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All Yaden wanted to do was pace in front of Commander Hamilton's desk, but the Commander was already angrily tapping his pen against the top of the file in front of him and Yaden didn't want to agitate the man any further. It was rare enough for the Commander of the Order of the Lotus to show surprise or anger. Right now, he was definitely angry, as evidenced by the tapping pen and the deep crease on his brow.
Not at Yaden or his family, though.
When Yaden had reached his office, they had already been expecting him. The Commander had been relaxed, thinking that Myriam had just had a panic attack and he was ready to discuss with Yaden how such outbursts could be prevented.
As soon as Yaden mentioned the psion who had tried to take Myriam, his mood shifted – briefly – to disbelief then quickly to the same, heartfelt outrage Yaden felt. He had precious few facts besides the name the man had given, a description, and that he had claimed to have been sent by the Psions Guild. Before this intrusion, the urge to investigate the history of Myriam and her parents had been nothing more than a hunch, but the man's appearance after Myriam had been on Emperor's Island less than two days proved without a doubt that someone had done something wrong and was trying to cover it up. Yaden and Hamilton agreed that they would dig to the bottom of this rotten pile.
Now they waited for the Captain of the Ruby Guard, currently on duty and for Master Forlano, the representative of the Psions Guild on Emperor's Island, to ask them some pointed questions about security measures and to make Master Forlano aware of how pissed off at the Psions Guild the Order of the Lotus was right now. Even if the man hadn't been one of theirs, they had been the ones who had hunted Myriam's father and – according to her – killed her mother. So far, the Guild had not replied to Yaden's query into the matter. Unless the appearance of the suggessor had been their reaction. However, that didn't make much sense. The Guild wasn't stupid enough to believe that a Lotus Knight would shrug and forget about the girl who had been abducted from right under his nose. The only explanation that made sense was that there was a third party involved, or maybe a faction inside the Guild, trying to cover up ... something. But why was Myriam so important?
As it had during his mission to Hagermarsh, Yaden's mind kept circling around the unanswered questions, tearing at them, making him twitchy. He wanted answers.
What was taking these people so long?
The longer he had to wait here, the longer he was not home to protect Colin and he wouldn't be there when Myriam woke up. He didn't want her to feel exposed and vulnerable ever again. At least, he didn't have to worry about anything happening to them. Nothing would get past Haakon.
Yaden forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply and pushed his senses downward into the embrace of Lagoona. The planet's pulse was as steady and slow as ever, unconcerned by a human's short-lived problems but warm and caring. He let himself flow outward, spread through the bedrock Agami was built upon and deep towards the planet's core. Calm, ancient, unmovable, inevitable.
The knock on the door felt far away. Yaden used Hamilton's brief “Come in,” to pull himself back into the tiny shell of his body, feeling much clearer-headed. Like in Hagermarsh, patience and persistence would yield results. And once he found the ones responsible for hurting Myriam, he would smash them to a pulp like he had done with the demon.
The woman who entered first was clearly the Ruby Guard Captain on duty, evidenced by her red and gold armour, military short haircut, and calm and professional demeanour. The man who followed her had to be Master Forlano.
Yaden had never met the Psions Guild representative on Emperor's Island before. He tried to stay away from the Guild when he could, on general principle. He wasn't sure what he had expected – a sinister presence in dark robes would have been ridiculous but wouldn't have surprised him as much as this guy with a healthy tan, wearing stylish slacks and a short-sleeved shirt with the top buttons undone. He looked like he was coming back from a beach party.
Whatever the Ruby Guard Captain had planned to say, Master Forlano was faster.
“Commander Hamilton, my apologies for the wait. I was on my way out to the marina, but hurried back the second I received your summons. It seems things always pick my free days to go wrong.”
His mix of charming smile and earnest dismay was so convincing, Yaden felt sorry for him for a full five seconds. Then he reminded himself that Forlano worked for the Psions Guild in the vipers’ nest of Emperor's Island – of course he would be perfect at deflecting blame and sweet-talking people into whatever it was the Guild wanted. No matter how nice he seemed, he wasn't.
