After leaving the tea party Fiona headed for the Information Guild, where she hoped to find specific details of the famine and the slave trade that plagued Wyndorr. As a noblewoman and a successful business owner, she had many privileges, and one of them was access to the Guild. She trusted the Guild’s members, who were skilled in collecting and analyzing information, and who possessed a vast amount of knowledge on various subjects. She had no doubt about this, for she had received assistance from there on numerous occasions in the past.
She entered the Guild’s main hall and was met with the sound of quills scribbling on parchment and the occasional whisper of discreet conversations. She approached the front desk, where a middle-aged woman with a warm smile greeted her.
“Good afternoon, my lady. How may I be of service?” inquired the receptionist.
In lieu of a response, Fiona presented a lavish peacock brooch. The receptionist’s eyes widened momentarily before she regained her composure and then she opened a door behind her. “Right this way.”
She led Fiona into an office where an elderly man was diligently penning multiple letters. He glanced up at her arrival and sighed, “Oh my, what now?”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Today’s request is a simple one. I’m certain you have everything I need right here,” Fiona assured him.
“Ah! That’s a relief. I don’t like putting my neck on the line every time you show up here. So, what is it then?” he asked.
“I require information on the recent famine and the slave trade in Wyndorr, specifically names of those who have perished or been sold,” Fiona replied.
The man raised an eyebrow. “I won’t pry into your motives, but that’s an odd request coming from you.” He paused and then shrugged. “Anyways, Bear in mind, some names may be missing, particularly those of orphans and the homeless. There are no refunds here.” He said.
“I understand, and that’s acceptable. Just provide me with everything you have. I’m on a rush” Fiona urged.
“Alright...” said the man, still curious about Fiona’s uncharacteristic demeanor, summoned several employees to retrieve the necessary documents. They returned shortly after. “Here you are. Is there anything else?” he asked.
“That will suffice. Here’s your payment,” Fiona replied, and before the man could utter another word, she was already out of the door.
She headed straight for her office as soon as she left the guild. She couldn’t shake off the nagging possibility that her sister was dead, so she was impatient to find out. She didn’t care much for her parents; they could rot for all she cared. But her sister was different. She was filled with guilt for leaving her sister behind for so long. She knew her sister wouldn’t have agreed to leave her parents behind anyways, but still...
At her desk, she started by scanning through all the reports and documents she had just acquired. It didn’t take her long to come across some names that caught her attention.
The records revealed that a family named Ellsworth had suffered greatly from the famine. They had lost their farm and had no choice but to sell their children to settle their debts. It seemed that the family had fallen into a deep debt after some miscalculations, presumably due to the unexpected food crisis, and the daughter had been taken away as collateral after repeated failure to pay. This was good news for Fiona. Her sister was alive, and better yet, she was a slave.
Fiona knew her sister would never abandon her parents willingly, no matter how miserable her life became. She thought of snatching her and held her captive before, but she never came to do it. She needed an external force, and one had just appeared.
Now it meant she could literally own her beloved sister legally. The only problem now was finding out which slave house had her.
“Dania!” Fiona summoned.
“Yes, my lady.” Dania, the headmaid and personal assistant of Fiona, entered the room.
“I must leave at once. Examine the papers on the desk and discover which slave house ‘Bella Ellsworth’ was taken to. Ensure that I have priority as a buyer. You have until I return.” Fiona ordered.
“Understood.” Dania replied, quickly reading the papers and taking notes.
Fiona departed from her mansion and made her way to the bank. She needed to withdraw some money and she lacked the privilege of personal service that she had enjoyed at the information guild, so it would take some time. She had plenty of money in her personal safe box, but this situation was of utmost importance, so nothing could go wrong.
After this she went to the tailor’s shop to buy a new dress. She wanted to look her best when she saw her sister again. She chose a silk gown and adorned it with pearls and lace. She also bought a matching cloak and gloves, for the weather was chilly. She paid the tailor handsomely and asked him to deliver the dress to her mansion as soon as possible.
She then made her way to the florist’s shop for some reason. She picked out a vase of clematis on a whim. They brought back memories of her childhood and by extension of her sister. She was taken aback by her own actions, all this nostalgia, but she shrugged it off. It was time for some new decorations anyway.
As Fiona was returning to her mansion at evening, so was Dania.
“Is everything done?” Fiona asked.
“Everything is done, my lady.” Dania answered with a proud but composed tone. She told Fiona which slave house Bella was in, how long she had been there, and when the auction would take place.
Fiona was satisfied. Dania had located the auction house where her sister had been sold and had a word with the owner. She had bribed him to include Bella in the auction that she would have otherwise missed, since Bella was so new. It seemed that Bella had only been there for a little over a week. She wouldn’t normally be sold in the ‘transition state’, when new slaves hadn’t accepted their fate, especially at her age. The older they were, the harder it was to give up their freedom.
“So, you couldn’t arrange for me to buy her directly?” Fiona asked.
“It’s House Beziade, my lady. He said they have their protocols to avoid trouble.” Dania explained.
“I see... You did well, Dania.” Fiona said as she entered the mansion and headed for a bath.
She felt restless. It was only a matter of weeks, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She had hoped to buy her that day or the next at most. But it had to be House Beziade of all places...
Fiona didn’t hold a grudge against the owner of the house or the house itself. But she remembered how she had almost been kidnapped by them when she first ran away from home. After all, she was a young girl all by herself.
Still, now it was just a matter of time.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
