Industry & Intrigue (2 page)

Physically they could not have
been more different, Michael
was short and muscular, a result of his hunting
hobby, he had dark brown, wavy hair, common to many Alkons. Reese
was taller and thin, with his straight, blonde hair and blue eyes
giving him the look of an Estaran noble.

T
he relationships of their families being
the most prominent in Airdlagh and each having similar interests
had nudged them together and they had been close friends since they
were eight years old. Now they were attending university together,
Reese studying zoology and Michael studying chemistry.

“
We have
more freedom now than we’ve
ever had in our entire lives,” lectured Michael. “On our own in the
big city, plenty of coin for living expenses, why not enjoy
it?”

Reese had stopped paying attention to what
he was saying and was looking elsewhere.

“
Reese,
hello…Re
ese!
Can you hear me?” He could hear an exasperated Michael outside of
his vision, but then he stopped trying to get his attention. “Ah,
see now that’s what I’m talking about” said his friend in
understanding.

Reese was looking over at the
foo
d counter
where a tall and beautiful girl was paying for her lunch. She had
shoulder length, black hair, pulled back into a ponytail. Her high
cheekbones and thin face, hinted at Kordatian ancestry. She had
small glasses with dark rims, giving her an intelligent look
without detracting from her facial features.

“
So who is she?” asked
Michael, poking Reese on the arm.

Reese turned back to his
friend.
“Oh,
just someone from my zoology class.”

Michael shook his head.
“That’s why you
zoned out to what I was saying? For just someone? I don’t think
so.”

“
Her name’s Cassandra,” replied
Reese.

“
And? If that’s all you know
then why don’t you go talk to her?”
asked Michael. He glanced over in her
direction briefly again. “In fact I insist on it, I don’t want to
see you missing out on a good thing. You better hurry before she
gets lost in this crowd.”

“
Wait, why are so insistent all
of a sudden?” asked Reese. He was suspicious of his friend’s
intentions with good reason. Michael had played plenty of practical
jokes on him in the past.

“
Oh
, no reason,” said Michael, with a
sly grin.

Reese was still
skeptical.
“Sure,” he sarcastically replied. “I’ll talk to her next
time after class. For now it’ll have to wait.”

“
You’re not chickening out are
you?” asked Michael
. “Look I know you and Sofia had a rough break, but so
what? It was a high school crush, get the fuck over it.”

Reese did not want to talk
about that anymore. It was over and done with.
“I am over it. I don’t have
time right now, there’s something I need to take care
of.”

“
You’re going to talk to your
professor right?” asked Michael. “Typical. Well, let me know when
you do talk this Cassandra, if ever.”

Michael had a
nerve, especially
considering his bragging before they had started at university.
“What about you?” Reese asked in an accusatory tone. “Where are all
the girls you went on about meeting before the year
started?”

“
Alright, point taken. Go to
your meeting already,” Michael replied, slightly huffed.

Reese
stood up from his seat and took
another look at the girl. She sat down at one of the table by
herself. It wasn’t only her looks he was attracted to. Cassandra
had shown she shared his interest in specific areas of
zoology.

Reese
wandered around campus for a time
before heading over to his destination; he didn’t want to disturb
Professor Xerin during lunch hour. When he arrived, he lightly
knocked on her office door.

“
Come in
,” came the reply. He walked into the
large office, the professor was seated at her desk, a large book
open in front of her and few sheets of notes she had been making.
Her office was immaculate, everything organized
perfectly.

She had three bookshelves which
extended right
to the ceiling, each one full of books and another smaller
one that was only half full. Her large wooden desk was bare except
for a quill, book and papers and two small objects, one a
fossilized claw and the other a preserved arachnid in glass. Behind
her desk were a large set of filing drawers. Above that was an
artist’s impression of a malcan serpent, it was rearing above
several tribesmen, the artist obviously wanting to demonstrate its
size to scale. Reese took a good look at it. It was intricate; most
pictures of malcan he had seen were far cruder.

“
Excellent work
is not it Mr.
Galius?” said Xerin. “I had it commissioned personally by an elven
artist named Waaken en’Litrot, quite a fellow. Dedicates his art to
live subjects, though I imagine for that particularly piece he did
not start painting until he was well away from the malcan.” The
enormous serpent beasts of the Kordatian wilds were well known for
the ferocity, though their numbers had been declining due to
increasing encroachment of settlers and hunters from the Kordate
Union disrupting their environment.

Reese nodded
in agreement; it
was certainly an impressive painting.

“
So
, what can I do for you Mr. Galius?”
asked Xerin, putting her notes aside.

“
Well
, I was hoping I could have short
discussion with you on colossi?” he asked.

“
I though
t so, given your questions
today,” replied Xerin, “though I certainly did not expect to see
you in here so soon. We are not even through the first week of
classes yet. I applaud your commitment though. May I ask why you
are interested in the colossi in particular?”

“
M
y father was a biologist, dedicated his
life to study of the colossi,” he replied.

“
I see
,” said Xerin. “Forgive me for being
indelicate, but I notice you used ‘was’ rather than ‘is’,’” she
asked. The implication of a question was there.

Reese
bristled
,
but there was no point in hiding it. “It’s fine,” he replied. “He
died a long time ago. My family was another victim of the Estaran
Civil War.”

