The Ill-Starred Blumaroo: Part Three

by scriptfox

I reread the neomail message on my terminal with a cold and distant clarity as my client, Dot Argent, proceeded to go into shock at the horrible threat to her pet's safety and well-being. Whoever it was didn't know how to spell one, I thought, and was jerked out of my piercing analysis by the sound of choked sobbing. Dot had crammed a fist into her mouth and was holding in her crying, but she was shaking violently and her tears were threatening the perfection of her makeup for the first time since I'd met her.

Since she seemed unable to talk for now, I didn't waste time trying to start conversation. Instead, I quickly began to analyze the message, tracing its time and source. The news was only slightly encouraging. At least it gave Dot a chance to partly recover her composure.

"Who... who would do this?" she whispered in a tone hoarse with emotion.

"No telling. This account is a tainted account."

I nodded. "It's easy enough. Just create an account, then give the password out to all of your friends. Everyone has access to it, and anything done in it becomes, by definition, almost untraceable."

"But wouldn't the authorities shut it down?"

"Yes, they do. But with over 14 million accounts, it takes a while to find them. This one has been around for most of a month that I know of, and I suspect it'll be gone in another couple of weeks. But that doesn't help us find who did it. Actually, I'm more encouraged by the time."

"Time?"

"Yes. It was sent almost immediately before you noticed it."

Dot nodded wan agreement. "It wasn't there when I first logged on, I got it when I got Korrell's response with the grocery list."

"Right. And it was made from public booth number 132."

Dot looked blank. "Where's that?"

I tapped a couple of keys to confirm what I already knew. "By the roadside in the central market, between the Bank and the Food shop."

"Oh." She seemed unable to think of anything else to say, and finally realised it. "So... what now? Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Yes. First thing to do is take down those posters you put up."

"But... but.. but... wouldn't you want even more up now?"

I shook my head firmly. "If they hadn't asked for a rendezvous, I'd agree with you. But this deadline means we have a chance of catching them, and I don't want them any more nervous than they already are."

Dot's mouth twisted bitterly. "Them? Nervous? What about me! Oh, ok, I'll take them down- but won't you help me do it?"

"No. For one thing, you don't want to pay me one hundred and fifty Neopoints an hour just to take down posters. For another thing, this lead is still hot, and there's a good chance I can find out a lot now, if I hurry."

Dot sighed. "Ok. I'll take them down." Then, with what almost seemed a faint glimmer of hope, she added, "it'll take a while, though, I put so many up..."

"Just don't make it take too long, Miss Argent, or Schnitzel may be in even more danger than he is now."

Her head bobbed rapidly up and down. "Right, right."

Since she still seemed rooted to her chair, I shut down the terminal, stood up, and half-hauled her out of it and towards the door. "Come on. We've both got urgent things to attend to."

Getting the front door shut behind both of us, I immediately dropped to all four hooves and ran. This walking upright like human owners is all fine and well ordinarily, but when you're in a hurry or in a hard to reach area, give me four good hooves every time. A GREAT speed rating over twenty five doesn't hurt anything, either. I pounded down to the marketplace, trying to restrain the queasy knot in my stomach as the warning echoed back through my mind. I had seen what an evil imagination and a good weapon could accomplish on a pet more than once, and the results had not been pretty, especially in the Battledome. Dot, for all her concern and fear, still seemed at some basic level to derive a thrill or sense of awe at the idea of such an awful thing happening. I'd gotten past that stage a long time ago- war tends to do that to you.

Raising a cloud of dust as I skidded to a stop in front of the bank, I quickly looked into the terminal booth. No one in it- and nothing in it either. I stood up and looked around for anyone that might have noticed who had used this booth before I arrived. Then I almost clonked my horn with a hoof as I realised I was staring straight at the bright blue Grarrl security officer stationed outside the bank. Doh!

He had been staring at me, too, and as I came over, he spoke first. "Whatcha looking for?"

