Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 32: Blood Money

Naereni

I cautiously edged over to the papers on the large table, which were laid out in a jumble. I picked up a random page, scanning over the contents.

Delivery delayed due to unforeseen interference during retrieval, big bold letters claimed. More details were scrawled out in dark ink below. I opted to scan over the parchment, knowing we were short on time already.

Acquisition of acidbeam paper delayed. Expect setbacks in the distillation of new product for you to sell.

On it was a seal depicting an ember laid at the fork of a river, that of Blood Joan.

I grabbed another paper. It had a similar message to the first regarding the distribution of 'product' and the Ilason's duty to sell whatever Blood Joan created. The details were annoyingly hazy, with clever wording to shroud deeper understanding.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Toren said, clearly invested. Considering some of these papers mentioned the effects he had caused in the Clarwood Forest, it made sense. "I mean, what does Blood Joan want the Ilasons to distribute? What are they selling?"

I frowned, wondering the same. "I don't know," I said. "Clearly something that uses the acidbeam paper, but the uses for that are innumerable. Probably something magical?" I pointed to the paper I was holding in my hand. "This one uses the word 'distill,' which means it's got to be a potion of some kind."

Truth be told, I didn't know much about Blood Joan's operations. I only knew about the Clarwood Forest expedition because it was so out of character for the Blood to do it themselves. Fiachra maintained a steady harvest of acidbeam paper because of its value, but the Joans going out of their way for an entire nest instead of an intermediary was unprecedented. Wade usually managed the information side of our operations, so he would know better.

These papers never explicitly stated what kind of product was being distributed by the Ilasons on behalf of the Joans. They were being deliberately vague, as was the rest of the wording on the other sheets of paper here.

Why? I wondered, the gears in my brain spinning. I felt on the cusp of some realization, something that would cause all the pieces to fall into place. I felt a bit of dread in my chest; whatever conclusion I was inching toward was a horrible one.

And then I found the last puzzle piece. Another paper had a name that stood out to me, one that caused my hand to subconsciously grab it. It was a contract for a man named Larun. He was to circulate product throughout East Fiachra at a specific rate, then give the majority of his profits to the Ilasons. The Ilasons would deliver product to him every couple of weeks to sell.

The pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place, just like when I managed to bind every pin in a lock. The door to knowledge swung open, and I shrank in on myself. I felt cold; as if a bucket of ice had been dumped on my head.

Distillery. Product. East Fiachra.

'Probably a potion of some kind,' I had said.

"Oh, no," I said shakily, knowing exactly what I was looking at. Toren's head snapped up to look at me, clearly hearing the realization in my voice. I drew Larun's contract into my dimension ring.

"What is it?" Toren asked, suddenly worried. It seemed he was catching my mood. "What did you find out, Naereni? Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "We need to leave now," I said, brushing away his concerns. He looked unsure but complied as I headed out the door. The walkway was empty of people, but with the growing anger in my gut, I doubted I'd be able to maintain stealth anyway.