Puzzled

After her late breakfast, Voah requested to meet with the Duke but after waiting nearly half an hour the old attendant returned with disappointing news.

"I'm deeply sorry for the trouble, my lady Arbiter, but the Lord Commander is presently occupied with preparing for the executions at high noon. I won't bore you with the bureaucracy, but he says he will speak with you another day." said the man. Seeing the slight expression of shock on her face, the man continued. "He is a busy man, you understand."

"I see." she said a bit stiffly. "Tell him I intend see him after the executions."

"Very well, I will do what I can." the old man promised as he hobbled out of the room.

Well... a soak in the bath would have to wait as the executions of the farmers would be held within the next couple hours. Perhaps she could get more answers from the Friar, he hadn't had time to go into detail before. Her trek across town to the rectory gave her plenty of time to think.

'There is an outlawed cult actively operating in the city and it is my duty to investigate and rout out its members and ideology... and the Duke wants to meet "another day"? '

It was strange how very little the authorities of the Keep had communicated with her upon her return from Sentinel Island. She was very much feeling confused and excluded and although she journeyed to Sentinel of her own volition she couldn't help but feel a little bit used. Perhaps it was due to her illness, maybe they were simply pardoning her from the necessary meetings which had to be dealt with after the mission. Either way, she had to admit, this whole ordeal wasn't being handled very well at all.

Blackwolf was still jailed. But maybe a name would turn up in the transcripts she had requested from The Hogue. Something else along with that drug had to tie the cult to the attack on the ship.

Upon her return, she recounted the previous day along with her findings to the Friar, who was still being attended by a couple of guards at which point he presented a couple of vials he secured from Wim Riese.

“That is the substance they call Felfar? Blackwolf says he overheard prisoners claiming that it allows communion with the Gods. What do you intend to do with it, Friar?”

“I confess… I am tempted to try it. Once the Apothecary finds out what is in it, of course. Can you imagine my dear? Direct communing with the Gods?”

She shook her head skeptically. “Well, nobody will be drinking this one.” she took one of the vials from his hand with a cocky grin. “Until it has been used as evidence to acquit Master Blackwolf of his murder charge.”

“Aha. Yes, well… before I forget, there is some correspondence here for you. A letter, from the very same apothecary we’ve just discussed.”

“A letter? Huh, I wonder what about.”

She took the vial and the letter with her to her quarters. Perusing over the letter, she found that Cagliostro was formally requesting the recipe to the Sacred Salt, to which she immediately replied in a letter of her own.
TBC