Of course that’s what the nobility would remember him for. Fairies! He didn’t want to deal with her. Grudgingly, still keeping Aka behind him, he replied.

“Yes, my lady.”

“I hear you’re particularly adept at telling when someone has been cursed or not.”

He winced inwardly.

“Only when a spell is active or recent, my lady. Otherwise it escapes even my attention.”

“Hmm, still, I’m glad you’re here.” She pointed at the officer she’d just slapped. “These imbeciles arrested my husband a few hours ago. I know he was under a spell. Please go back there and set them straight.”

Hansel’s face twitched.

He was about to tell this impertinent woman exactly what he thought of her.

Abel smoothly intervened.

“My partner will do his best, my lady. But if it was some hours ago, it may take some time to investigate fully and be sure the evidence of his innocence isn’t missed. Please be patient and you’ll hear the results as fast as can be managed.”

She visibly relaxed.

“Of course. I wouldn’t want my husband’s chances to be damaged.”

The woman flounced past them. Taking a seat one of her attendants hastily covered with a sheet.

Abel caught the eye of the desk officer. The officer mouthed, ‘Thank you.’

With a grunt, Hansel directed both Aka and Abel ahead of him.

As soon as the connecting door closed, Aka turned an admiring look on Abel.

“Wow! I like people, but I think I would’ve just made her madder.”

“You almost did.” But Abel’s smile was smug. He cushioned his head with his hands as he walked. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“Wonderful. As soon as you’re done patting yourself on the back, go find the Captain.”

Abel was unfazed by Hansel’s bad attitude. With a nod, he walked off. Whistling.

Hansel sighed.

“You know, it isn’t a bad idea to learn some tact.”

“Coming from you, I think I’ll ignore that advice.”

She laughed. “Fine, I give. Is there anywhere to sit?”

“Aren’t you sick of sitting?”

“Good point. Then is there somewhere to stand that isn’t in the middle of the walkway?”

He took her to a wall overseeing the activity in the room. He could’ve taken her to his office… but he didn’t want her in his space.

And he wanted to see what was going on.

They both leaned against the wall and he watched the room. Agents were everywhere. Pouring over papers and taking statements from other people. The people giving statements ranged from aristocrats in nice formal wear to uniformed servants.

From that much, he concluded that whatever had happened had happened at a party of some sort.

Aka leaned over to whisper to him.

“Why’d they leave lady blow-her-top up front and bring the others here?”

“Likely she wasn’t at the scene. Therefore, irrelevant.”

“Hmm. And everyone here is so calm. She’d probably start a riot if they brought her back.”

He choked on an unexpected laugh.

“What was that?”

“What?”

“Did I just make you laugh?”

“Miss Aka, you should learn to tell the difference between a cough and a laugh.”

She beamed and settled against the wall again.

“Sure. I’ll do that. So, what’s your guess about what’s going on?”

“Someone caused a scene. They were arrested and everyone else involved is being questioned.”

“Why’d they bring them here? Can’t they question them on scene? Like back in Blissburg?”

“Something magical was involved and they’re not sure how many people had a hand in it. So they brought the most likely suspects here, because this building has wards able to contain magical influences.” He nodded to the nearest desk. “That person is being tested for magical residue.”

She raised herself on tiptoe.

“That one at the back, too. What else can you deduce?”

He shrugged.

“Without more information, that’s it.”

“Huh. So, can we safely assume that lady’s husband was the one who caused the commotion?”

“Or he’s sitting in this room being examined and she thinks he’s been officially arrested.”

She pursed her lips and nodded.

Abel stepped out of a back hallway and waved for them to come. As they walked through the room, Hansel listened to snatches of questioning.

What did you see?

A flash of… I think it was light but it was dark....

Tell me where Viscount Avertine was when you were talking to…

What happened when the room shook…?

He frowned, trying to piece together what little he heard as he motioned for Aka to step into the halfway before him.

“The Captain is swamped,” said Abel with a grimace.

