The Scarlet Dagger

by J. E. Cluney

  Was he okay?

  I reached out farther, homing in on his being.

  ‘Ollie? What’s going on? Are you okay?’ I asked as I found him hurrying home.

  I could feel his slight confusion and panic, and it rippled through me unsettlingly.

  Not to mention he was stark naked.

  What the hell?

  ‘I woke up naked in someone’s paddock,’ he said, his voice strained as he darted behind the cover of some bushes as a car whizzed by.

  He wasn’t too far from home now.

  ‘I’ll come get you,’ Lucas stated as he rose from the table and stepped through the portal that opened up instantly.

  “Oh, okay.” Trish jerked back as she turned and nearly stepped right into the portal as well. “What’s going on?”

  ‘What’s going on? Why were you naked?’ I asked, knowing Lucas had found him as the portal in the kitchen dissipated. He would bring him back to his room to get some clothes on.

  But Ollie was disorientated, and it worried me even more.

  ‘I think I shifted…’ Ollie said softly as Lucas portaled him home.

  A shudder coursed through me as I realized what he was saying as I peeked into his mind.

  He had no recollection of anything from yesterday afternoon and night.

  Trish was giving us all odd looks as she placed the plate of pancakes on the table before us.

  My appetite had vanished now though as concern filled me. I wanted to go upstairs and check on Ollie. I hated the lost sensations I was feeling from him.

  But he intended to come downstairs with Lucas.

  “What am I missing?” Trish finally asked as she sat down beside Skip.

  “Ollie lost his memory of yesterday,” Skip informed her, his brow creased as he looked at the ceiling in distress.

  “Oh, that can’t be good.” Trish pursed her lips as she shot me a look.

  Was this related to Joseph? It was too much of a coincidence to not be related.

  Ollie and Lucas tromped down the stairs to join us, and my heart pulled at Ollie’s distressed look. Lucas’ jaw was set as he flicked his hand and the jug of juice poured a glass, which then floated over to Ollie as he collapsed into a seat.

  He downed the juice, clearly parched as he eyed the pancakes.

  We all stared at him, awaiting some input from him.

  “Here, let me see if I can pull your memories forth,” Lucas suggested as he strode over and planted himself behind Ollie’s seat.

  Ollie gave me a thin-lipped smile, and I managed a weak one in return as Lucas waved a glowing hand over his forehead.

  Ollie frowned as Lucas held his hand over his forehead, his eyes faintly glowing blue.

  Lucas’ brow furrowed as Ollie bit his lip, and Trish was watching the pair intently, her breakfast preparations forgotten.

  “I can’t find anything,” Lucas said finally after a few minutes had painfully dragged by. “You did shift, that much I can tell. But it’s like your own magic wiped the memories. It’s not the work of someone else,” Lucas said.

  The tension in my body eased slightly at this knowledge. So it wasn’t Joseph.

  But Ollie’s own magic? That was just as worrying.

  “You don’t just forget a whole evening,” Skip said, scowling.

  “It doesn’t even feel like there are any memories there. I can’t pull anything forth,” Ollie murmured as he shifted uneasily in his seat.

  “What’s that mean then?” Trish said, asking the question we all wanted to know.

  “I have no idea,” Lucas admitted quietly.

  We sat in an uneasy silence after that, and the cheery breakfast atmosphere was lost as we forced ourselves to eat the meal Trish had prepared for us.

  No one spoke as we contemplated why this could be happening.

  Lucas intended to ask his father when he went into the station to help work on Claire again.

  Ollie was thinking about asking his family, but was worried how they’d be towards him.

  I didn’t blame him for his concern around them.

  Would they know anything anyway? Was this somehow tied to me or our bond?

  I rubbed my temple as I ate the last bite of the delicious pancakes, wishing I could have enjoyed them more.

  Instead, I was too busy trying to unravel what this meant.

