Unofficial Detective

by Kathryn Wells

  'How is a hallucination potion useful?' he asked. He felt almost as frail as when he had been learning magic at the house, only Lizzie wasn't there to give him any cake to help him recover.

  'It's useful for the people that take Winsome Sunbeam whole- they would have a much easier way of measuring dosage then.'

  Thordric shrugged and stood up, his legs wobbling underneath him. He had been staring at the mark above Kalljard's ear. That had been placed there by magic, but they still had no idea why. Perhaps…?

  He bent down to look at it. The smell was fainter now, but still there. If he removed the paint, then they would be able to see what, if anything, was underneath.

  'Thordric? What are you up to now?' his mother asked, watching him closely.

  'Only a little magic,' he said, grinning at her. Then he frowned. How would he remove it? With paint remover? It worked with normal paint, so a magic version should work with magic paint…shouldn't it? He tried it, and his mother's jaw dropped: it worked.

  They bent in closer, to see what had been revealed. There was a small puncture mark, about the width of a needle. He felt rather smug.

  'You know, Thordric, I'm starting to believe Lizzie was right about you. You have a lot of talent.' She smiled at him as she spoke, but he was crushed that she had doubted him at all. He turned away so she wouldn't see his eyes watering.

  'What are you going to do now we've found it?' he asked, fighting back the thickness in his voice.

  'I have to take a blood sample and then examine it to see if there are any traces of Winsome Sunbeam. It might take a while, so you should probably go back to the station.' She walked closer, just noticing the slight trembling through his body. 'Thordric? Are you alright?'

  'Yes,' he lied. 'It's just dead bodies make me feel uncomfortable after a while.'

  Back at the station, after giving his report to the Inspector, he asked for permission to work in one of the offices by himself. The Inspector, surprisingly kindly, told him that they were all being used, so Thordric found himself on his way to Lizzie's town house instead. He hadn't expected to see her again so soon.

  The snow was still thick on the ground, and the path he had to take was riddled with hidden ice. A few times he considered blasting it all away, but there were so many people about that he knew it would attract too much attention. Instead he resolved just to heat it up slightly so that it became more sludge than ice.

  As he came up to her garden, he found her outside, attempting to shift the snow from the lawn. The shovel she was using was large and awkward, and her arms wobbled as she tried to lift it. Thordric shook his head. Keeping just out of sight, he melted all of the snow around her. She stood looking around, not quite sure what had happened. It was then that he decided to stroll out to meet her.

  She didn't react quite how he had expected, and he ended up with a large clump of mud on his cheek.

  'Have you taken leave of your senses, boy?' she said, brandishing the shovel at him. He took a few involuntary steps backwards.

  'I thought you would be impressed,' he said.

  'Impressed? Of course I'm impressed. Impressed at how thick headed you are. Come inside before someone walks past and sees what you've done!' she replied with exasperation.

  He didn't argue. Following her inside, relishing in the warmth, he made his way to the kitchen. As usual, something delicious was cooking away on the stove and his stomach rumbled loudly. She tutted at him and brought out a bowl and plate, as well as a wet cloth to wipe his face on.

  'Now that you're here I suppose you'll expect to be fed,' she said, and ladled some thick stew into his bowl. She did the same for her own, and then cut up thick slices of bread for them to dip in it. 'There, that's better.' She sat down opposite him, but didn't eat.

  'Thanks,' he said, hoping that was what she was waiting for him to say. It wasn't.

  'Why did you feel it was necessary to use magic to clear my lawn, boy?'

  'You looked like you needed help. There was no-one about, I checked.'

  'There is always someone about, boy. What's everyone to think when they walk past my house now? No amount of shovelling could clear away all that snow like you did.'

  'Perhaps they'll just think it's a new spell from the Council. Besides, why does it matter?' he asked, somewhat confused in her sudden change of attitude. 'You said that people would just have to accept that I can do magic, whether they like it or not.'

  She sighed and interlaced her fingers. 'Yes, boy, I did: just not yet. The Council is still strong. They need to be shaken before you reveal yourself, otherwise they'll tread you down like everyone else.'

