Ultimate Level 1

Papers fell to the floor, having been launched from their resting place on the table when Trina flipped it over a second ago.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE STILL FOUND NOTHING?”

The two advisors winced as her voice boomed across the room, doing their best to avoid her gaze.

“We… I mean, the scouts have turned up nothing,” the man stuttered. “The forest is completely devoid of any tracks.”

Striding across the small office she was using in the city hall building, Trina grabbed the taller man by the front of his robe, lifting him off the wooden floor as if he were nothing. Shaking him, she watched as his eyes were wide and his teeth were clenched.

“Master Trina,” the man next to her called out, his voice sounding like a child begging for mercy it was so weak. “We have been out there daily, interrogating the citizens, checking houses, sheds, and everywhere in town. Percy is right; we haven’t slacked, and even the other towns we have talked with haven’t reported any sighting of him.”

Turning her gaze to Argus, she grunted and finally dropped his counterpart, letting him land on his feet with a thud.

“You two realize that if I have to report to Master Terrance our lack of success, both of you will suffer first?”

They each winced and nodded. They knew what that man could do without lifting a finger.

Turning from the two men who were physically shaking from her outburst, Trina massaged her forehead with two fingers.

What do I do? I need to report something, and my choices could be better.

“You still don’t believe that body they found was his?”

Torn from her thoughts, Trina shook her head as Argus spoke.

“Do you believe it was him?” she replied.

Argus glanced at Percy, who shrugged and made a face that showed he wasn’t sure.

“Well, it was found four days ago, and goblins had torn it apart. When the scout found the group of goblins and killed them, they reported the remains to us. All that was left was the skull and some of the larger bones. The hip bone shows it was a male and not a child. There were a few items still there that make it hard to say for sure it was him.”

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Turning around, Trina crossed her arms and began to tap her fingers as she watched Argus squirm.

“So you are saying someone freed the boy, gave him equipment and money, and sent him out into the woods. This boy then died to a pack of three goblins days later.”

Trina watched both men struggle to answer that statement.

“There was evidence of an escape,” Percy replied. “Even Master Terrance was surprised that someone would risk such a thing.”

She was ready to scream at the two grown men. Each of them was half a foot taller than her and outweighed her by a bit, yet their lack of a backbone, displayed by how they were hunched over and whimpering, proved they were not ready for promotion. She could see that Percy wanted to say more but was hesitant to.

“Just spit it out and stop acting like a baby on its mother's tit!”

“What if someone from the sect was waiting here and freed him?”

Groaning, Trina shook her head no.

“Why would they be here, and why would they then set the kid loose in the woods after they took that risk?”

Both men glanced at each other, and Argus motioned with his head for Percy to keep talking.

“We don’t know, but it’s the only answer that makes sense. You always told us the solution is often right before us. No one was found to have helped him. How many people have we brought in and you tested? Every one of them was telling the truth. That means someone outside the town had to have done it. If they freed the boy and took him with them, we have already failed. If they broke him out and set him loose to see what he might become…” Percy’s voice trailed off as he watched Trina’s face. Her face and body had not reacted to anything he had said.

“Either he is dead or in the hands of the sect,” Argus blurted out. “You get to choose which story you want to tell Master Terrance. We will stand behind whichever option you pick.”

Trina smiled. Argus had finally stood up straight. He may have a backbone, after all. Percy, she noted, was still acting like he was broken.

Still tapping her finger against her arm, Trina nodded.

“Good. Then it is settled,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she glared at both men. “I will tell Master Terrance we believe the boy is dead, killed by a pack of goblins. If he asks for your thoughts on the matter, I suggest you both agree with that decision completely. Understood?”

Both men snapped to attention, putting one fist and arm at the center of their chests.

“Yes, Ma’am!” they said in unison.

Trina stared at the table lying on its side as she sat in her chair. Terrance wouldn’t be content to sit on that report for long, and she knew things would only get worse.

“Phaius, would you really allow something like a black skill to be given again?” she prayed quietly.

A shudder came over her as she considered what it would mean if this boy, Max, was still alive.