“
So your
family-”

Reese finished the sentence for
her
, “Are
all dead. Killed during the initial Siege of Tercium.” Xerin looked
like she wanted to ask him more but she didn’t press the issue,
which he was grateful for.

He carried on.
“I was rescued when
the siege lifted and a family friend took me to my relatives in
Airdlagh. My father’s research and notes were destroyed that day,
his entire body of work. I want to be able to reclaim it.” He hoped
she could at least appreciate that desire even if it wasn’t exactly
the truth. He did still have a few remaining items of his father’s
work.

“
I see,
admirable
,”
replied the drakon, nodding in understanding. “If you ever feel the
need to talk to anyone in more detail, the university has an
excellent counseling service.”

“
No, it’s fine, it’s all behind
me now, I’m more interested in restoring my father’s
legacy
,”
said Reese.

“
So you want to know about the
Wei take on the colossi?” she asked.

Reese leaned forward, his voice
taking on a happier tone now that they were talking about his
passion.
“Yes, my father studied all the legends from different
cultures around the world, trying to find the patterns and
connections between them. He had a theory about a complete colossi
fossil that existed and he wanted to be the first to discover it.
If I can do it then…”

“
I understand,” said Xerin.
“That would certainly be a milestone event if a fossil like that
does exist. It is no small task. But since it may help I will tell
you the drakon myths of the colossi.”

“
Myths? I thought you said
your
culture
believed in them?” asked Reese, puzzled.

“
We do, but it is more of a
spiritual belief,” Xerin sat back and explained it to him. “You
have to understand, the Wei have been very superstitious in the
past. Thankfully much of that has been overcome, though we still
have our little rituals. In my land the colossi were only ever told
in the tales of the ancient world, benevolent beings that
indirectly aided heroes during the Age of Dragons. Most of this is
merely exaggerated stories for children, but the same theme is
always present in the stories, gigantic, benevolent beings. Even to
this day many drakons think that all the fossil evidence is simply
large dragons, much like you questioned this morning.”

Reese shifted in his seat and
grimaced, he hadn’t meant to sound harsh with his
question.

“
Oh relax, I did
not mind,” she
said. “I have put up with a lot worse from my own people,
especially with where I decided to focus my vocation.” She stood up
from her chair and walked over to the bookshelf on her right.
Stretching to her full height, she managed to reach the top shelf
and pulled out a thick, blue book.

She placed it down
in front of Reese.
He looked at the title-
The Gates of the World and other tales: Alkon
translation
.

“
T
hat should get you started, most of the
drakon myths and legends involving colossi are in there, see if it
gives you any insight,” she said and invited him to pick it
up.

“
Thank you
professor,” he replied in
excitement. He hadn’t expected her to lend him a book straight
away. He eagerly picked it up and examined the cover. It had a
several dragons flying in formation and large rising sun behind
them.

H
e turned to leave and Xerin said, “Oh and
Mr. Galius, however much you study that, do not let it interfere in
your regular studies, understood?”

“
Yes, of course professor. Don’t
worry I won’t,” he replied and he was quickly out of the office and
walking down the hall. He couldn’t wait to see what the book had to
offer.

Chapter 2

Brenna Moreland
hated the docks of
Alkos City. It wasn’t the morning crowds or the fact that there was
barely room to walk with all the cargo piled up or that she would
often get bumped into by a seaman running to reach his ship. What
she despised was the smell.

She had never liked the
sm
ell of the
ocean and it was overwhelming at the docks. In addition were the
fish markets, one street over from the docks and passing by was
enough to make her feel nauseous. The final layer of the dock smell
was the dirt and soot mixed in from the industrial
section.

Various factories had
smokestac
ks
pumping out fumes daily, companies had found it easier to locate
their manufacturing centers near the docks for ease of shipping.
Not to mention the convenience of Rainac Train Station on the
southern end of the docks. The station served as a hub for cargo
from all over the empire. Wedged between the docks and the
industrial sector was an area known as ‘The Den’. The name came
from when smugglers had used the area, before the docks had become
a vibrant and commercial operation.

But the Den
remained an area of cheap,
low-lying buildings and vacant yards, which serviced the poorer
classes working or trading in the district as well as functioning
as discrete operating areas for criminals, which was what had
brought Brenna here on this morning.

Brenna was a sergeant in the
Justice Branch, a specialized unit of the Alkos City Watch that
focused on policing the drug and sex slave trade that flourished in
the less affluent sections of the city. She had dressed down to
ensure she blended in, wearing dirty, black and brown clothes and
messed her dark
red hair around to look ill-treated. She had skipped her
usual morning bathroom routine so that she didn’t appear too clean.
The snitch she was meeting knew she was a watch officer, but in
this part of the city one could never know who else was
watching.

She made her way past the final
section of the docks proper and crosse
d into the Den. It was less crowded
here, but the smell was much worse. Beggars sat at the corners and
here and there bouncers at doors were trying to invite customers in
for whatever illicit activities were going on inside.

She made her way evenly and
slowly, ignoring the two calls of men who
assumed she was a street
walker.
They
must be desperate
she thought. Normally men would wait until evening before
looking for prostitutes.

She soon came to her
destination,
the Steel Axe Inn, a large stone building which housed a
transient clientele. She pushed open the light wooden door and was
assailed with the smell of beer, wine, and tobacco. At such an
hour, there were only a few staff members and minimal patrons, all
four of them sitting at the bar.