  She smiled then and began to eat. 'Now tell me,' she said. 'Why are you here?'

  He told her about the Winsome Sunbeam and the mirror in the High Wizard's chambers, and also about finding the puncture mark on Kalljard's body. Then he pulled out the paper he had taken from the desk. 'I also found this,' he said, wrinkling his nose at the smell it still gave off. He passed it to her, glad that the table was not anywhere near so long as the one in her other house.

  She read it briefly. 'But this is just a new spell that he needed to approve. What does this prove?'

  'It's not a spell. Look at it closely,' he said.

  She did. 'I can't see anything else on it.'

  'Aren't the words blurred for you?' he asked, frowning.

  'No. Should they be?'

  'Yes. It's an illusion. And a strong one too. I couldn't remove it while I was there, so I took it with me. I was going to find an empty room at the station to try and remove it, but there wasn't one free. The Inspector told me to come here instead.'

  'I see,' she said, finishing her meal. 'Well, boy, you can stay as long as it takes.' She left the room, leaving him to work.

  He pushed his bowl aside and looked at the paper. The blurring was even more evident now than it had been before. If Lizzie hadn't been able to see it, then it must be undetectable to people without magic.

  He felt for the edges of the illusion again. It was slightly easier this time and he tugged hard at it. It didn't budge. He tried again, tugging firmly but slowly. Sweat broke out on his brow and his hands shook, but still it didn't move.

  Taking a deep breath, he stood up and walked around the room, before turning around and tugging at it quickly, as though trying to catch it by surprise. He tried it several times, each tug stronger than the last, but still the illusion stayed.

  Cursing loudly, he levitated the paper and flung it against the wall. He peeled it off with his hands, from top to bottom.

  The words were now so blurred that he couldn't make them out, but now something was showing underneath.

  With a sudden moment of clarity, he realised he had been tugging at it from left to right, when it needed to be done from up to down. He tried it and, though the resistance was still there, it was much weaker. With a few more tugs the illusion lifted.

  He stared at the paper and gaped.

  'Lizzie!' he shouted. 'Lizzie, come quick!'

  She sped into the room, tripping over her skirts. 'What's the matter boy? Are you hurt?'

  He didn't answer, but shoved the paper into her hands. She read it, and her hand shot to her mouth. 'I think my brother needs to see this,' she managed weakly. He pulled a grim expression, words failing him.

  They arrived at the station breathless, and Thordric had to let Lizzie lean on him as they went inside. He had forgotten that she was almost twenty years older than his mother.

  'Oi, oi, what's this then, small fry?' the constable at the reception desk asked him, eyeing Lizzie, who was quite unrecognisable with her hair having fallen down to her shoulders and her skirts in tatters. 'Bringing you dear grandmother to the station?

  She did not take kindly to his remark. Standing up to her full height, she scooped back her hair, giving him such a stare that his eyes watered. 'Take me to my brother this instant, constable, or else I shall have you suspended indefinitely.'

  'I, uh, begging your
pardon, ma'am, I didn't realise…I'll take you right away!'

  Lizzie barged into the Inspector's office without knocking, with Thordric and the constable filing in behind her. The Inspector raised his eyebrows and his moustache curled at the rude interruption. The constable garbled something unintelligible and fled from the room.

  The Inspector turned to Lizzie, but before he could speak she thrust the paper at him.

  'Take a look at this!' she said, her voice boiling. 'See what your precious Wizard Council was planning!'

  Chapter Fifteen: The Interrogations Begin

  The Inspector read what was on the paper. By the time he had finished, half of his moustache had fallen out and his face was like chalk. 'I-I had no idea,' he said, his mouth agape. 'No idea whatsoever. W-where did this come from?'

  'It was in the High Wizard's chambers,' Thordric said. 'It was disguised by magic.'

  'Right then,' the Inspector said, shaking slightly. 'Thordric, round up the constables and tell them I want to see them: now, boy!'

