It was now a month into vaccine progress. The doctors were doing what they could to help treat the symptoms, but they knew it wasn\u2019t an actual treatment. 17 people had died of gel-pox, King Jonthar\u2019s parents included. Jonthar had already set aside a lot of money to develop a vaccine, but he set aside more and urged the upper class to donate what they could so a vaccine would come faster. I\u2019m sorry to say that his actions weren\u2019t totally well-received. The essential workers praised him, as did their employers, but the previous king, Queen Keelma\u2019s father, Santha, publicly called it a waste of resources. He believed the problem would just go away on its own, an argument he and Keelma constantly had. \u201cYou ALWAYS did lack empathy!\u201d hissed Keelma during one such argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd YOU lack clarity!\u201d accused Santha. \u201cYou and your bug husband are wasting time on trivial people!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFarmers, food workers, doctors, they\u2019re trivial to you?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey can be replaced!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not non-Mechanica machines! They CAN\u2019T be replaced!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnyone can do their job!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true!\u201d Before the argument could go any further, a doctor entered the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour Majesty! Good news!\u201d he called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou dare interrupt\u2026!\u201d began Santha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDad, shut up. Someone more important than you is talking,\u201d hissed Keelma. She turned to the doctor, leaving her father to stand stunned at what she said. \u201cYou were saying, Doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten the genetic makeup of this particular strain of gel-pox,\u201d reported the doctor. \u201cIt\u2019s an artificial strain!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArtificial?! Are you sure?!\u201d gasped Keelma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndeed! And the mutation factor\u2019s consistent! We begin experiments on one version of this strain and it already mutates to account for that! I don\u2019t mind telling you, we could actually have a vaccine next month!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHas my husband been informed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s being told the news as we\u2026\u201d the doctor was interrupted by a loud cheer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSounds like he\u2019s received the news,\u201d mused Keelma. \u201cDoctor, you and your teams are instrumental! Once you have the vaccine, deliver it to essential workers first. Leave us royals and rich people for last.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnderstood, Your Majesty!\u201d confirmed the doctor as he bowed and left the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026You once called our methods a waste of money, Dad,\u201d Keelma remarked to Santha. \u201cCan you still say that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cQuite easily,\u201d scoffed Santha. \u201cAnd a waste of time too. You gave the unimportant people too much money!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey just discovered that this strain of gel-pox is an artificial strain and promised us a new timetable and you STILL say they\u2019re unimportant?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are nothing more than pieces in a ruler\u2019s game, something YOU\u2019VE never grasped!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019s the difference between you and me! Don\u2019t bother saying anything else, you WON\u2019T change my mind!\u201d Keelma stormed out of the room and made her way to the stables. She went to her horse\u2019s berth and found her beautiful black and white horse speaking to the Centaur Stable Master. The conversation was\u2026not really what she expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible!\u201d protested her horse as she stamped her hoof in frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Gale,\u201d replied the Stable Master, \u201cbut I don\u2019t know what to tell you! We\u2019ve searched every inch of the grounds and the doctor and his carriage aren\u2019t even here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this about a missing doctor and carriage?\u201d called Keelma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour Majesty, Doctor Anful and his personal carriage are gone, but none of the horses are missing,\u201d explained the Stable Master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnful\u2019s one of the best stable doctors here,\u201d remarked Keelma. \u201cHow do you just lose him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t LOSE him,\u201d corrected the horse, Gale. \u201cHe went missing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not much of a difference in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold on, I just had a thought,\u201d muttered the Stable Master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d asked Gale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf none of the horses are missing, how did his carriage move?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I\u2026I don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis carriage isn\u2019t a horseless one, is it?\u201d asked Keelma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d replied Gale, \u201cit isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll right, that\u2019s put a frightening spin on this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think I need a good run to clear my head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMind if I join you? I just had an argument with my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHop on, then.\u201d The Stable Master helped Keelma up onto Gale. Once Keelma indicated she was comfortably on Gale, Gale trotted out of the stables and then sped up gradually until they were in the woods behind the castle. Gale liked running in the woods, it kept her skills to make quick decisions up to scratch. Keelma just liked feeling the wind blow her hair back, it always soothed her mind. While the forest was thick, the trees still allowed sunlight to pierce the canopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lovely day, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d asked Keelma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWholeheartedly,\u201d answered Gale. \u201cThe air is clean, the sun is out, this is a day where nothing goes wrong.\u201d That phrase invited disaster that day. The instant Gale entered a clearing, she saw something that made her rear up and whinny in fright. Keelma almost fell off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEasy, girl! Easy!\u201d called Keelma as Gale put her hooves down and moved back. She finally saw what scared Gale. There was a smoldering wreck of a carriage in the clearing. \u201cOkay, maybe you spoke too soon!