Dark Whispers, Chapter 4

Alustrae's hand shook in anger, and she pushed the third ruined draft off the table.

Her office still lay in shambles after the ransacking by Captain Varlikh and his band of assassins, when they looked for the parcel with the flute sent to her by those associated with a case she had been taken off. She had returned the flute to the Ratonga family, since it was the right thing to do. Had Varlikh and his men taken it, the instrument would have most certainly been destroyed or disappeared into the hands of a private collector.

She looked across her desk at her daughter, Opalynna.

"Mother," Opal said, "I worry about you like this."

Alu pulled a fresh sheet of parchment and began writing again. "Any romantic feelings for that man? Ereon?"

Opal shook her head, a tear running down her cheek. "No. He is funny. He makes me laugh. People like him bring joy to the world."

Alu finished transcribing the last page of witness statements for the day of the original incident at the Spider and set the paper aside to dry. Then, she pulled a fresh sheet of parchment over and began working on the statements for the latest incidents.

"Stay away from him from now on," Alu said as she wrote. "Don't even speak to him. If he addresses you, Asuka will reply instead of you."

She nodded. "Yes, mother."

Alu raised her eyes as two figures walked through the door.

Alu looked at him with disdain. Captain Varlikh was a tall, muscular man with a dark, slicked-back top ponytail and a ragged mustache. His eyes were cold, and his smile was even colder. His black leather armor was dull and coated, and his boots squeaked. His daggers were worn with pride. Beside him walked the coercer Taliamini, a Dark Elven mind-reader with strange pupils, almost goat-like and horizontal. Her leather armor was tight, black, and dull in color. Her nails were delicate and painted a violet shade. Her long hair was a pretty shade of violet, braided and trailing down her back like a rope. Her smile was warm and inviting, but she was nothing but.

"Hello, Lady Alustrae," Varlikh said, looking around the office. "What a mess."

"Get the fuck out of my office," Alu said. "And shouldn't you be working on that case you took from me?"

"We have a few leads," he smiled, sliding the drawings out of a leather pack. "We found the witnesses and got some descriptions."

Alu's eyes widened as she looked at the faces. "How did you get these?"

Varlikh smiled. "Privileged information, love."

The dark elf female smiled and narrowed her eyes, making her queasy, as if the mind reader were searching for her thoughts. Taliamini's eyes narrowed, and she smiled.

Alu knew the mind mage was trying to probe her, so she thought of something that would get a reaction. She thought of peaceful thoughts, happier days, and simpler times. Alustrae then thought of repeatedly punching the Dark Elf in the face. Taliamini's smile faded, and she looked away.

"Anything else I can help you with, Captain?"

"Oh, the statements I asked for, thank you, Lady Alustrae." He smiled as he took the papers from her desk, his mustache wrinkling. "I got word of what happened last night. That sweet Ratonga family you trusted stabbed you right in the back. One of them accused your daughter of trying to poison a customer there and then claimed to have taken the glass before you took it for evidence. These are the witness statements that completely prove both are lies. And you got her statement from the other night? Good. Very good."

"Not a lie. Likely misremembered the events due to the standoff. Or perhaps they are wary of speaking to us." Alu stared straight through the Royal Assassin. "This matter is between my family and the venue."

The grin slowly crept across his face. "This matter is directly related to an ongoing investigation of murder, mass mayhem, terrorism, and the practice of death magics by a cult. Opal was investigating, by your direction, a matter which I am now in charge of. Now, this Ratonga lies, commits the crime of lese majesty, and due to this accusation, of a royal being involved with attempted murder, this rises to the level of sedition. Since this Ratonga is also throwing shade on the investigation with a false accusation of murder, this also crosses into obstruction of this case."

Alu's mind swam. He could be right, but she wanted nothing to do with the Royal Assassin. "Captain, I understand what you are saying, but the matter is still between me and the venue and unrelated to the case. We may be able to work this out."

He chuffed. "Work this matter out, Lady Alustrae? Sedition and obstruction of a terrorism case is enough to have this Ratonga and their entire clan back in Freeport. You can take the rat out of Freeport, but you can't take the Freeport out of the rat."

"You bastard," she narrowed her eyes, her hand shaking. "Ours is a city that accepts all refugees and those seeking asylum. The Queen is a good person. Good people do not deport those who do not have a home."

"She won't be the Queen forever," Varlikh sighed. "Dukes and others are waiting to step in, and many of them have strong business holdings, and a few do not like our fair city being so open and accepting. There isn't as much acceptance of importing other people's problems as you may feel. Many powerful people would love to deport the lot of these Freeport trash."

"Xenophobic bastard." She narrowed her eyes. "The Queen is in charge now, and we follow her orders. We don't have time for this. A cult is spreading plague, trying to unleash it in the city, and I am dealing with this unrelated matter."

"And this suspect made up lies about an investigator," Varlikh smiled. "And questioning the collection of evidence related to this case puts this entire venue under suspicion. What if that coffin outside the venue was being dropped off for someone there? The box was addressed to one of the Ratongas. What if someone on the inside called for the assassination on the front porch of the venue?"

"Are you insinuating that the Ratonga is part of the cult?"

Varlikh narrowed his eyes. "What if the one killed next to you wasn't the target? What if the Ratonga in there wanted to get rid of you?"

Alu set her face in a stonelike scowl.

Varlikh leaned against her desk. "You know what Freeport people are like. Someone in there may be rotten. Some of them worship the plague god. I'm not saying the Ratonga, but they may either be in the cult or afraid of their influence and being forced to work with them. Why else accuse a Royal Investigator of murder?"

"Get out," Alustrae growled, "And take your xenophobic ass and your little mind-reading pet with you."

Taliamini's eyes narrowed as her goat-pupil eyes glared at Alu.

"Lady Alustrae," Taliamini said, "There are multiple people there of interest. The murder and the coffin are connected to the Spider. This is an ongoing investigation. The Ratonga is lying, and the act of accusing a Royal Investigator of murder is enough for us to take her to the dungeons and put her to the question. The accusation alone, provably false, is a crime against the Crown. Even without a murder."

"And the others are also under suspicion," Varlikh added. "This venue is the epicenter of a growing problem and may be infested, or, at least, a place where the cult may meet and plan attacks. And I am sure you will agree, false accusations against the Crown approach the level of treason, especially in dire times like these."

She kept staring, her hands shaking. "Out."

"This is a deportable offense," he said, narrowing his eyes. "We live in a monarchy. People think they have more rights than they have."

"Get out of my office now!" Alustrae roared.

"Or what?" Varlikh asked.

Alustrae stood. She was fit, and her arms were muscled. "I will throw you out myself."

Varlikh smiled and raised his hand. "Not today, Lady Alu. We have a job to do and intend to see it through. Oh, and I have something for you."

Varlikh reached into his belt pouch and produced a royal decree, signed by the Queen.

"The Queen says the matter of the false accusation against your daughter is too close to you," he smiled. "She is handing that matter over to me as well. I intend to see that the office of the Royal Investigators is properly respected, and their authority unquestioned."

She picked up the paper, her hand shaking. She blinked, very slowly, and met Varlikh's eyes.

"And," he smiled, as if putting the bitter cherry on top, "all royal and guard personnel and families are banned from doing anything else in that venue, except official business of the Crown, until it is cleared of suspicion."

She wanted to tell him to leave again, but let her eyes do that.

"That will be my call," Varlikh shook his head. "I will let you get back to cleaning this mess up."