  Thordric left the office and called to all the constables at their desks, ignoring their jibes at him. They soon rounded up quickly when they found out that it was the Inspector's orders. They gathered outside the office door, just in time for the Inspector and Lizzie to come out of it.

  'Constables, I want all of the Wizard Council arrested and brought here immediately!' the Inspector bellowed. They all looked confused, and one brave man even called out.

  'But Inspector, that's almost a thousand wizards!'

  'Yes, constable, do you have an issue with that?'

  'N-no, Inspector. It's just that our jail cells won't hold that many people.'

  The Inspector stopped short, his brow creasing so much that it looked like a miniature valley. 'Well then, only arrest the high level Wizards; and Wizard Rarn!'

  The constables hesitated.

  'Use any means necessary but arrest them nonetheless; now MOVE!' the Inspector roared.

  They left in a hurry, not daring to test the Inspector's patience a moment longer. The Inspector put his hand to his brow and ordered Thordric to bring in tea and Jaffa cakes. He obliged, happy that the Inspector was calling him by his real name again.

  When he went into the office with the tray, the Inspector and Lizzie were waiting for him expectantly. He poured them both tea, and took up the Inspector's offer to have some himself. 'Do you think you can handle interrogations, boy?' the Inspector asked him as he sat down.

  'Interrogations, Inspector?' Thordric said, burning his mouth on his tea.

  'Yes, boy…interrogations. Even with just the high level wizards here, that's going to be thirty men we have to talk to. I want to find out just how far this,' he said, furiously waving the piece of paper, 'has gone down the ranks, and I'll need your help.' He sat back in his chair, looking suddenly weary. 'You were right all along, Lizzie…so was Patrick. I'm so very sorry I never believed him, or you.'

  The constables trickled back within the hour, dragging wizards of all sizes and ages with them, who were all shouting and screaming at the terrible injustice of it all. Wizard Rarn was one of the last to be brought in, along with High Wizard Vey, who strolled in as calmly as if he were having his hair trimmed at the local barbers. Wizard Rarn was not nearly as composed, particularly when he saw Thordric watching. 'You!' he screamed. 'How dare you arrest us? How dare you arrest his reverence?'

  'Hush, Rarn. I doubt the good Inspector and young Thordric here would have done it if they hadn't good reason to,' Vey said. He motioned to Thordric to carry on, and let the constables take him to the cells.

  The office door opened behind Thordric, and the Inspector came out with Lizzie. 'Boy, I have to be going now,' she said. 'Please help my brother as much as you can.'

  'I'll do my best,' Thordric said and, turning away from her, he and the Inspector went down to the cells themselves. The constables who had taken all the wizards down there were resting on the steps, all of them panting heavily and more than a few of them sporting vibrant new hair colours and distorted features. The Inspector raised an eyebrow, but said nothing other than for them all to help themselves to tea and Jaffa cakes.

  High Wizard Vey had been given a cell all to himself at the request of all the other wizards. He was sitting on the bench, his eyes closed and occasionally waving a hand whenever one of the other wizards tried to do or say something nasty.

  Thordric noticed with a grin that Vey's simple hand wave had also put Wizard Rarn into a deep sleep to stop his incessant shouting, much to everyone's delight.

  The Inspector stood in front of the cells, staring at them all coolly. His temper had calmed now and he was able to assess the situation with a professional eye. 'Wizards of the Council, you are here because I have uncovered evidence of a plot most foul. A plot orchestrated by the late High Wizard Kalljard himself.'

  The wizards stared at him, and Vey opened one of his eyes.

  'My assistant and I will be interrogating you all to see just how deeply this plot ran, and if necessary deal the appropriate discipline,' the Inspector continued. He turned to Thordric. 'You take the youngsters, I'll take the older ones.'

  'What about Vey?' Thordric whispered.

  'I think we should both interrogate him,' he replied. He beckoned to two constables still hanging around, and asked them to escort one of the younger wizards to the smaller interview room with Thordric, while he took one of the oldest wizards into the larger room himself.

