The Imposters of Aventil

by Marshall Ryan Maresca

  He held her gaze for a good long while before backing off. “Fine,” he said. “Then what?”

  “You send your folk back to the house, or on patrol, or whatever. And hopefully the Princes will think you’re unhinged enough that you just might come in cracking skulls any damn time.”

  “They already do,” he said with a slight smile.

  “All right.” She gave him the smile back. “Look, I’ve seen your house. It doesn’t give much of a blazes about anything. Most of the sticks in there are either lazy or too anxious to crack skulls.”

  “I’m aware,” Benvin said.

  “So if you need help cleaning up Aventil—after you have a real case, built strong—then send word to me at the GIU.”

  “Don’t they hate you there?”

  “Sure they do,” Satrine said. “But I’m like you. I don’t give a blazes.”

  Arrows weren’t stopping him. Veranix had put four in the Hunter, and Welling had two more crossbow bolts. It didn’t even slow him down.

  The only thing that was keeping either of them alive right now was the fact that the Hunter insisted on fighting with his bow, and his fingers and hands were far too engorged to properly hold it.

  Finally in a rage, he threw the bow away and then swung out with a massive fist, knocking Inspector Welling several yards away. Veranix dodged another punch, while drawing in enough numina to coat the Hunter in magical paste, stuck to the ground. The Hunter thrashed and howled as he tried to pull himself out of the goo.

  Veranix used the chance to breathe, assess the situation. He jumped over to Kaiana while lining up another shot. “What the blazes happened?”

  “The drug,” she said. “He took a lot of it.”

  “What do you mean, a lot?”

  “As in he became that,” she said.

  “And the drug was magically augmented,” he said. “Jiarna realized that might be . . . bad.”

  “You think?” she said.

  Welling approached, looking shaken but unharmed. He glanced over at the Hunter, who was pulling his leg out of the paste. “That will not hold. A better strategy should be employed.”

  “Open to suggestion, Inspector.”

  Jiarna sprinted across the field to the lawn, stopping some distance from the monstrous Hunter. “Sweet saints, what did we do?”

  Veranix took Kaiana’s hoe from her, passing it to Welling. “You’re a Racquin, Inspector. Ever play Knock-a-Vase?”

  “I—once.”

  “Then let’s act like his head is filled with sweets,” Veranix said. He raised his staff and leaped at the Hunter, fueling his jump and his arm with numina, swinging at his head like he was going for the Triple Jack.

  The staff shattered over his skull, but didn’t seem to hurt him. Before Veranix could land, the Hunter swatted him out of the air. He didn’t smash into the ground, thanks to a magical catch from Welling.

  “That was ineffective.”

  “You have an idea?”

  Jiarna had slipped over to Phadre and Delmin, and called out, grabbing the rope from Phadre. “Got one!”

  “Who’s she?” Welling asked.

  “Someone brilliant. Keep him busy while I find out her plan.”

  “Busy it is.”

  Veranix dashed over to Jiarna.

  “The drug was magically excited, causing enhanced effects,” she said, her words stumbling over each other in a rush. “That numinic excitement is still there, coursing through his body.”

  “Del?”

  “Clear as day,” Delmin said.

  “So if you can perhaps drain that excitement—” she prompted.

  “I don’t suppose those mage shackles are handy,” Veranix said.

  “No,” Kaiana said. “I could—”

  “You’re not thinking,” Jiarna said, holding up the rope. “Napranium.”

  “Draws numina,” Veranix said, her point clicking in his head. He took the rope from Jiarna, looking back to Inspector Welling, who was attempting to hammer at the Hunter with raw magical force. “I’ve got a crazy idea.”

  Veranix leaped over to the other side of the Hunter, hurling the rope out so it wrapped around the man’s massive torso. The other end then flew over to Welling, who caught it in his left hand.

  “Follow my lead, Inspector!”

