The smell of manure and livestock assailed her nose and the sound of horses snorting and stamping greeted Vania as she regained her senses.
"Oh, good. You're awake. I was about to drag that snob Rand'din out here to make sure his armbands hadn't backlashed into your mind when that wizard attempted to put a spell on you." Eddin sat down at her side. "How are you feeling? I imagine pretty terrible."
"Well, I'm alive, if that counts for something." Vania sat up slowly, fingers automatically feeling the back of her head. She winced as she encountered a large, tender spot at the back of her skull. Her vision swam and grew hazy, finally clearing when she pulled her fingers away. Her head didn't stop throbbing.
"Yeah, you're growing quite a bump back there."
"Why... are we in the stable?"
"Far fewer magic users." Eddin smiled. "Thought it'd be good to give your mind a break. Bergin wanted to send you home, but this was closer. He didn't take the time to argue with me—he was too busy organizing groups of enforcers to try to track down the wizard." He swung a water bag by its strap into her lap. "You're probably thirsty."
"Did they catch him?" She picked up the bag, carefully tipping her pounding head backward to collect the water into her mouth, then returning upright to swallow.
"Not yet, that I've heard. Can you tell me what happened?"
"He ran up to me, shouting that he needed help. While I was walking your horse around the building. He—"
"What'd he look like?"
Vania sighed, rubbing her forehead for a moment before answering, "Generic wizard robes. Uhhh... blue, I think. Maybe grey? Um. Drab. Nondescript. His hair, though. Dyed many colors, but sloppy. Brown roots growing out. Longer hair, with a beard to match." She indicated slightly below her shoulders. "It was kinda... dirty? Stringy, like. Greasy. Unkept."
"Could you tell what race he was?"
"He... looked... human."
"Anything else about his appearance stand out or anything that you can recall?"
"No. Um. Wait. When he grabbed me. He... he had... a. Um." She stopped, thinking hard as her pounding head brought her memories in and out of focus. Dammit. Think. She remembered the dirty hand on her arm and how she shuddered at his touch. His sleeve had fallen away from his wrist, towards his elbow. Metal glinted at his wrist. A color caught the sunlight and flared. "Brass armlet. Thick." She opened her fingers to indicate the width of the metal. "Around his wrist. Right wrist. It had... a crystal inset. Clear... with... blue? In it. It was reflecting the sun, so it was hard to see it clearly."
"It was cloudy then, Vania," Eddin said quietly. "The clouds were coming as we went inside. It was cloudy when we came back out. It's raining now."
Vania blinked, staring at him, her throbbing head slowly absorbing what he'd said. In the silence, amidst the sound of the horses, the sound of rain drumming on the roof percolated into her ears. Oh. Then, why...? She bit her lip and frowned, brows furrowing.
"If you thought it was glinting in sunlight, maybe it was glowing, or emitting some sort of light," Eddin supplied helpfully. He watched her frown and sighed. "Sorry for interrupting you. Please continue telling me what happened. He walked up, calling for help, while you were taking Tarva around back...?"
"He kept saying he needed help. He... wanted me to go with him. I asked him... what the problem was. What he needed help with. He... grabbed my arm. I... felt the armbands from Rand'din go... cold. Then, your horse went crazy."
"Tarva's well-trained," Eddin said with a smile. "She was trying to protect you."
"I... didn't know your horse wasn't... just transportation..." Vania muttered. "I... ducked, to avoid her flying feet. Hit my head... on the wall. Stayed on the ground until you arrived. I think... he ran, once you all came running?"
"He was already running when we got out there. Must've realized you weren't easy prey," Eddin replied. "I heard Tarva screaming, so I knew something was wrong; when I jumped up and ran, everyone followed. I tended to you while Bergin and Jezora organized groups to hunt the wizard. Neither group has returned yet."
Vania grinned briefly as she chuckled, "At least Bergin's getting a break from Jezora."
Eddin also chuckled; "Yeah. Gods, she's miserable. I didn't imagine she was like that. I assumed the two of them must have a good dynamic, considering they've been catching criminals like crazy since he transferred there."
