Murder Between the Worlds: A Between the Worlds Novel

by Morgan Daimler

  “Would it have worked?” Liz asked into the stunned silence.

  “I don’t think so. He was working on a flawed assumption about what had caused the Sundering that was popular at the time, but was disproven decades ago.” Allie said, frowning.

  “Are you sure?” Liz asked. Syndra gave her a disturbed look and Liz waved her off, “I want to know why my grandmother thought it would work, enough to do it in the first place.”

  “Well, honestly, I don’t know but the theory isn’t sound, so I can’t see how it would have worked,” Allie replied. “It would have done something, of course, all that energy has to go somewhere, but what it would do I have no idea.”

  “So, the killer is recreating these rituals?” Zarethyn asked, his voice flat.

  “No, worse than that,” she replied, rubbing her eyes.

  “What can be worse?” Syndra asked sounding resigned.

  “Whoever this killer is, he’s taking the next logical steps. He’s innovating and making changes to try to improve on the original. Most likely doing what the coven’s high priest would have done when the first series failed, which they would have. The original victims were all human–this killer is targeting mixed bloods as symbols of the Sundering he’s trying to undo. Basic sympathetic magic–using one thing to represent another related thing. In this case the girls are symbolic of the joining of the worlds and killing them symbolizes trying to separate the worlds again. The original used minor torture to create energy to power the spell but this one is using massive amounts of torture based on a separate theory the high priest talked about elsewhere in the book.”

  “What theory?” Zarethyn asked.

  “I don’t want to get into too much detail, because it’s pretty awful stuff, but–he was onto something with that.” Allie said shaking her head. “He found a way to use pain and suffering to create an echo–kind of the same theory that revenant ghosts are based on–a perpetual echo that acts like an energetic battery.”

  “Isn’t that what blood magic does anyway?” Jason asked quietly.

  “Oh no–usually blood magic is like any other kind of magic using a finite energy source. It’s like if you have a cup of orange juice–once you drink the juice, it’s all gone and you need to get more to refill the cup, right?”

  Everyone, including the elves, nodded. She felt her skin crawling just talking about it.

  “That’s why blood magic is usually only used to create temporary effects or one time things and stronger sources–radiant Earth energy and ambient Fairy magic is used for bigger, long term things. The thing is the ambient stuff is innately weaker and you need more of it to do less. Blood magic is much stronger but the resulting energy raised is finite. This guy found a way to use pain, suffering, and torture to create an imprint of the pain that would act as a permanent energy source. He is using that to power his spell and each ritual strengthens it.”

  Zarethyn inhaled sharply. “That is impossible.”

  “It should be. But it isn’t. He found a way to do it, trying to…” she winced and looked apologetically at the elves. “He was trying to find a way to use the energy he felt was being wasted when the Fairy prisoners of war where dying.”

  Everyone looked equally appalled. “But you see that was in an earlier section of the book before the ritual was developed; whoever this killer is, he’s combining the two to create a much stronger effect. I still don’t believe it can ultimately work, but it’s impossible to say what it will do.”

  She walked over and picked the book up off a side table. “I know I offered to copy this out, but this book is far too dangerous to be kept. I don’t know why my grandmother hid it, except that maybe some part of her felt guilty over her part in what happened, and she couldn’t bring herself to let it go. Some of the things in here are worse than anything I’ve told you about so far. You have no idea how “dark” dark can be. I thought I knew but this is leagues beyond anything I could ever have imagined. If even half of what’s in here got into the wrong hands the results could be devastating. I know you only have my word on that, but you’re going to have to trust me that using the pain of someone being tortured as an energetic battery is actually not the worst thing in here. ”

  She walked over to the fireplace, pulling back the protective fireplace screen. She heard several people gasp as they realized what she was going to do, but she couldn’t let her resolve waiver; in one swift motion she tossed the book into the flames, which flared blue and green as the magic invested in the grimoire fed the fire. She heard Syndra, mutter “Holy shit” behind her. She turned back to face the shocked faces of the group, “The book is gone now, but we still have to find this killer.”

  “How could you do that Allie?” Liz asked.

  At the same time Syndra said, “That was our best clue.”

  “I read through the whole thing, I know everything that was in that book and if it’s important I can tell you, but the things that were in there were too dangerous to risk getting out.”

  “That makes you a pretty big target Al,” Syndra said unhappily.

  “I know, but it’s the only way,” Allie took a deep breath, feeling relieved knowing the book was burning, and at the same time horrified that she’ had just burned a book, “At this point it’s better that I die and take what I know with me than that what was in that book get out.”

  “No,” Jessilaen said sharply, “that is not acceptable.”

  “I didn’t mean that I want to die,” she said, wincing at the odd surge of panic she felt over his distress. “I meant that the book had to be destroyed and if I am killed, I had to know that the book was already taken care of.”

  Jess was tight lipped and still obviously upset, but Zarethyn was nodding, “How do we proceed from here?”

