by Logan Jacobs
“Raynald has decided to celebrate the Kurlew woman’s capture,” Rufus replied. “Crazy bastard wants to have it right here in the precinct, so he can take his guests back and show them what a dangerous criminal he caught.”
“Seriously?” I asked when I finally tuned in to what he had said.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Rufus said. “I thought perhaps he might invite you, since you helped with her capture.”
“That might be the problem,” I mused.
“True enough,” Rufus replied. “Well, thank you for your help, even if you don’t get an invitation.”
I smiled at Rufus and told him we’d keep an eye out for any invitations. I was even whistling as I stepped back out into the cold wind that rattled the windows along the street. The pieces were coming together. Now all we had to do was figure out where Maderel had hidden the Shodra.
Chapter 4
Maderel picked a decidedly unpleasant day to venture out of town. The snow had turned to sleet that pelted anyone foolish enough to venture out of doors. Dehn and Merlin had left the hall in the morning, to take up a position across from the Academy. I think we all secretly hoped that Maderel would cancel his plans for the day, but Maderel was apparently unfazed by the weather.
Dehn sent an encrypted note on the paper that Emeline and Lena had developed the night before, which we translated as ‘Maderel on the move. Following to main gate.’ The paper was based on a set of twinned slates that Emeline and her one close Academy friend had used to trade notes during class. If one person wrote on the slate, the message would appear on the other slate, and disappear as soon as either person erased it. It was handy for short messages, but Emeline’s version was limited by its short range.
Lena and Emeline had found a way to adapt the magic to work on paper. It was much easier carrying a small pen and a piece of paper around than a piece of slate, and it turned out to have a pretty good range. The only real problem was that the messages had to be written with the special ink or the note wouldn’t appear on the other sheets of paper. Lena and Emeline were already covered in ink stains by the time they’d worked it out, and I for one, didn’t want to have to stop and pull out the ink pot every time I needed to send a message.
It was my turn to save the day when I found an old ballpoint pen among my belongings. I proudly turned it over to Lena and Emeline, who reacted as if I’d just handed them the answer to the meaning of life. By the end of the night, they had created a working pen to write with, and a second one that would erase any messages. When the rest of us straggled in for breakfast, the alchemist and the mage handed us each a set of pens and a piece of paper. Then they returned to their rooms to try to grab some sleep before the next round of hammering began.
“This is sort of cool,” Aerin said as she swiped her eraser across her paper and watched the message disappear. “People will pay good money for this. I could start working up a sales campaign this afternoon.”
“Let’s focus on the mission for now,” I replied as I stood up. “All right, I’ll take the first stretch with Dehn and Yvaine. Maruk, you and Aerin will wait for our signal.”
“I already have a disguise,” Maruk replied. “He won’t recognize us, even if he somehow sees us.”
“Sounds good,” I noted though I had a hard time imagining any disguise that Maruk could wear that would hide a seven-foot-tall green orc with tusks.
Yvaine had already sent for our horses, and we found them outside the guild hall, heads drooped low and miserable expressions on their faces.
“I know,” I sympathized with my steed. “But I promise we won’t stay out too long today.”
We cantered to the main gate where a wet and unhappy guard waved us through without so much as a glance in our direction. We found Dehn waiting impatiently by the side of the road almost a mile further along. He nodded at us, then set off at a brisk pace.
“Don’t know where he’s going,” Dehn grumped, “But at least the puca is earning his keep.”
“Where is he?” I asked as I looked around for my furry companion.
“Doing the hawk thing right now,” Dehn replied. “He’s been following Maderel’s group, and he flies back to make sure I’m still heading in the right direction.”
“He shouldn’t keep showing up as the same bird,” I mused. “Maderel might get suspicious of a hawk that keeps following him.”
“Here he comes,” Dehn said as a large raptor swept into view. “You can tell him yourself.”
The horses were used to Merlin by now, and none of them reacted as the hawk plunged towards them. Merlin shifted into his normal puca form at the last moment and dropped softly onto my saddle.
“Nice going,” I complimented the puca. He chirruped happily, then shook himself like a dog. My cloak kept most of me dry, but my face was soon covered in ice-cold water.
“You shouldn’t keep using the same shape,” I told the puca as I tried to wipe some of the sleet from my face with the sleeve of my cloak. “He’ll figure out what you are.”
Merlin contemplated this for a moment, then trilled his agreement. He launched himself into the air again, this time as a small bluebird.
“It would help if he was in the shape of a bird that hadn’t already migrated for the winter,” Yvaine said as the puca darted ahead of us.
“We have a few kinks to work out,” I agreed. “But that’s why we’re doing this.”
The puca returned only a few minutes later, chirping loudly as he plunked down onto my shoulder, much less gracefully than before.
“He must have left the road,” I said. Merlin finally changed back into his puca shape and chirruped excitedly.
“Wonder what’s got him all worked up,” Dehn pondered.
“Only two things get the puca that excited,” Yvaine said. “Food and shiny objects.”
Merlin did a little dance on my shoulder and then headbutted my chin.
“Maybe both at the same time,” I suggested.
“Both,” Merlin mimicked.