"That's probably his way of relieving the strain..." She chuckled, then sighed as fresh pain lanced through her skull. She scooted backwards until she could rest her back against the plain wood boards of the wall. She grimaced, lightly fingering the bump on the back of her head before resting her cheek against the wall. Sighing, she slid to allow herself to lean sideways against the wall.
"Yeah, you shouldn't put pressure on that. I think that mountain you're growing will take some time to heal."
Vania closed her eyes, head still pounding. She sensed her work partner looking at her before he broke the silence.
"I think... that guy who attacked you is probably our killer. Must've seen us at Cavin's body, followed us to the station. Went after you when you were alone."
"Ugh, I hope that means we kept him away from his next victim." Vania's eyes shot open and she sat up straighter. "Derry! Eddin, we were at Derry's before we came here." She started to push herself up. "I need—"
"Bergin's going to check in on them," Eddin swiftly interrupted. He grabbed her arms and held her in place. "His party was heading that way. You need to rest; you took quite a bump to the head." He released his hold of her.
"Oh... good. Bergin... can make sure they're all okay." She allowed herself to settle back against the wall again, shutting her eyes. "Thank you."
"Sure. No problem." Eddin looked at her, frowning. After a moment, he sighed and stood. "Well, I'll finish seeing to Tarva. She gets extra oats tonight." He glanced back to Vania; she hadn't moved. He sighed and went into his horse's stall.
"Vania? Oh, good, you're awake."
"Did you catch him, Bergin? Please tell me you caught him." Vania grimaced as she straightened.
Bergin looked over to Eddin; "Why is she still in the stable?"
"Fewer wizards around," Vania replied. "Much calmer here; I'm thinking of moving my desk out here permanently."
"Oh, good, the gang's all here." Enforcer Kahlin came into the barn, wrinkling her nose as she passed the stalls, and joined the trio. "Bergin? I take it your group had no better luck than we did."
"No, unfortunately," Bergin sighed. He looked down to Vania. "The wizard who attacked you has eluded us so far."
"And D—"
"Derry and his family are all fine, for now. He is going to begin keeping his kids home all day, so he can keep an eye on them. Oh." He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a delicious-smelling burlap sack. "His wife insisted on sending you some lunch. And Derry says to tell you to, 'Vacate that thrice-damned shithole and come stay' with him and his wife. He seemed very concerned when I told him you were assaulted."
"Oh, gods, Bergin," Vania dropped her face into her hand, "why did you tell him?"
"Who's Derry?"
"Well, considering I just happened to be checking in on him with an entire group of enforcers? He knew something was up. Better to tell him the truth than to lie."
"Maybe you should go stay with him," Eddin added. "Given his background, I daresay he knows a thing or two about keeping a murderer out and his family safe."
"Who's Derry?"
"And he is very protective of you. And you know how his wife worries," Bergin added. "In her condition, you don't want to be tacking on any extra stress. Probably would be better for you to stay with them, until we get this guy."
"They can help make sure you heal up proper from getting your head knocked around, too."
"WHO. IS. DERRY?" Jezora demanded. All three of the other enforcers stopped and turned to look at her.
"A baker," both Bergin and Eddin replied at the same time.
"A baker," Jezora echoed, giving them a look. "Why would some baker take an interest in Vania? And why were you checking in with him?"
"We assume the fellow who attacked Vania is the same person responsible for the murders in the slums," Eddin replied.
"Why? Plenty of people don't like us enforcers and would take a cheap shot if given the opportunity."
"The timing is too close. We just found out about the murders this morning. Vania was the first enforcer on the scene where the latest body was dumped. I joined her there. On our way back to the station, we stopped at the bakery to get more details about the murder. Turns out, it wasn't just one murder, but three."
"So far," Vania whispered.
"Vania and I discussed it while you were out looking for the wizard. We already suspected the killer was a magic user, since he was stealing body parts, specifically organs, from his victims."
