Jackpot

"Is there something else I can do for you?" the stable master had grown quite uncomfortable with the prolonged silence.

Silver blinked, unsure of how long he had been lost in the thoughts of what might have become of the poor stable boy who had gotten caught up in the dastardly plot. There was a small part of him that felt the fate of the boy was his fault. If he hadn't sent Sir Kent to the fort, the escape would not have happened at all.

'You didn't do it,' Silver reminded himself, shaking off the gloomy musings. 'You are trying to seek out the evil that did.'

"I think that will be all for now." The Guardian dipped his head in thanks. He turned to leave and paused. "Only...could you point me to where Investigator Ryker is staying?"

The portly man tensed. The name obviously left a bad taste in his mouth. "I understand why you want to seek him out, and yet I would advise against it. He is not someone you want to get mixed up with, if you know what I mean."

'It is interesting how quickly Max has gone from fearing me to wanting to protect me. It just goes to show how much everyone dislikes that inspector...'

"I appreciate your concern, but my request remains." Silver was not worried. If the man wasn't willing to tell him, then the Guardian would just figure it out himself.

Silver did not want to bother Jay. Too much time with the colonel would arouse suspicion from more than just Ryker. The cloaked man did not want to put any added burden to the honest man. Fortunately there was no need.

The portly man shrugged. "His room is on the far eastern edge of the fort in the guest quarters. Hah! If only he would act like a guest and not like he owns the place. He tried to take over the colonel's office but had to settle for the adjoining building. If you insist on finding him, that is a far more likely spot…"

Realizing he was rambling, the stable master abruptly stopped.

"Thank you for your time," the Guardian gathered up his cloak for a dramatic exit, but remembering his sister's teasing, he simply walked out of the stable in a dignified gait.

Leaning on his pitchfork, Max pushed his tongue into his cheek before smacking his lips. "How disappointing. He didn't even light his eyes on fire." Then, with no one to answer his odd claim, he went back to work.

————

The camp, which was large for how remotely stationed it was, passed by Silver in barely a moment. While he had not made a mysterious exit, he still was intent on no one seeing him move through the streets.

Silver was not going toward the inspector's office as the stable master thought. If possible, the Guardian had no desire for Ryker to even know that he was still in the camp.

After the disdain Max had shown for the inspector, Silver did not think word would get back to Ryker about the interview.

So as long as no one else interacted with him, there would be no trace of the Guardian's trail. Coming up on the guest quarters, it was easy to guess which one belonged to Ryker.

For only one of the four small buildings had any sign of being occupied. It seemed that the Viper worked alone.

No guard or assistant monitored the dwelling, leaving Silver easy access even without his less than legal skills. The cloaked man slipped into the small house with barely a whisper to betray him.

Like the rest of the fort, the guest quarters were decorated in a militaristic sparseness that fit those who lived in the wilderness. The high, raftered ceiling gave a feeling of dark emptiness in the confined space. The only creature comforts were the small fireplace, a straw bed with a thick blanket and a small writing table. For once, Silver could appreciate Sage's decorating style. Sparsity was functional but not exactly homey.

'This isn't his home anyway. And if I am right, the only place he will belong is in a jail cell.'

Silver got to work. He was careful to memorize exactly how each part of the room looked before rifling through the area. There was no need to let the inspector know that he had been there.

The Guardian unlaced the straw mattress from below and combed through every golden piece in search of something sinister. It was the most obvious place to hide something but also the hardest place to fully search. It took the hooded man more time to put the mattress back together than it had to disassemble it. It was no wonder he never restuffed his own mattress at home.

Next was the man's pack. While he didn't expect Ryker to be stupid enough to have incriminating evidence in his immediate belongings, there was always the chance that his go bag was actually ready to 'go' at a moment's notice.

The only things included in the bag were items of personal cleanliness, a small metal hand drill, a change of clothes, a knife with a curved handle and a rope. Silver removed the last item and examined it more closely.

The rope was new and well made. It also appeared to be completely unused. While a true inspector would likely not find a lot of need for such tactics--their job was to make inquiries and not to torture--one of Willric's Vipers could find many applications for such a versatile tool. In this case, Silver had already guessed one of them.

'So he does have a rope. I half-expected him to be bluffing.' Silver should have known better than to underestimate someone who had been specially trained.

Ryker was no fool.

Had he been, then Jay would have easily sniffed out the snake for what he was when the 'inspector' first arrived, even if Ryker were hiding behind Borit's name. Now, it would take real proof for Ryker to be discredited.

'He has a hideyhole. That is for sure. But where?' Silver's search was abruptly halted as he heard footsteps coming his way. He shoved all of the items back into the pack and placed it gently at the edge of the bed.

Even if the Guardian was here on Colonel Jay's request, he was trespassing in someone's private room and rifling through their stuff. If discovered, Silver was sure Ryker would instantly want to press charges.

By the time everything was put to right, there was little time to duck out of the single shuttered window. So Silver went the only way he could--up.

In an instant, the door flung open. A large man rushed into the room.

"I know you are in here!" he growled.

Silver flinched. While it was an old trick to flush out your enemies, a trick Silver himself had used, the Guardian did not think the man was simply checking to see if his room was secure.

Ryker truly thought someone was there. The investigator looked under the straw mattress, and then he checked the table and every inch of the room. Silver watched with morbid fascination, very glad not to have chosen any of those spots in order to spy.

Finding no one, Ryker snapped his head upward.

Shrouded in shadows, Silver froze. The investigator was looking right at him, squinting into the darkness.

The Guardian shut his eyes, avoiding the bright flash that often accompanied his intense emotions. 'How did he know?!'

Many moments passed.

"Must have snuck out…" Ryker mumbled as Silver heard something scrape across the ground.

When he opened his eyes, a satisfied smirk bloomed on the Guardian's face.

'Jackpot.'