The crow started to fly off towards the palace, questions racing through his head.
'I need to look into this person and talk to Thelowar about running a background check on the people working in the mansion.'
The crow flew at a fast pace towards the palace. He wanted to know who the girl was and where she learned to perform all those little tricks. He remembered how still and quiet she was when she was sleeping in her bundle of clothes, compared to how she was when she was in the desert.
'How does she even sleep in the middle of those hard wooden crates?' The crow shook its head as the corners of his beak lifted to form a smile. All of a sudden he had a weird feeling.
'Those crates back in the truck the girl was sleeping in,' the crow squeezed his eyes, trying to recall what he saw, 'that logo, it was from a grocery store right…'
The logo was from 'Ababeel's Fresh Frozen Vegetables Market.' Sporting a bulky man holding up a broccoli trophy.
'Shit! It was the same store logo that was on the cursed shipments from before,' the crow stopped flying at full speed and spun around. He was in the middle of flying out of Karandish but quickly flew to the area where he saw the carriage go. At the intersection, he couldn't feel the presence of any magic nor could he smell any types of raw meat or rotting flesh smells.
'They either packaged it up too well, or they used a protection spell on the items. Either way, it must be the former since I couldn't detect any signs of a spell being used. Nor, was there any distinct smell, so could it mean that they are not only using human dismemberments but other types of items as well? It would be stupid to investigate any further in this form, I'll go send out some knights in the morning to patrol these areas.' the crow's head began to throb at the information he just gathered and overexertion from using his body for too long.
He hadn't gotten the rest he needed since he didn't take his suppressants in time. Dealing with all the Jinn shit made him lose track of time.
'I need to ask Khorasa and Fariq how its influence is spread. Little Thug was sleeping there soundly without a care in the world, who knows what might happen to her if she got influenced. I didn't sense any black magic on her, or is it because I'm in a mess right now,' the crow started his flight towards the palace at double the speed, 'and I'll send some mages to check out Palawan Town for any signs of black magic.'
After about two hours, the Prince was able to reach the palace, groggy and tired. He came in through his window and perched on his desk. He felt the transformation starting to take place again and in a 'pop' he transformed back to his original self. Naked, he walked to a walk-in closet on the far end of his office and picked out a robe. He wrapped himself up in the long white cloth and went to go pick up his scattered clothes from before. He called in a few maids to pick his clothes up to wash. The Prince quickly got to work and even though it was in the middle of the night, he needed to get this work done. The butler came in and out as he fished records from the archives as per the Prince's orders. The Prince also called in the second- in- command to inform him of how things were going.
General Tarif Hussain, a big and bulky man, came in and briefed the Prince, locations of where the shipments were being made.
"Bring knights from the Second Division Investigation Unit," the Prince ordered as he sat at his desk and wrote down routes, possible locations, the number of crates he spotted, information of the carriage, and how the shipments were being made. He noted down everything in a simple report and handed it to the knight who came in from before.
"Analyze these documents, and patrol these areas. Keep this grocery shipping company under your radars, and report any suspicious activities. That is it for now, you may go," the Prince flicked his hand and the knight left.
"Send Khorasa and Fariq this report," the Prince handed Tarif the report, "and write a letter to Ababeel about these shipments and hold him captive in the interrogation room."
"Yes, Your Highness," Tarif saluted and left.
The Prince sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He ordered Shareef to leave him and to come in with the reports he requested an hour later.
He took his suppressants from a drawer in his desk and walked to his sofa. He put the gas in his shisha tube and puffed on the gas. The gas he smoked was strong and toxic for others to consume, but it was safe for him to use. He lounged on his sofa as he stroked the velvet linings on the tube.
Just before the girl blinded him, the light lit up the bottom portion of her face. He saw only her chin and her lips break out in a large smile as she waved the stick in his face. Not only did the light show her smile, but it also lit up a small scar running across the left side of her mouth.
'Damn, it just makes her little thug image look even cuter,' the Prince smirked as he covered his eyes with his elbow.
This time, it didn't hurt as much when he closed his eyes, and he was able to sleep after a long time.