"He also was taking their... um. Extras," Bergin spoke up. He glanced at Vania, then away quickly. "Derry told me he remembered that after you left. All the victims have been Marked tydring. He removed some of the parts of them that were... different."
"Like what?" Vania asked hoarsely.
"Uh. The girl's butterfly wings. The old man's... fingers. And the young man's. Um. Tail."
"He took a tail from poor Cavin, but didn't bother to take his bear ears?" Eddin asked. "He stole the fingers off a ninety-three year old man, but left him his feathers?"
Bergin shrugged; "Maybe it's a weird fetish?"
"Marked tydring get killed all the time," Jezora protested. "What makes you think it's a murderer and not them just succumbing to their Mark, or them getting knifed after they pick a fight in a bar? You know they tend to be more violent. Higher rates of violence lead to higher rates of violent deaths."
Bergin, Eddin, and Vania all turned and fixed her with a look.
"First of all," Eddin began, "each victim was missing for five days before being found dead, their guts, and other parts, removed. I've never heard of a case of a tydring succumbing that mentions them disappearing for days, then spontaneously being sliced open and their organs disappearing."
"There have been a few spontaneous combustions," Bergin muttered. "But that isn't remotely the same as being disemboweled."
"Secondly, four-year-olds and ninety-three-year-olds don't typically pick fights in bars," Vania added. "Plus, Klava's siblings were there when she was snatched—they saw her get grabbed while they were outside playing."
A silence fell.
Bergin cleared his throat; "So. Since the attack on Vania happened mere hours after her seeing the body of the latest victim, it's assumed the killer decided to try to halt the investigation by getting rid of her. He doesn't want to get caught, so he tries to take out the one who's gonna catch him. I had to check on Derry because they'd stopped to see him on their way to the station; if the killer had been trailing them, he might've decided to silence the baker and his family on his way."
"So, you didn't catch him," Vania said quietly with a sigh. Of course not. That would be too easy. "Now that we've run through the facts again, what's next? Did anyone discuss with Rand'din yet about getting in touch with the Wizard Council? If this fellow is a wizard, and if he's collecting body parts for strange rituals, I'm sure they're gonna want to assist with this investigation. They don't take stuff like that lightly." They'll want to try to cover things up and do damage control, so people won't start hating all wizards...
"No. We were just beginning to discuss the case when the attack happened," Eddin replied.
"We should also get more people working the slums area. The more eyes to notice something, the better. Call for other stations to join," Bergin added. "Plus, just because the only victims we know of so far came from there doesn't mean that's where they'll always be from, or even that they're the only ones. We saw that with the Du l'Tagne case—he went undetected for years because the cases were reported to different stations. We need to coordinate."
"We should also try to warn the people in the slums," Eddin said. "They may distrust us, but they need to know the danger. The more people are watching out for each other, the harder it'll be for him to snatch someone away."
"Well, Bergin and I can begin coordinating with the other stations," Jezora said. "You two can handle contacting the Wizard Council."
Eddin nodded; "I'll go in and make a report to Captain Murrick. He's going to need to know about this. Then I'll go upstairs and see Rand'din."
"I'll talk to Derry," Vania said quietly. "He has a group of friends who were already discussing these murders—they're the ones who informed us—maybe they can help us organize the people." Though, Nanda won't take too well to us trying. No matter the reasons or intentions, she'll see it as encroaching on her turf. Might need to find a way to satisfy her or involve her, as distasteful as that thought is...
"You'll go home," Bergin said. "Eddin or I can talk to Derry."
"Yes, I'd love to meet this apparently famous Derry fellow," Jezora added. "We could go see him before we return to our station."
Bergin cringed.
"No. I'll talk to Derry," Vania insisted. "I'm not just going to go cower in my house, hiding behind my wards. Not when someone's out there, stealing children from their play, and murdering old men who just want to enjoy a game of chess."
"Yes," Eddin agreed. "And I'll escort you. We'll stop at your place first, gather what you need, and then we'll go to the bakery; once there, you'll stay there until this is over. That way you can keep an eye on him and his family, and they can keep an eye on you."
