The Butterfly Effect

They gave a wistful sigh as they finished yet another detective novel. What they wouldn’t give to live a life like that—solving mysteries no matter where they went, reuniting lost loved ones, uncovering hidden truths of the world… But alas, they were cooped up in their makeshift office, the most dangerous case they’d ever handled being where a neighbor’s missing cat had gone.

Their time was coming. They just had to be patient enough to wait for it.

Why did waiting need to be so hard?

Then it happened. There was a quiet but steady knock on the door before Enuolare poked her head inside, mumbling something about the mess before stepping into the office.

“Enebish, dear, there’s a man who came to see you…” she said cautiously.

They sighed. “If it’s the guy with the bird, tell him to keep his window closed next time. Not every bird’s as well-trained as the prince’s is rumored to be…” They got up and put their book away before even bothering to see who she’d brought in. When they finally did look, they rushed up in front of him. “It’s not someone I know! What are you here for? Did someone die and you need me to figure out who did it? Did you find some ancient text about your family that you want me to decipher? Is your one true love missing and I’m the only one who can help?!”

He gave one nervous look at Enebish before turning back to Enuolare and muttering, “Lady Enuolare, I really don’t think this is going to work…”

They paused. “Or are you just a guy from the next town over who also just lost his pet..?”

“This is Leon. He’s looking for his niece.” Enuolare gestured for him to walk further in and Enebish, understanding the situation, went back behind their desk. “It was either come to you or wait gods-knows-how-long for the army to get around to it, so… I decided to let him in. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Why would I? That means you’re starting to trust me with something other than the boring kid stuff!” Enebish pulled out a little notebook and their favorite quill. “With that said, Mom, you probably don’t need to stay. I bet you’ve got a bunch of other stuff to do.”

She shook her head and offered a small smile. “I think I’ll watch you work for a little while.” Now, they’d read enough mystery novels to know that she knew much more than she wanted them to think. But they also read enough novels to know that she wouldn’t answer them if they tried to ask, so they didn’t say anything.

They turned their attention to Leon. “So, tell me everything you can about her. The more information I have to go off of the smoother this can all go. What’s her name?”

“Nadia Mikah. She’s turning fifteen this year.”

“When did you last see her?”

“It’s… been two years, at least.”

“If she’s been gone for that long, why didn’t you do anything sooner?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen any of her family in two years. I shouldn’t even be here, I’m supposed to be stationed closer to the border of the territory, but I… was getting worried about her. I was able to ask a few old friends of mine and none of them have seen her in a few months.”

“What made you worried?”

“Her parents are on the… extreme side of things. Let’s just say for now that she has a mix of things that no one else does, and they’re willing to exploit that. It was never safe for her but I never had a say in anything.”

“If you knew that something was going to happen eventually, why didn’t you send a concern to the king? As far as I’m aware, they’re on top of that kind of stuff. You could’ve ended it all before it even started.”

Leon seemed to glance at Enuolare before nervously replying, “The group Nadia’s parents are a part of have friends in high places. Here in the mountains, nothing gets through without their permission.”

“What’s the name of this group, then? Some gang?”

Both of them froze but neither dared to say anything.

“You know it’s obvious when you both do that, right?” Enebish remarked. “The way I see it, you’re just as suspicious as her parents are. The more information I have, the better this is and the quicker we can get to her. So why aren’t you just laying out everything you know now, if you’re really worried about her?”

Of course he didn’t have a good answer. “Some things… are better left to discuss another time.”

They knew they were going to get nothing more out of this exchange as it was now. They sighed, “I’m guessing you don’t have a place to stay?”

“Not without alerting her parents that I’m here, which is ultimately going to cause much more trouble for all of us…”

“Mom, can someone arrange a room for him here?” Then, in a completely blank tone, they stared at Leon and added, “At least it lets me keep an eye on you.”

His nervous chuckle was coupled by their glare that proved that they weren’t joking.

“There should be several servants by the entrance,” Enuolare instructed softly. “As long as you remember how to get back there, just tell them I’m allowing you to stay here and they’ll help prepare a room.”

He nodded. “You have my thanks, Lady Enuolare.” Then he walked out.

Enuolare glanced at where he’d left then turned her attention to Enebish. “Dear, are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“I thought you trusted me! Come on, I can handle this kind of stuff. All the mystery novels and missing pets are finally amounting to something! Why would I turn this up?” Enebish completed it with their little hmph of defiance to show they weren’t going to budge.

“Not every mystery needs to be solved… I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you decide to let the army take care of this.”

“Why did you bring him here if you didn’t want me to go through with it?”

She didn’t have an answer.

They decided to change tactics. “What is it that you don’t want me to find out?”

She shook her head slowly. “I’ll give you some time to work. If it ever becomes too much or you decide to change your mind, you know where to find me.” She left as well.

…

They gave Leon time to get settled, then continued asking tons of questions. Through those questions, they were able to come up with a halfway decent sheet of information about his niece.

‘Name: Nadia Mikah

Age: 14 (Istrigar 12)

Last Seen: near her parents’ house (outside the Palus capital), wearing everyday clothes

Possible Cause: kidnapping, almost definitely; presumably would not have ran away

Possible Suspects: her parents, friends of her parents, Leon

Possible Motive: “Something she has that no one else does.” - uncertain motive’

Then they turned it around and showed it to Leon. “Does anything here look wrong to you?”

“The fact my name is scribbled out of the suspect list?” he tried.

“No! I don’t have anything definitive! It’s a bunch of possiblies and maybes but not any definitlies.” Enebish took the paper and tacked it on the special board they made just for this purpose (that until now had gone completely unused). “I guess for a first start it isn’t bad, but not with someone like you helping me. You should be all over this! Or, at least, according to the novels you’re supposed to…”

“All of your knowledge of detectives… doesn’t happen to all come from mystery novels, does it..?”

Their cheeks turned red. “Of course not! I’ve got experience!”

“I guess it’s not surprising, being the most sheltered out of Lady Enuolare’s kids…” he mumbled. He then shook his head and said, “If you want something more specific, there’s one more thing I think I can say now… Where exactly her parents live.”

“You don’t think that’s something you should mention at the beginning?”

“I don’t know if they’re still there, and if they realize I’m the reason you’re there, they won’t tell you anything. Not to mention I don’t think it’s the kind of place your mom is going to like you going all on your own…”

“I’m twenty,” they remarked bluntly. “I think I can handle whatever it is by myself.” They pulled out a smaller piece of paper and quill and pushed them both towards him. “Can you write down the address for me?”

He nodded. “Just promise you’ll be safe over there—and whatever you do, don’t let them realize I’m in Palus again.”

“Are you ever going to tell me why they don’t like you?”

“Suffice to say I more or less work for the same person they want to take down.”