"He used magic," I say as Percy returns with the water. Eclaise accepts it with a thank you and takes a sip.
"A stunning spell, yes," he says, setting the glass on the table. "I don't know which stunning spell, exactly, but Pine said that he yelled out something and all three of them dropped to the ground. The man, Matthew, and the maid that is. After that he went over to the bodies, took the man's knife and threw it away, and then just sat there until the Chief arrived. I don't know who went to get him... probably the other maid took a horse out when she realised something was going down."
"Where are they now?" Alica asks.
"Chief Wismuth took both of them to the castle basement. It's not really much of a dungeon, but it's the only place in town and it does have cells, even if they're used for storage mostly, so..."
"Oooh, boy, this could mean trouble," I say, running a hand through my hair. "Do the students know about what's happened?"
"No, only the staff has been notified so far. I was in town with the head medic, Nina Chaura, when the Chief told us, and she went on to tell the principal while I stopped at the teachers' lounge before heading here." Eclaise takes another sip of water and then rubs his hands together.
"That's good, we want to keep it that way," I say. "Of course the students need to be told Cole won't be teaching, and they will find out something, and the gossip will probably be astounding, but I believe it's best if we try to keep the magic as under wraps as we can... There's no telling what might happen, if... well." I exchange a look with Gil and Alica. They know I'm talking about Viper. Percy seems to still be out of it, staring off into the distance. What could've upset him so?
"Are you sure?" he asks, frowning, and looks over at Eclaise. He's playing with his ring again. "Are you sure he used magic?"
"There were several witnesses, and he didn't try to deny it," Eclaise says, looking apologetic. Percy's frown deepens.
"It just doesn't make sense, he shouldn't have magic..." he mutters.
"Did you know Cole well?" I ask. Percy's eyes fall on me, and he looks surprised for a second, but then he averts his gaze.
"No, not really," he admits. Zeze pats his hand on the table.
"Then there is no way you could've known! How could you have?" I say. He twists his ring around his finger, but says nothing. "What we need to worry about right now is the 'why', not the 'how'. I need to talk to Cole in person, sometime soon, I wonder if that's arrangeable today... Did Chief Wismuth say anything else?"
"No, he didn't," Eclaise says and continues, "But there is more.
I heard this from John Peters, you know, the gardener. Apparently not long before Herbert was arrested he had come to the main gate and talked with him. Herbert had asked if anyone had come through the gate and when John told him no, he said that someone dangerous might come through. An armed man, riding on a horse without a saddle. He said that the man should be followed at a distance but should not be engaged with. I don't know who the man is, exactly, but I think it's safe to assume it's the same man than at the farm."
"What happened to him?" I ask.
"He was arrested too, he did take a knife to someone's throat," Eclaise says pointedly. "Herbert... did seem like he knew the man?"
"Yeah, the first thing we need to do is go talk to him," I agree. "Get his side of the story. He clearly knows something we don't, and I need to find out what."
"I'd stop by the Pines' farm first," says Alica. "It is on the way and it might me better to hear the story from people that were actually there, you know. Instead of this whole 'he said she said'." She glances over to Eclaise and waves her hand. "Not that I don't think you're trustworthy, prof, it's just second hand info, hearsay, you know... it can always be a bit iffy. Best to go to the source."
"Good idea, Lis," I say as I stuff my school supplies into my bag. "We should go right now, get this done with."
Gil and Alica both stand up and pack their bags. Percy stays still and I look at him questioningly.
"Oh, I can't," he says when he notices. "I still have to finish my shift, and I don't know how much use I'd be either way..."
"Alright, if you don't want to," I say and turn to Eclaise. "What about you? What are you going to do?"
"I think I best go talk to the principal. We're likely to have an emergency teachers' meeting," he says and stands up. "I trust you to figure this one out, master Woodham."
"Of course," I say. He leaves the library. I can hear the screech of Percy's chair as he stands up too. He still seems very shocked, though I can't help but wonder why. Zeze is flying around his head looking worried. "Hey, Zeze, you take care of him, okay?"
She turns to look at me. We have a small stare down and then she crosses her arms and grins.
I don't understand her reply, but it seems she understood me, so I give her a thumbs up and the three of us leave the library.
~x~
We drop our school bags in our dorm room and then we're off to the Pines' farm. We're quiet as we walk swiftly towards the farm, the silence heavy and serious. Things have taken a rather unexpected turn and there's no telling what's in store. This might spark some rather unpleasant consequences, courtesy of our masked friend. He's already a loose cannon and it is impossible to guess what his reaction to Cole's arrest might be.
