When we'd finally returned to the apartment, I first looked to make sure that Seth wasn't around. I really didn't want to have to explain all this to him. Certainly not when he still seemed to believe the best of the Maji Guard.

With the coast clear, I ushered everyone inside. Psicon squealed from my shoulder as it gawked at the new surroundings — I had almost forgotten she was there. I retreated to my room to set her down on my bed. Finally, when I had returned, I turned to the spirit. Aneta was looking out the window as I approached her, while Zoe and David were squabbling. I knew Zoe was concerned and worried for her girlfriend, and I was dead set on finding the answers that she needed.

"Aneta probably isn't your actual name, is it?" I asked the Dusgelvan woman.

She turned back to me in surprise. "Aneta?" she asked me, confused.

I nodded. "That's what the Maji Guard called you in their case file on your murder. So, may I ask you to begin by telling us your real name? My name is Kairine, and those are David and Zoe." I replied, motioning to the others, who had now turned toward me.

"Ziran Mosud," she answered, bowing to me. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I was surprised by her formality while I turned back to the others. "Her name is really Ziran. Ziran Mosud," I relayed to them. I turned back to her. "Can you tell me anything about your murder, or who your killer was?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, that's the part that is still rather hazy for me," she replied solemnly. Okay, this was bound to be difficult, though I wasn't really surprised. 

I continued. "Do you know anything about Lady Magnolia's involvement?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," she replied. "She was, to my knowledge, appointed as a foreign liaison for my people. Other than that, I don't know much about her. All I know is that she arranged for Ms. Aurora to be kidnapped, and I can't fathom the motive."

I could tell that Zoe was visibly disheartened by the news. "Do you have any idea where they might have taken her?"

She thought it over for a moment. Then she beamed, "Yes!" with bright eyes. "I believe there's a plantation on the outskirts of the city, owned by a Ms. Myrtle. She's involved, I'm sure of it!"

Finally, we had something to go on. It was all we could do to keep Zoe from rushing out the door to save her love. But there were still more questions I had for Ziran.

"Why did you come to Calrune, anyway?"

She sighed before answering. "I'm ashamed to say that I was involved in this awful scheme. . . But when I realised what they were really up to, I tried to stop them. I'm sorry that I failed."

I shook my head, smiling sadly. "You realised you were wrong, and tried to do something. That's already enough. You have nothing to be sorry for, Ziran."

So we had a direction. We had a location where Fleur might have been taken, and we had another suspect in the growing web of this conspiracy. What I didn't have was a clear picture of her murder, but we would take it one step at a time. I turned to Zoe and David. "Myrtle's Vineyard, on the outskirts of the city. . . She thinks that's where Fleur was taken, which means the Lady Myrtle may also be involved in this whole mess."

I sighed. Just involvement alone wasn't going to be enough to get her arrested. This was a noble we were speaking about. "I heard it from a ghost," would probably get laughed out of court. If we went there and found Fleur, even that would still not be enough. We'd need a lot more hard evidence of her involvement in the scheme.

Even then, it would be an uphill battle if the Maji Guard were involved.

But that would be a problem for later. For now, we needed to get this information to Tarda, then head over to the Vineyard. I pulled my comm stone from my pocket, then a moment later the image of his square jaw and windswept hair appeared before me. 

"Don't ask me how I got this information. It'll never go anywhere in court. . ." I began, shooting a look at Zoe. She was impatient to get going. "We believe we know where Fleur is; the Myrtle Vineyard outside of town."

He glared at me as though I'd just told an awful joke. For a moment, I felt as though I had. "You can't be serious. Are we accusing nobles now?"

I knew how crazy it sounded, but this was the information we had to go on. As I clicked off the comm stone and slipped it back into my pocket, I gazed back at Zoe.

"Zoe, we need to take this slow. We can't even be certain this is the place. We will go, but first, we should wait for Tarda to check it out." I said, more calmly than I felt. But I knew she wasn't buying it. She wanted to save her girlfriend, and wasn't going to settle for anything less than action. Frankly, I understood.

I gazed back at Ziran. "What do you know about the vineyard?" I asked her.