“Maybe Maderel has a country estate,” Yvaine said. “It wouldn’t be unusual. Many of the wealthy families do. I know for a fact that the Academy has property outside the city walls. They use it to grow most of the food for the students, as well as using it as a classroom. But those are all south of the city.”
Merlin hopped from my shoulders and darted ahead. He stopped by a small road that faded into a patch of tall grass and thorny trees.
“Are they close?” I asked the puca.
Merlin thought for a moment and then nodded yes.
“We need somewhere to hide the horses,” I said as I looked around.
Yvaine had already dismounted and poked at the blades of grass with her own rapier. The grass came to my shoulders and had small serrated edges that left scratches on exposed skin.
Merlin chirped and darted further up the road. Dehn and I followed on horseback, while Yvaine strolled along behind. Merlin led us to another turnoff, this one better maintained. A signpost carried a set of arrows, each with a different name followed by a number. The arrows pointed in several different directions, including one that pointed straight up, but either a person named Peppin, or a town by that name, was to be found along this little road.
We found a small glen just off the side-road, and a sheltered spot under the trees. We secured the horses, and I took a moment to send a note explaining which road we had followed. Merlin led us back to the grass-infested lane and darted ahead. Walking one by one, we could squeeze past the grass without scratching ourselves. I noticed fresh horse tracks in the snow, and I wondered how Maderel was able to bring his horse through here without the animal rebelling. But he was the High Mage, so perhaps he had a spell to protect it from the constant scratching.
We finally made it past the grass and found ourselves in front of a gate. Someone had thoughtfully placed a “Werehounds on Property” sign on the post, and we could hear barking in the distance.
“What are werehounds?” I asked.
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“They look like normal Alsatian shepherds,” Yvaine replied, “but they have really long fangs, and once they catch the scent of blood, they won’t stop hunting until they’ve caught their prey.”
“And their bite can crunch through bone,” Dehn added.
“Do you turn into a werewolf if one bites you?” I asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Yvaine said. “They’re just dogs.”
“Big dogs,” Dehn added helpfully.
“Well, that’s true,” Yvained admitted. “I know a breeder who has a stud werehound that must stand six feet tall.”
“Maybe Maderel is breeding them,” I said hopefully. If that were true, maybe they wouldn’t be running loose on the property.
“Only one way to find out,” Dehn replied as he pushed on the gate. It groaned in protest, but he was able to move it enough so that we could slip inside. I saw the same horse tracks on this side of the gate and figured Maderel must have a spell for moving the gate as well.
At least there weren’t any of the sharp grass blades to contend with, so we moved off to the side of the lane in the hopes that no one would notice our footprints in the snow. We walked in silence, except for the sound of Merlin snuffling through the bushes. The barking grew louder the deeper we moved into the property, and then we all came to a quick stop when we heard people talking.
We darted into the bushes with Merlin and picked our way very slowly towards the voices. We found ourselves near a small barn which was clearly the source of the barking. Maderel and two other men, one in a blue hat and one in a red hat, stood nearby, leaning against the crossbeams of what looked like a corral. They were involved in some sort of discussion, but they weren’t speaking loud enough for us to hear them over the barking.
“It looks like a farm of some sort,” I said as I looked around.
“Too late in the season to know what they’re growing,” Yvaine sighed.
Maderel and his companions moved towards the barn and stepped inside. Dehn stood up and stepped out of our hiding spot. I had to grab his collar and yank him back when the man with the red hat emerged from the barn. He glanced in our direction, but apparently he didn’t see anything. He picked up what looked like a pitchfork and went back inside. We waited for another two minutes, then stepped quietly from our spot.
“Now what?” Yvaine asked.
“We get closer so we can hear them,” Dehn replied.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said. “This is really just supposed to be a test run.”
“So let’s test it,” Dehn insisted as he marched towards the barn.
“The things that man’s poor mother must have had to deal with,” Yvaine sighed. “It’s almost enough to put one off the idea of children.”
“Almost?” I said as I trotted after Dehn.
“Almost,” she agreed with a smirk.
“Almost,” Merlin added as he turned into his cat shape.
Dehn had gone around to the far side of the barn, and by the time we caught up with him, he was standing on a stack of hay bales and glaring at the doors to the loft.
“If we could get up there, we could slip inside and hear what they’re saying,” he suggested.
“I think I can reach it,” I said as I started to clamber up the stack of bales.
“I can make it,” he snarled. “I’m just preparing myself for the jump.”
“It might be easier for me--” I started to say in what I hoped was a soothing tone.
“I’m the tallest in my family,” Dehn replied, and he even thrust his chest out. I didn’t have to turn around to know that Yvaine had probably just rolled her eyes. “I can reach it.”
With a mighty grunt, Dehn jumped straight up and stretch out as far as he could. He missed the loft door by a good foot. Merlin made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
“Let me try,” I suggested as Dehn landed on his butt. The edge of the door was just outside my reach, but I was able to knock it open a few inches when I jumped. Yvaine tossed me an old rake she found nearby, and I used the handle to prop the door open wide enough for us to slip inside.