  Welling nodded, and Veranix felt his own numinic energy harmonize with the inspector’s. Through the rope, he could feel the energy drumming through the Hunter’s veins. He could only hope that Welling was sensing what he did, sensed his plan, that their harmonization could work like it did at the Tower.

  The Hunter howled and grabbed at the rope, pulling both Veranix and Welling in close, smashing them into each other.

  No more time.

  Veranix first sent a charge like lightning through the rope, which Welling matched. Hunter screamed and dropped them to the ground.

  “Now, Inspector!”

  Veranix imagined what the mage shackles felt like, feeling for the numina pulsing through every part of the Hunter’s body. Then he pulled that energy away, drawing it into himself as if he was a mage shackle.

  Welling did the same, his hand like dalmatium.

  The Hunter screamed again, this time horrific and unearthly. His whole body began to wither and shrink as he collapsed to his knees.

  Then there was nothing left to pull. The Hunter had fallen to all fours, now an emaciated body wheezing and gasping.

  Welling dropped his end of the rope and grabbed one of the Hunter’s hands, putting him in irons. “You are lawfully bound. You are accused of crimes and will stand a fair trial.” Veranix was amazed he had the strength to do that. Despite pulling the numina into himself, he felt drained and empty.

  The Hunter made no attempt to resist or question. The poor fool looked like just breathing was all he could manage.

  Delmin came over. “His name is Enzin Hence. He’s an athlete with Pirrell University. Just like that lot over there.”

  “Mister Sarren,” Welling said. “I appreciate your good character in identifying the suspect.” He looked back and forth at Veranix and Delmin. “I’ve also determined that this is the man who attacked the church last night, injuring Inspector Rainey and Sergeant Welling. He’s also wanted for the murders of Emilia Quope and three other women.”

  “You’re certain?” Veranix asked.

  Welling gave a knowing nod of his head. “Despite the physical changes, I think it’s quite clear. Establishing a case won’t be challenging.”

  Kaiana stepped forward. “He’s also been distributing drugs during the games.”

  “Drugs? What sort?”

  Jiarna took the lead on this. “I can only give you a cursory analysis, Inspector, but it seems to be a strength and aggression enhancer. All these boys took too much—”

  “Much too much in this one’s case,” Phadre added, shaking his head at the Hunter’s prone form.

  “And this is the result,” Jiarna said.

  “Is there evidence?” Welling asked.

  “There’s still some of the drug in his room, Inspector,” Delmin offered. “I’m one of the prefects of that dorm, so I can authorize a search without a writ.”

  “Then I will need to make use of campus cadets. But this man, between the drugs, the attacks at the church and on Lieutenant Benvin—”

  “This is not who attacked Lieutenant Benvin,” Veranix said quickly. Campus cadets had kept their distance during the fight, but they were now approaching. “You helped me when you didn’t need to, so I’ll do the same. The Rose Street Princes have that imposter in a safehouse at number nineteen Branch Street.”

  “He was a Prince?”

  “Not at all,” Veranix said. He coiled the rope to his belt. In addition to campus cadets, he could see in the distance Professor Alimen coming up the l
awn. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Inspector.”

  Veranix shrouded himself, and channeling what numina he still could muster, he leaped high and far away, landing on the roof of Almers. From there, he could see the aftermath on campus. Cadets and Yellowshields swarming into the disaster. Injuries, destruction.

  This wasn’t his fault.

  This was the Hunter, this was the drug he was giving to the Pirrell players. This was them cheating, and it built to an explosion.

  This wasn’t his fault.

  This would have happened even if he wasn’t the Thorn.

  This wasn’t his fault.

  No repetition of those words made him believe that.

  He slipped down from the roof to his third-floor window. Quickly he stashed away his gear and Thorn costume and changed to regular clothes. He was exhausted, especially after taking off the cloak, but he needed to have enough strength to do a little bit more.

  Shrouding himself without the cloak, just on his own magic, was much harder than he imagined it would be, but he needed to do it. Climbing up to the window, he pushed numina into his legs and leaped back over to the tetchball field.

