Banquet of Bones

Prologue

The scent of decadent chocolate filled the luxurious room. It was the scent of murder. 

The Queen’s gaze was as sharp as feathers, it trickled down Celeste’s spine while she examined the pool of dried blood on the pastel blue furniture.  

“So, is this an assassination or just plain murder?” River whispered, leaning closer while the rest of the investigators took photographs of the crime scene, “It’s chocolate.” Celeste replied quietly and took the case file from River. It doesn’t make sense, Celeste was sure it smelled of chocolate, but the evidence in the file clearly points to an assassination attempt. Unless it was a cover up. 

“What are your thoughts, Detective Scott?” Deputy director Freud asked, his deep voice boomed from across the room which made everyone’s heart still for a split second. He stood by the doorway together with the Queen. “The evidence points to a possible assassination attempt because no body was found on the royal grounds. I have a team locating the body and the possibility of a kidnapping, and another group interviewing witnesses as we speak.” River concluded, the deputy director nodded and asked for another investigator to report the details of the scene. “And what do you think?” The Queen spoke, her voice could make stone rattle in fear, although it had a subtle undertone that made Celeste think that she didn’t want to be seen as intimidating.  

She was simply intrigued. 

“Yes, there is a possibility that this may be an assassination since our victim is a diplomat. Aloisya’s situation with Hin-gram is far than ideal at the moment, and the unconventional idea he presented at the International Council meeting may have angered certain people. Though it can also be a homicide or murder ‘attempt’ but that’s just speculation on my part.” Celeste answered with no hint of hesitation in her voice. The queen’s lips curled into a smile as she placed her hand on her chin, there was a certain fragrance that emitted from her, but Celeste couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, which was strange to say the least.  

“Why do you say so?” She continued. Celeste felt a ball lodge into her throat. It doesn’t really matter if she told the Queen, right? She’d probably be admitted to a mental institution or get a restraining order, but what else could possibly go wrong?  

“Do you have a fond memory? Something so vivid that you could remember every detail. The colors, the sounds, the emotions, the scents...everything.” The spirit of self-confidence somehow possessed Celeste as she spoke. She spoke carefully, trying hard not to stumble on her words. The queen hummed in response, not knowing what the relevance of that question was but indulging her, nonetheless. “I feel those details ingrained in my brain, despite not experiencing the memory itself. Specific scents correspond to specific events.” If Celeste heard herself, she would be absolutely convinced she was a madman.  

“Is that why she’s here?” The queen faced the deputy director whose glare shattered the windows of Celeste’s soul, “No, my Queen. She assisted the diplomat while on a classified mission, so we thought she’d have valuable input. I apologize for inviting her.” Deputy director Freud sighed and bowed, “No, do not apologize Mr. Freud. I’m glad you invited her, it gives us more options and a different perspective. Will she be at the briefing?” Freud was still in a bow and processed what her majesty said as he stood up. “No, Queen Elise. This case will be handled by the police, Agent Celeste is still on leave as of the moment due to her recent return from the mission at Hin-gram.” Freud said. 

The Queen had a look that made the director want to take back his words, as if that mere sentence was enough reason for the death penalty. And to her...it was. “I see, I will send a letter to the police department addressing this, and we shall discuss this further at the briefing. Is that clear, deputy director?” Freud bowed, “Yes, my Queen.”

She turned back to Celeste and smiled elegantly, “You’ve been out of the field for far too long, are you not?” Queen Elise analyzed every subtle gesture the agent subconsciously made, she had a tugging feeling this was a rhetorical question but she answered with her head raised, “I have.” And the Queen’s scent grew richer, she was amused. And Celeste was the source of her amusement.

The room stayed quiet, until heavy footsteps approached. The Queen’s royal assistant rushed to the Queen and whispered something briefly. Queen Elise clapped her hands together, “Let’s eat!” she exclaimed, and everyone at the crime scene happily obliged. 

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    Black smoke from the engine blended with the clouds creating a dull gray tint that filled the air, you could almost smell the burning charcoal from the inside. The constant rattle of the luggage above Celeste’s head became white noise as she held the pristine white envelope on her hand gentle enough to avoid making any creases, even if the shaking of the train made it nearly impossible to do so. 'Celeste Williams' was written in a font that was far too graceful for a regular person to be capable of writing and a wax seal with the royal emblem kept the letter secure inside its confines. 

"How are you so sure it's from her?" Celeste glanced up and saw Astra laying down with his legs lazily dangling at the side of the bed. Today was his first day in college, again.  

"We usually receive yellow seals if we have an assignment from the royal palace. This one has a red seal, which means it's directly from a royal or noble family member, so yeah.” She answered and Astra nodded, intrigued, “Y’know, you should remember this for your exams. I’m dropping my wisdom on you, and you don’t even bother writing it down. You ungrateful wet sock." Celeste’s eyes darted to her brother’s face, and almost burst out laughing as it twisted in confusion, “Excuse me? I’m the one pursuing a master’s degree, so I think you should learn from me. You melodramatic pinecone.” Astra wiggled his eyebrows and Celeste threw a pillow on his face, “Okay, rude.” he smirked and adjusted into a sitting position, hugging the pillow she threw at him. 

