Chapter 13
“I’ve never been to a constable’s headquarters before,” said Nanora as she walked ahead of Sergeant Murphy.
“Oh?” groused Murphy, her jeweled staff slung over his shoulder. “Was drawing a knife on me your way of scoring an invite?”
The red-haired witch giggled. He does have a sense of humor. True, it was a bit annoying to get around with her hands cuffed, but it made him feel better, and that would make him more cooperative. She had also lost her hat in the squad car; it’s pointed tip was much too high for the car roof.
The precinct was on the smaller side, a testament to Fin Island’s low crime rate. A few other officers on the night shift were milling around, though nobody seemed in a terrible hurry.
“Hey Phil, what’ve you got here?” The blonde, heavyset woman popped over the top of her cubicle like a gopher. Nanora thought her round cheeks fit that description well.
“Evenin’, Tammy,” he replied. “Just got a space cadet whose fellow LARPers decided it’d be a fun night out to bushwhack an officer of the law.”
Tammy’s face fell. “Oh no, really? You alright?”
Murphy patted his stomach where Bayla had socked him. “Actually, yeah. Not feeling bad, considering they knocked me out. Then this one decided to draw a knife!”
“Did they steal anything?” asked Tammy.
“Of course not,” said Nanora, trying (and failing) to strike a heroic pose with her wrists bound. “I, Nanora ag Sintala, the Ivory Witch, intervened before Vince Meyer could enact his wicked whims!”
Tammy looked at Nanora like she had grown another head. “Kinda early for the Ren Faire, isn’t she?”
Murphy shrugged. “It isn’t even a full moon, so I can’t explain it. Anyway, you mind taking this back to evidence? I’m going to question her for a bit.”
Tammy stepped around the corner, taking the staff. “Hun, you know you’re entitled to a lawyer, right?”
“So Constable Murphy informed me,” said Nanora, smiling warmly down at the squat woman. “Why should I need a lawyer, though? I’m an ally of good!”
Tammy shrugged. “Your funeral. Phil, let me know if you need anything, alright? I could use the entertainment; it’s a pretty dull night so far.”
“Will do, Tammy. Come on, you.” He nudged Nanora forward. She thought he could have been a bit gentler, but she overlooked it.
“I see your fellow constables are not terribly busy. Excellent! We can all join forces to capture that awful poacher.”
The mustached officer looked at her incredulously. “Poacher? You didn’t mention that.”
She nodded. “I was waiting until we could get your whole band together. I did not care to tell the story more than once.”
“Tell you what, darlin’,” he said, opening the door to a claustrophobic interrogation room, “you tell me, and I promise everyone’s going to hear all about it.”
She took a seat. “I only caught the tail end of the battle; is it true that Vince Meyer knocked you out?”
Sergeant Murphy sat down opposite from her. “No it was the… right, yeah. He’s a big guy. He’s the one who did it.” He rubbed his stomach. “I got over it quick, but he ambushed me. Caught me off guard.”
“What a fiend,” she said. “All of that on top of kidnapping that poor blackfish!”
He blinked twice. “Blackfish? Huh?”
“You might know them as orcas. Either way, she now wears the form of a human,” explained Nanora, “but do not be fooled by appearances! She is an Ascended Blackfish, a member of the Northern Kelp Forest Pod. I have been tasked with bringing her home to Avalas, where she belongs.”
“Uh… huh.”
When Nanora had been assigned on deep cover, she had been told to keep those sorts of details from the locals. She might have overshared with this Sergeant Murphy fellow, but a constable could be trusted. He protected the island just as she did!
“I know it must be a lot to take in; there is so precious little magic on this side of the Veil. I promise you, it is the truth.”
Murphy leaned back in his chair. “So that girl who… aided and abetted the strong man who knocked me out is actually a killer whale?”
“Yes, exactly,” she said. “Vince Meyer has some unknown design on her, but she is easier to transport in that form. Worse, he has her ensorcelled, and she now obeys his orders! She even fought me and my summoned griffon.”
“Don’t worry, darlin’,” he said, patting her hand in a comforting, if slightly demeaning, way. “I know exactly what to do about it.”
“What a relief,” she said.
He leaned out the door. “Hey Tammy? Can you get me one of those drug test kits? This one’s high on something.”
It occurred to Nanora that she might have been told to keep Avalas a secret not for the security of the realm, but because nobody would actually believe her.
She stood, wincing in pain from the blow Bayla had struck her. “I see this was a mistake. I am sorry, Constable Murphy, but if you will not help me apprehend Vince Meyer, I need to be going.”
A strong hand shoved her roughly back into the chair. “No, you aren’t. We’re going to figure out who you are—”
“I told you! I’m Nanora ag Sintala, the Ivory Witch.”
“The name your mama gave you,” he said. “Once we have that, we’ll worry about your friends.”
Nanora’s cheeks flushed with righteous indignation. “I told you, his name is Vince Meyer, and that villain is no friend of mine!”
“There’s no villains; just perps. Start talking sense, because playtime’s over.”
She sighed. “I suppose it is. Very well, I see how things are.”
