A night had passed for the Hobusian prince, and not one sign of his foe was found. Even after he scoured through the resort's hallways, even after finding Hal and Masquarade and sending them to search through the woods and the beachfront, and even after pulling in Rheba’s young trainees. Not one scale from the Zenotote turned up.

  As the group finally came back together, just as twin suns were beginning to peak over the horizon of the calm waters, the conclusion was given loudly by Rosemary after Harlan whispered into her ear.

  “Are we sure Odell’s just not mistaken?”

  The grey boy slumped. He felt a reassuring hand from Cecilia on his shoulder, but he knew his fiancée was of the same mind. She merely supported him for the sake of supporting him. Because she liked him, or at the very least was supposed to be wed to him, and minimal support was the least a future wife ought to offer. Odell knew he was alone.

  He was sure. He thought he was, but he was starting to doubt, and the others were beginning to become interested in their own matters. Hal, in particular, uncharacteristically cleared his throat.

  “More importantly, has anyone seen Hailiegh? I thought she would have turned up by now.” He hadn’t let the two younger sisters join in the search, confining them to their resort rooms. Odell wondered if he spent more time looking for his sister than for the villain.

  “That is true,” Rheba added, “And we haven’t heard from Gwyn or Fiona as well. I tried reaching out to them with my Neediamus earlier, but got an unusual reply.”

  Harlan perked up some, or at least switched from staring at her clawed feet to looking at the furry giantess.

  “Unusual how?”

  Rheba’s young companions made snarling faces at Harlan for speaking, and Rosemary returned with an ugly expression of her own.

  “Mini says they're outside its range.”

  Odell looked at his own Needaimus bonded hand.

  You don’t need to ask, Cal chimed into his head. I can’t reach them either.

  Things were more concerning than the prince realized. What was he supposed to do without the others? Had he ever accomplished anything when Gwyn or Fiona weren’t around? He shook his head. He couldn’t let those thoughts wash over him. What would Tancred say to him if he saw the young prince now? Tancred. Tancred!

  Odell almost shouted out loud. The others, noticing him suddenly cover his mouth, gave odd looks, but didn’t question him.

  “You guys are right, maybe you should take another pass to look for the others, I… I had an idea and will join you shortly!”

  Odell darted off before the others could reply. He dashed past some other resort guests, and what must have been security in black armor, before finding a quiet grove. “Cal, can you reach Tancred’s office in Nun?”

  I can try.

  A buzzing echoed in Odell’s head. It was an obnoxious little sound that seemed like it could cause ears to ring if it went on too long, but fortunately, a click ended it.

  Hello? The voice of Tancred’s Zenotote assistant, Rym, was the one to answer. Like with Cal’s voice, it came to Odell in the back of his mind.

  “Hello! Rym, it’s Odell. We went to the casino together and ended up fighting that one guy… Anyway, is Tancred there?”

  The odd thing about the way Needaimus hacked into the normal communication network was that it resulted in a noticeable several-second delay, which grew longer with the length of sentences. Odell figured Cal pulled it off by recording both their voices to play back to each other. He hoped that Rym didn’t mind. Some ordinary people would get fed up after a while and just hang up.

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  Ah, the one who called me old. He is currently sealing a leak. Odell took notice of the sounds of booming thunder and heavy elements that made the outside seem closer than it ought to be. In a distant shout, Rym added, "Tancred, the Hobusian boy you almost got killed, is calling."

  His misfortune was brought on by others, not me. A distant Tancred replied after a short pause in the thunder noise. Anyway, I am just about to finish with this seal, tell him I will be just a moment!

  After another silent pause, Rym’s voice was back on the receiver. He said he’d be just a moment.

  The wait was agonizing for Odell. Now that he had the man on the line, what was he going to say? Was he really about to ask the detective so many miles away if he was crazy or not? He wasn’t sure anymore.

  The grey prince didn’t get too much more time to think because the sound of Tancred’s voice suddenly boomed in his head.

  Odell, my boy! How have you been? Is young Hal recovering all right after losing his arm? What are you up to this fine day?