Hamilton was even less impressed. “So it would seem,” he drawled, “have you been briefed on what has happened?”
“I only heard there was a serious breach in security involving a psion...?”
“Let me enlighten you. Both of you. A suggessor walked right into the home of Sir Yaden here, used his powers on his fiancé and tried to take away a little girl to whom Sir Yaden had granted his protection, she is also an important witness and evidence in an ongoing investigation of the Order of the Lotus. Said psion claimed to be sent by the Psions Guild and when he was apprehended by Sir Yaden, he activated a teleport right off Emperor's Island.”
The Commander gave them a moment to digest that information, before he continued, now leaning forward, looking very menacing for a seated man. “What I want to know is how this could happen. How can someone walk around on Emperor's Island unchecked like that? That man could have shot people just as easily. Could he have walked in on the Emperor as well?”
Master Forlano had the good grace to look mortified, while the Ruby Guard Captain looked surprisingly unfazed.
“No, he could not have walked in on the Emperor or the Emperor's immediate family,” she answered calmly. “There are other security measures in place around the Imperial Family, which I am not at liberty to disclose. You are right, this should not have happened. However, it is impossible even for the Ruby Guard to counter any and all options available to enterprising malcontents so as to provide that level of security for the whole island. There are simply too many people coming and going on any given day. I want to point out that, in fact, in the history of Emperor's Island, this is the first time this kind of security breach has occurred, the reason being that suggessors are very rare to begin with and to have one acting like this is even rarer.”
Yaden didn't like it, but her explanation made sense.
“So it could happen again?” Commander Hamilton asked.
“Yes.”
The feeling that Colin wasn't safe here – that his whole family wasn't safe here – was similar to what Yaden imagined drowning might feel like, it overwhelmed him and caused a tightening in his chest from the urge to scream when he was trying so hard to keep his calm. He had left Colin alone on Emperor's Island for weeks. Anything could have happened to him. Once more he pulled on the calm of Lagoona herself. Colin also went out into Agami where he could have been run over by a stray tram at any time. It was impossible to keep him safe at all times and Colin wouldn't react favourably to him trying.
Unaware of Yaden's minor panic attack, Hamilton considered for a moment, and nodded. “I see. The Lotus Compound will evaluate additional security measures of our own and discuss them with the Ruby Guard once we are ready to implement them.”
Of course the Commander wouldn't let this stand. He had the Empire's finest in every regard at his disposal. Now that he was aware of the problem, he wouldn't rest until he had fixed it as best he could.
“At your convenience, Commander.” The Ruby Guard Captain saluted crisply. “We will do our best to trace how the suggessor got onto the island, where he may have come from, and what he did while he was here. Any additional information you can provide on him?”
“He called himself Doctor Lachlain,” Yaden spoke up for the first time. “I saw him only very briefly but he is rather pale-skinned, looks to be in his late forties, brown hair cut short, no beard, average height. He was dressed in a slightly old fashioned, grey suit.” Learning how to take in such details on a glance was one of the many useful things the Lotus Knight training encompassed. “He looked ... ordinary. Forgettable. But that might have been a psionic effect.”
“Thank you, Sir Yaden.”
“Now to you,” Hamilton turned back to Master Forlano, who had done a great job of blending into the cluttered background of the Commander's office. “I want to know who that suggessor is, if he does work for the Psions Guild, why he was here, how he got a teleport away, and where he went. I expect you to provide that information and I will consider any delay in doing so as the Psions Guild condoning the actions of that man. The Order of the Lotus will react accordingly should that case manifest.”
“Commander, I can immediately assure you this man did not act on orders given by the Guild,” Forlano hurried to say. “We value our great working relationship with the Order of the Lotus way too much to ever put that at risk. We are well aware that any guild, including ours, exists only by the grace of his Majesty, the Emperor. I can only assume that this suggessor is a rogue and if he did indeed work for the Psions Guild, he does not do so anymore, as of now. We will assist you in any possible way in finding him and bringing him to justice for his transgressions. I will immediately get on the job of getting you all the information you require.”
