Stardust

Jarek scribbled down information as Petrov directed, pasting little notes onto the map of Konstanz they'd created with magic. Creating a spell to copy the image from the Eye had been a task Nikolai set for his apprentice as a test. A task he'd succeeded in. Only a few tweaks were necessary in the spell structure for it to function as expected and he'd praised the boy for his efforts.

Now that Elya's weakness had passed, and she was almost fully recovered, Nikolai called for a meeting with guard Commander Petrov. With a few days of investigation under his belt, Petrov was able to mark down information on routes and suppliers of Stardust. Based on the number of notes being pinned to the map, Nikolai's frown deepened, it looked grim. According to the information, Konstanz was turning into a hub for the drug trade in the west.

"How is this possible?" Nikolai whispered. "There's no way these routes could have popped up after the battle, there hasn't been enough time for supplies of Stardust to come in so quickly. Not in this volume."

"But if they've been here for so, long someone should have noticed." Elya finished the thought. Tracing one of the paths marked in bright red ink, she called for Petrov.

"This has to have been established months ago. You've already confiscated a dozen cases of Stardust from various merchants in just two days along this route."

"I fear you may be correct Milady. I would not have believed that so much of the guard would turn a blind eye to these… traders… yet the evidence is clear. This could not have happened without the assistance of the guard's senior officers." He coughed furiously, veins bulging on his temple in suppressed anger.

"I don't want to suspect the entire guard but I have little choice. There is a short span to make a move while the gangs are still reeling from the attacks. We must move even faster. So Elya, would you be willing to assist?" Nikolai grimaced at several slips Jarek placed near his own mansion. This was literally occurring right under his nose.

"We're a little under-strength since the battle but we can take over the customs posts and guarding the gate to catch as many as we can. Although, how will the guard take the move?" She shot him a glance, hesitating whether it was acceptable to usurp the local authorities, no matter her position as the future Countess of Volhiniya.

Nikolai pursed his lips and considered. In a sense, this wasn't a major problem for Konstanz, since most of the Stardust was being shipped to other parts of the Empire rather than being sold to the locals. It was the main reason why the trade didn't die down after the battle since the consumers weren't in the town. However, the Emperor would surely be displeased if he let them go. The Son of Heaven had little interest in an economy he couldn't tax.

The drug traffickers were disguised as traders, backed by the merchant Houses or Vezani Princedoms, so the chances of their goods being searched would be minimal. That didn't mean they were able avoid inspections, but it gave them a layer of protection which coupled with the guards willing blindness made for a dangerous combination.

"We'll say it's to free up their resources to hunt down remnant gang members. A flimsy excuse I know but better than nothing."

"It will suffice Milord." Petrov passed a list of names involved with a shaky hand.

"Are you sure you don't want me to check your health with magic Commander? It seems worse than ever today."

As expected Petrov refused the offer. Whether it was fear of magic or being resigned to his condition, after Nikolai's first attempt revealed no tangible results in understanding the man's illness, Petrov remained indifferent to magical assistance.

"I have good days and bad days Milord. There's no need to trouble yourself."

"Alright." Nikolai returned to the map, patting Jarek on the head as he walked by, ignoring the boy's grimace. Now that his apprentice was growing older there were hints of rebellion in his attitude. Not the sort of rebellion that brought down Kings, but a teenagers rebellious attitude to authority when they felt they weren't being treated equally. "What can we do to crack down on the traffickers?"

"I believe we should ignore them for the moment and focus on the suppliers." Petrov scratched at red eyes and Nikolai felt sympathetic. The Commander wouldn't sleep until things were under control.

"Why?" Elya asked curiously, coming to stand beside Nikolai and hold his hand. She'd become affectionate recently, wanting to stay in physical contact with him. Not that Nikolai would complain about her changed behaviour, he enjoyed her presence immensely, but the shift in her attitude had been so sudden he was still out of his depth when interacting. He wasn't sure how much contact was allowed.

"If we round up the traders and gang members within the town, it would temporarily stop the outflow of Stardust but after some time the suppliers would find someone else to do their work."

"By the same token, the suppliers bosses would find someone new to do their bidding." Nikolai pointed out. It was strange for Petrov to propose an action which had such a simple flaw, especially for something which had no true solution. Any form of crime would rear its head again after a while.

"That may be true Milord. However dealing with the suppliers would impact the traffickers significantly and we're in a unique position to deal a great blow to your enemies." Petrov pulled a sheet of paper from his coat, eyes glittering in excitement.

"That annoying woman from House Demidov you've arrested?" Nikolai blurted out as he read the woman's profile.

"You've heard of her." Petrov coughed gently, turning to mark a few areas on the map. "She's let slip these locations were important to her activities during our… investigation. That includes some of her associates. Most of whom congregate at a very specific place for their meetings." He circled a location on the map with a flourish and Elya gasped.

"The Rose Building?" Her face paled at the news and she snatched the profile from his hand, brow furrowed as she scrutinised the information.

"Exactly." Petrov hissed. "With what we know of the Black Hand's activities, this gives us the perfect excuse to act against them and give House Demidov a swift punch along the way."

"The Demidov's aren't my enemy." Nikolai remarked airily, clenching his hand at the opportunity this presented. His companions shot him a disgusted look, not willing to believe he could be that naïve. Even Jarek was staring at him in confusion. "Well, not overtly anyway." Weakening the Demidov's position while he was trying to get a grip on new trade routes in the west was ideal but could lead to armed conflict if they took it as a blemish on their honour.

"It is your prerogative to make a choice Milord, but it would be foolish not to cut into their activities if we have the chance." Petrov smiled weakly, the expression making him appear a washed out figure of a person.

"Don't make a move yet Nikolai." Elya slammed the profile onto the table. "There's something suspicious about all of this. Give me ten days to check some things."

"Milord, we have to move quickly." Petrov warned. "Give them too long and they'll cut off all ties to our prisoners and shift to alternate methods."

"Nikolai, how can a woman incompetent enough to be caught on the streets with cartloads of undisguised Stardust have access to so much information on the inner workings of this operation?" Elya pleaded.

Facing two glares, Nikolai sighed. Elya's ties to the Rose Building were ominous, especially with these new revelations but Nikolai was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her combat with the Snake gave her that much and if Nikolai was honest, he couldn't believe she'd betray him. Petrov's investigations while rigorous were laden with the risk of false information since the guard itself was under suspicion. Nonetheless, they both had valid arguments but unfortunately for both of them he had another card up his sleeve.

"Four days." He said raising a hand to forestall their arguments. "You're both right, but I have alternate methods which could sift through the lies. Until then Elya, feel free to investigate whatever you want and Petrov get preliminary plans ready to move against these Stardust dealers. I'd rather leave them alone. The town can't afford more conflict but this could all be connected."

Disgruntled with the compromise, Elya and Petrov strode from the room, determined to get to the bottom of things. Elya squeezed his arm in passing and shot him a dark glare.

A confusing message. Was she angry that he'd cut her requested time or did she want to stay near him and was sad she had to leave?

Shaking his head Nikolai took a final look at the map. The areas damaged in the previous battle were marked clearly and only Nikolai knew how much of a drain it was on his coffers. He didn't have time to chase after drug lords, but if he left it alone and it became a bigger problem later, he'd only have himself to blame.

Sighing, he went to find Aunt Natalia.

A Truth Seer would help in getting to the bottom of things.

But first he needed to boil some eggs.

Her payment was due.