Dahlia: A Novel of Dark Desire

Chapter Five

"Well Captain Borreal, we seem to have put half of our senior members into the infirmary," Dahlia quipped.

"Indeed, but I'm sure Dr. Nallia will see to them and they'll have their bones knit together right as rain by tonight. All we'll have to do is avoid her wrath."

"True. I'll be hiding in my room if you need anything." She turned back to the training ground, "If you're injured head to the infirmary. Everyone else, back to the barrack and get something to eat then you're done for the day."

"Oh, Captain DeMorra," Borreal said and she turned back to him. "I almost neglected to mention, the first investigations have been concluded. The two men died within the hour they were discovered and the only thing missing was an old research journal of Dr. Ahriman's."

"Dr. Ahriman? Well that's ominous. Still, I don't see why someone would have wanted that. His interesting findings have all been documented."

Borreal looked hard at her, "Then we must ask why someone was looking for something no one else considered interesting."

He bowed to her then turned to go.

Dahlia watched him, thinking. Ahriman had been head of research when she had first joined the force. Cold and pitiless, his published experiments on prisoners had toed the line of unethical. When his hidden research and experiments had been unearthed it became clear he had no problem taking a large step over that line and into inhumane. He'd been banned, denied access to his library, and held in prison until his trial and subsequent exile.

She wandered back towards her barrack, lost in thought. All Ahriman's useful research had been integrated into more palatable methods, finalized, and documented. None of it necessitated stealing, it hadn't been a closely guarded secret. It seemed an odd thing to go after.

As she approached the path to the main area of her own barrack she heard shouts and a jumble of voices down the road, around the building just inside Barrack Nine. She rushed over to see soldiers holding a man, a book, and a dead body in the center of a circle formed by a large number of onlookers.

She saw the restrained man struggle and deal a kick to the knee of one captor and then a headbutt to the other. He moved remarkably quickly. She felt her trap snap shut and the man fell rooted to the ground, the word "traitor" branded on his forehead. She began to push forward through the crowd but before she got much closer to the man an enormous form parted the crowd opposite her and entered the ring around the man and the soldiers. Captain Ravin stood facing the traitor struggling against her binding, dressed only in loose pants and an open shirt. He glanced at the two men on the ground that the traitor had incapacitated.

"What's this?" His voice was husky with amusement.

The one who had taken a kick to his knee struggled up, "Captain, we found Macada standing over Shann's body trying to pull this book out of his hands."

Ravin chuckled, "Good, the book matches one stolen by our killer. And someone's gone and branded his crime across his fucking head."

Macada struggled to his feet. The man must have been well trained and have a powerful shield on him to fight her binding. He turned and tried to flee but Ravin's men stood fast. Macada slashed at them, almost too fast for Dahlia to follow but they took the hits and kept pushing him back. Ravin laughed and the man at his right waved his hand to the men blocking Macada's escape. The traitor was pulled back to the middle of the circle.

"I call that a confession and escape attempt, don't you?" Ravin roared.

The men surrounding them roared back in assent.

"Well, traitor, if you're up to attacking my men, stabbing them in the back, perhaps you're feeling up to facing me." Ravin grinned broadly, and he eyed Macada like a cat with a young bird. "You won't last long, but you can try."