  “I think it might be best if I put a tracking spell on you or something. Just in case it happens again. Although our bond works in a similar way,” Lucas murmured as he stared hard at Ollie, as if he expected to vanish from sight.

  “I should’ve checked in on you last night. I’m so sorry,” I said to him. I’d just assumed he was with friends and hadn’t bothered to reach out to check.

  Now the guilt was gnawing at me.

  “Don’t blame yourself. How could you have known?” Ollie gave me a small smile.

  Still, I was his mate, and considering he always came home each night, I should’ve been more concerned. I’d been too preoccupied with other stuff, and I was kicking myself now.

  “I think it’d be best if we just check in on you when you’re not with us. Make sure this doesn’t happen again, whatever it is,” Skip said.

  “Wonder why it happened? It’s quite peculiar,” Trish mused as she nibbled on some pancakes in thought.

  I jumped as Lucas’ phone sounded off, and he snatched it from his pocket quickly.

  “Hello?” he answered as he sat back in his chair.

  I instantly knew it was his father, and the frown that marred his face informed me whatever news he was sharing wasn’t good.

  I delved into Lucas’ mind, discovering that a body had been found—a student from the University.

  He wanted me to come look into it, as his magic was not offering any clues.

  I gritted my teeth as I set my fork down on my plate.

  ‘Are you up for that?’ Lucas asked mentally.

  Derek’s body had unnerved me, and then finding Samantha… I wasn’t sure I wanted to have to do it again.

  But if Mr Brady was asking, then he had done all he could.

  I was the only one who could possibly provide more answers.

  I had to.

  Lucas nodded as I came to my decision, and he let his dad know I’d be willing to help out.

  He gave us an address, and I finished off my juice as Lucas explained to Trish what was going on.

  “Jesus, poor thing. Are you sure you’re up for that, Ally?” Trish turned to me, those greying eyes filled with deep concern.

  I nodded, forcing a small smile.

  “Well, I’ll be here, sweetie. Everything will be okay,” Trish assured me as she gave me a warm smile.

  Her words meant a lot to me, but I knew she felt helpless right now.

  I would too. Hell, I did feel helpless. We had no answers and only a growing list of questions.

  I rose and headed upstairs as Lucas helped Trish clean everything up.

  I wanted to brush my teeth and prepare myself first before Lucas portaled me to the body.

  What would we find anyway?

  I stared down at the body covered in a sheet, dread washing over me. The same sensation from last night was curdling in my stomach as unease and a ripple of fear coursed through me.

  “Time of death is estimated to be at one in the morning,” Mr Brady said as he stood beside Lucas and I.

  ‘Same time you woke up freaking out,’ Lucas murmured into my mind.

  I’d felt this death happen.

  Wonderful.

  But why? Other people died in Maple Grove. I’d seen the Facebook posts of the elderly passing away, and I’d never felt a thing.

  What made this person so special?

  We were behind the University campus in some bushland it backed onto, and the body was tucked behind some bushes.

  Apparently, another student had found him on her morning run.

  Poor thing.

  “Trenton Dale, he was student at the University. A kangaroo sh
ifter,” My Brady informed us before he stepped aside to converse with some officers who were taping off the scene and collecting evidence.

  My stomach churned at the information. A kangaroo shifter. Had Skip known him? He knew many students, but being the same kind of shifter, he probably did some shifter classes with him.

  ‘I knew him,’ Skip said, slipping into my mind, and a pang of despair washed through him. ‘We didn’t talk much, but he loved to play footy with some of the others. I’d even played with them a few times.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I sent back, my chest aching for him.

  Skip withdrew from my mind, and I sighed.

  “Getting anything?” Lucas asked softly.

  I shook my head. “Only this feeling,” I murmured as I knelt down.

  Would I learn more if I touched him? Or something that belonged to him?

  Lucas waved his father over as I pursed my lips.

  What did Trenton look like under the sheet?

  “Can she touch him?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes, we’ve removed all the evidence we could, although there was next to nothing. Try not to disturb the body though,” Mr Brady said, his face hard as he stared at the covered corpse.

