Eireen stayed at the desk, keeping the office open for the rest of the day. Lindell reluctantly went upstairs and slept. He was too tired from his magic having gone wild to do anything else. He woke up late in the day and went down to the kitchen. It was already dark out, and the front door was closed. Everyone was in the kitchen, including Tabitha, but no one was sitting at the table. A single piece of parchment rested on the table.

  “What’s that?” Lindell asked Hector.

  “A warning from the Rune Master,” Hector said. “Either we stay out of his way, or he will consider us his enemies, allies of the duke.”

  Lindell sighed. “We have little choice. Even if we were going to let him do what he wants with the duke’s allies, which we won’t, the duke wouldn’t let us back out now.”

  “He would assume we’re allying ourselves with the Rune Master,” Cory said.

  Lindell’s tail stopped moving. He looked at Eireen.

  “I’m not going to stop helping with the case,” Eireen said, staring back at him.

  Lindell nodded, knowing he couldn’t change her mind, but that wouldn’t stop him from worrying about her and their baby. He glanced at the note again. “Did he leave that here in the office?”

  “Yes,” Eireen said, absently rubbing a rune on her left antler. “I don’t know how he did it. No one came past me at the desk. He must have come through the window.”

  Cory tried the window and it opened. “It’s not locked, but it looks locked.” He groaned. “The lock doesn’t work. Either the Rune Master broke it, or it’s been broken since we got here.”

  Lindell helped Cory with the window. The window had two halves that opened outward, with a simple latch in the middle. As soon as someone pushed on the window, it came unlatched. With a little tightening, they had the latch working again. When they sat down to dinner, there was still a heavy tension over them.

  “I had an encounter with Irwin at the harbor,” Tabitha said hesitantly. “I heard he’s staying with Belanger.” She sighed. “Irwin assumed I was a witch when he noticed my appearance and was ranting about there being so many witches in Arkose. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rune Master goes after him. He was practically making a target of himself.”

  “And he’s an ally of the duke,” Eireen said.

  “They must have bonded over their hatred of magic,” Lindell said.

  No one said much else during dinner.

  While lying in bed later that night, Lindell didn’t feel much better even with the kitchen window properly locked. The Rune Master had been in the office and none of them had known. What if he found another way in, while they were all asleep? That thought kept him awake most of the night. Along with his worry about Eireen. She still looked worried, and he knew it wasn’t just the case.

  In the morning, everyone looked tired. Lindell wondered how long it had been since any of them had a proper night’s sleep. Hector was there again that morning. He had been there every morning and night for many days now. Lindell hoped that meant his brother really was going to join Phoenix and stay in Arkose with them.

  “I’m picking up lavender from Tabitha’s shop,” Cory said. “Lindell, will you come with me?”

  That had come out of nowhere, and Lindell noticed Cory glance at Eireen, who nodded. Lindell tried not to sigh. How much had Eireen told the others?

  “I’ll go,” Lindell said, letting go of the embarrassment of everyone knowing he was having trouble with his magic. He shouldn’t have kept it from them. “What do we need lavender for?”

  “Tea,” Cory said. “To help us sleep. I don’t think we’re going to find out who the Rune Master is and stop him today. We all need a good night’s sleep.”

  After breakfast, Lindell went with Cory down to Tabitha’s shop at the harbor. The harbor was already busy. Lindell heard talk about his uncle. People were saying Ernest should have become duke, even if Belanger was the nephew, and only living relative, of the previous duke. Lindell had heard this before. Ernest seemed to have the favor of most of Arkose. Had Belanger heard people saying these things? Lindell could imagine Lovro, Floretta, or Vern would have informed the duke.

  Tabitha’s shop was open, but when the two went inside, Tabitha wasn’t standing behind the counter. There were no customers there. It sounded like someone was wheezing. Lindell caught sight of a boot sticking out from behind the counter. He ran over to the counter, with Cory close behind him. Tabitha was lying on the floor, looking dazed, her eyes barely staying open.

  “What happened?” Cory asked, kneeling beside her.

  “Need…antidote,” Tabitha said.

  “Tell me how to make it,” Cory said. He leaned closer and she whispered to him.

  Lindell watched, wishing he could help, as Cory hurried around the shop gathering plants. He went through the door behind the counter, coming back a moment later with a wooden cup of some foul smelling liquid. He lifted Tabitha’s head gently and she drank it. Soon, Tabitha looked more awake.

  “I found a note in the back,” Cory said.

  “Yes, I saw that after I drank my morning tea,” Tabitha said quietly.

  “The Rune Master?” Lindell asked.