She reflected on that. "While I don't remember much, I do recall that woman being very secretive. She is not to be trusted."

Lady Myrtle was secretive, that much I knew to be true. If she were involved in this, it made me wonder what else she might be a part of. "Do you know where they might be holding her, if she’s there?"

"Probably the basement, though I can't be sure."

I thought about it, running the scenario through my head. I couldn't say she was right, though I knew basements were common throughout the city. I had also heard of tunnels and caverns underneath the city that went back hundreds of years. The history of the city never ceased to amaze me.

Now, however, I had a more personal question for Ziran. "What can you tell me about your life and your family?"

She sighed as she looked back out the window. "I lived a harsh life under the Empire. The Shadow Wood is a beautiful place, but I never really got to experience its beauty. Due to my caste, I was going to be thrown into the Deep mines. My parents died trying to save me from that life."

"I'm so sorry." A tear threatened to fall as I replied. "I'm an orphan too; my father died last year. And I never knew my mother, though my sister did."

"But you at least have a place to call home," she said with a heavy sigh, her eyes watering. "In the Empire, without a family, you're a nobody. You may as well be dead. If you don't have a home, or caste, or anything, you're thrown out. People look down on the casteless with such hate and disgust. That is what we were supposed to be fighting to change."

It saddened me to hear it. It sounded as bad as the lives led by those in Gothica under the rule of the Golan Empire. To be honest, I didn't really know who had it worse. I could only imagine.

"Is there anyone that you would like to get a message to?"

By this point she broke down in tears. "I have this one friend. . . Or rather, she was more than a friend. But we were never able to be together. . ." she explained in between sobs.

"We grew distant a while back because I began to question everything that the group was doing, and she was an ardent believer. More than anything, I want to save her from the path she was going down. If you can, please try to talk to her. Convince her that what she's doing is wrong!"

I nodded. "I'll do my best. If you come along with us, it might be easier to convince her. I'll help you, if I can. Could you tell me her name and give me a description?"

"Her name is Maidru Olzuth, her skin is lighter than mine and she has pinkish-red eyes and long black hair, always tied in a ponytail," she replied, before shaking her head. "But she won't listen to me. I've tried for so long. Nothing I say will ever convince her."

"That may be so, but you didn't have me with you before. You won't be alone this time."

She thought over my words for what seemed like forever before finally nodding. "Alright. . . If you really think it'll help, I'll try."

A smile spread across my face as I turned to the others. "Alright, let's go. Ziran'll help us. She can go places we can't and get us valuable intel," I told them. "There's someone we have to find, though. A Dusgelvan woman by the name of Maidru." I relayed to them the description she'd given me.

"So, we're getting help from a ghost?" asked Zoe incredulously.

I laughed. "Don't knock it until you've tried it. Since I’m the only one who can see her, unless someone has a See the Unseen spell or something, and since she can go through walls and everything. . . She's the best shot we've got."

Zoe thought it over for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Only Spirit casters would have that spell. What are the odds someone there would know it?"

Shaking my head, I really hoped she wasn't seriously asking me to give her a number — it was more than she thought.

"There are other ways, like artefacts. But I agree, it's pretty unlikely that anyone else other than Kairine would be able to see our ghost friend," replied David thoughtfully.

Just then, I felt the vibrating of the comm stone in my pocket. Pulling it out, Tarda's image once again appeared before me.

"You all better get over here. . ." was the only thing he said. But I could tell from the look on his face that this wasn't good.

"What's happened?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "There's more security here than I've ever seen. Far too much for a simple vineyard, even one as upscale as Myrtle's."

I ran through the angles in my head. The only reason anyone, even a noble with an upscale business, would have that much security is if they had something to hide.

I nodded to him. "Alright. We're on our way. Be ready to hold my sister back and keep her from doing anything stupid," I responded, smirking. She just rolled her eyes in response.

As I clicked off the call, we were already out the door. The only question was how we were going to get there. Walking there was out of the question. 

Once again, David's friend came to the rescue. I knew I had to meet this friend one of these days, but I filed that away as a later problem. For now, there was only one priority: saving Fleur.