Immortal Tales - the boy with magic

Chapter Four - first part

The years of the search

Chapter One

"One, two, three, four, five, six..."

The chubby man in front of him kept talking and waving his hand excited. The birds in the trees above them whistled annoyed.

"Seven, eight, nine, ten ..."

The man laughed and an older woman joined into their conversation, launching sideways glances at him. The park was alive with the celebrations for the man's daughter's christening, tables laid everywhere with food and drinks for everyone.

"Eleven, twelve, thirteen.."

The woman took his hand and squished his fingers in between her chubby palms. They were so sweaty, all Isaac could do was not cringe. He wished he could have had the time to drink his way through the boring party instead of talking to all the mortals. Especially because of the lack of information he was receiveing about the murders.

The immortal boy sighed and started counting again to keep his calm.

If there was one thing from his path-changer training that he did cherish was his ability to hide his true emotions from mortals.

The man's name was ... to be honest with himself, he forgot it as soon as Valeria had mentioned it. He'd been talking about all sorts of different pizza making products and he lost track of it. He was the middle aged baker that Valeria had befriended in search of information about the Menotti murders. The woman must have been his wife, but Isaac wasn't sure why she kept touching his arm instead of her husband's. The baker didn't seem to happy about it either, his thick mustache oscillating with his frown.

-Yes! You should most definitely come by our shop sometimes! Everything is so delizioso ... just like you! - squeaked the woman. Isaac was confused by the poor advertising. Why was the woman comparing him to a baguette?

She adjusted the collar of her bright pink dress showing a bit too much to be considered proper for that period in history. He decided to take the safest route out of the conversation, one that would not get him shot in the gut by the woman's husband.

-Me and my wife Valeria would be delighted to oblige - he answered politely. -Speaking of ... do you know where my lovely companion is? -

The baker smiled but raised his shoulders.

-Ah, I am afraid that I don't know. Maybe she went to talk with ... -

A wave of screams raised from the side of the park. Isaac forgot all about his make-believe character, and turned around looking for the cause of the commotion. He had the bad feeling his crazy friend had attempted a risky manoeuvre.

-It's the girl! She attacked Treviso's widow! -someone screamed.

-The police is coming! -

Isaac cursed under his breath and lunged for the crime scene.

Two of the food tables had been turned upside down, as if some had to make a rush escape and flipped them in the attempt to slow down the attacker. The cakes and baguettes with salami were spread all over the ground, some children already playing with the remainings as if it was sand.

A small group of women was chatting and waving tissues in front of their faces, as if the event had been so traumatic they were yet to recover. The rest of the people were making phone calls or discussing the weird events with more calm. The only man who seemed truly in shock was a middle aged man still sitting at the table despite his clothes had been splashed with red wine and remainings of food. His hands were tight around a tissue, a piece of fabric maybe. He was looking at it in awe.

Isaac put a hand over his shoulder, the man barely noticing his presence.

-Are you one of them too? - he asked with trembling voice. -The ones that killed my brother? -

Isaac looked for his emotions, but the man was so confused it was impossible to distinguish them.

-I didn't kill your brother, sir. Would you mind telling me where my wife went? Her name is Valeria. - he offered with kindness.

His eyes were distant, looking into the void.

-Valeria ... yes. She told me not to build my brother's machine. - he replied, his gaze back on the piece of tissue.

Isaac didn't really understand what he was seeing. Some piece of machinery maybe... Valeria was always the one dealing with that sort of stuff. Isaac was more for learning the innovations in medicine.

But if his friend had decided that that thing was dangerous... he believed her.

-Sir, my name is Isaac - he tried once more. He offered him a card with their real address. -Me and my wife are private investigators and we have been dealing with your brother's murder. We believe you are in danger. Do you understand? Come to us when you feel comfortable to do so. -

The card was enchanted. It would show the man any address Isaac was living in, even if he decided to move away.

The man seemed to awake from his shock long enough to nod and grabbed the card. He looked at him for the first time and his mouth hung open.

-Are you a god? - he muttered.

Isaac blushed. -What ... no. Sir you are in shock, please seek some medical help. -

The immortal left the mortal to his own devices and run toward the piazza. He followed the police sirens towards the deeper parts of a Rome. Tight marble alleys followed one after the other, more and more confusing with every turn. If it hadn't been for the streets names, Isaac would have considered them all identical. The sun shone softly on the walls, wrapping him in a cozy atmosphere.

He wished he could stop and stare at the clouds.

But no, he had to find his irrationally irresponsible friend.

Isaac almost slipped at the following turn, to then recover his fast pace. Any other mortal would have been tired by then, but Isaac was excellently trained.

The plan had been simple: if any of the two had found a clue, they would CONTACT THE OTHER before taking action. But he knew that Valeria's heart had a mind of his own. He should not have left her alone.