Kenton was in his room thinking. The room was dark even though outside the suns were still shining. He liked the dark, which is why he chose a room in the lowest basement of the main Ministry of Science building. Being in the dark left him only his thoughts and no objects or visions to distract his mind. He was an Inquiritor, which meant that he questioned everything. He would question people, he would question their motives, and he questioned how everything worked. His job was to know people and solve issues the Minister brought before him.
For Kenton, this was not just his job, this was how his mind worked. He had always figured things out. He could work in any field he chose, but this was the only one that would occasionally give him satisfaction. Every once in a while, there was a puzzle that made him think harder, that pushed him. Those were the ones that were worth it. Many times, he knew the answers before the minister was finished telling him the problem or person he was to inquire upon.
There was one issue, however, that he was missing vital information to solve its riddle. He knew the minister was killing massive amounts of people. That didn''t bother him, he knew killing and how removing people from an equation could result in things going more to the Minster''s plan. He knew that the minister accomplished this goal through cheap poisoned fertilizer. This part was easy, given his access and what he saw in the Ministry. The part that troubled him was he did not know why these people specifically. Sure, there was something in common about them that made the poison only work on them, but why THEM? They seemed to be intermixed into all towns. There was no obvious reason and being oblivious to that reason is why Kenton spent many days in his dark room. It would come to him.
He knew the poison killed only certain people; be he did not take chances. Once he learned of the poison, he started keeping his own food supply. Others in the Ministry had died from the Wilds, so he knew that the Minister was rooting out people here as well. If he was one of those people, the Minister would never know, and he would not die from this poison. He was too smart for that.
He did not really like the Minister, but the man brought him the things to solve, and that is what kept him around. The minister was smart, sure, but he was not Kenton''s kind of smart. If he was, he would have already killed him himself. He did not want competition. None of the other Inqiritors were on his level, and only once had he needed to make sure that stayed the case. He needed no adversaries.
He heard booted feet walking towards his door. His was the only door down this hallway. The room was hewn into the rock under the main Ministry building and used to be used for storing things that needed to stay cold. There was only one way in and one way out as far as anyone other than him knew. He had made modifications, but they had not been needed in the eight years since he made the secret exit.
He stood up and walked to his door. The noises carried from so far away, he had time to remove the towels he stuffed around the door''s sill to keep any light out and open the door before the messenger knocked. The messenger paused when he saw the door open. They were all wary of Kenton and he knew it. He had even heard them say he was ''creepy,'' and other things to that nature. He liked the reputation, mostly because it kept people away. He did not want or need friends. Kenton stared at the messenger waiting for him to talk.
"Uh..." the messenger started. Kenton motioned with his hands for him to continue. After clearing his throat, the messenger added, "The Minister requests your presence and has a job he says you will very much enjoy." Kenton nodded and the messenger walked away, slowly at first and quickened his pace once around the corner. Kenton could tell based on the pace of the footsteps he could hear echoing along the stone walls.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Kenton did not plan to come back down to his room after the Minister gave him his task. He needed to prepare his things for a trip. He would know if a prisoner had been acquired. He would hear them echoing down the corridor when they placed them in the cages. He would hear the screams as well. This must be a trip and someone or something to find, not a prisoner to inquire upon. Kenton never used a light in his room. He had a trick –- perhaps more ability than trick --- where he could close his eyes and think about seeing in the dark and he was just able to see. He did not know why, but he knew that it was a secret he could and should keep. It often worked to his advantage.
He closed his eyes and told himself to see in the dark, and when he opened his eyes, he saw in the dark. He gathered his small interrogation kit he used for the road, a package of dry rations, lock picks, a fire starter, and his Ministry of Science medallion. The medallion was for the rare chance that he needed to use diplomacy to get out of a tight spot. He then strapped his dagger to his belt. It was as black as night and did not reflect light. He had found it in the possession of one of those he captured for the Minister and kept it for himself. He knew the other would never need it again when the Minister was done, and he liked its characteristics. It also felt like he had to have it, but he could never explain that, nor had he tried that hard to do so to himself. It was his and that was all that mattered. He closed his eyes and turned off his ability to see in the dark and walked up to the top layers of the main Ministry building to find out what his new mission was.
Once in the main library upstairs, Kenton saw the Minister with his Second and The Captain of the Ministry Soldiers. This told him that his trip would have an escort and would likely not be a short one. The captain was only involved with Kenton when the trips were long, otherwise the minister would just lend soldiers as an escort. He did hope the Second would come along. That man needed to have an accident along the way. The Second Minister and Kenton had a shared dislike and the Second occasionally tried to get Kenton removed from his favor with the Minister. it never worked, but it still kept the rift between them fresh.
As he walked to the table the Minister was sitting at, with the other two men standing in front of him, he addressed them, nodding at each, "Minister, Captain, Second." He made sure the Second was referred to last as a snub since he should have been addressed before the Captain. Kenton smiled as the Second crinkled his nose. He could see the slight smile the Captain was hiding. There was no love lost between the Captain and the Second, either, though they were not as open in their mutual dislike of each other as the Second and Kenton.
The Minister smiled and addressed Kenton. "We have a lead on our quarry and I need you to go along and make sure we pull this mountain man from whatever hole his is hiding in. Only his head need come back. The rest can burn. I am sending Captain Aros and Second Minister Thane along. The Captain has the information and will share it with you on the way. I am a bit bothered by ears lately, so when you come back, I''ll need some of them clipped. Information will be on the road. "
Kenton smiled back, "It will be my pleasure on both accounts, My Minister. A assume the escort is ready and we are to leave forthwith?" He could see the Second squirm a little. By him referring to it an as escort, never mind not even saying ''my escort,'' he knew the Second would take it as an insult by making it seem that the Second was part of the escort.
"Yes," replied the Minister. "And Kenton," the minister started him directly in the eyes, "I need that head."
"I shall not disappoint you, " Kenton said, bowing from the waist. With a not from the Captain, Kenton, the Captain, and the Second all moved down to the stables to gather their horses and meet the already gathered soldiers.