I waved a casual hoof back towards the booth. "I'm trying to find who sent a message from there a few minutes ago. Have you seen anyone using it within the past, oh, five minutes?"

He grunted and nodded. "Yep. Some Dark Faerie skulked out of the shadows, used it, then sneaked back out. On some suspicious business, I'm sure."

"Dark Faeries always skulk, that's their style," I returned absently as I considered the implications.

The security officer, having gotten his dig in about the Faerie, was disinclined to listen to any sort of excuse. He just grunted again and shrugged. "Whatever. You want to mix with them, that's your business. But it's not a good business."

"No. It isn't. You don't always get a choice, though. Well. See you around." I waved vaguely as I left. I think he pretty much ignored me, but I didn't really notice because I was so worried about what I'd found out, and so busy planning what to do next.

This was the last development I'd wanted to see. Pets I can deal with. Faeries are almost a stock in trade for me, you might say... but you don't ever have much of a hold on a fairy, unless you've got them in a bottle. Not likely with this one, whoever she was. And trying to persuade a Dark Faerie to not use a cannon on a helpless captive is like persuading a tree not to put out more leaves. It's simply what they do. First, though, I had to find her- and with a Dark Faerie, I didn't want to wait until the deadline- I didn't trust her that long. I walked briskly back to the office in the gathering twilight. It was almost totally dark now, and darkness is what I needed to do my job when it comes to these Faeries. I wondered whether that security officer would be around all night or not. I hoped not. What I had to do was something I didn't want anyone else noticing. But like I'd told him, it wasn't as if I had any choice.

I opened the door to my office, went in and pulled out my paraphenalia case full of magical supplies. I also took out a large metal tube that felt warm in my hooves. I put an ear to it and grinned as I heard the sizzle and mutter of Sun Pegasus. The little critter was as much weapon as anything else, and I sure didn't let him wander around loose... unless I had a magical hold on him. I headed back to the public terminal, and kept a sharp lookout for the guard. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed he was gone. Either he didn't do the night shift, or he was doing it elsewhere. I hoped the former- if the latter, that left the possibility of a nasty surprise, though whether for him or me I couldn't say. You could make a case for both.

Slipping into the booth, I sat down the tube and opened my case. I took out some specially prepared tubes of paint. (Exact preparations and ingredients are very special to this. Don't try this at home! And no, I'm not telling you how to make the stuff.) I drew a design on the seat of the booth very very carefully. First a red line, then a yellow one connected to it. Then green, then cyan (light blue), then blue, then purple, and last of all a bright gold which connected back to the first red line. I looked with satisfaction at the seven-pointed star, and added a very tiny drop of ultra-special golden fluid to that last line. What those colors and the symbol means I leave up to you to figure out. Suffice it to say they make a connection between me and Faeries, and the order of the colors indicates which fairies I am most interested in.

I put a small tablet of phosphorus in the exact middle of the design, then carefully opened the tube and dropped Sun Pegasus into the air above the star. He eagerly began to head down to his food, but I placed a hoof between it and him, while with the other hoof I took a black paint marker and drew a thick circle around my star, completing the septagram and sealing Sun Pegasus inside. He just hung there, staring at me.

I took a breath and very carefully said the incantation to start him scrying. "From the burning fusion fires of hydrogen to the cool ticking of electromagnetically pulsed silicon, it's Sun Pegasus!" His eyes disappeared as he turned from his normal baby fireball to a pure column of flame, with its base sitting on the phosphorus tablet that fed it. There was a hissing, spitting sound as he burned, and his orange light briefly flashed green. Then there was a brighter flash of blue. But, after a couple of minutes there had been no flash of purple, and I was forced to the conclusion that there had been no Dark Faerie here. Sun could sense back probably a couple of weeks here in a public area, and the Faerie would have been here maybe an hour ago. No chance.