“And while you are at it, I also expect you to expedite the inquiries Sir Yaden sent to the Guild yesterday. This attack has promoted a minor investigation to a top-priority Lotus Knight mission. Handle it accordingly.” Now Hamilton wasn't threatening anymore, he was giving orders, which somehow made him even scarier.
Master Forlano took his harsh words in stride, showing appropriate deference but no actual fear. “I will, Commander.” In his job, he probably had to deal with annoyed nobles on a daily basis and they would react to fear like predatory fish to blood in the water. As much as Yaden was loath to admit it, he seemed to be simply doing his job and quite well at that.
Having worked for Hamilton for almost two years, Yaden was slowly learning to read the man’s moods. Normally, Hamilton presented a stoic front, weathering the madness his Knights brought into his office every day with grace and patience. Right now, the Commander was almost as furious as Yaden himself and it didn't help that there were no real targets available for that anger. And, unlike Yaden, he didn't have the option of tapping into the silence and calm of Lagoona. So he was left with channelling all that energy into action.
“Get to it,” Hamilton barked, and waved at the Captain and Master Forlano, dismissing them. He waited until the door had closed behind them. “That wasn't very satisfying,” he grumbled. “Now all we can do is wait.” He had lots of practice at waiting so his complaining about it was testament to how angry he was. He studied Yaden with a frown. “You seem surprisingly calm.”
Yaden shrugged apologetically. “I've been doing my meditation routine and melding with Lagoona, sir. It helps.”
That made Hamilton chuckle. “And here I was worrying you were plotting bloody murder. My wife is right. I have worked with Lady Rage for too many years.” He rubbed his face. “I'm getting too old for this. My tolerance for this kind of bullshit used to be much higher. And they didn't even bullshit me too much, which made it even more annoying. At least then, I could have given them a proper dressing down. I'm afraid there isn't much you can do right now but go home and take care of your family until we have a target we can point you at.”
It wasn't the worst thing. Myriam would certainly be calmer with Yaden in sight. And maybe he could ask her some more questions when she woke up from her torpor.
“I'll send word as soon as I have any news,” Hamilton promised. “Oh, and one more thing – I know that Colin is looking for a new home for you. Under normal circumstances I would think that is a great idea, but while the girl is in danger, maybe she should remain on Emperor's Island. It may not be as safe as I hoped it was, but it is safer than most other places you could move to.”
His assessment wasn't entirely wrong, but Yaden didn't agree. “I don't plan to leave her without protection again until this whole mess is resolved, sir,” he said. Disagreeing with the Commander, and doing so out loud, felt a little like insubordination. Not long ago, he would have swallowed his objections and convinced himself that Hamilton knew best, but right now his concerns seemed too important to ignore. “Either I will be there or Ivan. I doubt Colin will find a place for us to move into quickly, but if he does, the sooner we move, the safer for everyone. I'd rather have Myriam somewhere she can throw all the fire she likes around without risk of hurting anyone. The last thing she needs right now is the added guilt of accidentally hurting one more innocent bystander.”
“Hmm.” Commander Hamilton rubbed his shaved skull and nodded slowly. “That is a point I hadn't thought of. A good point. Well, in any case, do let Colin know that the Order will provide funds for whatever property he picks, for the move, and for any necessary modifications. Within reason, obviously. If you want a fancy penthouse apartment in Opera like your dear colleague Relais, you can bloody well pay for it yourself.”
“We are looking for something a lot more remote than that.” Living in the middle of Agami's most expensive and high profile quarter was pretty much the opposite of what they were looking for. “But we are grateful for the help.”
“At least that much we can do. Can't have a Lotus Knight living in some hovel, can we?”
