I rubbed my face (Patreon)
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with an exasperated gesture. I wasn't sure what "Penny Stocks" were, but it sounded frivolous and highly speculative.
"Are you all right, sir?" the Ixie asked solicitously.
"Yes, I'll be fine," I sighed. "You mentioned Uncle Ash. Is that Ash Marten, the Unseelie old fox ever ready with a devious scheme and a sinister plot?"
"The very one," she confirmed.
"Then I suppose he survived and Burnside did not," I muttered ruefully, not sure which of the two outcomes would have been preferable.
"Do you mean Burnside the Raccoon Monster, sir? The famous assassin?"
"Yes," I nodded sadly.
"Ash had to evade her for a long time until he could prove he wasn't a traitor," the Ixie informed me. "After that they formed an Uneasy Alliance, which I'm told is a time-honored Unseelie tradition."
"What about Rebecca the witch?" I asked, hopefully. "Did she turn out to be a Changeling elf after all? Oh, and there was a skunk femme, Vernier, married a chap by the name of O'Dor ..."
"No offense, sir, but there will be ample time to catch up on all of this after you've seen to your guests and their undoubtedly Vital Mission."
"Oh yes," I replied, returning my focus to the Business At Hand. "There is something the Ominous Orse may be able to help me with, pertaining to that." (I gave her the address in Londinium.) "Can you see to it that the place is empty when my lowfolk agents arrive? And can you tail them while they carry out their assignment?"
"Consider it done, sir," the Ixie responded with a confident thumbs-up gesture. I dismissed her. She saluted and flew off into the forest.
After that, I strolled around the dolmen, back to where Venatrix and Barkinghtwaite were still waiting.
"Sorry about the delay," I started to say.
"My love for you is equal to the mass of the earth divided by the circumference of the moon multiplied by the distance between Mars and Saturn," Barkingthwaite murmured (not in response to me, of course.)
"Yes, well," Venatrix sighed. "The volume of the ocean added to the mass of the Earth multiplied by the circumference of the sun is not even equal to one-eight of a fraction of the amount of love I feel for you, my darling."
What a bunch of fanciful nonsense! I certainly was glad that elvish courtship was nothing like this.
"AHEM!" I barked loudly, and the two of them sprung apart as if they had been zapped with an electrical cantrip.
"Ah, er," Barkingthwaite stammered, adjusting his tie. "Did everything come out all right, my lord?"
"The inhabitants at the address I gave you are going to be dealt with by other means," I informed them. "All you will have to do is go there, carry out my instructions, and bring Zandar back here to me. Is there any additional clarification you require?"
They said that they understood the assignment, but I explained it again just in case their love-addled brains had missed any important details. Then I sent them on their way.
After that, I sat down to wait ... or at least I tried. I found it almost impossible to relax with the final realization of my goal so close at last!