"Mr Elison," a deep, well-cultured voice came over the phone, "I trust you are well?"
"Well enough, sir. I'm currently at the Rusty Rook," Elison commented, standing up and moving away from the bar where people were trying to listen in. It wasn't normal for Calder to call one of his subordinates out of nowhere, especially someone as low on the food chain as Elison.
"The Rook?" Calder hummed. "Is my son's leg donor doing well?" he asked, something clicking in the background.
Elison glanced back over at Justice who was pouring John a drink. John winked at him, using his abilities to listen in. The man murmured something into Justice's ear which made him blush and look over at John with a nervous expression. The butcher had transplanted Justice's leg onto Calder's son after he had had an accident. An easy operation, but as a known viable transplant for Calder's son, Justice lived under the knowledge that John could ask him to donate more than his leg if something else happened to the boy.
"He's well. John is looking after him. Remarkably still naive despite what happened and working at the Rook," Elison commented, not wanting to offend the boy but not about to lie to Calder either.
"Good," Calder purred. "The naive-ness is not a bad thing, and it is sweet to know such a thing can exist in that environment." Calder paused and then his voice turned serious. "Speaking of which, this is a serious phone call. The butcher has broken his orders and is now under investigation. Some of his accounts don't add up; merchandise has gone missing after use."
"The merchandise isn't at the middle house?" Elison frowned. John glanced up in his direction with a frown of his own. Missing bodies were not good. Part of the point of the middle house programme was to ensure there was no bad blood from the merchandise and no one who would speak up to tell the truth about what was going on in the back streets of the dock city. Rumours were bad for business.
"From what we can tell, one in ten aren't. Enough to hide at first glance but it seems to have been going on for a few years now. Do you have any ideas as to why this may be?" Calder asked. John moved over to look Elison in the eyes himself.
The feeling of being trapped between a rock and a hard place sprang to Elison's mind. "I can guess, sir. I know some of the slave traders have been unhappy with some of the recent changes you have made to the rules. Whether they are unhappy enough to start disobeying your rules or not, I cannot say. I'm just a locator," Elison frowned, uncertain as to what his boss was expecting from him. John made the situation more unsettling by acting as a truth detector for Calder. John was not under Calder's control; they were equal on the surface. If people started breaking the rules that would concern John as a slavebond owner. Though John did have to play to the same rules as everyone else.
"True, true, true. I'd argue a lie, you are not just a locator," John commented loud enough for Calder to hear. His voice was neutral but his eyes showed his displeasure. John did not like lying of any sort.
"I'm glad to hear you, at least, are not involved in what is going on. You are very useful to my organisation, Mr Elison," Calder commented, his voice still serious. "But I am sure you can understand that your job will be suspended for a little while. We can offer you other jobs with the butcher's associates in the same trade, if you would like that?"
"To be honest, I was planning on calling the hotline soon anyway. The last one is affecting me in ways which are not good for business. I think it's time I stepped away from the organ trade, if that is acceptable to you," Elison said, not about to accept another assignment if he was planning on switching trades anyway.
Calder hummed, sounding unimpressed. "A day ago, I would have ordered you to my house for a more detailed explanation, but, given the circumstances, I can accept this for a while, as long as you accept this is not a permanent change. I will do a reassessment if the butcher is proven ignorant and not accountable to his employees actions."
"I can accept that condition, provided I am given a reassessment before being sent to scout again," bargained Elison; the organ trade had trapped him too long now.
"Truth," John murmured, tapping his empty glass. Justice glanced over before grabbing a bottle from under the counter and moving closer to refill John's glass. One of the patrons slapped his ass on the way making him squeak. The bar laughed and Justice flushed.
"Okay then. I will find you a new job in one of the other sectors. In the meantime, you can go hunt down what happened with the merchandise you delivered tonight. It's gone missing," Calder said. "I doubt the survival rate of the missing merchandise is high. I would rather you find this one alive if possible."
"I can do that. I'll leave right away," Elison nodded, standing up. "Thank you for the understanding, sir."
"Please do, and it is not a problem Mr Elison," Calder commented, the clicking in the background stopping. "I hope you remain loyal and continue to be a productive member of my organisation. Goodnight and good luck." The phone clicked off and Calder hung up, Elison closed his own and put it away.
"You have a busy night ahead," John mused, taking a sip of his drink, pulling Justice onto his lap. Justice sat obediently but kept half an eye on the bar. "When you have found the boy, bring him here. I have a room for such guests you can rent ." The way John said it made it clear it wasn't a request but an order of its own.
"I didn't realise the Rook had rentable rooms," Elison commented with a heavy dose of suspicion in his tone. The Rook was tiny, the idea John had a safe room to lock someone up in was a strange one. Any room should have been made into the bar area.
John shrugged. "The Rook has been more than a bar before," he commented. "I will expect you later." John said the words firmly and with a power that suggested disobedience would bring upon John's full wrath.
"Yes, sir," Elison nodded, not about to disobey John or Calder. Whatever John's reasons for having him bring the boy here was not Elison's business, but, unless John made him go against Calder's orders, Elison did not have the resources to anger the man. John smiled at him and waved him off. Justice murmured his own parting greetings, well trained to do so.
Shifting to the shadows, Elison went in search of the poor soul he had given to the butcher, who was now missing because of someone's greed.
Elison felt a little sorry for the fool who thought he could outwit Calder. They were about to suffer a fate worse than death.
It took Elison no time to locate the boy. Once he had already shifted with someone, it was easy to relocate them anytime within a day of the shift. His granddad had once tried to explain it as having to do with soul residue, but Elison didn't know the full reason, nor was he well versed enough in demon lore to understand how all his powers worked. Only how to control them and use them to gain money.
The place Elison had found him in, though, was enough to make him thankful that he had cursed the boy to blindness. Naked, surrounded by men about to do unspeakable acts to him. Blood, and worse, covered the young man from the state of the room. It was clear this was not the first time the men had done this to a poor soul, and that they didn't bother cleaning up after themselves. The smell was enough to turn Elison's stomach. Copper and sweat did not make a pleasant smell, and there was a strong aftertaste of death. If the blood lining the floor did not already clue someone in that people had died in this room, the smell screamed it.
Elison dealt with the men without mercy, knowing Calder would have had his movements watched. A much higher and more dangerous power would hunt down and deal with any survivors or escapees. Once he dealt with the scum, he walked over to the trembling body. Bandages covered the young man's eyes, making his brown hair stick up. Rope tied his arms roughly so he couldn't fight back against the men enough even if he had the ability or strength to do so.
Elison exhaled, wondering how it was best to deal with the boy. The first thing to do was untie him, that much was certain. As he walked towards the boy, he tried to move forwards to escape, much to Elison's amusement. Trying not to scare or harm the boy further, Elison pulled the young man close and untied his arms. Arms untied, he took the reddened wrists and massaged them for a few moments to help the circulation before flipping the young man and pulling a gag out of his mouth. Elison held him as he coughed and sputtered, pulling him into his lap to pet and calm him as the trembling got worse.
"Easy," Elison murmured, "You're safe now, easy." He promised, nuzzling the young man. Yet the boy went stiff in pain. Hands gripping Elison's clothes tightly as the pain shot through his body like a bolt of lightning, making his knees weak.
Then came a demand, a demand which confused Elison and made him wonder if the young man was still sane. "Pen and paper!"