“No, sir.” Though Yaden wouldn't mind a simple house. Sturdy. Maybe even one he had built himself, though that likely wasn't an option. They needed appliances and electricity, and, while he could make the best stone walls, floors and ceilings, that was about the extent of his talents. So he would have to be content with making whatever they moved into as solid as he could.
Hamilton gave him the same dismissive wave as he had the Ruby Guard Captain and Master Forlano, and Yaden left his office to let Hamilton brood on how to improve security at the Lotus Compound. Yaden headed straight back to his apartment. This time he found the peace of his home undisturbed and the aroma of fresh pastries wafting from around the building probably from the open kitchen window there.
Myriam was curled up asleep on the couch where he had left her, but now she was clutching her lizard and Ivan was sitting next to her. From the kitchen Yaden heard the radio playing. Ivan looked up with a drowsy smile. He looked drugged, which wasn't much of a surprise. Their earlier combat training had resulted in Ivan overtaxing himself and caused intense, flaring pain right under his skin – the typical after-effects of manaburn. Yaden had sent him straight back to the med bay, much to Ivan's dismay, who had pleaded that he would just need a bit of rest, scared to face a medic angry at his lack of self-care. Whatever the lecture had been like, the drugs he must have been given, too, served well to make him relax.
“Hey, boss,” Ivan greeted Yaden softly.
“How are you feeling?” Yaden asked, keeping his voice low as well.
“Like I'm floating while someone occasionally stabs me with sharp needles. I should have listened to the medic yesterday.” He looked over at Myriam. “Colin told me what happened. I wasn't there to have your back. To protect them. I'm sorry.”
He sounded remarkably like the soundtrack of self-recriminations running insistently in the back of Yaden's own mind. So Yaden told him what he was telling himself. “It wasn't your fault. It's my fault for pushing you when we were told you should be resting, and the fault of the bastard who tried to take Myriam. I'll make him regret it. We will.”
“I may not be able to use psi at the moment, but my shields are intact, so if he tries again, I will slice him to ribbons with a kitchen knife,” Ivan promised, no less vengeful than Yaden.
His voice had risen in anger. Myriam didn't react, but Colin's voice came from the kitchen, “After we capture him and ask him some questions.”
Ivan let his head fall back against the back of the couch. “Yes, sir,” he agreed docilely.
With Myriam obviously well guarded and taken care of, Yaden entered the kitchen, where he found Haakon seated at the kitchen table, watching with avid fascination as Colin rolled flat triangles of dough around small heaps of chocolate cream – more chocolate croissants in the making. Colin looked much less distraught, a tea towel over his left shoulder, the familiar work serving to calm him down. Though he would likely have benefited more from having a proper bread dough to knead.
He did have a small smile for Yaden and leaned into his short kiss, before his hands continued rolling up croissants. “I believe I was promised heads...?” he said, not entirely mocking.
Now that was an endearing way of asking for news. “No heads yet, but they are being worked on.” He relayed the rest of his conversation with the Commander, the Ruby Guard Captain and Master Forlano while Colin finished the croissants and put them in the oven. Afterwards, he listened with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a deepening frown on his brow.
“Great,” Colin summed up when Yaden was done. “So everyone did their job to the best of their ability, no one is at fault, and it could happen again at any time.”
He was venting his anger, but Yaden needed to say something to reassure him. “It is very unlikely they will try again and if they do, we'll be prepared.”
For a moment Colin bristled, but then deflated. “It's just... I was feeling safe here and now it all suddenly is so...”
“Actually, home-related accidents are the number one cause of death, apart from dying of old age,” Haakon pointed out. His smile was so innocent, neither Yaden nor Colin could fault him for his comment.
“Or a piano could drop on your head on your way to the market,” Yaden added the fear which had gripped him when he had thought about leaving Colin alone when he went on a mission, “or you could be run over by a tram, fall ill, drown in the bathtub...”
Now Colin chuckled. “We don't have a bathtub. We have a tiny shower in a tiny bathroom in a tiny apartment.”
“You could slip and crack your skull?” Haakon offered helpfully.