The road to town via the Pines' farm is longer than the route we normally take, due to having to go around the west side of the lake. The distance to the farm itself isn't particularly long though, and we can see the house up ahead after a ten, fifteen minute walk. There's no one outside, but there's a light on the window and smoke coming out of the chimney.
"Let me," Alica says as we approach the door. I motion her to go ahead and she knocks firmly three times. Old man Pine opens the door a smidgen and peeks through the crack. He's eying us warily, and no wonder, his maid was attacked just hours ago. "Hello," says Alica, smiling sweetly.
"Whatd'ya want?" he asks.
"I was hoping we could talk with Tina? My name is Alica, I'm her friend, and we heard about what happened, so I just wanted to make sure she's alright," she says, not faltering at the old man's rude question, and playing up the sympathy. He opens the door, looking relieved.
"Alright then, come on in. She's pro'ly still in shock, poor lass, but she could use a friendly face. To think that somethin' like this could happen, at our own doorstep! Luckily the chief took 'em both away and me staff is alright." He's motioning us inside and leads us into the main room. His granddaughter, maybe five or six, is playing with a doll in the corner and looks up curiously when we walk in.
"You were there when it happened?" Alica asks, though she knows the answer.
"Och, aye," says old man Pine. "Me 'n Melissa came out to see what was going on when we heard Tina scream and we found these two men. One of 'em had a nasty scar on his left cheek, and he was holdin' a knife on Tina's throat, and the other one, Herbert Cole, was sittin' on a horse 'n was trying to get 'im to stop. The man with tha scar was tellin' 'im he wanted ta be left alone and that's when Mattie arrived. Now, I don't think he saw the knife cause he came runnin' to help Tina and then BAM -" he slaps his hands together "- Cole shouts out something and all three of 'em fall down. I though they was dead, I did."
"What did he shout?" I ask. Old man Pine shrugs.
"I 'unno, couldn't understand, but it was magic, I tell ya. He di'int do much after, just got off the horse and went over to the bodies, threw away the knife and then sat there till the chief came. Di'int even try ta run." He shakes his head and sighs. "Well, I better go feed mah animals. Once you're done talkin' with Tina, come by the stable. Ya can take Cole's horse back to the school."
"Sure thing, mister Pine! Thank you," Alica says and old man Pines leaves through the back door. She turns to me. "Um, I think I better go talk to her alone... She is probably shaken, and the last thing she needs it a cross examination."
"Alright," I say. "Try to get as many details as possible. At this point everything is relevant."
"Course, pet. You just sit tight," she says and skips to the door leading to the back chamber. She knocks softly. "Tina? It's Alica, do you mind if I come in?" There is an answer from inside the room, though it's too faint for me to make out. Alica gives me wink and an OK sign and enters the room. She closes the door behind her.
Gil and I are left to stand, somewhat awkwardly, in the middle of the room. The little girl, Melissa I assume, is still looking at us curiously. We exchange a look with Gil, who goes over and kneels next to her.
"Hi, I'm Gil," he says. "What's your name?"
"Melissa," says the girl, a bit shy. Gil extends his hand and she shakes it. He sits down. I go sit at the table by the wall. Gil is much better with children, so I let him handle this.
"Hello, Melissa. I like your doll." His voice is kind and friendly. She looks pleased and gives it to show him.
"Her name is Molly," she says, proudly. "My mum gave her to me, she used to be her doll."
"Really?" says Gil, handing the doll back. "I can tell that your mother loved her very much and that she is very happy with you."
Melissa beams up at Gil, a similar smile on my face as well. Watching Gil interact with children is something I don't get to witness often, as there are very few of them around. He seems to have won little Melissa over pretty quickly too, listening attentively as the child starts to explain about the doll and all the exciting games they play together and with Tina. I get the feeling she is like a big sister to Melissa.
"Tina said this morning that once the raining stopped, we could go outside to look for puddles," she is saying. Her face falls a little. "But then the bad man came and now Tina has to rest."
"Did you see the bad man?" Gil asks. Melissa nods.
"Grampa and me went out to see what was wrong with Tina and he was grabbing a hold of her yelling at the magic man on the horse. But, but, Tina didn't like it and she was crying, and you should never hold on someone who doesn't want to be hold."
"That's right," Gil agrees. "And no one should ever hold you unless you want them to."