  Having the Guard Captain ask her for direction was so unexpected that she found herself speechless. Everyone was looking at her, waiting expectantly so she licked her lips.

  “Ummm. Well. Whoever this person, this killer, is he must be related to one of the original coven members. There’s no other way he could know so much about the material in the book without knowing about the original group and its inner workings”

  “Can you be sure there isn’t another copy?” Brynneth asked.

  “I can’t be absolutely sure,” Allie answered, “but I think it’s almost impossibly unlikely. My grandmother’s copy survived in part because she was the one who turned the group in so the police trusted her when she said she had destroyed her book. From what she had written the other books were collected and destroyed en masse. If you can track down the descendants of the original coven members, you can find your suspects.”

  “How do we do that without the book?” Syndra asked.

  Allie pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, “I wrote down the use-names that each member went by and all the identifying characteristics my grandmother mentioned. If you cross reference this with the police record from 80 years ago I think you can figure out who was who in the coven and what roles they played.”

  Syndra stood up, “I’ll pass that on to Riordan and Walters when I go out to the gym later–they should be able to pull up the old records. But if its back that far it may take a while.”

  Zarethyn shook his head slightly, “One of us should bring the list in, and update the human Detectives, else they may think we are withholding information from them.”

  “Call them on the phone and update them that way, and you can tell them I’ll be dropping the list off. Last I heard they were supposed to be out all day in mortal Earth getting hard copies of the coroner’s reports for each victim and collecting the bagged evidence from the last girl to bring back to the station” Syndra said. Zarethyn hesitated but then nodded.

  “Yes, we do not have the time to dally at the police station all day if they will not be there.” He agreed. “If it does not inconvenience you Officer Lyons, I would be grateful for the assistance.”

  Syndra actually looked flattered, “No inconv
enience. I usually hit the gym around 5 and they should just be getting back to the station by then. I can stop on my way.”

  Zarethyn nodded at her and turned to Natarien and Brynneth, “Head back to the Outpost and inform them of what has been learned so far.”

  The two elves bowed slightly and left. Liz, looking troubled, wandered out the door heading up to her room, with Jason following behind. They’d both worked late the night before, and Allie assumed they were heading to grab some sleep while they could. Syndra looked from her to the remaining elves and shrugged. “Well, I’m going to go run some errands. I’ll be back around lunch time Al, if you need to talk.”

  Allie nodded as her friend headed out. Bleidd looked unhappily from her to Jess and turned and left without a word; she fought the urge to follow him. Before she could think of what to say, Zarethyn turned to Jess, “The patrolling Squad here needs to know what we have learned as well, especially that the book has been destroyed.”

  Jessilaen also bowed slightly, but on his way out he walked over to Allie and kissed her. She should have felt stupid about that but she didn’t. She found an odd comfort in Jessilaen that she had already begun to depend on.

  When they were alone in the room, with the last remnants of the book smoldering in the fireplace, she said. “I hope you understand why I had to destroy it.”

  “I do understand. I hope you are prepared for the danger you have placed yourself in,” Zarethyn.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think I had any choice. I couldn’t allow the Dark Court to get that book and there are humans who would have used what was in it as well. I understand that it makes me a bigger target. I kind of wish I didn’t,” she said softly. “Then again I was already in danger, so I guess it’s just a matter of degree.”

  “We will do what we can to ensure your safety.”

  She thought of Jessilaen. “He really loves me doesn’t he.”

  “I’m not sure if that was a question, but yes, he does,” the Captain said.

  “As much as I hate to agree with Detective Walters, isn’t it a conflict of interest?” Allie asked hesitantly.

  Zarethyn shook his head slightly. “It is what it is. His feelings are unusual, but there is nothing that can be done about them now even if he wanted to change them. There is a greater risk of my brother being distracted if he were assigned elsewhere than of him failing in his duty with you.”

  Allie couldn’t hide her reaction, “He’s your brother?”

  “Yes. We have the same mother,” The Elven Captain said simply. Elves were matrilineal, so by their own view even if they had different fathers children of the same mother were full siblings. Allie suspected that by answering the question as he had Zarethyn was saying that he and Jess did have different fathers, which would explain why they didn’t share more than a passing resemblance. The two being related was a strange thought and Allie wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She knew, of course, that elves had no concept of nepotism and that it wasn’t uncommon, with the way the social structure was set up, for clan groups to live and work together. She just hadn’t stopped and thought about how that would impact the Guard; she had grown up in a large Fairy Holding with more than a dozen clans, but she realized that she actually knew very little about how the local Queen’s Holding functioned.

  “I’m not sure if this is polite to ask or not, so I apologize if it seems out of line, but is Brynneth also related to you?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  Zarethyn smiled. “His father is our mother’s great uncle, but he belongs to a different clan. We, Jessilaen and I, are part of clan Firinne, while Brynneth is clan Leighis.”