Yaden forced away the images that created. “On the tiny home front – Commander Hamilton also asked me to tell you that the Order of the Lotus will provide funds for our new home, for the move, and necessary renovations, since they cannot adequately accommodate us here on Emperor's Island. So that should give us more options in our pick.”
Colin snorted. “Trying to bribe me, is he?”
“Is it working?”
“Maybe.” Colin moved over to Yaden to seek his embrace. “I hate feeling helpless.”
“We all do. It's normal. But we aren't helpless. Or at least, a whole lot less helpless than regular folks. We need to give them a little time to generate some clues, some leads I can follow, but once we have that...”
He was interrupted by a knock at their front door. Colin immediately stiffened in his embrace, so Yaden hugged him a little tighter. “Two Lotus Knights in the room,” he pointed out gently.
Colin glanced over at Haakon, who was already rising from his seat. The change in his posture was subtle, but with the absence of his trademark disarming smile, he suddenly didn't look like a slightly clueless boy anymore. Actually, he looked cool and focussed, and absolutely calm, like the void he commanded. Colin nodded and separated from Yaden so he could get the door.
Yaden had expected a Ruby Guard with some first results of their investigation, or maybe some Island runner-boy with news from Master Forlano. Instead, he found a light-skinned man in his late twenties, with sharp green eyes, wearing a red-and-gold sherwani, and the unmistakable stole of a Psions Guild Vertex. It took Yaden only a split second to place him: Master Ulysses, the Vertex of Isfahan and acting speaker of the Guild as a whole – their PR face. He was, – like Yaden – a psionic peak talent, the strongest teleporter humanity had produced so far, able to fling a whole fleet of spaceships from one system to another or simultaneously port several people from different places to one location. He was an integral part of the transportation network the Guild provided for those who could afford their fees. And like Yaden, he had discovered his talents early. Officially, he had started working for the Guild in his early teens, but rumour had it he had been powering their teleportation services since long before that.
So they hadn’t bothered sending a middleman, Yaden noted with grim satisfaction. At least the top tiers of the Guild took the affair seriously enough as to send in their best PR tool immediately, hoping to salvage as much as possible. Not much longer than half an hour could have passed between his talk with the Commander and the Vertex's arrival, so he must have ported here directly, after having been briefed on the situation.
Or maybe they were sending such a high-ranking member to make sure that whatever dirty secret they were keeping about Myriam's parents didn't get out.
Faced with a psion this powerful and well-known, most people would have reacted with a mix of awe and fear. Yaden felt neither. Instead, he grounded himself more in Lagoona's steady calm, almost like putting down deep roots. Should Ulysses try to port him anywhere, it would be a battle of wills, and anchoring himself would give him the edge he would need to squash the other psion between two rocks before Ulysses could do anything but wonder why his usually uncontested powers didn't work.
If those thoughts reflected on his face, he probably didn't look very friendly, but it didn't matter.
“Sir Yaden,” Master Ulysses opened with a well-worn smile. “Sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances. There aren't many psions of our calibre and we should be in touch, shouldn't we? But I am genuinely happy that we finally get a chance to – “
He broke off mid-sentence, distracted by something behind Yaden, something that made his eyes grow narrow and his smile fade like a candle in the storm.
Yaden cast a glance over his shoulder and found Haakon standing there, a few paces behind him, looking his usual curious and harmless self. It took him a heartbeat to remember that the Psions Guild considered Haakon's unique talents an incalculable risk and expected him to turn into an evil psychopath at any moment. Haakon's ability to enter and, to an extent, control the void outside the known universe was a rarity among psions. He was also the only one of his kind who had not succumbed to the darkness and gone violently insane. The Psions Guild would very much have preferred to lock him up somewhere and throw away the key or better yet – kill him outright. Only the fact that his mother was the Princess Cournicova, leader of that Noble House and the tiny detail that he was a Lotus Knight had saved him from that fate.
Haakon's presence was an excellent reason for Master Ulysses to tense up like that and one Yaden cherished greatly.
