The White Ghost of Hart's Cove

15

.^^ Druid ^^

— Teilin —

The door to my office opened after a polite knock, and I didn't look up from my metal sculpture of the gates of the Red City, which were in need of updating.

"You need something?" I asked, my Red-hot sculpting pen making inroads.

"Well, I wouldn't bother you unnecessarily... you seem busy." Joanne said sarcastically.

"Woman, I am drafting the next incarnation of the Red City Gates! It's not for fun, it's a job that needs to be done! If you're going to bother me, you can leave. If you have something you need assistance with, then consider my office open to accepting your business." I growled, and then breathed deeply, focusing on the sculpture again, this time working on the inner workings.

She blinked, and sat on the corner of my desk. "Oh... sorry. Well, I happen to have something, actually. A group of Mages has not returned from the Farlands under us. We can't see anything odd about it, beyond their disappearances, so we'd like you to investigate."

"Mages are disappearing, and you want to send another? That's a genius idea." I snorted.

She blinked again. "You think they're disappearing because they're Mages?"

"Has anyone else disappeared?"

"No."

"Has anyone else visited the same part of the forest?"

"Yes."

"Then there's your answer. Send a few Dwarves." I hummed, and drew a few marks on my blueprints, making the interior more secure, and adding a few magical countermeasures against tampering.

She sighed. "I don't have any Dwarves. I have you. I've been authorized to pay you a half-pound of gold."

I paused. "That many Mages have gone missing?"

"Yes."

"Alright... use the money to get Gwynn some special meals... maybe a few of those special Bison from Old America, and a Shark or two. He's been wanting to try them both, but I don't have the funds to get him hooked on them." I nodded, and finalized my plans, which I'd only been tweaking anyway, then sent them into the Courier Bag.

She smiled. "That I can do. We recently established a contract with a few fishermen who live on the old Oil Platforms. They are selling us their best Sharks and Tunny, because we got rid of that sea-demon last month. As for the bison, it'll be pricey, but I'll see to it. Now go find my Mages, and bring their scrawny asses home."

"And whoever is taking them?" I asked.

"The Council was clear. If they've harmed our people, they die." She said sternly, and marched out.

I hummed and nodded, whistling for Gale and Pyre. When they appeared, I sighed. "We've got a little excursion. Seems some Mages have gotten themselves captured and/or killed by an unknown. We will find them, or their remains, and return them to the Skycastle, after either eliminating or evaluating the threat."

They nodded, and began lacing the leather harnesses around Gwynn's legs. He wouldn't allow them to put any sort of harness on his neck or back, so they improvised, and he was convinced to compromise, at the price of six fat cows from the surface.

He still sneered at the pieces of leather, but didn't complain when they laced them on. I passed the bag to a courier on our way out, and jumped up to Gwynn's back as he dove over the edge of the Island.