  “Any ideas how he died?” Lucas asked.

  “We have a working theory,” Mr Brady said, but didn’t go into detail.

  I reached out hesitantly, reaching within me to try to draw my banshee forth.

  I touched his leg through the sheet as I focused on my power, willing it to come to life and provide some answers.

  Anything.

  I closed my eyes, my banshee shifting within me uneasily, but she didn’t give me any insight. Instead, the dread coiled up inside me, the tendrils of the overwhelming darkness and misery snaking through my void, fighting to drag me under.

  I gasped as I pulled back, clenching my teeth as I focused on fighting the sensations.

  I couldn’t let them overwhelm me. Not now.

  “What’s wrong? See something?” Mr Brady pushed, his tone desperate as he stepped closer.

  “No, just a bad feeling.” I sighed as I stood back up.

  Mr Brady let out a breath but nodded. “Well, if you see anything, please let me know. His family are being informed, and the investigation is being opened.”

  “You think someone killed him? Joseph?” Lucas asked quietly as he glanced around the area.

  Only the officers were with us at the moment, especially since the campus was still closed for the holiday period. Classes would resume tomorrow.

  “Possibly,” Mr Brady said as he folded his arms. “We believe his death was due to being drained of magic.”

  A cold shiver ran down my spine as I wrapped my arms around myself.

  So Joseph was the most likely culprit. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “We’ll amp up our search for him. Our wardings haven’t revealed anything, but with this death, it’s clear he’s been in the area,” Mr Brady said, although his frown made me glance at Lucas.

  “You think there could be more to it?” Lucas asked.

  “I’m thinking it’s quite possible he might not be working alone. Especially if we’re having trouble with our wardings,” Mr Brady shared.

  I rubbed my arms, a strange cold setting into my bones at his words.

  Could Joseph have someone helping him? Someone who we didn’t suspect?

  My mind jumped to Ollie instantly.

  No, it wasn’t possible. He was my bonded mate. My banshee side would surely pick that up.

  But Ollie had no alibi for last night. Hell, he had no memory whatsoever.

  And Walter had said he was tied into all of this.

  Lucas and I exchanged worried glances, and I pursed my lips.

  No. It couldn’t be sweet Ollie. That was insane. It was just a coincidence. It had to be.

  Until we figured this out, I was not going to tell Mr Brady.

  And Lucas was going to look into the memory loss on his own. Bringing Mr Brady into it was too risky, especially if he was innocent.

  “I’ll take Allison home. She’s not getting anything sadly. I’ll meet you back at the station after to help with Claire. Hopefully, we can get some answers from her soon,” Lucas said, his emerald eyes locking onto mine. He agreed about keeping this issue with Ollie to ourselves.

  He was under the same impression that my banshee side would pick up if Ollie was involved in this.

  But if he wasn’t, then what the hell was going on with him?

  I hated how coincidental it all was.

  We needed answers.

  Now.

  I sat in my room, going over my notes for an upcoming assignment. I just wanted to distract myself from everything.

  Trish had gone into Maleny with Hayley and Skip to buy some ingredients for dinner, and I’d found it amusing as he mentally updated me on her flirting. Although she was also giving him relationship advice and asking about us all, which was interesting. Hayley was keeping rather quiet, but spoke about her partner, Daniel, after messaging him a bit in the car.

  Lucas was helping out with his dad with Claire at the station and wouldn’t be home for a few more hours most likely, and Marcus was downstairs reading in the library while he took a break from his game design.

  I reread my notes, annoyed that I’d glossed over it the first time and hadn’t actually retained any of the information.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  I flicked my gaze to where Ollie stood at my doorway, giving me a tentative smile.

  “Yeah, just studying,” I murmured.

  “Can I join?” he asked, causing me to frown as he hesitated.

  “No need to ask,” I stated.