  Cory nodded. “The note said any ally of Phoenix is an enemy of his.” He frowned hard. He was tense all over.

  Tabitha looked up at him. “Thank you.”

  Cory smiled. “I’ll make sure no one poisons you again. I’ll stay with you at the shop during the day. At night too, if I need to.”

  Tabitha laughed quietly. “I’ll be fine. I’d rather you be out there looking for the Rune Master. I’ll just be more careful before I eat or drink anything. I think I know what plant it was. It wasn’t meant for killing, only to knock me out for a few hours.” She sat up slowly. “It would take more than that to knock a demon unconscious.”

  “What if next time…” Cory didn’t finish.

  Tabitha squeezed his hand. “The Rune Master doesn’t seem to know what I am. I’m more resilient than a human.”

  Cory didn’t look assured, and neither was Lindell. Tabitha stood, unsteady for only a moment. Lindell could tell Cory wanted to stay, but Tabitha insisted they get back out there. Lindell and Cory left the shop, splitting up at the harbor to question the crowd. Lindell didn’t find anyone who had seen someone wearing a red cloak. The Rune Master probably wouldn’t even be wearing the cloak during the day, and by now he had likely heard they were looking for someone wearing a red cloak. He could just get a cloak of a different color, or not wear one.

  Lindell sighed, never having felt so frustrated and weary. It occurred to him they had forgotten to buy lavender, but that mattered little. The Rune Master had gone after Tabitha simply because she was close to Cory. Lindell doubted the Rune Master would stop there. The sun was setting. Lindell stopped at the harbor wall, not seeing anyone wearing a red cloak.

  “Irwin Meadows is a nuisance,” Wilson said, standing right beside him.

  Lindell hadn’t heard Wilson approach and jumped a little.

  “I hope he will leave soon and not decide to settle in Arkose,” Wilson said. “The duke and his other allies are bad enough.” He looked at Lindell. “There are cases far more worth Phoenix’s time. You’re still searching for the Rune Master.” It wasn’t a question. “There is other trouble in Arkose far more worthy of Phoenix’s attention.”

  Did he want Phoenix to give up? Though from what he’d said of the duke before, maybe he just didn’t want them to help the duke. Wilson hadn’t seemed happy about Donovan focusing on the duke’s case rather than that of Giselle and Julius.

  “What the Rune Master is doing is wrong,” Lindell said. “Regardless of who he’s doing it to.”

  Wilson stared at the crowd, frowning hard. “Julius was loyal to Belanger for years, but when he refused to give up on finding out who murdered Giselle, he vanished.” He looked at Lindell, his expression cold. “I do think Belanger killed them both, but for now I have no proof. I will not rest until their killer is brought to justice.”

  “Did you know them well?” Lindell asked, the words coming out quiet in the face of the rage in Wilson’s eyes.

  Wilson’s expression softened. “Julius was a friend, and a good Knight Captain. Donovan looked up to him. As for Giselle…” He stared into the distance, a sudden, overwhelming sadness in his eyes.

  “You loved her,” Lindell said.

  Wilson nodded. “I loved her.” He absently touched the sprig of lavender on his lapel. “Lavender was her favorite flower. We met when we were both visiting Skarn, the town where I grew up. We continued to meet when I moved to Arkose. I don’t understand what she saw in Belanger, why she stayed when she realized what a terrible person he was. Giselle was upset by the duke’s laws and revealed to all of Arkose that she was a rune witch. A few days later, she was dead. I will find proof that Belanger killed her.” He sounded entirely certain. He looked at Lindell with a frown. “You’ve made no progress in finding the Rune Master?”

  “None,” Lindell said. “He cursed Donovan and poisoned a friend.”

  Wilson shook his head. “The more you aid the duke with this, the more the Rune Master will see you as an enemy.”

  Lindell tensed. “We can’t just let him go around cursing people.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Wilson nodded slowly. “It seems his main target is the duke’s allies among the nobles, but when do you think he’ll go after the duke himself?”

  Lindell had started to wonder about that. “Maybe after he’s cursed all the duke’s allies.”

  “Perhaps,” Wilson said. “I suggest you figure out if the duke is worth helping when all it may get you is a shallow grave somewhere no one will ever find you.” He walked away, disappearing into the late afternoon crowd.

  Those words hung in Lindell’s mind, but he tried to push them away. They couldn’t give up on this case. Lindell looked for Cory, but he didn’t see him in the crowd. The harbor was still crowded with travelers who had come to see the shops, which stayed open late this time of year. He searched for Cory a little longer before heading back to the office. Cory may have already gone back. Lindell made his way through the crowd, toward the alleyways. Someone bumped into him, gone in the crowd too soon to see whoever it was clearly. Usually people avoided getting close enough to bump into him.