  Fine day? Rym added in the background, Have you looked outside? Some rolls of thunder were cut off after her line.

  “Oh, well, doing alright, I guess…. No…. No…. I needed your advice. I think I saw that Zenotote we fought at the casino. The one with the teleporting power. But I can’t find him now, and I’m starting to doubt it.”

  There was an unusually long pause that began to eat away at Odell.

  Well, to share some wisdom the last otherworlder brought, the one before your Nonpareil friend. Make sure you trust your gut. Don’t listen to your brain, because your brain is a lying bastard. In my line of work, sometimes your gut solves the case before your brain does. That doesn’t mean you take the time to prove or disprove it, but doubt is your enemy. If you really suspect you saw such a foe as that Evron fellow, the time you take to doubt may be your undoing! Why couldn’t you have done another sweep for him before calling me? Might you have missed a detail that would have proven vital if you weren’t doubting? You're young, so I won’t say you should be a full-fledged detective yet, but this is your first step to becoming one!

  He's a prince; he doesn’t need to be a detective or get a lecture from a washed-up one. Rym added in the background.

  Ignore the critic in the back, every detective needs someone abrasive to keep them in check as well. Now, from the sound delay, you are patched through your Needaimus. It is a tricky way to communicate, but effective in a pinch. Given what I have picked up in the background, I take it you are at some sort of vacation spot? There are chipper voices, and the cries of gulls that live by the sea?

  Detectives were a little scary. Odell hadn’t even picked up on the ambient sounds around him.

  He looked awkwardly at his surroundings and nodded before realizing that wasn’t helpful to the person in the call.

  “Um, yes, we are at Xiakoryfi Resort.”

  Ah, yes, just as I suspected. Well, let me tell you my boy, before it was a resort, that beach has been a popular landing spot for armies in the Bentalousian-Zenotote wars. If our friend from Array is there, as you are confident he is, then that can only mean one thing– Tancred was interrupted by a sudden shattering of glass and a rush of wind filling the whole space. That was my third favorite window!

  Shut up and grab the Flux tape! Rym shouted in the background. Children get under the table!

  I’m sorry, my boy, but the storm is pressing a little too intensely. The Sisters of Night are not being kind this year! I have to go, but trust your gut!

  A click marked the end of the call. Odell took a heavy breath. He stood still a moment and clenched his fists. He was sure he saw the same Zenotote man, Evron. He just had to figure out what he was doing at the resort.

  Tancred had given a large clue before he was interrupted. Odell wished the short detective could have finished his thought, but it may have turned into a pop quiz for the prince anyway. He just had to think. Greasy mechanics weren't exactly renowned for being the best thinkers, at least Avon liked to tell Odell that whenever the young prince came back filthy from the garage. The grey boy knew that; he knew he wasn’t all that smart, but he also felt in the twisted knot of his stomach that there was trouble.

  Their adventure in Nun led them to discover an organization called Array, which was attempting to assassinate the mayor. That same group had previously been responsible for the death of King Whitlock. Odell was sure of these facts. He was also sure that Tancred's mention of the resort being a good military foothold was no simple trivia.

  Odell scratched his head.

  “That would suggest. That would suggest.” He spoke aloud, unsure where he was supposed to be going.

  It sounded like Array would be interested in the location for a military takeover. But the prince didn’t know with what army they could mount such an attack. Even if the ploy to take out King Whitlock and Mayor Abelard were successful, the armies would still stand. Odell groaned and scratched his regrowing crown.

  This kind of stuff was better suited to Harlan, or maybe even Hal, and they hadn’t figured anything out. So why should he?

  The prince took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure he could figure out the big plan, but the resort must be in danger. There was no way Evron would act alone; he must have supporters. An army of sorts. He recalled seeing the figures in the black armor. Were they really security? His gut was saying no, and that was enough for Odell. He looked back to the way he had come, and hoped it wasn’t too late.

  “Come on, Cal, we have some bad guys to beat up!” The prince charged off, perhaps a step closer to being a detective.