  The wizard that Thordric had to interrogate first happened to be the one who had served them food when they had dined with High Wizard Vey. He was a nervous young man, and Thordric would never have guessed that he was a high level wizard. He hardly looked much older than Thordric himself, though he suspected that he must be if Lizzie was right about how long their training took.

  'You're…you're the one who dined with his reverence before he was elected, aren't you?' he asked Thordric once they were seated.

  'Yes, I am,' Thordric replied, intending to say more, but then it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't have the foggiest idea of where to start.

  'How long have you been part of the Council?' he asked, after a long silence.

  The wizard fiddled with the sleeves of his robes. 'Just over six months, sir, right after I finished my training,' he replied.

  Thordric was surprised. 'How did you make it to the high level after only six months, then?' he asked.

  'I was only promoted a few days ago, sir, at his reverence's request. He had seen me cast a growth spell on the trees in the garden. I wasn't supposed to touch them without permission, so I thought he might punish me, but he didn't. He made me keeper of the garden instead, a title only usually given to high level wizards. Some of my fellows complained about it, so he promoted me to stop them fussing.'

  'I see,' Thordric said. He wracked his brain for another question, not wanting to jump in directly with the one about the plot. 'Er, how well did you know High Wizard Kalljard?'

  'I didn't, sir. I only saw him the once, when he accepted me as part of the Council. He didn't pay me much mind though, since there were five of us inducted on the same day.'

  Thordric sighed. This was going nowhere.

  'Were you aware that High Wizard Kalljard was planning to kill off all the half-wizards in the country?' he said coldly.

  'He what? No, sir, that can't be true! The late High Wizard disliked half-wizards, but he would never seek to kill them. Why would he? They can't do any harm.'

  'Perhaps he felt that their magic might in fact be as strong as yours,' Thordric said, watching the wizard closely.

  'What do you mean? Half-wizards can't use their magic, it always goes wrong.'

  'So everyone says.' Thordric stood up. This young wizard had known nothing; he wasn't guilty of anything, except perhaps having a terrible sense of style, given his odd choice of bright pink and brown coloured robes. He asked the constables to take him back to the cells and bring in the next one.

  A few minutes la
ter the constables came back with a wizard so tall his head touched the ceiling, and he had a large amount of muscle bulging out from under his robes, contrasting oddly with his scraggly black beard and long hair. His expression wasn't pleasant. They seated him in from of Thordric, and he cleared his throat, trying to ignore the intense loathing that oozed across the table at him.

  Nervously he looked across at the constables, but they were standing well back, about as useful as a pair of old boots. Sitting up straight, he began asking questions. He started out the same way, asking how long the wizard had been part of the Council. No reply. He asked again, but still, no reply. He moved on, but didn't so much as get a blink out of the wizard.

  Time passed by and Thordric knew he had to make him talk. He decided to change tact. 'What do you think of half-wizards?' he asked.

  The muscle bound wizard laughed, a low rumbling sound rather like thunder. 'Half-wizards are no more than a disgrace to wizard kind. A bumbling collection of fools that think that just because their fathers were wizards they can do magic too. Hardly worth a moment's thought.'

  Thordric made a fist under the table, trying not to let his anger show. 'So,' he said, keeping his voice in check. 'If there was a plan to purge the country of them, would you agree to it?'

  'Of course I would. They deserve to be locked up somewhere out of sight,' the wizard said, folding his arms. His biceps bulged, making his sleeves tighten so much that they might tear.

  'Locked away? Is that all? Wouldn't you want them dead?' Thordric pressed, raising his eyebrow.

  'Dead?' the wizard said, taken aback. 'Never! I admit that I don't like them, and they certainly don't deserve any respect, but I wouldn't want them dead! What kind of person would wish that on them?'

  'Your late High Wizard, for one.'

  'His reverence Kalljard? How dare you; that's absurd!' the wizard said loudly, half standing.

  'Sit down, sir. We're not finished here yet.' Thordric blinked at the sudden authority in his voice. He seemed to be enjoying himself. The wizard sat down hard, making the chair groan underneath him.