  There was still a crowd—a subdued crowd, but a crowd. Many were slumped down on the ground. Some were being put in irons by campus cadets, some were being tended to by Yellowshields.

  Veranix saw someone lying facedown in the dirt. Dropping the shroud, dropping all illusions of the bruises on his face, he went over to them.

  Marmot, the squad’s Deep Double. He was out of his senses, but still breathing. Blood and dirt were caked onto the side of his head. On top of that, his left arm was broken in at least two places.

  Veranix pulled Marmot up, putting him over his shoulder in a rescue carry. He ran over to one of the Yellowshields.

  “Hey! Hey! I need some help over here!”

  Kaiana breathed a sigh of relief that Veranix had vanished before the cadets and Professor Alimen had reached them. With everything that had happened, there was no need to also include getting caught with that.

  Which puzzled her all the more about this inspector, who not only helped Veranix stop Hence, but didn’t try to arrest him. He was busy making whistle calls when the cadets and the professor came over. The professor was already in a frenzied state, shouting as he approached.

  “Inspector, how dare you come on this campus—”

  Inspector Welling seemed unbothered, writing out several notes as he interrupted the professor. “My position in the Grand Inspectors’ Unit gives me broad jurisdiction authority in the city, Professor. We sought permissions from you and the campus cadets out of courtesy, not legal necessity.”

  Alimen looked very put out by that, his face turning beet red. “And then you harass my students—”

  “I’ve done nothing of the sort, Professor,” Inspector Welling said. He finished his notes and handed it to a cadet, who ran off.

  “It’s true, sir,” Delmin said quickly.

  Alimen scowled at Delmin, but nodded in acceptance. Looking around at the damage, he asked, “Can someone explain to me what the blazes is happening? Not you, Inspector.”

  “I wouldn’t bother trying, Professor,” Inspector Welling said, going over to confer with the campus cadets.

  “I can try, Professor,” Kaiana said.

  “Miss Nell,” he said, his tone softening. “I trust that you’ve been instrumental in quelling whatever calamity has befallen our campus.”

  “I don’t know all the details, sir, but these boys were all using some sort of drug—”

  “A magiochemically altered drug, sir,” Jiarna offered.

  “Which caused them to do . . . all this.” Kaiana waved at the chaos all around.

  “And how do you know about it?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I had discovered signs of it on campus, but nothing that the campus cadets would be able to take action on. It was really Delmin who figured it out, of course.”

  “Mister Sarren?” Alimen raised his eyebrow.

  “Yes, sir? Right, sir. Well, this morning there had been that blast of numinic energy . . .”

  “Indeed. It woke me up.”

  “Me as well, sir. Shot up right in my bed. My bed in Almers, of course, sir.”

  “Lit up my instruments as well, sir,” Phadre said plainly. “Quite a powerful phenomenon.”

  “Indeed. Something—or someone—powerful and volatile must have caused it.” Alimen was staring at Inspector Welling with loathing when he said that.

  Delmin jumped back in. “But that’s when I realized that there was a strange source of numinic energy right in Almers. In this young man’s room. I confronted him on it, and he then drank the substance and turned monstrous.”

  “Pamph, I believe,” Inspector Welling said. “Also called The Soldier’s Fist. Not often seen in Maradaine. More common on the Sauriyan coast and Corvia.”

  “Thank you, Inspector, I have heard enough from you.”

  “And we saw Delmin in trouble, chased by him,” Kaiana said. “We came to help him, and then the inspector stopped the rampaging boys.”

  “Hmm,” Alimen said, still looking at Inspector Welling with skepticism.

  Veranix then came limping over from the tetchball field, looking battered and bruised. “Are all of you all right? Was it as bad here as it was over there?”

  “Mister Calbert, you look a fright,” Alimen said.

  “And I feel it, sir. The Pirrell boys went crazy, charging the field, and then the spectators rioted, and, before I knew it, I was trampled by a bunch of people.”

