tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.
She nodded to Grenshaw as she left the apartment, her mind already shifting to the investigation into District 6 and the Ponzi scheme. A closed shop, a flimsy contract and a link to the thieves' guild with several areas where comments had been overheard. It wasn't much to go on, but it was at least a start. She had worked with less before.
The sun beat down; its rays eased her stored anger as she took a deep breath. She couldn't stay angry at Fas; she would deal with that later. For now, she was going to help her family and discover who exactly was behind it.
"Time to go shopping for answers," Dave chirped cheerily. "The thieves' guild is likely to make the usual guilds look like amateurs. You need to be careful."
I'd better be better than an amateur, then, SJ replied, as she shrank and took off heading towards District 6.