“Good.” He went back to the door, turning his back on what he thought was a surrendered prisoner. “Tammy! Where’s that test kit?”
Nanora took the chance to sort through the charms on her bracelet. Which summon will hurt him the least? Tanos had poisoned the blackfish she had been sent to rescue, which was a detail that would absolutely be left out of her report. She had to be gentler with an officer of the law, even if he was rather rude and unhelpful. Still, this constable had a pistol and a square weapon he had drawn on her before. She did not want to have to repair two summoning charms.
Since the interrogation room was more like a closet, Nanora settled on her smallest remaining battle summon, Yarlan. She held the charm bracelets to her chest, willing her mana into the artifact. Her golden bracelet flashed, filling the confined space with an almost blinding light an instant before everything electronic for a hundred yards lost power, casting them in complete darkness.
If that Constable Murphy had not been so rude, Nanora would never have summoned such a large beast indoors. The summoning process seemed to disrupt the technology of the locals for some reason, though it would usually come back intact. Usually.
No, don’t feel bad! He was going to imprison you because he’s annoyed! Oh, but what about that Tammy woman? She had kind eyes. Surely she couldn’t be…
Nanora stopped that train of thought, shaking her head definitively. No, you have a mission! That blackfish is counting on you!
A hole in the Veil opened to her side for just an instant, and out walked a bulky blade-cat from the northern wastes of Avalas. The creature bore white fur interrupted by black spots, and enormous canines that projected past its chin. It was a squat beast, with powerful, sloped shoulders that dwarfed its rear legs.
“Be quiet, Yarlan.” The big cat looked up at her with slanted eyes, but it nodded once in understanding. She offered her bound hands and hooked the handcuffs’ chain underneath one of the dagger-like teeth, which Yarlan snapped with a jerk of his mighty head. “Good boy.”
Nanora’s golden mask was for more than looks; it turned the dim light of the interrogation room into daylight. Phil Murphy’s eyes were wild as he whirled around, his hand going again to the square weapon at his hip.
“What in God’s name—”
“Yarlan, be gentle,” ordered Nanora. “No claws.”
The blade-cat sprang into action, tackling Sergeant Murphy to the ground before he knew the beast was there. Powerful arms that could wrestle a lesser drake to the ground pinned the disagreeable constable before he knew what was happening. It was a rough landing, but he was a blasphemer, so perhaps he had it coming?
Yarlan could do nothing about Murphy’s mouth, but Nanora had anticipated the man’s scream. Everyone who saw Yarlan pop out of nowhere tended to cry out. I don’t know why; he’s so cute once you get to know him. Her hand muffled his scream, but she worried that Tammy might have been able to hear the impact. I shall have to work quickly.
Murphy’s eyes shone with terror.
Nanora cast a minor spell to illuminate the room. Murphy shrieked again when he got a better look at Yarlan. “Are you done yet, sir? I assure you, Yarlan here is harmless… as long as I tell him to be. Now, I’m going to remove my hand, and then we are going to talk like adults. One ally of good to another. Do you agree?”
Not seeing much choice in the matter, Murphy nodded.
“Is that a goddamn sabretooth cat?”
“Language!” chided Nanora. “Yarlan here is a northern blade-cat.” Unable to resist, she ran her fingers through his thick, shaggy fur. He was so delightfully fuzzy, though that presented its own problems. He was already panting in the stuffy room’s heat, so Nanora cut to the chase.
“You see, Constable Murphy? I am not a role player. I summoned him here with my magic, and I can send him back just as easily.”
“There’s no such thing as magic,” he declared, his voice lacking conviction.
“That’s rude when the ideal blade-cat is sitting here in front of you! Apologize to poor Yarlan.”
The cat made a low rumble as he sized up his prey.
“S-sorry?”
Nanora beamed down at him as the lights switched back on. She unsummoned her magical spotlight with a wave of her fingers. “Apology accepted. I’ll be on my way soon. All I want is my staff back, and your assurance that you will not get in my way while I track down that blackfish.” She patted her bare head. “And my hat.”
“Wait, what? It sounded like you wanted to team up earlier!”
Nanora let out an annoyed huff. “That was before you were so darned rude to me! Besides, if Yarlan here was able to best you so easily, you will be no help.”
Murphy could not help but be insulted… but he also could not disagree much, either. “You caught me off guard!”
“That matters not. Do you agree?”
“Don’t have much of a choice,” muttered the officer.
“Splendid!” Nanora rose to her full height, unsummoning Yarlan. He disappeared into a shower of sparks, just like poor Tanos. The overhead light flickered, but stayed on; it was the initial breach of the Veil that wreaked the most havoc of electronics.
Tammy poked her head into the room. “Got that kit you wanted, Phil. Wait, why’re you on the floor?”
Phil glanced up at Nanora with wary eyes. An honest to God witch, and monsters. Hell, I’m glad she wants me out of this. “I tripped, Tammy. And, uh, cancel the kit. She’s a good kid, just with a big imagination.” He stood, brushing himself off, prompting a sneeze. Guess I’m allergic to the cats with sabers, too. “Save it for the Ren Faire, alright?”