“Anyways, how’s Hin-gram?” Astra scooted closer to Celeste, his brows were knitted together, and eyes filled with curiosity, “I can’t talk about the mission, dumbass. You know this.” Celeste’s eyes drifted back to the letter in her hand, “I wasn’t talking about the mission, dumbass.”, he mimicked her tone, “What did it look like?” “Unlike this place, Hin-gram was filled with skyscrapers and large buildings. There was a time I was ordered to take a break first, so I went to this...museum. Everything was a blur, but I remember them seeing us, Aloisya, our Queen… as the villains. Like, we’re the reason why our countries are at the brink of war.” Celeste scoffed, whenever she thought of Hin-grams’ obvious brainwashing and manipulation, it made her nauseous. 

“Everything was a blur? Do you have amnesia or something?” Astra joked but there was a small hint of worry that he tried to hide, “I never said I had amnesia, smartass. It’s just… I’ve been having a hard time remembering ever since I came back.” Astra sat beside Celeste and placed her hand over his pulse, something they’d do to comfort the other when they were kids. Neither of them moved an inch, they just steadied their breathing as their heart beats were in sync. Loud footsteps thumped across the wooden floors and the thin walls barely muffled the shouts of children running. 

"Why haven't you opened the letter yet?" He asked and moved back to his original spot, Celeste tried to think of an answer, for security reasons? privacy policies? procrastination? Yes, all of those apply but something as important as this can't be brushed off lightly. Sure, she'd open it today, but it must be at the right moment. Not now. 

"You should focus on getting your degree, leave the secret agent spy stuff to me." Celeste winked and placed the letter inside her briefcase, snugly between two unimportant documents. "My classes start at 11, I'm just gonna pick up some stuff I left at the station." Astra glanced at his watch and reviewed his schedule in his head, “Mom also asked me to visit her-" There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, but he didn’t avert his gaze "-I think you should come too."

The familiar feeling of guilt bloomed within Celeste’s conscience, it has been years since she last saw their mother. She left all the visiting to Astra because she couldn't bear being in the same room as her mom. You could call her a coward, but she’d do anything to block out her mother’s existence from her memory. She hummed in response, which Astra immediately knew was 'I'll think about it'.  

The only problem with this is that she never does.  

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    The tiled floors of the intelligence agency clicked under her heels. Celeste savored the stares she received as she walked down the halls of the agency, her colleagues were far older than she was, but they treated her as if she were a Greek deity that went down on Earth to aid mortals. Generals greeted her and thanked her for her hard work and her secretary gave her a fruit basket and a bottle of wine. 

"Welcome back Agent Celeste Williams, glad to see you again" Celeste didn't bother looking behind as she pushed through the doors to her office "Good morning Detective River Scott, I’m surprised to see you here.” Celeste placed everything on her table as she sat on her swivel chair and stretched in her seat. 

“Well, I’m surprised you came back in one piece, ‘Lest” River took a bottle of scotch, poured some in two whiskey glasses and sat on the table like they owned the place. “I’m starting to think you hoped otherwise” Celeste said, she placed the glass on her lips and felt the smooth liquid calm her mind “Of course I did, who else had the right to steal your expensive alcohol collection?” River chuckled as Celeste rolled her eyes. 

“Scotch? Really?” Celeste joked, “For your information, I also solved a case yesterday, so this is a double celebration. '' River said, jumped up from their seat, and walked slowly behind the desk to admire the city. There was a window that occupied a third of the whole wall and exhibited a breath-taking view of the whole capital. “Honestly though? I’m glad you made it back. What you did saved this country from being completely slapped out of the map.” Celeste spun around to look at the cityscape as well. 

“I heard you were assigned to a royal case already.” River roamed around the room. Celeste’s office had a rustic vibe to it, like it was a warm log cabin you’d wander into in the middle of the woods. A combination of brown, beige, and white painted the room, wooden décor and bookshelves filled each side, a few pots of plants and succulents were placed symmetrically above the shelves, which would’ve been beautiful if they weren’t dying. 

“I am, I just don’t know the details yet.” Celeste muttered and took a sip from her drink. They caught up with each other’s lives for a few hours until the door swung open, “Agent Williams-” The Deputy director glanced at the other person in the office “-Detective Scott.” Deputy director Freud nodded to signal to River that he had private matters with Celeste. River snatched the scotch from the table and mouthed an exaggerated ‘thank you’ which caused Celeste to bite back a smile. 

“How are you, Celeste?” Freud sat on the leather couch and crossed his legs, “My brother’s off to meet mum in a few hours while I’m getting ready to avoid her” she answered and handed some documents in her briefcase to her superior. 

“That’s all the paperwork, and I assume that you already know about my next mission.” Celeste said plainly, Freud grunted in reply and skimmed through the papers. “Be careful out there Celeste, you hardly had any downtime from your last mission. Are you sure you’re stable enough?” As much as he tried to hide it, concern was laced in the old man’s voice and it warmed Celeste’s heart “When was I ever stable in the first place?” A hearty laugh came from Freud, and he stood up to regain his posture. “Alright, just promise me you’d treat yourself for once, and that you’d stop your scent power nonsense. You’re one of my best agents, and I don’t want to see you gagged and wheeled in an asylum like Hannibal Lecter.” Freud took a few steps and stopped in front of the doors before looking back at Celeste, to see if she’d promise.  

“I guarantee you, I won’t eat humans.” Celeste reassured and raised her whisky glass which made Freud chuckle, he muttered a “Thank you for your service” and headed out.