  Lindell reached the alleyway that led up to the office and continued up it. The harbor was barely out of sight when his magic pulled back suddenly, clenching into a tight ball inside of him. The feeling was the same as a muscle spasm, taking his breath away. Lindell stopped, leaning on the alleyway wall, the back wall of a house. He tried to catch his breath. What was wrong with his magic? It stayed in that tight knot, but something was keeping it there. He could feel magic that wasn’t his holding it there.

  A burning spread over his entire body. A moan escaped him as he sank to the ground. The burning became more intense, a deep itch in his fur. Everything spun and blurred, but then the burning was gone and the spinning stopped. His magic was a knot of pain inside of him. Lindell leaned on the wall next to him, managing to get to his feet. That’s when he caught sight of his arms and hands. The fur was gone, leaving ordinary skin.

  He reached up and touched his face and his head. He had a human face, ears, and his messy black hair was back. Sight and sound were less clear than before. The tail was gone too. What was going on? What was that other magic inside of him? Some of his own magic had slipped free of the bond, but not enough. Lindell thought of that moment in the crowd when someone had bumped into him. That got him moving again. He walked faster, not stopping until he reached the office.

  Cory was sitting at the desk. Maybe when he had returned to the office, Eireen had needed to go somewhere. She had been the one staying at the office that day. Cory stood when he saw Lindell.

  “Someone bound my magic,” Lindell said. He was sweaty, but at the same time he was cold and shivering.

  Cory hurried around the desk. He closed and locked the front door before releasing his corruption and putting a hand on Lindell’s shoulder. Cory closed his eyes. Lindell felt Cory’s magic inside of him, an even stranger feeling than just feeling it in the air. Corrupt soul magic wasn’t like other magic. Feeling it inside of him, Lindell was certain Cory’s magic was even more different than he’d thought. Was soul magic something else entirely? Cory’s magic left, then he pulled back his corruption.

  “I can’t break the curse,” Cory said. “It’s like the one on the captain. It has enough similarities that I’m certain of who made it.”

  “The Rune Master,” Lindell said.

  Cory nodded. “What happened?”

  “I was at the harbor, on my way back to the office, and someone bumped into me in the crowd,” Lindell said. “I didn’t get a good look at whoever it was.”

  Cory sighed. “That must have been him.”

  Lindell’s magic fought against the binding harder. It felt even more wrong than before.

  Eireen returned to the office before Lindell or Cory could say anything more. Lindell wasn’t sure there was anything more to say. Hector arrived a moment later.

  “Another ally of the duke was cursed, in the same way as the others—” Eireen’s eyes went wide when she saw Lindell. “What happened?”

  “The Rune Master,” Lindell said.

  “I can’t break this one either,” Cory said.

  “Who was cursed?” Lindell asked.

  Eireen frowned. “Ernest Welch.”

  The four of them left the office, Eireen locking the door behind them.

  “Are you alright?” Hector asked Lindell.

  “No, but there’s nothing to be done about it,” Lindell said. “Not without the rune stone.”

  Delia and Donovan were both at the healer’s. Ernest was just as still as Vern. Pearl sat on a stool beside the bed, clutching his hand, her face wet with tears.

  “Where was he found?” Lindell asked Delia quietly.

  “Outside,” Delia said. “Not far from his home. Just like the others.”

  Hector had taken his glasses off and was cleaning them absently with his shirt. “I don’t suppose this one can be broken without the stone either.” He put his glasses back on.

  “It’s unlikely,” Cory said.

  Donovan grimaced, a frightening sight with his fangs. “We’ll have to find all the stones. They have to be somewhere.” He frowned at Lindell. “What happened to you?”

  “The Rune Master cursed me,” Lindell said.

  Donovan’s shoulders tensed. “Then he’s going after Phoenix as well. Delia told me he also went after Tabitha.”

  “You haven’t broken this curse either?” Belanger asked, coming into the healer’s. His brows furrowed when he looked at Lovro, still tossing and turning. The duke barely spared a glance for Vern or Ernest. He scowled at Lindell, Eireen, Cory, and Hector. “Irwin has brought discrepancies to my attention about the list the Knight Captain gave me, about what kind of witches the members of Phoenix supposedly are. There is a limit to the magic I will tolerate in Arkose.”

  Pearl stood suddenly, staring at the duke with wide eyes. “Please don’t cast them out of town. They could be the only ones who can break the curses.” Her voice shook, along with the rest of her.