"Right," she says, nodding. "And then Mattie was running and the magic man was shouting and then everyone fell asleep and fell down like splat." She demonstrates by dropping her doll on the ground. She picks it up immediately and pats its head. "Everyone but the magic man, he was still on the horse. It was a big horse, a big, black horse."
"Was is scary?" Gil asks and I'm not entirely sure if he's talking about the whole situation or the horse specifically.
"No, the horse was very pretty, and the magic man was just trying to help. He came to stop the bad man, and then he stopped him, and then he accidentally stopped Tina and Mattie too, but it's not his fault. The police thought that it was the magic man's fault and took him away with the bad man, but I don't think the magic man was bad."
Gil smiles, a small quirk of his lips and he leans in closer to Melissa.
"He wasn't a bad man, the magic man," he whispers. "He was a good man. He was actually my teacher, before."
"Oh," she says, and thinks. "Did you know he was magic?"
"No, I didn't," he admits. "You can never really know who might be magic, but it's also important to know that not all who have magic are bad. Just like my teacher."
"Yeah." They smile at each other. The door to the back chamber opens and Alica steps out, behind her a girl around our age. She looks rather pale.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright," Alica says to her. Tina smiles, a bit tired, but a smile nonetheless.
"Thanks for visiting," she says. "Talking about it did help. I hope you figure out whatever is going on." They hug briefly. Gil and I both stand up and Melissa walks over to Tina, clutching her doll against her chest. "Come, I can show you the stables. Hey, Mel, you want to go outside?"
Melissa squeaks in happiness and clings onto Tina's hand. She waves at Gil and I, and we follow the three girls out the back door. The stables are just around the corner, and there we come face to face with the best runner in the Academia: White Diamond.
The horse neighs as he sees us. A young man is brushing him and looks up as we enter.
"Tina! Are you sure you should be up?" he asks when he sees her. She waves him off.
"I'm fine, Matt, really. And you're out and about, aren't you?" she says.
"Well, yes, but you were the one with the, uh.... knife at your throat," he tries. She puts her hand on his cheek and smiles.
"Your concern is touching, but unnecessary. I'm not going to do any hard work, I just came to show my friends the stable and then play with Mel in the yard for a bit." The man, evidently Matthew the farm hand, looks at us with a frown. Alica waves at him. "They're from the Academia and promised to take the horse back there."
"Oh," he says. "Well, he should be able to carry two of you, but I seriously doubt he'd make it with all three, so you're gonna have to walk him home. Let me just put his saddle back on and you can get going."
"Thank you," I say. He goes to take the saddle from the back. "You were also involved in the incident earlier, weren't you?" He freezes for a moment.
"Yeah, I was," he says, throwing the saddle on the horse. "Didn't realize the guy had a knife, otherwise I woulda stayed quiet and snuck behind him to knock him out. Instead we all get knocked out by that goddamn sorcerer."
"It was not the professor's fault, he was trying to get him to stop," says Tina. Matthew finishes putting the saddle on and unties the reins from the pole.
"Still, pisses me off," he mutters, looking away from her. I think I see a faint flush on his ears, but I could be wrong. She huffs out a laugh.
"Now, don't you get jealous it wasn't you that saved me," she says. "I appreciate the attempt. You were very heroic."
His lips tug as a small smile works its way on his lips. He leads the horse out of the barn and then hands over the reins.
"You know how to handle a horse, right? He's a lot bigger than the ponies you mostly have," he asks us.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," I say, taking the reins. "Thank you, and I hope you feel better, Tina."
They wave at us as we walk over to the main road, Melissa especially vigorously. Then they turn and go back to the back yard. We stop by the side of the road.
"I didn't know you were her friend," I say to Alica.
"I'm everybody's friend," she says with a smirk. "Her story matched old man Pine's pretty well. Apparently the two had rode down the road from the Academia's direction, Cole chasing the other guy. He'd grabbed her and put the knife to her throat and told Cole to not move and then demanded to be left alone. She was pretty in shock at the time, but she knows that Cole was the one who did the magic and when she came to, the three of them were lying on the ground, her, Matt, and Jacobs."
"Wait, Jacobs?" I ask.
"That's what Cole called the other guy," she specifies.
Jacobs... that name is so familiar, why is it so familiar.... It's a pretty common name, but something... recently... a scar on his face... and why is it related to Cole, who -
"Holy shit," I wheeze out, my eyes wide. "Private Hans Jacobs!"
"The... dead guy who started the Great Battle?" Gil says, disbelieving. "That Hans Jacobs?"