It took the Vertex several seconds to tear his eyes off what he had to consider an incalculable risk. When he managed to plaster a smile back onto his angular face, it didn't reach his eyes. “Yes. Sorry. Sir Yaden, I assume?”
At least he refrained from commenting that Yaden was shorter than he had expected, like most important people did when they met him for the first time.
“Yes. And you are Isfahan Vertex Ulysses. Can I take your appearance on my doorstep as a sign that the Psions Guild is willing to cooperate in my investigation?”
Ulysses sketched a brief but perfectly demure bow. “I assure you the Guild is extremely interested in clearing their reputation and maintaining the excellent relationship with the Order of the Lotus and the Emperor that we have enjoyed throughout the years.”
He sounded remarkably similar to Master Forlano. At least, the PR folks at the Psions Guild were doing a good job of drumming the party line into the heads of their representatives.
“So what can you tell me about the man who walked into my home and tried to abduct a little girl?”
Ulysses glanced nervously over Yaden's shoulder at Haakon. “Would you mind talking somewhere ... without the Voidwalker?”
“Yes, I would mind.” Haakon was an unexpected advantage that Yaden wasn't going to give up. “And 'the Voidwalker' has a name. And he is a Lotus Knight and my friend.”
Now Ulysses fully focused on him again. Yaden's aggressive tone was clearly unexpected. It had to be an unfamiliar situation for a man who was used to everyone treating him at least with respect, if not outright fear.
“We are aware,” he said, with three words making it clear that the Psions Guild was allowing the Emperor this foolish fancy until he finally got wise enough to discard Haakon.
“Then you are also aware of what they say about Lotus Knights – you mess with one of them, you mess with all of them,” Yaden shot back with a grim smile.
Their eyes remained locked for a moment, sizing up the other's power. Yaden sensed a pool of energy in Ulysses almost as vast as his own, but subtle and hard to grasp, like a spiderweb. Where Yaden was deeply grounded and heavy, Ulysses felt stretched unfathomably far to him, faceted, ever-shifting. This was a truly dangerous opponent.
Behind Ulysses, he heard steps coming up the pathway leading up to the dormitory, but he didn't look until Darios' voice interrupted their face-off with mild reproach. “Yaden, I know you aren't fond of the Psions Guild. But I think I taught you better manners than to have a staring contest with them on our doorstep. If you absolutely have to, the polite thing to do would be to poison their tea.”
At these words, Ulysses eyebrows arched up almost comically and he turned around with something between amusement and curiosity to see who would dare such insolence. Like everyone, he did a double take at the size of Darios, his gaze travelling up and up until it found Darios' warm and unconcerned smile. Carrying two large shopping baskets stuffed with groceries, Darios looked like harmlessness incarnate.
“Would you like to come in to talk to my unruly ward?” Darios asked. “I promise I will taste the tea before you have to drink it.”
His unfailing humour and hospitality made Yaden feel like maybe he had been a little too hostile. After all, Master Ulysses had hurried here. Maybe to hinder his investigation more than to help, but he was a valuable contact and he should be treated accordingly. Though Darios would likely be a whole lot less welcoming once he learned of the kidnapping attempt. Considering it wasn't lunchtime yet, it had been a very eventful morning already.
Yaden sensed Ulysses pull in his sprawling pool of energy, apparently considering the confrontation over. For someone of his standing, he changed his approach admirably fast, though as the Guild's speaker, he had to be dealing with volatile nobles regularly and should have a lot of practise. He gave a polite nod to Darios and another one to Yaden, but his eyes caught on Haakon. He was still standing in the hallway, now curiously studying Darios' scribba fork, which hung on the wall, as if it were the most interesting thing in the whole Empire. And maybe to him it was, right now.
Ulysses didn't flinch, but it was obvious he did not want to spend any more time than necessary in Haakon's presence. Maybe it was a little late for a peace offering, Yaden thought, but better late than never.