  Allie decided to push her luck a little since Zarethyn seemed willing to answer her questions. “Clan Firinne, that’s the ruling clan here, isn’t it?”

  He nodded, “Queen Naesseryia is also clan Firinne, but we have no direct relation to her.”

  Allie’s relief must have been obvious, because he actually laughed, a light sound that made her want to smile too.

  “You are not disappointed?” he asked “Many would hope for a closer connection to the throne.”

  She shook her head vehemently. “Absolutely not. That’s the last thing I need in my life, believe me.” She was silent for a moment, thinking. “Honestly all I want is a nice quite life, a couple good friends, comfortable home, business turning enough of a profit to keep me going. I have no interest in politics, or thrones, or lines of succession.”

  He gave her a long look and she wondered if she’d said too much, but he didn’t question her about her own background. “And where does Jessilaen fit into these plans?”

  She blushed, “I’m not sure yet. But like you said, it is what it is; there’s nothing to do to change it. So we’ll just have to wait and see where it goes.”

  *********************************

  Later in the day Brynneth returned for his shift and Zarethyn took his leave of Aliaine. He was growing fond of the girl, who he judged to be both clever and brave, and he had had to admit that he was not entirely displeased that his brother was so taken by her. Others in the clan had been far less accepting, and Jessilaen was already being pressured to put aside the mixed blood girl, but Zarethyn knew his brother too well. Once Jess had chosen a course, he would see it through to the end.

  The Elven Captain moved quickly through the humans’ house seeking the Outcast elf. He needed to speak to him before leaving but he had little time to spare; he already spent too much of his attention on this one case when he had other squads he was also responsible for. And yet, he was certain that this case was special and that his attention was needed to see it resolved. As he moved into the kitchen he found Bleidd leaning against a counter, eating an apple.

  “Have you had any success?” Zarethyn asked bluntly.

  The Outcast, chewed for a moment, his expression not entirely friendly, “I have not found their exact location, but I am certain they remain in town. I tracked them to one hotel, but arrived after they had left, and then to a type of tavern humans have with girls who dance. They were kicked out after starting a fight over one of the girls, and she disappeared shortly afterwards.”

  “You believe they killed her?” Zarethyn asked, cocking his head to the side.

  “I believe they did her harm. I do not know with certainty if she lives or died.” Bleidd said flatly. “I am following their trail from there. If they are still here, and I believe they are, then I will find them.”

  The Elven Captain nodded. “Continue searching then, until you find them.”

  *********************************

  She woke slowly, a foul taste in her mouth, like metal and blood and cotton. She tried to swallow and realized she’d been gagged, and her heart started to race. She was cold and she felt the roughness of stone beneath her; her arms and feet were bound tightly, holding her body down in an uncomfortable spread eagled position. She forced her eyes open and squinted in the candle light that illuminated a small forest clearing. Standing next to her was a cloaked figure, as if he had been waiting for her to wake up. She struggled uselessly against the ropes that held her down.

  “I’m sorry about this.” A chillingly familiar voice said. She felt a wave of sheer fury that almost eclipsed the fear. “I’ve never killed a human before, and I didn’t ever want to. But you have to understand that your death is necessary. They’re getting too close. I’d rather it be that damn mixed blooded bitch tied there–she deserves it and you don’t–but there’s never a moment when she’s alone. And something has to be done to throw them off, to make them think everything they know is wrong. Your death will do that.”

  He dropped the cloak to the earth and she looked away not wanting to see the naked flesh that had been concealed underneath. She tried not to lose herself to panic as he started speaking again in that same matter-of-fact voice.

  “This won’t be the real ritual, of course. It’s the wrong time for that, you know that much already, and you aren’t the right sort, but t
hey have to think it’s real, so I have to go through all the motions at least. Nothing personal. It’s all for the greater good in the end and even though it isn’t part of the ritual, your death will help the ultimate success of the cause.”

  She felt hot tears burning behind her eyes and ground her teeth down on the gag furiously.

  ***********************************

  He stood over the body for a long time after she died, feeling frustrated. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He’d done exactly what he’d been told to do–done it even after he found out the book was gone forever and they knew almost everything now–but it didn’t feel right. None of it felt right anymore, and it was all that damn half-blood bitch’s fault. If only he could get her out of the way, he was sure it would all be good again…

  Finally he shook his head. There was a lot to do yet before his work would be done and he couldn’t afford to be distracted now.

  Walters untied the body and lifted the corpse carefully, stepping out of the circle’s protective wards. It would be a short walk to the waiting metal tub, which was already full of bleach, and he was thinking ahead of the perfect place to leave this one, when two shadows stepped out of the trees.

  “Beautifully done,” the first elf spoke as the other nodded.

  He felt a burning rage and wondered, if he dropped the body could he reach his gun before they reached him? Sensing the direction of his thoughts the talkative elf raised a hand placatingly.

  “Peace. We have the same ultimate goal, I think. We came here seeking the book you use for your ritual only to find that someone is already enacting material from the book to good effect.”