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The Guilded Cage

Prologue 2 The Burgled Bauble

The Hallowed Halls of Justice were brightly illuminated by divine power channeled into pure white pearls set into stone sconces every teen feet. The entirety of the building was ablaze with light regardless of the time of day. In Majh's estimate, that completely ruined the ambiance for the less tedious part of keeping the peace.

Crouching over the prone Gnome she had tied down to an interrogation table, she smiled at him, revealing the rows of sharp teeth that hid away in her broad muzzle. "Do you know why I like it here in the slums so much?"

She had many reasons, of course, not the least of which being that she could decorate her interrogation rooms with torches instead of sconces, but the Gnome really wasn't focused on that at the moment-- judging from the way his eyes followed the curved short blade in her paw, Majh wasn't really expecting a coherent answer. Regardless, she got one. "Um... the open air?"

The Gnome did have a point; in many other areas of the city the view of the sky was inhibited by signs, laundry lines, canvas stall tops, banners, and numerous other clutter but the slums were free of all that. Despite the valid answer, it wasn't the one she had in mind. "Good answer, but no. I like the Slums because the Lawgivers allow me to give-the-law. They don't waste their time in this area of the city because they have more important things to worry about and, frankly, they don't give a damn about us down here.

"So... you'll met me go?"

She had to hand it to him; the Gnome certainly was pulling out all the stops. He also squirmed a lot for a witness-- it made her wonder just what crimes he'd committed. Then again, she reasoned, he was a denizen of the Slum; what crimes HADN'T he committed? Smiling anew, she returned her focus to him, gazing down with the blade still framed beautifully by the flickering torchlight. "Why, my dear Nelwik Triggerpull... why ever would you presume that I 'have' you in the first place? You're here as a witness, after all."

The Gnome tugged theatrically at the chains keeping him in place, responding dryly. "Just a hunch."

A Hyena-like laugh escaped her at the response; he certainly had a sense of humor, and, truth be told, that was a trait Majh appreciated. However, she also had a job to do. "I just couldn't bear it if you left without answering all of my questions... and, if I'm not mistaken, you are here to divulge some information about The Nibblers... are you not?"

He nodded. "Right... and the watch said that you can offer amnesty-- forgiveness for any wrongdoing on my part if I testify?"

Majh tilted her head. "I am the Captain-Commander of the Watch here in the Slums. It is safe to say that power is mine... presuming the information you have is valid."

Nelwik was a part time hustler; Majh had seen him several times and knew about all of his misdeeds. If he had something worthwhile none of his crimes would be considered inexcusable by her higher ups. He was also a known squealer, so finding out what he knew was important. "I did some work for The Nibblers... got em some information. Learned about one of their Knotholes--"

She picked at one of her claws with the tip of her knife. "Not all that interesting."

He leaned forward, straining against his restraints. "I also know that one of the Priests from the Holy Temple is supporting em!"

Majh accidently cut herself, scowling as she removed the offending blade from her bloodied paw. "And could you identify the priest in question?"

Nelwik did not pause before answering. "Yeah! Sure! Of course!"

Smiling sweetly, the Hyena woman looked up to address the Gnome. "Do you have a good grasp of the Common tongue, my dear Mr. Triggerpull?"

Her 'guest' paused. "I mean... I speak it... it's what we're speaking now... right?"

"I am going to say a word, and I would like you to use it in a sentence... fair?"

He paused again. "I... uh... okay?"

She smiled, leaning closer. "The word is 'irony'."

Nelwik fidgeted. "Oh-- I know that word. Um... it's-- it's like... when you mean something by exaggerating the opposite thing?"

Majh scowled. "I said use it in a sentence."

The Gnome recoiled from the faint growl accompanying her words. "It-- I... lemme think... oh-- I was worried that today was going to be a bad one... and then I ended up here!"

The Captain rolled her eyes. "I can see how you might get that one wrong."

Nelwik fidgeted. "But-- but that's RIGHT! I mean, that's irony!"

Her voice was pure honey as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, my dear, dear Melwik Triggerpull... I didn't mean 'irony'... I meant 'iron-y', as in, 'Look how iron-y this blade is'."

His scream was silenced when the knife passed into his chest far enough to hit his heart. Letting out a sigh of contentment, Majh withdrew the blade and took an oiled rag to it so that the blood wouldn't cause problems. It was unfortunate that Nelwik was so easy to get info from; he might have lived longer.

A skitter from off to the side caught her attention and she watched as a little scaled shape pulled itself out from the shadows along the wall. She nodded to it. "He would have said something... not like you care about a dead Gnome anyway, right?"

The Kobold bowed his head to her. "Yep-yep! Vax sends his thanks."

Sliding her blade back into its sheath, Majh turned to regard him fully. "I didn't do it for thanks. I said I'd address the problem in return for information-- and, as you can see, the problem has been addressed."

The little reptile bobbed his head up and down to the affirmative. "Yep-yep! I will tell the Shardtooth of your deed. He will be pleased. Yep-yep! Most pleased."

Majh had never been much for unnecessary praise; she much more preferred deals being kept. "And? What did you find out about the break-in?"

The messenger fidgeted. "The Lawgivers were right... after the break-in the bauble found its way to the Slums. Yep-yep! Most likely fenced."

Scowling, the Hyena woman glared daggers at the Kobold. "I didn't agree to this trade for information I already had. Let Shardtooth know that I expect more than what--"

The Kobold interjected. "It hatched."

Majh froze in her objection. "...hatched?"

Her visitor nodded vigorously. "Yep-Yep! The High Inquisitor had an egg taken from him. It hatched!"

"I was told it was a small, brass decanter."

The Kobold's head-motions turned to a shake. "No-no... it was an egg disguised as a pitcher. No decanter."

Majh rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with one paw. "A decanter is a form of a--- never mind... but... it HATCHED?"

"Yep-yep."

Despite the setback, Captain Majh Blackpaw couldn't keep the smile off her muzzle. "Most intriguing..."