“How about we take a little walk?” he suggested. “There are plenty of secluded gardens where we can talk.”
At first, Isfahan Vertex seemed suspicious, but instantly his well-trained, TV-ready smile reappeared and he nodded. Definitely not as slick a facade as Master Forlano’s, Yaden decided, but marginally more likeable for it. He was a real, living person with a personality and pride, not a cog in the great, well-oiled machine that the Psions Guild liked to present itself as.
Together they walked past Darios, who smiled down at Yaden with an approving nod before he headed inside. Yaden was sure that Colin would fill him in on what had happened and now that he was home, he could take care of Myriam if she woke up before Yaden got back from his chat with Master Ulysses.
They walked in silence, out of the dormitory and into the warren of carved wooden pavilions that was the Lotus Compound. The appropriate thing for Ulysses would have been to apologise to Yaden. Not that he had anything to apologise for, but Master Ulysses was a commoner while Yaden was a noble and a direct representative of the Emperor, so some grovelling would be expected. He didn't, which made him rise another notch in Yaden's regard. While their ranks clearly put Yaden at an advantage, as psions, they were equals – two out of the handful of peak talents active in this generation. And Yaden had a feeling that this was what counted in Ulysses eyes, neither of them often met another of their kind, someone who could match their powers.
“I admit, I do not have much actual information as of yet,” Ulysses suddenly volunteered. “We are checking our records for the man you described, but it will take some time. The Guild sent me to assure you of our cooperation and to act as a liaison for your investigation. And to provide quick travel services, should they be needed or wanted.”
Yaden would have been more surprised if he had already brought back all the answers. “What about my inquiry into Myriam Tambô's family and why the Psions Guild wanted her father?”
“The request was in the pipeline but has been expedited. I expect to get the relevant files from Espen soon.”
“So basically you came by to introduce yourself.” The words were a little harsh, but Yaden didn't mean them that way and Ulysses seemed to catch that, as his smile grew more genuine.
“Yes. And to use my considerable charm to make sure the Order of the Lotus doesn't stay angry with the Guild. I'm afraid I didn't do too well in that regard. The presence of ... of Sir Haakon startled me more than I expected.”
He was trying to be nice, so Yaden forced himself to do the same. “After having my home invaded, I was a little on edge.”
Neither was an actual apology, but they were satisfied with each other’s efforts.
“So I expect to hear from you as soon as you have any relevant information?”
Ulysses nodded. “Is there anything else I should look into? I have the suggessor and the Tambô family on my list. And trying to find out where that teleport from your house went, of course. As far as I know, the Ruby Guard is handling the investigation into how the suggessor got onto Emperor's Island and what he did here. And that they have declined any assistance from the Guild.”
Of course they had. They wouldn't want the Guild to know what kind of security techniques they had at their disposal. Also, Yaden guessed that the IIS, the Imperial Intelligence Service, was already involved in that investigation as well. And nobody liked to cross paths with the Empress Mother, Lady Lilitu, who was the head of the IIS and had earned her title as the 'Vengeful Empress' for good reasons. The one person she was completely loyal to and protected at all costs was the Emperor. As the Lotus Knights felt the same, they worked with the IIS seamlessly.
“What I need is some lead, some thread I can pull on to find out what this whole mess is about,” Yaden answered.
“It is likely some sort of misunderstanding blown out of proportion.”
That sounded like the party line again, but this time, Yaden didn't bristle at it. “Maybe. Maybe not. I will find out. I believe you have urgent work to get to?”
“Yes.” Master Ulysses executed a perfect bow in the style of a commoner to a noble. “If I am excused?”
Yaden didn't manage his noble nod half as gracefully. “Get to it.”
Master Ulysses was gone instantly, disappearing without the pop of air that normally accompanied a quick teleport. He was good. Yaden stood on the path for a moment, once more drawing on Lagoona's calm. He would sort this mess out, just like he had said he would. That was what Lotus Knights did. But he sure wouldn't have minded it being a whole lot simpler and less high profile.