Press Gnome by Skyler Wood

Author:Skyler Wood [Wood, Skyler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-19T22:00:00+00:00

21

They were short of sleep, but Cosmo didn't want to head back to Vex's place where it would still be dangerous. Grom's opened early and they were able to arrange for some added protection for the newspaper building. It was noisy at night, but for the time being they'd have to sleep there until they could manage some other form of protection. Dropping into Grom's also let them grab what Vex's thief friends had gotten from the warehouse overnight—a wrapped bundle they kept sealed until they could get some privacy.

"So who do you think tried to kill us, boss?" Vex asked as she plopped into the chair opposite Cosmo's desk.

"Let's see what we got from the warehouse first. Maybe it will give us some kind of idea," Cosmo said.

Vex carefully unwrapped the bundle. It was several rolls of scrolls. Vex peeled one loose and studied it for a moment before passing it over.

The scroll bore an image of the queen with an "X" placed over it. Text below recounted a number of past grievances with previous evil monarchs of Pipopolis, and how the people needed to rise up and demand a change. The rest of the scrolls were identical. They looked cheaply made, as if they'd been produced in a local basement instead of being brought in from Brightpip.

"I guess it makes sense Brightpip doesn't like the queen, but this is weird. Usually they deal with it. Pipopolis switches off back and forth. It isn't their turn," Vex said.

"They took us prisoner. They might have just tried to assassinate us. Someone is taking it very seriously," Cosmo said.

"I mean yeah, this is rebellion-level stuff. If it gets out they're behind this, it's going to seriously harm the relationship between us," Vex said.

Cosmo tried to the put the pieces together. They still weren't there, not quite, but they were getting close.

"We do have something tying our two events together now. I'm just not sure what it means," Cosmo said.

Vex frowned. "What connection? I'm not seeing it, boss."

"I think the treasures were meant to be discovered, but not in the way we discovered them. It would have put the old money and the new against each other. These pamphlets are more about good versus evil."

Vex looked thoughtful and she leaned to rest her elbows on the desk as she clutched her head in her hands. "I haven't seen them out there, but maybe this is another thing meant to be discovered. It works either way."

"And I've got something else for you to think about. I've been thinking about who could have commanded the press and I only come up with one good answer. The same person who gave control of the newspaper to us," Cosmo said.

"You think the queen is behind this?" Vex's eyes widened in alarm. "That is crazy. Why would she do that? What would she have to gain?"

"The Evil Queen is ... evil. It's right in the name. A discovery that made the new money and the Assembly look bad would also strengthen her power," Cosmo said.

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