Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

SEVENTEEN - A Ship Full of Cards

"What is?" asked Tilde.

Mimi waved her glass at the door. "If I had known he was an alcoholic, I never would have brought out the whirl."

Tilde choked on her drink. "He's an alcoholic?"

"The shaking." Mimi poured herself another shot of whirl, tutting all the while. "And him so young."

Zenetra hardly listened. Mimi's sleeve pulled up and up, revealing more and more of the tattoo on her inner forearm. After her gesture to the door, it had finally risen up enough for Zenetra to see the image. A crossing sword and spear surrounded by a wreath had been applied in black ink. It was the symbol of Guild Nation. The old government the sympathizers wished to revive.

"Kind of pretty, isn't it?" Mimi said, blinking down at her own tattoo.

Zenetra tore her eyes away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"That's okay!" Mimi pulled her sleeve up to her elbow. "Here. Have a better look-see."

The decorative black blemish on Mimi's inner arm had faded slightly over the years, and though it represented a wholeheartedly terrible group, the tattoo was treated with neither scorn nor embarrassment by its bearer.

Zenetra felt emboldened by Mimi's openness. "How did you manage to arrest all those high ranking Guild Sympathizers?"

"Wasn't that hard." Mimi poured herself another shot of whirl, the memory clearly a distant one. "I had a list of most of them in a fortnight, but there wasn't any evidence of treason so I waited until I was so deeply invested in the group that they asked me to put together a gala. Exclusive members only. I knew the organization was being illegally funded. I just didn't have the records to prove it." 

Mimi paused to toss back her shot of whirl. She set the empty glass on the little nightstand and continued. "That gala was my opportunity. Hosting a party is a great way to spy on people. They think they're safe being with like-minded people. They drink a lot. They let their guards down. Getting evidence was a lot trickier back then. We didn't have recording devices when I was your age."

Seeming to realize what she had just said, Mimi burst out laughing. "Listen to me! I sound so old!"

"Oh, you're not old!" Tilde held her glass aloft. "You're distinguished."

"I do like the sound of that." Mimi's blazing smile fell fractionally. "I didn't get them all, though. Once they knew it was me who turned most of their group over to the CF, they called for my blood." She lifted the hem of her sweater and pulled down the top part of her trousers. A jagged scar covered her lower abdomen. "Can't have kids now," she said as she put her clothes right. "If you're going after an organization, you've got to nab them all or be prepared for retribution."

Zenetra sipped her whirl. The decorated constable across from her was clearly overqualified for this search and rescue assignment. "Are you here to spy on Onnan?"

Tilde coughed, caught between drinking and laughing. The alcohol sloshed out of her glass and poured down her chest. She brushed it with her fingers as if that would remove the liquid from her clothes.

"I'm here for Carver," said Mimi. "Carver, and well, I also speak Naiacan. Figured if we find Scarlett, she may feel better if there's someone here who speaks her native language. Having Carver assigned to the same team was just a bonus. We've wanted to work a case together for years."

"You two are close."

It wasn't a question, but Mimi answered it as if it had been. "Yeah! His family took me in years ago. Carver's the eldest of seven. His family descends from the Empire of the Sea. They've held on to some traditions. Eight is considered a fruitful number, so I became lucky number eight."

Zenetra regarded Mimi from a different perspective. Her tanned skin was not from a Marzhanian or Gryphon Isle heritage. She was part Naiacan. Perhaps it was because their ancestors were from the same continent, but Zenetra felt ever more connected to the bubbly constable sitting across from her.

"So," said Mimi. Another full glass of whirl was in her hand. "Can we talk about Nibbles now?"

Zenetra and Tilde spoke in unison. "Nibbles?"

"The cook!"

Tilde sent a scandalized look Mimi's way. "Do we want to know why you call him that?"

"I don't know," said Mimi. With a coquettish wink, she added, "Do you?" 

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Preview for next chapter:

The team makes it to the edge of the Triad. Evidence of Scarlett Burn is everywhere.

:)