“I can see that. Let’s get this over with and get out of the way.”

Abel knocked on the Captain’s door, letting him know they were there. Then stepped inside.

The Captain was leaning over a map with a few of his other Agents. As soon as Hansel and co entered, Farbrace raised a hand to tell them to wait a moment.

“How much longer before the area is secured?”

“The alchemists say another hour.”

“Are there any initial reports from the archives?”

“Yes, here’s the report.”

The Captain took the report handed to him. Aka leaned over and whispered to Abel.

“Am I supposed to be hearing this?”

He shrugged.

“The item used in the attack is described the same way as the last three. A box about half a foot wide and a hand breadth tall. There are incidents recorded in history of such a box. When opened, it was immediately followed by famines and plagues, and may or may not be accompanied by a flash of dark light-”

Aka made a sound and whispered to her guards, “Sounds like Pandora’s box.”

Contrary to what it looked like, the Captain and his people had been very aware of the intruders. And they suddenly fell silent as they all looked at Aka.

***

Aka

I squirmed. Geez, I wasn’t trying to interrupt them and I really, really didn’t want them noticing me.

“What? What did I say?”

The man I assumed was the Captain waved to his people, stepped around the table, and crossed his arms. He wasn’t as intimidating as Agent Miller, but he was a cop that might throw away the key on me.

So, yeah, I was nervous.

“We don’t have a name for this artifact. Tell me what you know about it. Please.”

“Uh.” I squirmed again, looking uncomfortably around the room. “I don’t know if it's the same. I just thought it sounded like Pandora’s box.”

The Captain smiled. I think he was trying to reassure me.

Didn’t work.

“Tell me about Pandora’s box.”

“Uh, well.”

Ok, ok. Greek mythology, right? Or was it Roman? I sometimes get it confused, their stories are pretty similar to me. Right, right, how did it go…?

I took a deep breath and… relaxed. Then I smiled and spread my hands dramatically.

I mean, I’m a storyteller and entertainer, right? I should do this right. So, accordingly I used my hands to add emphasis and drama to the tale.

-Once upon a time there was a woman named Pandora who was favored by the gods. Enraptured by her goodness and beauty, the gods entrusted her with one of their treasures.

The box was exquisitely beautiful, carved as though the figures held souls of their own.

“Hold this for us, but do not look inside,” the gods told her.

For years she took care of the box. Dusting it, polishing it, and admiring it.

And all the while wondering and guessing what could be inside.

Finally, one day she could take her curiosity no more. She looked this way and that, as though the trusting gods were looking over her shoulder. Then she slowly lifted the lid just a crack.

She could hear something whooshing and swishing inside but could see nothing.

So she opened it a little more.

Now she could see movement, shadows flitting around and playing with the sounds.

But could still see nothing.

So finally she lifted it all the way…

Out came plagues and famine, screams and terror, hatred and envy.

She slammed the lid shut, but it was too late. The evil she’d released flowed into the world, infecting every sentient soul in some degree or other.

Some say she would’ve destroyed the world completely had she not closed the lid so quickly. Because she left inside hope or the monster that eats hope.-

Tada! I took some creative liberties, but it was basically the same. I threw my arms up and bowed.

“And that is the story of Pandora’s box.”

There was silence for a long moment as Captain and Agents absorbed the tale.

“Do you know anything practical about this box?”

Practical?

Sir, this story was one Dad first told me when I was seven in my world.

Do you even know who the Greeks were? You’re lucky I remember it… Or, rather, you’re lucky I’ve been so bored for the last ten years, that I read it a few times from my stash of books.

“I just tell the story. I don’t do anything with it.”

“We already guessed it was a box of curses. But if it originates from the box, if we can find the box we might be able to use it to recall the curses,” said a woman at the table.

I raised a hand.

“Technically, it originates from the gods.”

“Then we might need another god artifact to find it. Send a request to the archives, have them search for such a thing.”

A god artifact? Really?

Why not?