“We’ve got 99 problems, but a ditch isn’t one,” My-re said to her companions, the arch-mage Havelock and Vomarian Fae, captain of the Unsinkable III flying ship. In the village of Sanaras, deep within the Rirorni Empire, she entered the Rirorni living room of her foster mother Arenna’s home.
“Arenna said she’ll help keep the ship hidden in the gorge, while we determine the location of the final steps of Araminth. Now what’s the plan? What do we do?”
There were several heartbeats of silence. Vomarian and Havelock looked to each other sitting at a rectangular tea table as My-re sat on a pillow-cushioned wooden chair with hands on her legs.
“Well?”
“There was always the assumption that Araminth was alive,” Vomarian Fae said as his face grew red with uneasiness.
“Fine, I thought that too. What was the plan assuming she was alive?” My-re asked.
Havelock cleared his throat. “I’m a bit taken off-guard, as that was my hypothesis too. As the situation has it, once the general whereabouts of Araminth were known we’d deploy the mere dragons. They have a renowned sense of smell and could track a grey cat hidden in a dwarven iron mine. Now, coming from one, primary point of origin, we’d begin using a hexagon grid to-”
“Get on with it.”
“Yes, we’d start a search pattern to sniff her out,” Havelock finished quickly.
“How would you sniff her out?”
Vomarian perked up, like the only student knowing the answer to a question. “We have several sets of her worn clothes. Dresses, shoes, normal outfits and…undergarments.”
“Right, that still sounds like a good plan. Let’s use-”
Interrupting, Havelock said, “Well, that was feasible assuming she was alive and still expelling her scent to track. Assuming the Rirorni carried on with their tradition of burying their dead, it’s unlikely they would find her through six feet of dirt. Any scent, even if we know her last location would have dissipated.”
My-re sighed, “The nine hells. We’re back to square one and don’t even know where to start looking.”
“Not entirely,” Vomarian Fae said. “We can still search the local archives for any record of Araminth’s passing. Failing that we can start asking around the local establishments for any hints or clues.”
Rolling her eyes, My-re said, “An Alastarian, and arch-mage, and a Shagornan elf walk into a Rirorni bar. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, where we all die!”
Throwing up his hands in frustration, Vomarian replied, “I’m open to suggestions. Go on, if you think you’re so cleaver?”
Narrowing her eyes at the mage and the elf, My-re folded her arms hard across her chest defensively. “Going in and asking around for Araminth would get us noticed. It wouldn’t help my situation of being banished from Sanaras.”
Vomarian Fae said, “You’d be in disguise. Besides, it’s unlikely anyone outside of Sanaras would recognize you.”
“Yes, I could argue the jurisdiction would only apply to the town and not the entirety of the Rirorni Empire,” Havelock commented.
“Yes, a compelling argument I can have with the noose around my neck,” My-re snapped. “Now, be quiet, I’m thinking out loud.”
“However,-”
“Shhh! It’d take months or years asking around. That won’t do. If someone has knowledge of Araminth, we have to find them and then more importantly, get them to talk,” My-re said more to herself than anyone.
“How?”
My-re forcefully held out her hand towards Vomarian. Her eyes darted around the living room, looking for anything for inspiration. Nothing.
Havelock smacked his lips. “While we wait for brilliance, do you mind asking if there is any more of that Rirorni tea? I also wouldn’t say no to a few more of those honey dates.”
“I don’t know where mother is. I’m thinking,” My-re barked then seeing disappointment on the arch-mage’s face, she then yelled in Rathiri, the Rirorni native language, “Mother, may we have more tea and dates please!”
Arenna arrived shortly with a brewing teapot and a plate of nicely arranged grouping of honey dates. As she set it down, My-re watched Havelock enjoy himself licking his sticky fingers after each.
“Of course. I’m so stupid. We need to bring the person who knows about Araminth to us.”
“How?”
“We need something to entice them out into the open. Something that will draw their attention,” My-re said. “Something big.”
“I thought that was exactly what you didn’t want?” Vomarian questioned.
“Shhh! Thinking out loud!” My-re shushed.
“The Unsinkable III? Havelock asked.
“Too big.”
“I have a few magic items we can sell,” Havelock continued.
“Too small. However, I like the selling bit. Bigger.”
“I am not selling my golems.”
My-re shook her head and waived him off.
“The only thing we have of any value is the mere dragons,” Havelock said.
My-re turned her head slowly towards the arch-mage at the suggestion. Thinking, she held up her hands, so the others wouldn’t speak. After a few moments, she snapped her fingers. “The mere dragons. We go in selling the mere dragons. That’ll get everyone’s attention,” My-re said.
“Oh no! You are not selling those mere dragons,” Vomarian Fae stated pointing at her. “They don’t belong to us. If we lose those dragons the consequences would be quite severe.”
Havelock commented, “Not if the price is exorbitant.”
“We can’t risk it,” Vomarian said. “What if some rich Rirorni warlord comes in and meets the price and we don’t sell? We’d be outed and have a heavily armed, angry customer with an army behind them.”
“The elf’s right,” My-re said.
“The nine hells, I’m right.”
“The buyer needs to be someone who can’t buy. That way we can bring the mere dragons into Rithakhar, put on a grand display, and help find the person with the information we need without selling them.”
“Oh, I do enjoy a good riddle,” Havelock said clapping his hands together.
“That doesn’t make any sense. A buyer who isn’t buying. Who exactly would that be?” Vomarian Fae snorted folding her arms tight in skepticism.
“Isn’t it obvious?” My-re hinted and saw a wide smile of knowing at the arch-mage.
The Shagornan elf shook his head and implored with his body language for someone to answer.
“The buyer is Araminth,” Havelock explained.