"It makes sense!" I say, the wheels in my mind running like crazy. "I mean something came up, just this morning, something important and related to Cole's research on the Battle, something that made him chase through the mud and the rain and be late for his class. He was chasing someone today, when he told John Peters - you know, the gardener - that someone would be coming, someone armed and dangerous and then the incident right here! The man was clearly desperate, he wanted to be left alone, that's what everyone kept saying, he wanted to be left alone because he is meant to be dead, but lieutenant Herbert Cole recognised him and he had to do something about it. Ooooh, this changes everything, I never imagined..! The very corner stone of the anti-magic legislation, the assassination of private Jacobs and it never even happened!"
"But he was dead, though, wasn't he?" Alica says, uncertain. "He was found dead by a fellow soldier."
"That's what I thought too," I say, running my hands through my hair. "Everyone did! Even my aunt, she wrote a whole book about it but she never even questioned whether or not the guy was actually dead! Why would she? There was no reason! Unless of course, there was every reason... The book, her book, it only cites the official report, submitted by sergeant Feathers to the captain of the Kalehar division and so does the King's history book, as do all the books! Every single book I've read in the past week, every single one of them, and the all cite only, only the official report! No other witnesses, no medical examiner, no coroner's report, not even an undertaker, just the official report. by. sergeant. Feathers."
I stop. I stand completely still, my thoughts racing around, trying to grasp and connect all the loose ends, making things fit. The 'what's, the 'how's, the 'why's? Everything points in one place, there is only one person who has ever made a statement about the demise of private Jacobs and that is sergeant Feathers. Jacobs faked his death, and Feathers was in on it.
He was found by a soldier, the one who came to relieve him of his guard shift, but he needn't be a part of it, though it is a possibility. All he had to do was find an apparently dead Jacobs and he would report it to his superior, Feathers, who would report it to the captain and just like that Jacobs is officially dead, with no other middle hands necessary. Just one report and one fooled soldier. I wonder if Jacobs himself knew what an uproar his death would warrant, I wonder if he planned it that way, if that was his goal all along, or if the war was just an unfortunate turn of events, started by one man's actions that were in no way related to the following turmoil. Maybe it wasn't planned, but a seized opportunity when he noticed that his death had become a much larger part of history than his life ever was. Maybe it wasn't Jacobs at all, but Feathers, who had planned the whole thing, used Jacobs as a means to an end. Maybe it was something else entirely, maybe -
Someone snaps their fingers in front of my face and I blink to see Gil's face looking up at mine.
"You were getting repetitive," he says. I blink again and rub my face.
"Right, sorry," I say. I clear my throat. "Now, Jacobs is alive, this much we know. How and why, that's a whole different matter. We need to go talk to him, and to Cole, who conveniently are in the same place; the palace cellar. We have to stop by Chief Wismuth of course, to get the key, but this thing is getting solved, and it's getting solved today. Alica?"
"Yes, love?" she says.
"I need you to get back to the Academia, and spread a rumour," I say. She looks mildly disappointed but perks up at the prospect of a rumour. "The knowledge that Jacobs is alive and that the whole anti-magic purge was based on lies could spark a lot of controversy and violent feelings, and that is the last thing we want with Viper on the loose. We are very lucky that no one wanted to join his little mission, but this could change things, and drastically. When people feel like they've been cheated they're a lot more susceptible to radical ideas, and this is just the kind of thing that sways people. So what you need to do is go there and spread around as many insane, unbelievable, stupid rumours about what happened to Cole and who he was chasing that there is no way of distinguishing the truth from the lies. Can you do that?"
"Oh, honey, 'rumour' is my middle name," she says with a grin. "Actually it's Nyx, but you get my point."
"Gil, you have your notebook?" I ask. He pulls it from his pocket. "Excellent. We're gonna go do some cross examination. We'll take the horse."
"Say what now," says Gil. I clap his shoulder.
"It'll be fine, you just have to hold tight, I'll do the actual riding," I say.
"Well you boys have fun with that," Alica says. "I'm gonna get back to the Academia. A lot of gossip to spread!" She waves at us and runs off.
"Come on, Gil, we should go too," I say, petting the horse on the neck, before climbing on. It's been a while since I've ridden a horse as big as White Diamond, but doesn't take a while to get used to the feeling again. I extend my hand down to Gil, who looks very doubtful. "Come along, now."
"Are you sure it's safe?" he asks as he takes my hand.
"Totally."
He frowns, but pulls himself up on the saddle (with just a bit of pulling from my part). White Diamond is clearly a well trained horse, as he stays as still as possible until I urge him to a small trot. Gil is clinging to my waist and I pat his hand.
