Chapter 22 Ridley #2
I fumbled with my papers, closing the leather journal. “Mage Pel, you’ve all been most helpful. Thank you. Would you mind if we resumed in the morning? We have had an endless journey, and I’m sure we could all use a good night’s rest.”
“Of course,” said Pel, with a nod of his head. “We’ll help in whatever way we can.”
I turned to Atikus and Liv. “This has my mind racing, and I won’t be able to sleep. I think I’ll go walk the alley and see if anything jumps out. Why don’t you two get some sleep so we can start early in the morning?”
“At this hour?” Atikus asked. “It’s pitch black out there.”
I nodded. “I’ll have to go back when there’s light, but this will at least give me a feel for the place.”
Everyone rose and took their leave while Atikus tried to sneak another piece of pie from the table. Liv turned with a grin, speaking loud enough for all to hear. “Pop, Ma would never let you have another piece this late. You know how gassy you get.”
Laughter echoed in the dining room as we walked out.
I escorted Atikus and Liv to their rooms, then went outside, where I found a bin with torches.
The back of the Guild Hall opened to a tightly packed alleyway.
To one side, a densely wooded area ran the length of the alley.
Thick pines and gnarled oaks cast shadows onto the dirt path.
The back sides of shops lined the side opposite.
The guild sat apart from the row of shops, and I had to walk some fifty yards before reaching the first one.
From there, narrow buildings were packed together like children’s blocks with only inches of space between them.
This was the most upscale Merchant area in Freeport, where the elite came to shop and dine, but the backs of the shops looked the same as those in the poorest neighborhood.
Flecked paint, chipped wood, and overflowing bins gave the alley a grunginess that wrinkled my nose almost as much as the smell of rotten food in some of the bins.
The alley appeared to be infrequently traveled. With each step, I watched the path grip my print and hold it. Tracks would remain if undisturbed. The ground was hard-packed and dry. I didn’t think there had been any rain in the last couple of days.
I walked past a door marked Cobbler, then Moira’s Naughties, then Men’s Grooming House, before reaching a door that read, “Gil’s Royal Tailoring,” in faded black script. This was the last place Bel had been seen.
I searched the outer wall of the building, then held my torch up to the space between the building and its neighbors on either side. There wasn’t enough room for a person to squeeze through, and nothing looked like it had moved in years.
A rat scurried into the shadows.
I turned toward the woods.
There was nothing remarkable, and the trees were just as still as when I first strode by.
I stepped to the edge of the path and moved slowly, carefully examining the ground before taking each step.
A few yards further down from the shop’s door, deep grooves in the dirt headed off the trail.
The tracks didn’t continue onto the forest floor, but broken branches and disturbed leaves led in that direction.
I kneeled to get a closer look, and something glinted in the torchlight.
I brushed loose leaves away, revealing a ring.
Curious, I picked it up and turned it over in the torchlight.
It was a golden signet. I couldn’t be sure without checking the crest with the Mages, but my gut screamed that it belonged to this missing victim.
She must have dropped it for someone to find, leaving behind the only clue she could.
Good girl, Bel, I thought as I stuffed the ring into my pocket.
There was nothing else of note in the brush, or at least nothing else that could be found in the dark, so I decided to return in the morning with the team. My mind raced. The leads weren’t much, but they were more than we had a few hours ago.
The next morning, Atikus, Liv, and I were greeted in the dining room by spicy smoked bacon and biscuits, platters of eggs, and an assortment of fruit and nuts.
Pel was already seated, attacking an overfilled plate that struggled to contain a sampling of everything.
Atikus snatched a plate from the stack and began forming his own mountains.
As the group ate, I filled them in on what I had found during my walkabout, then turned to Pel.
“Would you ask the local Guard to return to the rear of the tailor’s shop with an experienced tracker and see if they can follow the wheel marks I found? That may give us an idea of the direction the kidnappers went.”
“Shouldn’t they have found them in the first place?”
I wanted to laugh. Of course, that was the case.
The locals had done a shoddy job from start to finish, but I couldn’t afford to say so and maintain any hope of receiving their support and aid.
I kept my expression smooth and said, “Possibly, but that doesn’t matter. The only thing we should focus on right now is finding Bel and bringing her home.”
“Of course, you’re right.” Pel wiped his mouth with a napkin as he stood and motioned to a serving boy.
