Patrol 3: Darkness & Light

Chapter 6

"So, is this how he gets back at my being at work and his public humiliation from the commander?" Vania asked as she and Eddin once more led their horses out of the stable. "Never assigning us any cases, but just sending us out to do general patrol every day?"

Eddin shrugged. "Perhaps. But, patrolling is an important part of the job. There usually aren't loads of big cases, not enough for all of us at the station, but there are plenty of little things to handle."

"A lot of these little things are just as easily handled by the city guard," Vania muttered.

"The city guard is spread thin and overworked. That's why they made the enforcers to begin with—to handle the bigger cases and help with the general workload."

"I guess," Vania agreed with a sigh. She looked over at Eddin. "I know Captain told us to patrol the area of our district near the merchant district today, but I have a really bad feeling that something tragic is about to happen in—"

A quiet pinging rang out from Eddin's pocket and he grabbed out his communication crystal. It lit up his face and hands in a golden glow as he held it up, asking, "Derry. What is it?"

"Hezca's children just showed up on our doorstep, crying. Their dad passed away this morning—the healer had worked on him for three days and not even the healer could help him, in the end. After sending them to us, their mother disappeared. No one can find her."

"Did someone check the house?" Eddin asked, kneeing Tarva to a trot, heading toward the slums.

"Yeah. That's the first place they looked."

"How long has she been missing?" Vania asked, giving Ama rein to keep up with the tall bay.

"Half an hour at most," came Derry's reply from the crystal. "I reached out to my friends as soon as the kids showed up and got people searching."

"Where else might she have gone?" Eddin wondered out loud. "Does she have a job somewhere? Other family? Close friends?"

"Her family's dead; his is across the sea. Checked with her work, his work, and their friends," Derry confirmed. "Can't find her."

"What about places that were special to her and her husband?" Vania asked. "If his death triggered this, she might be going somewhere that meant something to them."

"I'll have people ask her friends—they're keeping watch for her at the house. If I hear something, I'll let you know."

"What if it's someone else? People were threatening her, the day of the fire," Vania said.

"Unless you have names or descriptions, that's a wild goose chase," Derry replied. "There were too many people around that day, and that's a sentiment too many people share."

Eddin turned to look at Vania. "What was that you were saying about having a hunch?"

Vania swallowed and said softly, "Something tragic is going to happen."

"Any idea where? You're as good a lead as we have right now, and if we want to prevent this tragedy, we need to find her. Fast."

Vania shut her eyes, sighing and rubbing her temple. "No. My feelings are never that specific." I'm not my mother. She had an uncanny knack of premonition. I just get hunches.

"Even a general area," Eddin said quietly. "Narrow our search window."

After a moment, Vania hauled on Ama's reins, turning the horse's head. "Port area," she said simply, kicking the chestnut mare into a canter.