“I’ll push you up,” I told Dehn. “You make sure no one’s there. And remember, don’t run off and start any fights.”
The halfling grumbled something I didn’t understand, but I was able to push him up after a bit of grunting and a finger jab to my left eye. Yvaine, meanwhile, had climbed the hay bales. She handled my assist into the loft with far more grace, and she slipped inside with barely a sound. A moment later, she lowered a rope, and I climbed inside. Merlin had changed into a small bird and twittered at me as he flew by.
The four of us were at the far end of the loft, and we could hear the men talking again. The dogs were still barking, though not as loudly. We snuck forward, moving slowly, and keeping low to the floor. The loft was packed with bales, and Dehn nearly knocked two over the edge. When no one below reacted, we took a few more steps forward, and peered over the side.
Maderel and the two men were standing by what I would normally think of as a row of horse stalls, but instead of horses, the stalls held what I could only describe as really, really big German Shepherds. The dogs were all focused on the three men, and they even wagged their tails and dipped their heads for rubs, just like regular dogs. One of the dogs opened his mouth to catch a treat tossed to him, and I realized that their teeth were oversized as well.
“Damn,” I murmured. One of the dogs looked up to the loft and barked.
Dehn punched me in the arm, and Yvaine put a finger to her lips. Maderel and his companions glanced up as well. Merlin shifted into a mouse shape and rustled in the hay.
“Mice are back,” blue hat observed laconically.
“So, when are the litters due?” Maderel asked as he turned his attention back towards the dogs.
“I’d say two months,” blue hat replied. “Though Jessie was a little slow this time, so she may not deliver for another three months.”
“Excellent,” Maderel said as he tossed another treat. “I have high hopes for this year’s brood.”
“I expect we’ll have some good ones,” blue hat agreed. “Their father is a champion in the ring.”
“Undefeated,” Maderel said proudly. “Not many dogs can say that when they retire.”
“Not many get to retire,” red hat added.
“The price of being a fighting dog,” Maderel sighed. “Well, shall we return to the house and go over the books? I have some improvements I’d like to make before the spring arrives, and we need to make sure we’ve found a suitable alternate supplier for our meat.”
“Too bad about Huppman,” blue hat replied as the three men walked towards the door. “Can’t believe those orcs stole so many of his cattle.”
“Wonder what they’re up to,” red hat said with a shake of the head. “Never heard of orcs stealing cattle before.”
When the voices had faded, and the dogs settled, we crept to the back of the loft, and Yvaine, Dehn, and I clambered back down to the hay bales.
“Let’s follow them to the house,” Dehn said.
“Wait,” I said as I grabbed Dehn’s arm just before he jumped. “We’re not the only ones who are supposed to be testing this today.”
“Don’t tell me we’re going to turn this over to someone else?” Dehn protested.
“I really don’t want to listen in on Maderel’s dog-fighting plans,” I replied. “And somehow, I don’t think he’s going to tell these two guys where he hid the Shodra.”
“He might have hidden them out here,” Dehn said as he peered around.
“Yes, because Moe and Shemp look like just the guys to protect your most valuable assets,” I sighed.
“Moe and Shemp?” Yvaine asked. “Are those their names? How do you know that?”
“Just another thing I’ll have to explain later,” I said as I pulled my paper and pen from my pocket. There was already a message there, from Maruk, asking where we were. I wrote back with t
he best description I could and then said we would be returning to the city soon. Maruk and Aerin should pick a spot where they could wait for Maderel and follow him after he left the farm.
After a few moments, a new message from Maruk appeared, saying that he and Aerin were in place. That was followed by a message from Aerin challenging us to find them as we rode past.
“Where’d the puca go?” Dehn asked.
I looked around, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“I’m sure he’s nearby,” I replied.
“You know,” Yvaine pointed out. “I doubt the dogs were what had him so excited.”
“Oh no,” I sighed. “He’s gone off to steal something.”
“Probably,” she agreed.
“Looks like we get to poke around a bit more after all,” Dehn said gleefully.
We climbed down the hay bales and looked carefully around the farm. There was no sign of Merlin, and my soft whistles didn’t draw any response from the puca, though a few of the dogs barked.
“Food and shiny objects,” I murmured as I looked around.
“Over there,” Yvaine whispered. She pointed towards a windowless stone building near the edge of what looked like a small orchard. “That will be where the dried fruits and jams and such are stored for the winter.”
“Let’s go,” I said as we ran as quickly as we dared across the muddy, snow-covered ground.
There was no lock on the door, and we slipped inside after I confirmed that there were no protection spells either. Yvaine already had a glow stick out, and she held it up as we looked around.
“Oh, dear gods,” Yvaine declared.
“I’m not cleaning this up,” Dehn remarked.
Merlin sat in the middle of a pile of dried apples, figs, plums, and other fruits. There were jars scattered around as well, some empty, some with a few spoonfuls of jam still in them. Merlin himself had jam stuck to his normally pristine fur, and he actually looked guilty for a second when we first stepped into the building.
“So much for not leaving any trace of our presence,” I sighed as I spotted an overturned bag of grain, the contents now spread across the floor.
