And so had Magrit delved deeply into the Rap Sheet, cackling with glee as the name of one unsuspected enemy after another appeared, faithfully recorded in the relic as informers of the various police agencies which had taken a keen interest in the doings of the witch. So great was her enthusiasm, in fact, that she soon broke off further examination of the Rap Sheet and began happily plotting her revenge against the half-dozen now-doomed individuals whose identity she had already ascertained.
‘Twas at that point that the wizard was finally able to scrutinize the relic for his own purposes. After a few minutes, a great frown took form on his features. It was then that the mage called for Magrit’s aid.
“What is it, Zulkeh?” asked the witch.
“I am totally baffled,” admitted the wizard. “Look you on what is revealed herein! Of my enemies—at least, those who have been thwarting me in my attempt to decipher the meaning of the King’s dream—there is not a trace! Not a whisper! Not a hint! But—well! See for yourself!” He thrust the relic before her.
The witch examined the Rap Sheet, which was now attuned to the wizard Zulkeh. Listed on its magical pages was all information concerning the mage known to all authorized, semi-authorized, quasi-authorized, pseudo-authorized and unauthorized official agencies charged with police, regulatory or espionage powers anywhere in Grotum. Many sheets did Magrit scan, her eyebrows rising steadily.
She whistled. “Oh, boy! Have you pissed off a lot of people!”
“Practically every authority in Grotum and Ozar has me listed as an arch-criminal!” cried the mage. “Me! Who has always been the most loyal of citizens! A model of propriety!” He was livid with indignation.
Magrit summoned the crowd. “You got to see this!” she boomed. A moment later, all were examining the relic.
The first to react, to Zulkeh’s everlasting chagrin, were Les Six.
“Comrade!” they bellowed in one voice, surrounding the mage and pounding his back vigorously. The wizard’s protestation of innocence was to no avail.
“You can’t be innocent,” declared the first.
“You’ve been accused,” explained the second.
“But there have been no charges filed!” protested the mage. “No warrants issued! No subpoenas! No inquest! No trial!”
“What nonsense is this?” demanded the third.
“Would you waste the taxpayer’s hard-earned money?” inquired the fourth.
“Fie on such witless notions!” exclaimed the fifth.
The round was cut short by Wolfgang.
“You’re all missing the important thing!” he cried. “The cryptic cypher! It’s on every page!” The lunatic grinned like an idiot. “Look here, for instance!” He pointed his finger at a notation on the page.
Zulkeh peered closely. “Yes, yes, I had noticed that—and, as you say, it appears frequently, at least once on each page. Magrit, you are more conversant in these matters than I. What is the import of this notation?”
Magrit examined the cypher, then shook her head. “Got no idea. Surprising, too—there’s not much in the way of foety gets by me.”
“Of course you don’t know what it means!” boomed Wolfgang. The madman cackled like, well, like a madman.
Magrit glared up at him. “Do you know something I don’t, you fucking loony? Yes! I can tell by that drooling grin! Spit it out, Wolfgang! What does AVEXBU mean?”
“It’s an acronym,” replied the giant. “It stands for Avatar Extermination Bureau.”
Magrit and Zulkeh looked puzzled. “Never heard of it,” said the witch. “Nor I,” chimed in the wizard.
“Of course you haven’t!” agreed Wolfgang cheerfully. “It’s the most secret secret society in the world. Not more than a few thousand people anywhere have ever heard of it—and most of them work for the Bureau.”
“Is it an Ozarine cabal?” demanded the first.
Wolfgang shook his head. “Not exactly—although it has close ties to many Ozarine spy agencies. Very tight with the Cruds, for instance. No, it’s sort of a unique outfit. Ancient, it is—traces its origins back to the Knights Rampant. The Ecclesiarchs have always encouraged it on the highest levels—by which I mean the Twelve Popes. I doubt if even most Cardinals know of it. The Popes have provided much of AVEXBU’s funding for centuries. But even they don’t control it. It’s truly marvelous! An independent spiral of organized insanity, institutionalized madness, passed on down through the generations like syphilis!”