Chapter 12 Keelan #2
“I think Dec’s doing okay. He’s struggled to find a path.” I sucked in a breath. “We haven’t seen each other in the two years since he joined the green squad, and I’m not even sure where they have him stationed these days. He’ll graduate next month. Can you believe our Declan will be a Ranger?”
Fergus shook his head. “Spirits help the mountains. They’ll never be the same.”
I chuckled, then my smile faded.
“Uncle Ferg, he was so alive when he had people to terrorize; now he’s surrounded by nothing but animals and trees. It’s like he’s run away, and I don’t know how to get him back.”
I ran a hand across my stubble. “He’s nineteen now and still hasn’t manifested a Gift. I know that bothers him more than he’s willing to admit, especially since he watched me join the Guard and enjoy some success over the past few years.”
Fergus gripped my arm. “Give him time, Keelan. He’s still young. It can take time for some to find their way.” Fergus patted my arm. “As for his Gift, that is troubling. You say he’s nineteen now?”
“That’s right.” I nodded.
“Well, if it hasn’t come by now, I doubt it will. Maybe being out in the middle of nowhere is just what he needs, rather than living in some town surrounded by golden reminders.”
A bell tolled, and Fergus’s eyes popped wide. “Oh, no. Seeing you again made me forget about who’s waiting—you know, the people who run the country. Come on, the others are waiting for you in the Marble Room.”
As I followed Fergus down the hallway, the swirling marble and dark paneling seemed to stretch forever. I knew how long the building was from the outside, but it seemed we would never stop walking.
How is this possible?
There were no doors or openings, leaving the impression that we were trapped in a richly appointed mahogany box.
The only adornments beyond the braziers were plain, white marble squares set waist-high on each wall.
Fergus placed his palm on the square to the left, and a section of wood paneling shimmered out of existence.
My jaw dropped.
Fergus let out a chortle and winked. “Always something new, isn’t there?”
An impossibly wide marble table consumed the center of the room we entered.
The piece was surrounded by puffy leather chairs that looked like they might devour anyone who sat in them.
As we stepped further into the room, I stared at the table and froze.
There were no seams, no joints, nothing to reveal how the table fit together. There was only one stone.
“How . . . how did this get in here?”
Fergus grinned. “Will you never get used to our magic?”
I shook my head, eyes wide, still searching the table’s surface.
Motion near the hearth drew my eye, as a lean man with wispy hair stood. Without turning, the man said, “So, the dashing detective returns home?”
I bounded across the room, weaving in and out of the chairs, to wrap the old Mage in a tight hug, lifting him off his feet.
“Atikus, you’re old as dirt!” I beamed, setting my adopted father on the ground and scanning his face.
“I am old as dirt!” Atikus quipped, prying himself loose. He gripped both my shoulders. “And from the look of things, you are becoming the best of us. I’m so proud of you, Keelan.”
That was all it took. I lost it, devolving into a blubbering child with tears of pure joy.
I grabbed Atikus again and buried my face in his shoulder.
Despite our close proximity, we hadn’t seen each other in years, not since I joined the Guard at sixteen. I’d vowed to return often, but the well-intended promises of youth often went unfulfilled when life intervened.
Atikus wrapped one arm around me, giving me a pat between my shoulders. “Calm, Keelan. I may be old as dirt, but you’re doing a fine job of displaying your youth.”
I stepped back and wiped my face.
As I gathered myself, the wall opposite shimmered, and the Arch Mage entered, followed by the Captain-Commander. Both wore serious expressions but pulled up short when they saw me standing before Atikus.
“Commander, it appears we’ve stepped into the middle of a family reunion. Lieutenant, are those tears staining your Guard blues?” Arch Mage Quin cracked a wry smile.
“Sirs, forgive me. I wasn’t expecting to see them.” I looked from Fergus to Atikus. “Given the work in front of us, this was a welcome surprise.”
Albius gave me a rare smile and surveyed the group. “Mage Fergus, if you would excuse us, we need to get started.”
Fergus tossed me a wink, then offered a quick bob to the Arch Mage and vanished through the shimmering wall.
Commander Albius strode to the table and sat, motioning for everyone to do the same. Once we were in place, he turned to me. “Lieutenant, why don’t you start with your review of the Freeport notes?”
“Well, sir, there isn’t much. It appears the local Constables did a cursory search of the route the victim took and spoke with nearby shopkeepers. No one reported seeing the victim or anything out of the ordinary. My team will head down there today, start with the local Guardsmen,
and then conduct a more thorough investigation; but, sir, this is going to be a tough one.”
Albius nodded. “That’s how I read the notes, too. You mentioned your teams. Who were you thinking of?”
I shuffled through my notes. “For Freeport, I want Ridley Doa.
I can trust him. Given the sensitivity of these cases, trust is our top requirement.
Arch Mage, I would like a Mage to join Ridley’s team, preferably one with Telepathy so we can receive regular reports.
If we discover these cases are linked, coordination between the investigative teams will be important.
Liv Went is my choice for the third Freeport team member.
“I’ll lead the Saltstone investigation, along with Sil Wesser and Wil Buros. Wesser grew up tracking small game between here and Grove’s Pass, while Buros has a Gift with arms, specifically archery. He’s the best marksman in the Guard. The Freeport team has some traveling ahead of them,
but our team will get started on the local investigation when this meeting breaks. If our timeline is accurate, we’re already well past the Healer’s disappearance.”
“Let me fill in one missing link.” The Arch Mage leaned forward. “I anticipated your need for a Mage to accompany your investigation, and asked Atikus to step in.”
I quirked a brow. “Arch Mage, I appreciate Atikus joining the team, but why choose a Mage with the Memory Gift rather than Telepathy?”
Quin started to answer, but Atikus spoke first, a wry grin twisting his lips.
“I know it’s hard for you to believe after all this time, but I do have my secrets. Don’t you remember all those years ago, when you first came to us, I told you about magic and my Gift? You surprised me by asking about my double gold. We discussed Memory,
but you surprised me again by failing to ask about my second Gift.” “Telepathy?” I asked.
Atikus nodded.
“All those years . . .” I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “That explains a lot.”
Albius cleared his throat. “Now that that’s settled, we have one additional piece of information we need to give you before you start, and I’m not even sure what it means. Atikus?”
“We’ve identified that piece of cloth you found.” Atikus tossed the scrap on the table.
I leaned forward. This was our first lead, and it got my blood pumping.
“Are you familiar with the Children?” Atikus asked.
I shook my head.
“They are a tiny, semi-religious cult that dates back to the time of the Kingdom War. It was established after Empress Irina died. Between the Kingdom, Melucia, and our neighbors to the east, the Children are only estimated to have hundreds of members, or perhaps a thousand.
They are highly secretive and, until now, were of no concern to anyone.”
“Okay.” My brow furrowed. “How are they connected?”
“Their members wear full-length brown robes made of the same expensive material you found. I had one of our Mages perform a scrying on the scrap. The image that appeared in the waters of the bowl was of men wearing the masks and robes of the Children.”