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?!\u201d yelped Gale. \u201cWhere\u2019d all this come from?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe better get back to the castle and raise the alarm!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis Majesty\u2019s not going to like this!\u201d Gale turned around and broke off into a gallop. King Jonthar and the Royal Guard were told about the situation and a member of the City Guard told them to expect an investigation team at the site as an Elven convent in the woods had already informed them of the carriage wreck. Jonthar, Keelma, and members of the Royal Guard rode towards the wreck and met with the investigation team and the convent\u2019s Abbess, Nanfel. She and a novice of her order were giving their statement when the King and Queen arrived. The investigators had ordered everyone to stay back as they conducted their preliminary investigations, not wanting the crime scene to be contaminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGoodness me!\u201d whispered Nanfel. \u201cWho could have done this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHoodlums with little to no respect and even less self-control,\u201d replied the Dryad in charge of the investigation, Redwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut to strike HERE of all places?!\u201d protested Jonthar. \u201cChildren play in these woods!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf they had any sense of decency,\u201d hissed the novice, \u201cthey wouldn\u2019t have thought to do this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYallen!\u201d admonished Nanfel. The novice subsided, realizing she spoke out of turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d assured Redwood, \u201cwe\u2019ll find these scoundrels and bring them to justice!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSARGE!\u201d called an Alraune. \u201cCOME HERE! QUICK!\u201d Redwood, the Royals, and Nanfel followed Redwood. He stopped and his eyes widened, seeing evidence that the case was now worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh no!\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d asked Jonthar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMother Superior,\u201d Redwood called to Nanfel, \u201cI\u2019m sorry to report that we need your order\u2019s services.\u201d Jonthar, Keelma, and Nanfel gasped when they got a good look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy the Ones!\u201d breathed Keelma as she hugged Jonthar tightly, feeling very scared. What they saw was the shiny, yet still very skeletal remains of an Elf. The pelvis indicated that it was a male Elf and dental records identified the victim to be the Stables\u2019 doctor, Anful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the Princesses heard about this, they were mortified and saddened at Anful\u2019s death. News reached the Endeavor<\/em> and the doctors working on the cure for the gel-pox pandemic. Everyone offered their sympathies and whatever help they could give to Anful\u2019s family. There was little solace to be had at the poor man\u2019s funeral. It was hardly surprising; there were just too many questions surrounding his death. The whole affair was perfect fodder for the news, and it became a media sensation, its details talked about everywhere. Under normal circumstances, the Realms\u2019 top criminal investigators would be tasked with solving it, but that was hard to do safely, given the gel-pox pandemic. The murderer picked an excellent time to strike, even going so far as to kill him in such a way that was unknown. Foresna and Gorfanth were talking to Elmar and Bashoon about it. \u201cDid you guys hear the latest?\u201d asked Gorfanth. \u201cThe City Guard had to call off the investigation until a vaccine\u2019s been made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnderstandable,\u201d replied Elmar. \u201cWhat else can they do, given that they\u2019re clueless during this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on, Sir!\u201d admonished Bashoon. \u201cThat\u2019s hardly fair!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I came off as derogatory, then I apologize,\u201d answered Elmar. \u201cI merely meant that they\u2019ve exhausted every investigatory avenue given the current public health circumstances. To be honest, though, I doubt Enfanti could solve this one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re not really wrong,\u201d remarked Foresna. \u201cI mean, how does someone steal a carriage, kidnap someone, manage to not tip off castle security, destroy it, kill the kidnapped person, then dump their remains in a forest clearing, all within the span of an hour, if the investigations are any indication?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you hear some of the crew,\u201d muttered Gorfanth, \u201cthey\u2019ve got some theories about that. I assure you, none of them are good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike what?\u201d asked Foresna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow about you two wait until Ensign Barmek and I are gone,\u201d suggested Elmar, \u201cbefore you discuss those theories?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGone?\u201d repeated Gorfanth. \u201cWhere are you guys going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo Anful\u2019s house to give his family financial aid, if you can believe it,\u201d replied Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought Anful\u2019s family hated yours, Elmar,\u201d remarked Gorfanth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe feeling is mutual,\u201d answered Elmar, \u201cbut neither side would wish death on the other. This is a gesture to help Anful\u2019s family, given their recent loss. Perhaps this will mend fences between our families. As of this moment, I don\u2019t mind assisting them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood to hear,\u201d praised Foresna. \u201cJust make sure your robes are secured for the ride!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d yelped Elmar, momentarily losing his composure. \u201cHow did you\u2026the Captain told you, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, I did,\u201d giggled Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll be putting a reprimand in your file for that,\u201d muttered Elmar as he and Bashoon headed to the cargo bay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was now a month into vaccine progress. The doctors were doing what they could to help treat the symptoms, but they knew it wasn\u2019t an actual treatment. 17 people had died of gel-pox, King Jonthar\u2019s parents included. Jonthar had already set aside a lot of money to develop a vaccine, but he set aside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,236],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-3-the-first-strike","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2940"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2987,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2940\/revisions\/2987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}