I sighed, broke the black circle, and let Sun drop to the floor. He rolled into a corner and stayed there, quiet. Partly it was satiation of his hunger, partly of exhaustion- and, I suspect, part sulk. His attitude towards being used had always been a combination of pride and resentment. But psycho-analyzing my nasty-minded petpet wasn't going to get me anywhere. I carefully blotted out the design and then used several shades of purple to draw another one.

At least this one didn't need Sun Pegasus. A small drop of my blood sufficed to make the connection, and the glowing lines confirmed what I'd hoped for. A Dark Faerie's cloak had been sitting here not long before. So. No Dark Faerie, but their cloak... and a sighting of a Dark Faerie. I shook my head at the foolishness of our unknown kidnappers. They might like knife-work, but a Dark Faerie picks up where the worst, sickest, most perverted and cruel pet leaves off. Well. This put a different light on things.

A different light, in fact, began to shine outside the booth. I realised the night guard had his own lighting and had come around to the front. One quick wipe cleared my last design, and a hiss to Sun Pegasus got him back in his tube. I closed my case quietly and curled up on the floor, hoping and praying that I wouldn't be found. After a minute or so that seemed to take forever, the light faded. I breathed a sigh of relief and scurried away.

A couple of hours later I was in an underground chamber. That it was dark should be taken for granted, but I'll specify that as well. It was dark. Too dark. Just the place to meet with Dark Faeries. I shrugged slightly in resignation, then took out the tube of purple paint and drew a quick "Y" on the floor. I completed the design by drawing arcs extending from the points of the "Y" to make a broken circle around it. Kids, really really don't try this at home. If you succeed you'll wish you hadn't.

I stood up and waited for the request to make itself known. Important, but not urgent. Interesting, but not critical. And lastly- and most importantly- a request and not a commanding summons. It didn't take long for a purple cloud to appear and condense into a Dark Faerie. One which I recognised and had worked with before. I would have counted myself fortunate, but no NeoPet facing a Dark Faerie would use the term fortunate to apply to themselves- not if they were sane. "I see you, Kittara."

"And I you, MonoKeras. Just what is this interesting little request that you have for us?"

"I have been requested to find a pet. He is being held by kidnappers threatening to cut pieces off of him. A Dark Faerie is suspected of being the culprit."

Her laugh had the cruel, cutting edge that all Dark Faeries achieve effortlessly. "And what is that to me? Were you perhaps inviting me to the party?"

"I said suspected, Kittara. I did not say there was." I knew I had her as her eyes suddenly flared a bit brighter shade of violet.

"What are you saying?"

"I went to the booth from which the threat was mailed. I scried and the results were unmistakable. There had been no Dark Faeries there, although one had been seen there. However, there had been a Dark Faerie cloak in that seat."

Kittara's mouth stretched wide to reveal pointed teeth as she screamed. Most people would think she was in a rage beyond reason, but as bone-chilling as it was, I knew this for slight frustration, and more amusement and excitement than anything else. It broke into maniacal laughter as she cried, "an imposter? A slimy little thief who steals what is rightfully ours and thinks to imitate us? Oh, how rich! How interesting! This is rewarding indeed!"

I nodded. "Yes, it is. Not only that, but I can turn him over to you in return for certain considerations."

Kittara's teeth disappeared and her eyes danced. Bargaining she understood. "And what are those, young uni?"

"Simple enough. Three things, small favours each not worth over half an hour of your time."

She tapped a foot impatiently. "Not very specific."

"True. The first one is simple. A promise to give to me all of the information relating to this kidnapping that you get from the pet that you capture."

A curt nod. "What are the other two?"

"That is to be decided."

"Ah. Two blank requests, then."

"Correct."

"No more than an hour's worth total."

"Assuredly."

"Done! Now, where do we find this fool who dares to challenge us?"

About fifteen minutes later I was aboveground again, breathing the clean night air and staring up at the sky. The plans had all been laid, and whoever, or whoevers, showed up for that ransom rendezvous would be in big trouble. I had powerful allies... if I could trust them.

To be continued...