Nanora frowned, before seeing him wink out of Constable Tammy’s view. “Of course, Constable Murphy.”
As Nanora flew away on her staff, she felt disappointed. They were no help after all, and now I have no leads left! She looked down at Vince’s lost knife, wondering how her sympathetic magic had faded so fast. That poor blackfish. Hopefully she knows her pod’s healing magic; Tanos’ venom isn’t deadly, but it is ever so painful.
Just as well that Murphy was a poor constable; if he cannot handle Yarlan, then it would not be fair to bring him into this. There are much more dangerous predators on Fin Island these days.
**************
The hunter had traced a straight shot from the Memorial Park to the back room of one of the shops in the tourist district. It served as the master’s laboratory, its walls and tables covered in a collection of magical artifacts that would have made any wizard in Avalas drool. Some were kept in their pristine state, where others had been disassembled to better understand them. Bones from a dozen species of exotic beasts were also laid out in orderly rows, ready to turn into magical reagents. At least, the hunter thought that was their purpose; he did not understand much of magic.
The hunter felt a sense of pride at serving such a wise man. He was a genius, after all, wise in all the ways he was not. He will be proud of me. The thought filled him up with air in a balloon.
A slap to his covered face disabused them of that notion, sending the hunter back on his heels. The robed man the hunter followed was not much of a presence, physically. He was perhaps tall enough to reach his chest, though the massive hunter was a poor measuring stick. The blow might as well have been a lash from a feather, but it was the thought that truly counted.
“Have I displeased you?” asked the hunter.
“Tell me,” the cloaked man began, “you can speak the language of man, yes?”
The hulking figure fell to his knees, bowing in supplication. “Of course. You taught me.”
“Good, I was worried you had forgotten, you ignoramus!” Another slap, just as ineffective as the last, but just as much a blow to his feelings. “I told you not to show up until you found that orca!” He returned to pacing. “You don’t smell like seawater; don’t tell me she’s come on land?”
“She has; I’ve been tracking her. There is something… off about her scent now.”
“You haven’t been tracking her well,” snapped the master, “or else you’d have her in tow!”
“I know, sir, but I bring news! There is a griffon on Fin Island!”
He whirled around. “What do I care about… wait, a griffon?”
“Yes, sir.”
His face scrunched into a thoughtful mask. He strode over to a machine in the corner, a scrying artifact hooked up to a printer. If the hunter had known the ways of Landmen, he would have thought it looked like a seismograph. The master shuffled through a few feet of the length spool of paper.
“There’s been nothing that’s pierced the Veil since I brought you over… at least, nothing significant. There’s always germs and insects flitting to-and-fro around these parts, but they don’t show up on my reader. The only thing I wouldn’t detect would be…”
The master stood, his eyes blank as he pondered the data before him. The hunter stayed patiently crouched; the master did this sometimes when deep in thought.
The shorter man spun around. “Well? Did you see her?”
“The whale? No, I already—”
“Not the whale, the witch!” He pointed towards a device that looked a bit like a tuning fork. “If I didn’t detect it, that means it’s that witch we’ve been keeping tabs on!”
“I didn’t think of that,” said the hunter.
“You wouldn’t. Now hush, I need to sort this out.”
The man began to pace, scratching at his chin thoughtfully. The hunter did not think much about his master’s looks. To him, all humans more or less looked the same. Still, he had a scent that the hunter recognized as well as his own, all dust, must, and aftershave. It was one of his favorites, making him think of home and comfort.
The slaps he was less fond of, especially the third time around. The Master is under a lot of pressure. Giving him a vent is part of my duties. Besides, they are not proper wounds.
The master stopped, turning to face his servant. “You should have nothing to fear from a witch’s summons, but she can return the orca to Avalas. If that happens, we’ll miss out on this splendid opportunity. These orca parts have been a bonanza.”
“I have more news.”
“Grand,” scoffed the master. “Because you’ve delivered me such good news so far! Well, spit it out.”
The hunter took a step back, out of slapping distance. “There is another party: an ordinary-smelling local. I believe he and the witch fought, and he bested her summon.”
The man held his head in his hands, sighing deeply. “Another interloper? Those mercenaries in Avalas couldn’t seal the deal, and now there’s a witch and some mysterious third party in the mix, too. It’s so hard to run a business these days.”
“Fourth party,” corrected the hulking figure, glad to be out of slapping range. He placed a comforting hand on their master’s shoulder, which he did not object to. “There’s us, the whale, the witch, and this mysterious man.”
The master slipped from the giant’s grasp. “All the more reason to stop dawdling around here!” The man pointed out the door. “I have to open the shop tomorrow, so get your useless ass out there and pound pavement until you get me my orca! I don’t want to see you again without her.”
“Of course, master. I will not disappoint you again.”
The man smiled up at his servant, which made his heart feel lighter. “I’m sure you won’t; there’s a reason you’re my hound. Now, get out there!”
Without a word, the hunter walked out the door. The plan was simple, as all his plans were: walk around town until he caught a useful scent, and then follow it to the source. Then, whatever was there would be caught or devoured. It was simply a matter of time.
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