"I'm gonna speed up now," I say and he nods. I usher the horse into a canter and then into a slow gallop. All the while Gil clings onto me, his face buried in my back. White Diamond is a fast horse, but also a steady one, and after a while Gil's grip loosens as he relaxes. Soon his hands are just draped around me, not squeezing at all, and I spur the horse into a faster gallop. It's almost like we're gliding along the road, the wind blowing in our hair and I can feel my pulse rate rise with excitement. I spur White Diamond even more and we make it into town in record time.
We stop in front of the bakery. That's where Wismuth will be. I hop off the horse and help Gil down as well, before tying him to the bar in front of the building. We exchange a look with Gil and then we step inside, accompanied by the soft tingle of a bell above the door.
The whole shop is filled with the delightful smell of baked goods and pastries. There's a counter at the front, next to which are rows and rows of breads and small cakes. The room is much warmer than outside, no doubt thanks to the ovens located in the back room, visible through a doorway on the right side of the back wall. There's no one by the counter, which is really bad for business.
"Chief Wismuth!" I call out and soon he comes rushing from the back room.
"Yes, yes, how can I help you?" he asks, smiling awkwardly at us from behind the counter. I've never really liked the man much, though I've never been able to pinpoint why. He is very enthusiastic about his job as the chief of police, but he is so bad at it, like I cannot begin to describe how wrong the man is for the job. But since there's basically no crime in town and he's never majorly fucked up, the other townspeople - none of whom want the job - have never felt the need to replace him. And so he gets to play police to his heart's content.
Even though he is incompetent, he does look the part, which I assume is part of the reason there's no crime. He is a huge man, with a very intimidating face, which makes for an interesting contrast when one sees him bustling in the bakery, covered in flour. Of course, the would-be-thieves, who don't know about his rather gentle nature and only see his big stature, instantly realise it would not be smart to get on his bad side. It's all a bluff, but it's effective to an extent.
"We're here to discuss a very important matter," I say, walking over to him. He dusts his hands on his apron. It has a sewn picture of an ottori on it, how cute. "It's about professor Cole."
"Well, in case you didn't know by now, he's been arrested," Wismuth says, frowning.
"Oh, yes, I am well aware of that," I say. "In fact that is exactly why I'm here."
"Excuse me?" he says, looking surprised and slightly annoyed. "Who do you think you are, kid?"
I grin at him and he seems taken aback, not expecting a reaction like that. "I'm glad you asked," I say, stepping towards the counter. "My name is Osborn Woodsham."
"Woodsham..?" says Wismuth, and I can see on his face as he tries to place the name. He does, eventually, and his eyes widen. "W-wait... the Woodsham? You mean-?"
"Oh, yes," I say, adjusting the sleeve of my uniform shirt so that I know he can see the signet ring on my left forefinger. He's gone somewhat pale. "Now, I know you are just a small country officer of a small country town, but you seem to have accidentally stumbled on something quite big and something quite important. I need to talk to professor Cole and for that I need the key which you are in possession of. Technically, you have two choices; to help me or to not. Very simple, really. Now, as you're deciding what to do in this unexpected situation, I would like to point out that a few choice words from me to some very high up people could easily make your life everything you want it to be. Or, alternatively, a living hell."
Wismuth has started to sweat slightly, and he tugs at his collar. I smile at him. Finally he sighs, dusts his hands again and takes off the apron.
"Martha! I need you to man the counter!" he yells to the back room and soon his wife emerges from the back. She's a small woman, but full of happiness, and she smiles at us. "Come on then," Wismuth says, motioning us to follow as he walks through the side door into his "police office". Once there, he takes a key chain from a drawer and then comes back out. "I'm coming with you, no way in hell I'm letting you face these criminals alone."
"Your concern is much appreciated, thank you," I say, only a little sarcastic. He glares at me, and then leads the way out of the bakery and towards the Lonchester Castle.
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Ok so hear me out. There's three more scenes to this story, but I need dad to finish one of them. Dad, who doesn't have time to finish it with me right now. SO, instead of writing until who knows what time and still not being able to post this tonight, I'm just gonna post this part now, and you'll get the rest of the scenes tomorrow, when dad and I have time to write them. Ok? Ok.
Until then, enjoy
Pie out.
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Hello hello! In the end we didn't have time to finish the last scene (it is super long) so I'm gonna cut it out and start the next part with it. Yay. It was mom's birthday (she's
Sorry.
Pie out.
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