"I'm not going to live with them," Vania argued. "I just want to give him an update on what we have so far, and see if he and his friends can help."
"You could be our eyes and ears out there. His bakery is a lot closer to where this has been happening."
"No. The killer went after me once; if he decides to try again, there's no way I'm going to willfully put others in danger just by my presence."
"All right, fair point," Bergin agreed. "Then, we'll get your house properly warded against intruders and hire a couple bodyguards."
"No. I can defend myself, if need be. Besides, there's no room for extra people in my house, and there's already too many eyes watching my door."
"Eyes?"
"Yes, who is this Nanda Derry mentioned who has people spying on you?" Eddin asked.
Vania sighed; "A crime boss in the slums."
"Maybe Nanda's involved with the killing," Jezora said.
Vania shook her head, wincing at the motion; "No. She's awful and manipulative and self-centered, but she doesn't have people killed for no reason. And she doesn't sell organs. Other illegal things, but not organs. Besides, she's Marked herself, as is most of her gang."
"So, this isn't a turf war, or revenge for perceived wrongdoing, or failure to pay the protection racket, or inability to pay for goods received?"
"Why haven't you ever mentioned this gang before?" Bergin asked. "That seems like a person we should've put behind bars a long time ago."
"It's... complicated. I'll just say, sometimes the goon you know is better than the ones that you create when there's a power vacuum."
"That... is true," Eddin replied. "We saw that in Hursa."
"Well, regardless of this Nanda person, you still need better wards for your place." Bergin looked hard at her. "I was able to easily enter without invitation, and I'm not a skilled criminal. You need something besides just for malicious magic."
"I probably do," Vania admitted quietly. Nanda's gang have tossed my place a couple times already. I definitely do. But, not only are wards uncomfortable, they're also expensive. "But one set of wards is already about what I want to deal with. I get exposed to enough magic and magic users at work; my home shouldn't feel like a wizard's shop, or I'll never recover."
"They can spell wards to be undetectable," Bergin insisted. "Once Eddin informs Captain Murrick of what happened, he's sure to buy the wards for you, and also personally see that they're installed, if I know him."
Vania made a face; "I'd rather start sleeping under my desk."
"Well, if it's deemed unsafe for you to stay with Derry," Eddin broke in, "and you refuse to accept bodyguards or better wards, then I guess, until we put this guy away, I shall have to stay with you."
"No," Vania said.
"What?" Bergin asked at the same time. Jezora elbowed him and smirked; he glared at her.
"As your work partner, I'm responsible for your welfare."
"While on the job," Vania snapped. "And it goes both ways—we watch out for each other. But that's not after hours. You most certainly will not stay at my place."
Eddin shrugged; "Sounds like your place is pretty easy to break in to, so I can probably let myself in."
"Breaking and entering is criminal activity. If you break into my house, I will be duty-bound to arrest you."
Jezora sniggered, "Oh, that's just precious! You'll arrest the son of Admiral Buccareth of the Royal Navy?"
"What?" Vania asked. She looked at Eddin; he quickly looked away. Bergin also avoided her gaze. Jezora just kept snickering. Bloody, lousy nobles. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is related to someone important. Everyone is rich and can afford bodyguards and special wards and days off. Bloody hell, what am I doing in this job? "Well, at least you can't blame me for not knowing this time, Jezora—they don't share a last name."
"I... only go by Bucktin at work. Didn't want people trying to force me into my father's shadow."
Vania just grimaced as her headache flared; "You all are making my head hurt worse. Please go away."
"You rest, dear. Don't worry about a thing," Jezora said, smiling. She patted Vania's knee. "Also, I'll get together a little information packet for you—who's who, who's related to who, who's married to who, who hates who, and how it all fits together. That should help."
"Just go away," Vania replied.
As the three noble enforcers left, Vania heard Jezora say, "Oh, that poor Vania. Just so out of her depth. I tried to tell people that commoners just don't understand..." followed by a very terse Bergin and Eddin both replying in sync, "Shut up, Jezora."