  He gave me a sheepish smile as he clambered onto my bed and inspected my textbook.

  “So, you guys really think my memory issue is related to Joseph?” he asked quietly after a moment.

  “I have no idea what to think to be honest.” I sighed as I set my notebook down.

  He pursed his lips as he stared hard at the textbook. I reached over, resting my hand on his thigh and stroking it through his board shorts.

  “We’ll figure it all out, I promise,” I assured him. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew Lucas was looking into it. Marcus was doing his own research and reading on it, but he wasn’t having any luck.

  “I might have to ask my parents,” Ollie murmured as he flicked through the pages of the book vacantly.

  “What about your grandfather? Could he know something?” I suggested.

  “Maybe,” he said, nodding. “Lucas said it had to do with my own magic, so maybe he’ll know something.”

  “I can drive you over there? See what we can learn?” I offered. I wanted answers just as badly as he did, and I knew it was bothering him terribly. The look of uncertainty and confusion evident on his face was hurting me. I wanted to help him.

  Besides, I wasn’t getting anywhere with this studying.

  I closed up my notebook as I stood, and Ollie rose as well, pulling me into a warm hug.

  “Thanks for wanting to help,” he whispered as he nuzzled my neck.

  “I’m always here for you,” I said as I held him tight. I just wanted to put an end to all these worries, to make this Joseph thing go away, and for life to finally be normal.

  But in all honesty, what even was normal for us?

  “You can’t remember anything?” Bob, Ollie’s grandfather, frowned as he sipped his tea, his hazel eyes perplexed as he held his mug before his lips.

  “Nothing at all. Just woke up naked in someone’s paddock,” Ollie reiterated as he held the mug of hot tea that his grandfather had served him.

  I sipped mine as Robert set his down and stroked his snow-white beard in thought.

  “That is distressing indeed, but I can’t think of a reason as to why. I’m sorry.” He sighed as he settled back in his armchair, while Ollie and I sat on the lounge.

  “Nothing in our family could explain it?” Ollie asked, his voice p
ained with desperation.

  “Not off the top of my head. But I’ve got some old family books I can find and read through. I’m not too sure where they are, but I’m sure Penny can help me out,” he said as he frowned at the floor, deep in thought.

  “Wish we could get some answers. Things have been a bit crazy lately,” Ollie said, then groaned as he set his mug down on the coffee table.

  “Everything will work out, Oliver. You just have to stay positive. Here, if you really want to try to find stuff out, you can help me try to find the old family books under the house,” he suggested.

  “It’s worth a shot,” I said as Ollie glanced over at me for input.

  “Well, let’s get to it then,” Bob said as he downed the last of his tea and rose from his chair.

  We followed him outside and down the front stairs before circling under the house where the old ute was parked up.

  I carefully made my way through the workshop area beside it, with all sorts of farm equipment strewn around and tools strung up on the walls.

  At the back of the workshop was a large shelving unit, stacked to the brim with plastic tubs.

  “They’ll be in one of these hopefully,” Bob stated as he shuffled around one of the workbenches and began tugging the tubs off the shelves.

  I wiped a bead of sweat off my brow, hating how hot and muggy it was underneath the house.

  Ollie stepped in to help him heave the tubs onto the work bench. I inwardly groaned as we opened the first one, which was packed tight with all sorts of books and paperwork.

  This was going to take a while.

  We got to work sorting through the boxes, and I craved an ice-cold water after only ten minutes of sifting through the first box.

  Ollie moved onto another, while Bob was shuffling through a different one.

  I sorted through the various tomes, historical ones mostly, and did my best to search for ones about the Blythe family.

  It took what felt like hours before we reached the final box, having only found two family history books.

  We made quick work of the last box, and discovered a final book to add to our small pile.

  I had sweat trickling down the sides of my face now, and my dress was clinging to me uncomfortably.

  “Well, you can take these. Hopefully, they can give you some answers,” Bob said as he heaved the last box up and set it back on the shelf.