“Let me send someone to do that right now, before any rains come in and ruin tracks.”
When the boy left the room, he turned back to me.
“Let’s talk about that ring you found. I know the Saltstone Mages failed to learn anything with their scrying, but I’d like to try again using that ring. We don’t have a focus tower like they do, but I believe an item that was so highly personal to Bel might yield more information.”
“Anything you find will be more than we have right now. Atikus?” I raised a questioning glance at the old Mage.
“It’s worth a try. When our Mages used the scrying bowl in the tower, we didn’t even get a ripple, much less a picture. They believed Bel was alive at the time based on the energy given off by the items, but something was blocking their Sight, and they couldn’t break through.
Even if we can’t pinpoint a location, the ring may at least confirm if Bel is still alive.”
He thought a moment. “Pel, I would like to help with the scrying by linking with the Mage performing the spell. With my Telepathy and strength, we may be able to break through whatever is shielding us.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Pel nodded. “We’ll need to make some preparations. Meet me in the lab in an hour. You remember where it is?”
“The one thing I can’t remember is the last time someone asked me, ‘Do you remember?’” Atikus snorted as his eyes glittered with amusement. “You forget that I can’t forget, even the things you’ve forgotten.”
Mage humor. Hilarious, I thought as I rolled my eyes.
The group disbanded, and Atikus explained that the scrying would take about an hour to prepare and then another two to complete, so Liv and I decided to pursue other lines of inquiry in the meantime.
We began with interviews of both the serving girl who had revealed Bel’s backdoor departure and the young apprentice who’d lied about showing Bel to the front door.
The latter was in tears, horrified that her deception might’ve brought harm to her friend.
She explained that Bel was meeting her parents for dinner, so she’d sneaked out the side door to visit the tailor’s shop.
She’d wanted a new gown for the occasion, hoping to surprise her parents.
She had asked the apprentice to cover for her.
Through her tears, she managed to say, “I wanted to be a good friend. What if she’s dead now? What if I killed her?”
Neither Liv nor I had answers. Even when the girl finished crying and composed herself, she had little else of use to add.
Both interviews were dead ends.
We retraced the back-alley route, searching for clues I might have missed under torchlight.
When we reached the tailor’s shop, Liv walked over to the ruts in the dirt and began following them into the woods.
In daylight, we could see that the trees were old and towered over the town.
They were also spaced several paces apart, allowing their roots to spread and intertwine.
The floor of the forest was mostly leaves, dirt, and the occasional shrub, leaving a visible path of wheel marks.
After a few minutes, Liv returned. “The locals should be able to follow those tracks. That should give us some idea of which direction they headed. I doubt we’ll get much more than that.”
“That might be useful if this case is actually linked to the missing Healer in Saltstone.”
“I can’t see how it is,” Liv said.
“Honestly, neither can I, but we don’t have enough to rule anything in or out at this point,” I said. “All right, let’s go talk to the tailor, see what they remember.”
We made our way to the front of the building and entered a door that led into a small brightly lit shop filled with the scent of leather and incense.
A stout, graying woman with thick spectacles shoved atop her head and a tangle of measuring tape around her neck greeted us.
“Please come in and make yourselves comfortable. I’m in the middle of a measurement, so look around a bit. I’ll be back in a few moments.” Then she vanished into the back.
With little to do but wait, we strolled around the tiny shop.
The walls were lined with dresses and coats, displaying what might be possible for Freeport’s wealthiest customers.
Nearly a half hour after we entered, the woman who’d greeted us returned and curtsied.
“Please forgive the wait. It’s the busy season for us, and so many young ladies are getting married. Now, young miss, is that what’s brought you my way?”
I chuckled a little too loudly at the brightness of Liv’s blush, earning a raised brow.
“On, no, ma’am,” Liv said quickly. “We are here on official business. Guard business.”
“Oh, my goodness! I just assumed, with your fine dress and handsome escort, that you were a couple. I hope I haven’t stepped in something.” She smoothed her dress and began fidgeting with a thimble that materialized from her pocket.
“No, ma’am.” Liv smiled and softened her voice. “Not at all.”
“Oh, good.” The woman’s eyes darted from Liv to me. “So, what’s this all about? What would the Guard want with my shop?”
“Do you recall making a dress for Bel Crim recently? She’s the daughter of—”
“Lord and Lady Crim. Oh yes, I do. Of course I do!”