  Belanger looked at her as though noticing her for the first time. “I will do what is best for the town.” He left without another word.

  Lindell didn’t doubt that had been a threat, or that the duke would now be determined to find out what they were. Pearl let out a quiet wail and sank back onto the stool, sobbing as she held on to Ernest’s hand. Delia hurried to her side, rubbing her shoulder.

  Delia sighed. “I remember what things were like in Arkose before that man became duke…”

  “I know I’ve seen a red cloak before,” Hector said, “but I don’t know where.” His eyes flickered pale brown and feline. “Maybe I should talk to the traveling merchants at the market and coming in on the ships at the harbor.”

  “It certainly isn’t a common color for a cloak,” Delia said. “I’ve never seen one like it sold here in Arkose.”

  Donovan nodded slowly. “Perhaps we can find out where it was made.” He shook his head. “The shops will be closed for the night. You will have to wait until morning.”

  Donovan stayed with Delia at the healer’s, insisting the rest of them go home. Lindell and the others didn’t talk during dinner. Eireen glanced at Lindell worriedly several times, but she said nothing. There was nothing they could do about the binding without the stone. Lindell’s magic was a knot of fire inside of him as he lay awake that night. Every inch of him felt wrong. And the lack of a tail was much more confusing than he had thought it would be.

  Eventually he drifted into a light, restless sleep, haunted by bits of last year. He saw the Cave of Blood, red dripping down the stones. He saw Bazza, dagger raised, ready to kill him. Then he saw that last moment with Ricliri, just before Irwin’s herbal concoction had killed the weakened spirit of illusion. Lindell woke up sweaty and not the least bit rested. As with the day before, he was cold. He shivered as he got dressed.

  Eireen hugged him tightly, her arms warm around him. “We’ll find that stone,” she whispered. “And we’ll find out who the Rune Master is. He’s bound to get reckless eventually. The more he goes after us, the more likely we will see his face.”

  Lindell hoped that was true.

  Hector came by early and helped Lindell cook breakfast. Tabitha wasn’t there that morning, and Eireen, Lindell, Cory, and Hector spoke little while they ate.

  “Any leads on what plant the Rune Master might be using with his curses?” Lindell asked.

  Cory shook his head. “Tabitha and I are still looking. All we know so far is that it was none of the plants Tabitha has sold in the last two years, and nothing she has in stock at her shop. Whatever the plant is, it didn’t come from her shop, so the Rune Master must know enough about plants to have found and harvested it himself.”

  Lindell shivered yet again.

  “Maybe you should stay here today,” Eireen said.

  “I’m going with you,” Lindell said quickly. What if the Rune Master went after her next?

  They all left the office after breakfast. Hector left for the market, while Cory went back to Tabitha’s shop. Lindell was cold all day, despite the bright sunlight. He stayed close to Eireen, but it was hard to stay alert with his magic burning inside of him and the constant shivering. No one had seen anyone wearing a red cloak, and they had no other leads. It was getting late when Lindell and Eireen returned to the office. Cory and Hector arrived a moment later.

  “Red fabric that vibrant can only be made with the dyes they have in Skarn,” Hector said during dinner.

  “So the cloak was made in Skarn?” Lindell asked.

  “It’s likely,” Hector said. “The merchants I spoke to said only one tailor makes cloaks like that, and they only sell them in Skarn. Not only that, such a cloak would be very expensive.”

  Eireen sighed. “All that tells us is that the Rune Master traveled to Skarn and bought an expensive cloak. Unless we want one of us to go there and ask…”

  “A few years ago, those cloaks were very popular among nobles,” Hector said. “That’s where I’d seen one before. Several nobles in Shale have those cloaks, but they mostly leave them in their closets, since they’re not in style anymore.”

  “Red cloaks went out of style?” Lindell asked.

  Hector shrugged. “Apparently. The thing is, if we go to the shop in Skarn and ask who bought one, we would probably hear a list of all the noble families in Oenum, including the ones in Arkose.” He looked away. “I asked Pearl earlier and she told me she has a red cloak in the closet at home, and so do Floretta and Vern Eady. I doubt they’re the only ones.”

  Eireen groaned. “And no one wears them anymore except for the Rune Master?”

  A frustrated silence hung over them for the rest of dinner. At least they knew something new. The Rune Master had enough money to buy an expensive cloak. Were they looking for a noble? As Wilson had pointed out before, it would be faster to ask who the duke hadn’t angered. Knowing the Rune Master might be a noble didn’t narrow things down much, especially if so many of them had red cloaks.