Page 6 of A Blade of Lies and Spirits

The truth was, I couldn’t be sure until I did some more investigating.

In short order, my new clothing arrived. Handwoven, smelling of sage, and providing far more coverage, they were just what I needed. The shirt and trousers were tan and cream, with geometric patterns woven into them in red and blue. They weren’t exactly pretty, but I’d take practical over pretty any day.

I gladly gave the old garments to the grandmother, keeping only the gloves. She looked at the garments and smiled. Likely, they’d use the material to make more practical clothes. If I had the skill, I’d do the same.

“It suits you,” Walker observed as we walked to the canyon side. Handholds had been cut to help climbers make their way up. A good defense, if you were being attacked by people carrying hand weapons. But how did they carry supplies and children up?

At the ledge, I saw baskets and coiled rope, which answered my unspoken question.

We were expected. When we reached the door, a young man met us. Not by word or look did he acknowledge Walker’s existence. He said, “Were you sent by the Investigator?”

I nodded, since Walker was assigned, and he’d asked me to come.

He led us to a big room, carved from living rock. The single large window was shuttered. A fierce blaze of electric light illuminated the room. Lamps and generators were expensive Outside, this was meant to impress.

Two elegant wooden chairs were the only furnishings. Placed like thrones to welcome the peasants we were made to feel. Seated in them were two people. No doubt Onni and Mara, the heirs of the Representative. The brother and sister were still and expressionless as they awaited us, wearing clothing made from an expensive, smooth, machine-woven fabric, creased from years of storage that bore little sign of use. Tranquil faces turned toward me, their bodies seated in a stiff correct posture. His eyes met mine; hers were downcast. Both of them had twin rubies, which flared in the harsh light.

I waited.

“Who are you?” Onni asked. His harsh voice broke the quiet in a million pieces.

“I am Alys Quinn. Special Investigations has sent me to look into the old Representative’s death.”

“Approach.”

I walked forward, and he passed a scanner above my stone. His sister averted her face, gazing at the wall. He blinked at what the screen told him.

“We will render you all aid. I hope you succeed where your predecessor failed.” Onni’s voice, softer now, lost of all emotion. Surprise gone, his dark eyes were as blank and mobile as fog. They flitted to the shadows of the room and back to me.

I paused, gave him a moment to compose himself, then asked, “Where do I sleep?”

The sister regarded me, and my breath caught. Her dead eyes belonged in nightmares. She blew a bone whistle. Feet pattered in, the young man reappearing in the door.

The brother ordered, “Give her a place in the kitchen.”

Onni’s hands shook as he folded his arms.

The brother didn’t look at Walker, but his sister did, and I couldn’t help but shiver. Upon receiving a gaze like that, I would have had a weapon out in self-defense, but Walker stared back at her, his eyes hooded. Not a bit of fear in him.

If the brother was a killer, I was still a virgin. The sister was the more likely of the two, but she lacked… I couldn’t put a name to it. Not being a mind reader, I needed more information on the reason for these emotions, unless Walker had picked up knowledge I hadn’t.

For now, though, I got the feeling that neither of the heirs had anything to tell me until I knew the right questions. And I didn’t know enough about the situation to know what to ask. My instincts usually served me better, so I decided to thank them for their hospitality and follow the young man to my room, hoping that looking around right now might lead me down the right path with this investigation.

Our silent guide led us down narrow halls. Secrets sighed with the breeze as we descended a honeycomb of corridors. Fear permeated this place, like a silent heartbeat. The intensity of the emotions made my skin itch. Bile rose in my throat, competing with the steady beat of anger rising in me.

It wasn’t just the emotions caught in the place that seemed to seep into my bones. The sorrow Walker felt fertilized the anger just as strongly. His pain hurt me, and I didn’t like it. More than that, I wished that I understood it. This place seemed to be a broken puzzle I was desperate to solve.

The young man led us down a hall lined with flickering candles and to two rooms next to each other. He opened one and had us peek in, before doing the same to the other. “This is where you may stay… for your visit. I am Gegir. You may call for me if you need anything.”

I glanced at Walker. His expression told me that he was feeling the same way I was. That even spending a night under the stars would be better than staying in this creepy home.

Gegir turned as if to leave, but my words called him back. “Actually, I think we want to start our investigation right away. Is there somewhere we can grab food before heading back out?”

It felt as if it took him a great deal of effort to nod. “Follow me.”

We took a different path than before, but these passages were still lit at intervals by candles that wavered in the slight breeze. Candles that did little to chase away the strange darkness of the home. We entered the kitchen and silence fell, accompanied by stares from the staff.

A knot of dread tightened in my temples. It entangled this place?. The texture of emotion I sensed was old, worn into the stones like blood into sandstone. But why? What had caused it?

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