Daniel shrugged. “I have few options. It is not easy being dead, and this house is a lot more inviting than the average coffin.”
The day crawled on for a while. Rayko was asleep and Daniel was reading the book that his host had supplied him with. He jumped as the hydger rattled. He saw Huajo’s call sign.
“Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy,” Daniel said, “good day.”
“Good day, Mr. Zacharias.” Huajo had a smile on his face, which was something that made Daniel feel good. “I think I am bringing excellent news.”
“That sounds very positive, sir, you have my full attention.”
52. I come to help
Somewhat earlier that morning, at the house of the Dogom ko Tzuy family, there had been a very unexpected visitor. Gaguran Slindris…
“Good morning, Seigner,” Gaguran said. “My lord, Seigner Dandra ko Galem, has ordered me to come here. He wants you to know, and so do I, that all my services are yours to use, in order to find Miss Rayko.”
“Mr.Slindris, good morning. I must say that I am quite surprised about this offer. Pleasantly surprised, do not get me wrong. Please, sit down. Can I offer you something?” Huajo was in his element. The plan they had been working on was still going well.
Gaguran sat down and accepted tea and the inevitable cookies that this house seemed to have growing somewhere in abundance. “As you may be aware of, Seigner, I have a special affection for Miss Rayko,” the mouse said, “so it is very important and dear to me that she is found.”
“I understand, Mr. Slindris. I have yet to deploy people to all kinds of places, but that will be done today.” Huajo had indeed prepared a few search crews who would be heading out today, it all had to look as genuine as possible.
“Are there already things that have reached you, sir, that would be of benefit for the peace of mind of my Seigner and his lady?” Gaguran asked. The order that Clelem had given him was simply to find out how much Huajo already knew.
“I am sorry, sir, there is no news yet,” Huajo said. “You can rest assured that I will not delay in telling you if something arises.”
Gaguran nodded. “Of course, sir. I am just asking, of course, as you are probably very well aware of the crisis my Seigner and the lady are going through.”
Huajo noticed that the man seemed nervous.
Clelem had told Gaguran to offer his services, in order to get an inside take on things concerning Huajo. Gaguran at first had had his doubts and arguments against that. It had been rough on him to arrange Rayko’s kidnapping. When later he had learnt that Clelem had made sure that Rayko had been taken to the cellar in the building where Gaguran himself had ordered the implosion grenade to be installed, he had started to rebel against Clelem.
Clelem however had ways to pull Gaguran over his problems. The prospect of money and influence, and later also his pick of a woman to get over Rayko, had done the trick in the end. Enough money and influence were the things that had beckoned Gaguran as his dream goal. So he had given in. With the wry certainty that, if he could not have Rayko, nobody would. It was not the first time his boss had asked to make sure someone’s end was hurried.
“You seem ill at ease, Mr. Slindris,” said Huajo as he got up. He walked around his desk and patted the man on the shoulder. “I can understand that. You are in a very difficult situation now, of course, with so many contradicting things to do.”
Gaguran frowned for a moment. “I am not sure what you are referring to, Seigner…” He was not going to be easy to read.
“What I mean, sir, is that you are facing the loss of someone dear, who has so far not returned your feelings. This must make for a very uncomfortable working environment, unless I am mistaken.” Huajo smiled, almost as a father figure.
“It is… awkward, indeed.” Gaguran was certain he could admit to that. After all, he was in a strange situation, all things considered.
“I assumed so much,” Huajo nodded. “Therefore I thought it might be interesting for you to expand your horizon. Fly out to a new employer, for instance, to be away from the hardship that is put onto you.”
Gaguran worked through the words he heard carefully. “Are you offering me a position, Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy?”
“Let us say that I would not be against such a thought,” Huajo smiled, playing it safe enough and yet opening a door for the man.
“Sir, I do beg your pardon. My loyalty is with Seigner Dandra ko Galem. I do not see the need for me to change position. My relationship with the Seigner is strictly on terms of business.” Gaguran got up. “I think I should return now, sir. I thank you for your time.”
Huajo got up also, his large body making him sway and bump into Gaguran. “I am truly sorry, Mr. Slindris,” he said, “my knees, you know.”
Gaguran nodded. “No harm done, sir. I will hear from you about any news.” The mouse nodded and quickly left the house.
“And so, Mr. Zacharias, was the meeting with Mr. Slindris. I should add, that while I accidentally bumped into him, something personal of great value made its way into his pocket.” Huajo’s face in the small display almost burst of pleasure. “I have learnt that it is always a good thing to play things safe while being engaged in dangerous games.”
Daniel nodded. “Be careful, sir. It is after all your throne that is at stake at the moment.”
“My throne, Mr. Zacharias, is very solid. It has stood up to a wager before, and all of those have made it more stable. I do take it that you appreciate this information.”
“I certainly do, sir. Thank you very much.” With a grin, Daniel closed his hydger. Yes, the plan was in motion. Now everyone had to keep to it. That was the worrying bit.
Gaguran, in that time, was in the working chamber of Clelem, reporting on how the visit and the offer had gone.
“So he did accept your offer? That is good. Too bad that he knows nothing, or at least says nothing. That fat fox is one to be careful with.”
“Yes, sir. There is something else. He offered me a position.” Gaguran had to tell this. He had never held something from Clelem; history showed that he was bad at keeping secrets from that man.
“A position? Hmmm, interesting. You accepted of course?” Clelem smiled slyly, knowing that Gaguran would never do that.
“Of course I did nothing of the kind, Seigner, and I told Seigner Dogom ko Tzuy that as well. My loyalty is with you.”
“And that is where it has to be, my valued Mr. Slindris.” Clelem nodded slowly, writing tiny crosses on a piece of paper in front of him. “You are free to leave, now. I have business to attend to.”
Gaguran nodded and left the office in silence, while Clelem was brooding on his plans. The Pricosine 2 was almost ready to be sailing. He needed a fresh crew.
Clelem’s hydger rattled. He frowned at Huajo’s sign. “My friend, good day.”
“My friend,” said Huajo. “I am grateful for your offer to let your serving man help me in finding your daughter. But something unfortunate has happened during his visit. I am, of course, not saying that your man is responsible for it, but the time in which it happened is too coincidental.”
Clelem wondered about that. “What happened, my friend?”
“A very precious small object that was on my desk has disappeared since your man left my house. I had people search for it, but so far it has not been retrieved. I wonder if you could ask your serving man if he has seen
