Drowning Utopia

Chapter 40: The Second Letter

Sir Cornwall nodded. "Especially when one considers what they promised the Oni. Immortal soldiers. I can't imagine that being possible, but after what we saw with the Boomer's cultist leader or the war wolves for that matter, it very well could be that they have what they need to deliver on that promise. But that still does not tell us their motivation, particularly of that pale lady pulling all of the strings."

Miss Briggs agreed, "Lady Viloria. I could not read her. I assume that there is more at play with her than we realize."

Sir Cornwall chuckled, "You assume? That is very uncharacteristic of you, Miss Briggs."

The secretary sniffed, sounding rather miffed as she stated, "Well when we have absolutely no information to work with, I have to make an educated guess based on what little I could observe. Even someone as skilled as I can't make a pot without clay."

Sir Cornwall sat there for a long moment, giving his half-eaten scone a hard look before saying almost passively, "You know, I was just considering, perhaps we could hire those mercenaries from Utopia. What were they called again?"

Miss Briggs gave a disapproving frown with a raise of a brow. "The Black Coats?"

"Yes, those ones! To chase down those pirates. They were a capable bunch. I spoke with a few of their men, and they told me that they made a name for themselves during and after the New Albion Liberation War as spies and private investigators. Perhaps their networks could assist us in figuring out who those sky pirates are, where they went, and what they are up to. Perhaps even rescue the princess? We can then offer her asylum in Avalon."

The prim woman looked as though she disapproved. "The Black Coats are still out of commission for the time being, what with losing most of their men during the attack on Higgins's city." She tilted her head in consideration. "I did happen to hear from their quartermaster. Their leader, Miss Fisk, she went in for intensive surgery on account of her arm."

"Truly?" Sir Cornwall asked.

Miss Briggs nodded. "I ran across the large man in the waiting room when you were in for checkups the other day. From what he was saying, she had to have the limb amputated due to infection. Supposedly to have it replaced by a military-grade prosthetic." She waved her hand back and forth as if warding off a fly, "At any rate, She and her men won't be available any time soon."

Sir Cornwall finished off his scone, dusting the crumbs off his waistcoat, "That is unfortunate. We may have to take matters into our own hands if we want to follow through on that. Finding Aizen Pearl that is, and discovering the whereabouts of those sky pirates, and the missing Thorn. It would be very beneficial for our country to know what those renegades are up to."

Miss Briggs agreed, "It can't be anything good. Certainly not with their supposed alliance with the Oni Tribes. They could be quite a troublesome bunch if they applied pressure in the right spots."

"They already have in many respects," Sir Cornwall sipped from his mug, "what, with them upsetting the balance of power between the West and the East of New Albion, a new war here is almost certain. Not to mention their meddling may have had an indirect hand at destroying any chance at peace between the Rus Kingdom and Missidith. Truly, if one stops to consider it, in a single night, those sky pirates and their coalition of cultists and monsters have changed the geopolitical landscape of this side of the hemisphere and may have had unintended consequences on the other." The large old man twirled his mustache with a sly smile, chuckling in thought. "A fascinating series of events."

Miss Briggs rolled her eyes. "What strange times we live in."

Looking over at Tessa staring off into space, Sir Cornwall sat up a bit and asked, "My dear, Miss Copperfield? You have hardly touched your tea. Are you feeling all right?"