  Kaiana stifled a smile. Just like that, Veranix gave himself deniability in everything that happened.

  Inspector Welling gave him a curious look. “You are fortunate, Mister Calbert, that your clothing was largely unscathed by this encounter.”

  Professor Alimen moved in on the inspector, his eyes hard. “This is enough from you. It is clear you are an Uncircled menace, and working against the very—” He paused, shaking his head. “I suspect all this is damage caused by your careless magic. I imagine you were the source of the . . . I should have you—” Energy seemed to swirl around the professor, strong enough that Kaiana could feel the hairs on her arms stand on end. Veranix jumped in between him and Welling.

  “Professor, sir. He’s still an inspector. Still a constable.”

  The professor huffed, glowering at the inspector, who seemed to return a cold anger back. After a moment, the professor nodded. “Well reasoned, Mister Calbert. Inspector, I demand that you leave this campus at once. I will be contacting your superiors. I may even file formal complaint.”

  “No need, Professor,” Welling said. “I have nothing else to do here at the moment.” He looked to the rest of the group. “I thank you for your able assistance in apprehending Mister Hence. All of you.”

  That last part seemed aimed at Veranix.

  He nodded and went off to the south gate.

  “A disaster, a disaster,” Alimen said. “Veranix, you should get to the hospital ward.”

  “A Yellowshield checked me over, sir,” Veranix said. “There are far too many people who need more serious care for me to take up their time.”

  “I will trust in your judgment,” Alimen said. He shook his head. “This will cost, it certainly will come down. And I am not done with that Uncircled inspector.”

  “Sir?” Kaiana said. “He did fight that beast of a man. He saved us all.” It wasn’t right for the professor to pursue Inspector Welling when he did nothing wrong. He certainly shouldn’t get punished for the magic blast they all caused to find the drug.

  “That isn’t the point, Miss Nell,” Alimen said.

  “Isn’t it, sir? And now we have a campus to clean up.”

  “Indeed,” he said, a bit calmer. “I’m sure you will have your hands full for the d
ays to come. I will see what aid I can be. The rest of you all should probably stay clear.”

  “Yes, sir,” Delmin said. Alimen went off, and Delmin let out a enormous breath. “I’ve never lied that much to him. Or to anyone. This is what you’ve done to me.”

  “We should clear off,” Phadre said. “Perhaps retire to the carriage house or some other venue.”

  “A venue with food,” Veranix said. “I am only standing on my feet out of sheer force of will.”

  “Let’s do that then,” Phadre said. “I think I know a place that’s enough away to be unaffected by this.” He led them toward the west side of the campus.

  “Are you all right?” Kaiana asked Veranix.

  “Nothing a hot meal and three days of sleep shouldn’t fix,” he said.

  “That inspector, he—he definitely knows—” There was no way he wouldn’t be coming back to arrest Veranix. Perhaps all of them.

  “A problem for another time,” Veranix said. He nodded solemnly. “And when it comes, it won’t be your problem, I’ll make sure.”

  “But—”

  “Another time,” he said again. “For now, hot meal. Sleep for three days.”

  Chapter 27

  MINOX LEFT THE south gates of the campus to find Inspector Rainey waiting for him with Benvin’s squad, minus his own brother. It was good to see her, as it meant he did not have to wait for the instructions he had sent out to be executed. He was quite exhausted from the engagement with Mister Hence and the Thorn.

  Mister Calbert. Who again, bravely and selflessly, fought to protect others and stop danger. This was not a man he could, in any good conscience, arrest as criminal. This would be challenging to square with his oath as officer of the law. He would have to contemplate this for some time. Allow it to remain unresolved. Before that, though, he would need to rest and eat.

  “We got your messages,” Rainey said. “And Jace went running off with one of them.”

  “That was efficient,” he said. “I must commend the campus cadets.”

  “We weren’t far,” Rainey said. “Just by the Turnabout.” Her looked was pointed.