“And give up on all the fun? Over my dead body!” Kamila hit Lith in the face with a pillow to express her disapproval. “Bad beard! Bad.”
She ran her finger on his skin for a double check, just to be safe.
“Hey, I’m innocent! Take it on the asshole who came up with the brilliant idea.” He conjured a mirror of ice in front of her.
She was about to reply when Lith’s communication amulet pulled at his consciousness.
“Why did you take it out of the dimensional amulet?” Kamila pouted.
“I don’t have a dimensional amulet. I have a pocket dimension and you know it. You took our amulets out first thing in the morning to check for messages.”
“That’s no excuse. I’m still angry with you.” Kamila ran into the bathroom to let him answer the call with the hologram on.
“Hey, Lith. Am I interrupting something?” Haug asked from his burner amulet.
“Yes.” Lith replied curtly.
“Then I’ll be brief. I have a lead. Not a solid one, but you asked me to notify you even weird rumors about Forgemasters and this one qualifies big time.”
“Tell me everything and don’t leave out even the most insignificant detail.” Lith sat up, making the Voidwalker armor cover him before pulling the bedsheets away.
Zoreth and Strider had yet to find any trace of the mysterious thieves of the Ears. With nothing at hand, even clutching at straws was worth a shot.
“There’s not much to tell.” Haug shrugged. “It’s a rumor. From what I’ve heard, several Forgemasters have been disappearing from all over Garlen and beyond. According to my sources, a few famous Forgemasters from Verendi have gone missing too.”
“How did this not raise a red flag in their respective Councils?” Lith raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“I don’t know.” Haug replied. “I take part in all the Council’s meetings as an Elder and this never came up, not even in mentioning. What makes this rumor particularly juicy, is that many of the missing Forgemasters are famous for having a connection with Menadion.”
“What kind of connection?” Lith asked in excitement.
“Nothing direct. All of her apprentices are dead for a long time now.”
‘Wrong.’ Lith thought but nodded for Haug to continue.
“We’re talking about descendants of her disciples and people who learned from them. Maybe they have fallen victim to the same guy who robbed you. Maybe he’s looking for the remnants of Menadion’s legacy.”
“It’s a possibility.” Lith’s face was a stone mask of seriousness as he lied through his teeth.
‘This is impossible. Whoever got their hands on the Ears would never bother with third-hand grimoires. Unless they are looking for a hint to unlock the secret power of the Ears.’ He actually thought.
‘After Pharek’s death, that information died with him and only the Eyes of Menadion of the tower can dig it out. Maybe.’
“Thanks for the information. To whom do I owe for the lead and how much?” Lith asked.
“Nothing. For now. My informant is willing to wait in the hope you find the thief and give them the full ride. Keep me posted and I’ll do the same. Haug out.”
“Can I come out?” Kamila asked from the bathroom.
“One minute. I need to make another call.”
“I can always get dressed-”
“Don’t you dare!” His pained voice made her giggle.
“Okay, but I’m getting cold and lonely here.”
Lith pressed Strider’s rune and cursed every second of wait.
“Magus Verhen.” The Zouwu gave Lith a polite bow. His voice had lost any trace of the disrespect he had shown during their first encounter. “To what do I owe this call?”
“No need for formalities. Call me Lith.” He was too eager to get back where he had been interrupted to mince words. “I’ve just heard of this rumor and I need you to confirm its authenticity.”
“It’s all true.” Strider said after listening to the abridged version of Haug’s already short story.
“Care to explain why the Council doesn’t give a rat’s ass about it?” Lith asked.
“Because, unlike Limbell, the runes of those Forgemasters are all available. Sure, they are offline but they are still on which means the missing Awakened are alive.” The Zouwu shrugged. “Council Elders travel all the time for a number of reasons.
“Ingredients, shady deals, ancient ruins, ways to prolong their lifespan, and the list goes on. All things that require privacy since an active communication amulet might give away their position and compromise their prize.
“On top of that, we are talking about Forgemasters. If they are working for a client, they can’t let anyone know the contractor’s identity, the specifics of the piece, and what it is for.
“You should know better than anyone else that a mage likes to have the advantage of surprise.” Strider said and Lith nodded.
“For your information, I have looked a bit into this on my own before your call. I dropped the matter because the few missing Forgemasters I’ve investigated have told their apprentices they were leaving for a work-related trip.”
“Did the apprentices receive such information from their mentors through the amulet or in person?” Lith asked.
“In person, inside their own homes, and with no one else inside.” The Zouwu replied. “You know how hard it is to beat an old Awakened in his turf. There was no sign of coercion and the apprentices have guaranteed me their masters were relaxed.
“There was nothing unusual and the Elders didn’t use the safe words agreed upon in case they were acting under duress. They just packed and left.”
“Still, this looks suspicious to me. Why would so many Forgemasters leave at the same time?” Lith scanned Haug’s list with his communication amulet and shared it with Strider. “Is there some sort of convention I’m not aware of?”
“What the fuck?” The Zouwu stared at the list of names, finding it too long for his liking. “Give me a moment.”
“I’ll give you more than one.” Lith sighed. “I have to go. Call me by lunchtime after you are done with your investigations.”
“But-”
“Bye!” Lith hung up the call and cut Strider short.
There was only so much time before breakfast. After that, he wouldn’t see Kamila until evening. Maybe for days, if the Zouwu confirmed Lith’s worries.
“Can I get out now?” She purred from behind the bathroom’s door.
“Yes.” He put the amulets in his pocket dimension to not be disturbed again.
“Where were we?” She crawled towards him with supple, sensual movements, wearing her cat lingerie.
“Beards and kissing.” Lith replied with a hoarse voice.
“Right.” She pushed him on the bed. “We were about to perform the quality check of your shave.”
***
After the quality check, playing with the cat, a shower, and breakfast, Lith shared his conversations with Haug and Strider with Solus before going to the Desert for the Engine training with Sinmara and Surtr.
“I agree with you.” She said. “There is a good chance the disappearance of Mom’s semi-disciples is connected with the Ears. Dead Forgemasters tell no tales and the thief needs someone really good to unlock the true power of the artifact.
“My only question is why so many at a time and how the thieves think to get away with this. ”
