Chapter Twenty-Four
Vas and I entered the new war room, as I had dubbed it.
The walls were clear of decoration, with only a few cork boards, waiting for whatever maps or information I would pin to them.
A long table dominated the center of the room, also clear.
A sideboard on the left held writing tools, paper, and other things we might need when planning a mission.
My crew was seated at the table, but they stood up as I went to the chair at the head.
Vasren pulled it out for me, and I grinned at him as I sat down. He took the seat to my right.
“All right,” I said. “What did you discover?”
“Too much,” Sudar, seated between the two other Raltven, said. “There are a lot of missing people, including several of ours.”
“Some of the missing turn up, but they're different,” Rigin said.
“What do you mean, different?” Vasren asked.
Rigin's brother, Grekan, answered for him. “They're not themselves. Confused. Some don't even remember who they are.”
“And what makes you think these missing people are connected?”
“All the missing are probably not connected,” Drellan said, his whiskers twitching. “But we believe many are. Those who were found kept saying the same thing over and over.”
“What did they say?” Vas asked.
“I remember nothing.”
“That's strange, but it could be a coincidence,” I said.
“Boss, they repeated it like a chant.” Drellan leaned onto the table. “As if someone had put it in their head.”
“Interesting,” I murmured. “And what race are these victims predominantly?”
“Many races,” Sudar said. “But humans and Raltven have the highest number of disappearances.”
“Many races?” I leaned forward. “And where are these people vanishing from?”
“Weisha mainly, but there are reports of more missing people further inland, from other cities.”
“Cities only?” I leaned back . “What about the smaller towns?”
“No, only the cities. But it could simply be that the gossip from those towns hasn't reached Weisha yet.”
“Does that matter?” Baelxa asked.
His two Brandva brothers, seated to either side of him, rolled their eyes.
“What?” Baelxa muttered.
“That's a good question, Baelxa. You can't learn unless you ask questions. It's the inquisitive mind that continues to grow.” I sent a chiding look at his brothers.
A man shouldn't be mocked for his lack of intelligence. That's not something he has power over. Wisdom can be gained, yes, but not intelligence. I care more about integrity, and Bealxa had that.
Baelxa grinned and stretched out his arms to smack his brothers in their chests with the backs of his hands. “You see? I'm ink-cative.”
“Yup, whatever that is, you're definitely it.” Grekan snickered.
“Inquisitive,” I repeated for Bealxa. “And to answer your question—it matters because in smaller towns, people know each other. It's harder to abduct someone and go unnoticed. But there may also be other reasons.”
“Such as?” Vas asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe this is a large operation based out of the cities. Maybe they don't want to transport their captives too far.”
“But what about the state of those who are found?” Sudar asked.
“Could be the result of whatever they used to subdue the captives.” I chewed on my lip. “Perhaps a potion or a drug. Could be magic.” I looked around. “Did you find anything else?”
“We've spread the word that Hallaxgral is in Weisha and will help those who have been wronged,” Grekan said. “It took some time, but people started coming to us. Most were about loved ones who have gone missing.”
“Missing, not killed?” I asked.
“Most, yes. A few were murdered, but they were into criminal activity, and it looked like retaliation.”
“Then, I'm sorry, but they knew the risks.”
“Yup, that's what we told their kin. But again, there are a lot of missing people in Weiha, and the Talons haven't done anything.”
“They are supposedly investigating.” Drellan grimaced.
“Boss, the Raltven believe they're being targeted.” Navin laid out a notebook, opened it, and slid it over to me.
I looked down the long list of names. “These are all Raltven?”
He nodded.
“But they're not the only ones going missing.”
“Yes, but maybe there is more than one crime going on. There are rumors about bones.”
“Bones?” I asked.
“Raltven bones, boss,” Sudar took over. “One of the Raltven who came to us said she heard rumors about a bone cleaner.”
“A what?” Vasren asked.
“Someone who takes the flesh off bodies and preserves the bones. Like they do with animals before they make them into statues.”
“Taxidermy?”
“Yes, the same technique, but just to get the bones.”
“Why would anyone want Raltven bones?”
My mind was already spinning, searching through memories and information I'd collected. Raltven bones. I heard something about Raltven bones once. What was it? “They glow,” I murmured.
“What was that?” Vas looked over at me.
“I've read that Raltven bone marrow glows.” I looked from Vas to the three Raltven at the table. “Is that true?”
“It's not like we smash open the bones of our dead.” Sudar made a face at me.
“It's true.”
Everyone looked at Cesha.
She held my stare alone. “It's true,” she said again.
“There was a necromancer raising Raltven bodies once.
He targeted the freshly dead. I was sent to .
. . stop him. One of the bodies he animated had a broken arm.
The inside of the bone glowed. I will never forget that.
The glowing corpse. I've often wondered if it was the necromancy or the body.”
“We glow?” Navin asked her.
“I wouldn't have made that conclusion before. But now, in light of this rumor, I assume it's true,” Cesha said.
Baelxa chuckled.
Everyone turned to gape at him. The Raltven glared.
He quieted. “Oh, I thought she was making a joke. In light of this rumor. You know? In light of? Glowing bones.”
“Baelxa,” Rigin muttered and shook his head.
“Sorry.”
I had to clear my throat to cover a laugh. “The book I read was written by a sorcerer who was investigating the use of immortal body parts.”
“I thought sorcerers used spirits?” Sion asked.
“They do. They also harness the forces of nature, and bones are natural.” I looked around the table.
“All right. These missing people may or may not be related to the rumors of a bone cleaner.
But the bones are the best lead. So, we'll start there. Netrax and Cesha, you two will stay here to look after the house. The rest of you will go with me to Weisha.”
“I stayed behind last time,” Cesha growled. “Is this because I'm a woman?”
“No, it's because you're the best with security.”
She grimaced. “My traps and warning wires are already in place. A loud chiming will ring through the house when they're triggered. I don't need to be here to monitor them, and I'd like to join the hunt if this concerns Raltven.”
I considered this. “You're right. You deserve to go. Tanseir, you stay with Netrax.”
Tanseir nodded.
“No complaints from you two?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Fuck, boss, if you want to pay me to sit around here and do nothing, I'm good with that.” Tanseir crossed his thick arms and settled his wings.
Netrax just grinned and nodded.
“All right then. Everyone else, pack what you need. And someone go down to the docks to alert Captain Tev that we'll be sailing at noon.” I stood up and left the room with Vas.
Missing people and a bone cleaner? It sounded like Kochan all over again. If I found more Brujai survivors of the Keten Tribe, I was going to hunt them down until I found every last one of those cannibal bastards.