CHAPTER 3 #2
To date, it was widely accepted that not all abilities had been discovered. In the Republic of Widesight alone, a new one was identified every few years by the teams relentlessly working in uncovering the full extent of the rare tree’s essence.
With the possibilities came the urgent need for means to limit them, which was what humanity owed Dr. Sircelen for.
While borders between continents remained mostly closed for civilians even after the distribution of sap was regulated and normalized, there was the occasional exception here and there. Such was the case of the deceased doctor, it seemed.
Still doesn’t explain what this has to do with me.
“Was his death by natural cause?” I asked.
While I appreciated the need to limit a race that has proved to know no bounds in terms of exploiting any useful resource—as we were proving yet again through the slow but steady dry-out of the Evergreen Mahogany trees—I could imagine many others didn’t share the sentiment.
The first wave of inked abilities revolutionized entire sectors: psychokinesis reshaped transport and logistics; metallokinesis launched the manufacturing industry into a golden age of precision and efficiency; and hydrokinetics brought medical advancements that had only ever been imagined.
The idea of gaining access to such abilities only to have them neutralized by something as mundane as a wooden cuff or a bullet carved from bark, or even by sawdust, wouldn’t sit well with many.
Especially not with those who dreamed of seeing the world as it was known undone and then reformed to what they perceived our species deserved, I suspected.
A flicker of approval passed through the Supreme’s eyes at my question.
“Kobra isn’t forthcoming with the details,” he said, “but from what we’ve been able to gather, it appears to have been old age.”
Sarcasm was heavy in his voice. Dread laced with anticipation tingled at my fingertips. I was starting to see where this was going.
“Regardless of how he died,” Ludwig continued, “our sources indicate that Dr. Sircelen amassed a significant reservoir of sap over the years.”
No surprises there.
Coins were still the official currency, but in practice, everything revolved around sap.
Precious metals and gems were practically worthless in the face of the shimmering liquid that had elevated humanity almost a century ago.
Barrels of sap could buy entire districts.
Or they would, if they weren’t completely regulated by the Republic.
The proof of such evolution was hard to see at times.
“Presumably numbered in the hundreds of thousands of pounds of sap.” I fought the dizziness that surged with that number.
I’d just spent three weeks hunting down a rebel cell that had been smuggling a few hundred.
“Technically, the stash would pass to his next of kin, but Sircelen never married,” he continued, “and had no heirs. Since he was born in Widesight, it should fall to the Republic.”
I nodded slowly, my certainty about the conversation’s direction slipping away. Ludwig didn’t help. He only stared, expectant, with that look that meant: Go on, Davina. Connect the dots.
“Where’s the stash?”
His smirk was maddeningly smug. I had hit the mark, and that dread was returning with renewed strength when I understood what I was about to be asked.
“Somewhere in the Kingdom of Kobra,” was his only reply.
“Somewhere your sources have at least a lead on?”
“Afraid not.”
Oh, Hell.
Silence stretched for a few moments before the Supreme finally decided to land the blow I’d been bracing for.
“That’s why I called you here at eight in the evening without regard for your rest, Davina.
” His voice was softer, almost apologetic.
Almost. “The Kobrant king has agreed to let us send two emissaries to locate Dr. Sircelen’s missing sap reserve. ”
I closed my eyes, knowing well it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“On one condition: our people will work alongside a Kobrant counterpart from his own army. When the sap is found, it’ll be split evenly between both parties.”
My eyes narrowed. “Even though it rightfully belongs entirely to Widesight?”
“It’s worthless to us as long as it sits on Kobrant soil.” His fingers laced together on the desk. “This was the best we could do, given the circumstances.” The tight line of his lips betrayed how much this arrangement irked him. “It doesn’t mean we need to play fair.”
My head fell back against the headrest as the enormity of what he was both saying and implying sank in. Of what was yet to come.
Breathe, Davina.
“I truly wish I could have given you more time to rest and prepare,” he added. “But the window is closing. Kobra knows the stash exists now.”
“And if they already have it?”
“They don’t. We’re talking about the largest amount of sap ever amassed. If it was in the possession of the King of Kobra, he’d already be preparing for war.”
“War? Why?”