Chapter 398 - 397: Whispers Underground
Location:Seven Peaks — Shadow Pavilion Office, Raven’s Office
Date/Time:TC1854.09.25 – TC1854.10.05
Naida kept a separate shelf.
Not in the Shadow Pavilion’s formal intelligence archive — that system was organized by Coop’s Cognitect-designed taxonomy: military, political, economic, environmental. Clean categories. Efficient retrieval. The architecture of a mind that thought in systems.
Naida’s separate shelf held the reports that didn’t fit. The ones that were too small for a formal category, too vague for a classification, too strange for the taxonomy that preferred its intelligence clean. She’d maintained this shelf since the Shadow Pavilion’s founding, and over the months, it had accumulated the particular weight of things that individually meant nothing and collectively meant she couldn’t sleep.
She reviewed the shelf every ten days. Today was a review day.
She sat in her office — two levels below the Verdant Spire, windowless, three exits — and spread the recent additions on her desk. Seven new reports from agents in the eastern communities. Standard format. Standard language. Nothing in any individual report that would merit escalation.
She read them in order.
Agent 14, Greymere District: Male resident (farmer, 40s) departed for market town TC1854.09.18. Expected return same day. Returned TC1854.09.20 (2 days late). Stated he stayed at a friend’s home after drinking too much. Wife confirmed he seemed normal on return. No further anomaly noted.
Agent 7, Harrowfield: Male resident (carpenter, 30s) failed to arrive at work site TC1854.09.14. Employer filed an inquiry. Resident appeared at work TC1854.09.17 (3 days late). Stated he had been ill and stayed in bed. Colleagues noted he seemed healthy. No further anomaly noted.
Agent 22, Copper Bend: Male resident (retired Imperial Guard, 50s) went fishing at the southern river TC1854.09.12. Did not return for evening meal. Wife reported to the constable the next morning. Resident returned TC1854.09.14 (2 days late). Stated he had fallen asleep by the river and lost track of time. Fishing rod and catch confirmed present. No further anomaly noted.
Agent 22 again: Second incident, same community. Male resident (merchant, 30s) departed for supply run TC1854.09.21. Expected return next day. Returned TC1854.09.24 (3 days late). Stated the road was washed out, and he took a longer route. Road conditions confirmed to be poor due to recent rain. No further anomaly noted.