The Fading Dusk

by Melissa Giorgio

  Could my day possibly get any worse?

  I spoke too soon. It was worse. Much, much worse.

  After they’d tied my hands behind my back, I was dragged west through the streets of Dusk. I fell into a state of shock sometime during the journey and only came to my senses when I was led into an empty interrogation room. They guided me to a wooden chair located in the center of the room; once I sat, my legs were bound tightly to the legs of a chair. Across from me was a desk, the only other piece of furniture in the large, circular room. Small windows, too high up on the wall to reach without standing on the chair, were open, letting in the night air and causing the flames in the gas lamps to dance like writhing bodies.

  For about ten minutes, it was just me and the two soldiers occupying the room, but then the captain walked in with a pile of papers in his arms. He placed the papers on the desk and proceeded to ignore me completely as he shuffled through them. I spent another ten minutes glaring at him as more soldiers slowly trickled in, but not once did he spare me a single glance.

  Even though I’d heard the other men call him captain, I found it hard to believe. He was so young, only a couple of years older than me, if that. And yet he wore a pin in the shape of a sword on his left breast, and the other soldiers looked at him with reverence.

  In the time spent studying him, I found myself deciding he could be handsome if he did something other than scowl all the time. He had copper-colored skin and thick, wavy black hair. His eyes, framed by thick lashes, were dark, and gleamed with intelligence as he carefully listened to his men state their reports. His standard soldier uniform—crisp navy pants tucked into tall black boots, navy shirt with a row of gold buttons running up to the high collar, white gloves, and a long, dark overcoat—was pristine to the point that it was almost sickening. No one’s clothes should look that clean. Even his hair was carefully styled so that not even a single strand fell over onto his high forehead. He carried himself with a sense of pride I’d seen in aristocrats, which made little sense considering he was a soldier. Most men became soldiers for the steady income, but an aristocrat needn’t work. The man was definitely a mystery, but I hoped I wouldn’t be around long enough to solve it.

  I tugged at my bindings, wincing as the rope cut into my wrists. The skin was already tender from where the burly man had grabbed me, and the soldier who had bound me to the chair hadn’t taken any chances, tying the knots as tightly as he could. Did they expect me to run away the first chance I had?

  More soldiers poured into the room, regarding me curiously. But no one offered to untie me or remove the foul-tasting gag from my mouth, even when I gave them the saddest look I could muster. Is this how the soldiers normally treated innocent people? It was beyond cruel!

  Unless they really do think you’re guilty, a small voice whispered. But guilty of what? I was the one who’d been attacked! I’d say ask the burly man and his companion, but that was a little hard considering they were dead!

  And where was Bantheir throughout all of this? Surely he’d come and rescue me, once he found out what had happened to his assistant? But what if he drank so much he had to spend the night at his new friends’ house? I groaned. Bantheir did love his alcohol—especially when it was free.

  “Does it hurt?” a voice close to my ear said, startling me. I turned to see who’d spoken and my heart skipped a beat.

  “Yuuu!” I said around the gag.

  The blond boy who’d defended my honor at the magic show crinkled his brow, confusion in his grass-green eyes. His young face was whisker-free and still retained some of its baby fat, and his golden hair was cut short. His shoulders were broad under his uniform—my admirer was a soldier? Imagine that. “What was that?” When I didn’t answer, he removed the gag from my mouth and I nearly wept with relief. “Are your bonds hurting you?” he asked, giving me a gentle smile that caused something warm in my stomach to blossom. His eyes were such a deep, mesmerizing green that I found it hard to look away.

  “Yes,” I said, giving him my sad look. “They’re cutting into my skin.”

  His eyes widened, telling me my sad look had worked on him. He called out to the captain. “Sir, can I untie her bonds? She’s not going anywhere.”

  I turned my sad look on the captain, who immediately scowled. Addressing the blond man, he said, “Just the ones on her wrists.” And then he went back to his papers, ignoring us completely.

  The captain was clearly heartless.

  “Sorry, just give me a minute,” my savior said, picking at the knots. “I’m Aden, by the way.”

  “I saw you today,” I said. “At the magic show.”

  He went red in the face. “Did you?”

  The boy was too charming for his own good. “Thank you. For defending me, I mean.”

  The rope slipped away from my hands and fell to the floor. “Of course! I’m your biggest fan!” His face went even redder and Aden backed away, stuttering. “I mean, that is—I go to a lot of your shows—but I’m not a stalker or anything.”

  Taking pity on Aden, I held up my wrists, massaging them as I tried to get the blood flowing through my limbs again. “That’s so much better! If I’m never tied up again, it won’t be soon enough!”

  He laughed, and a dimple formed in his right cheek. Catching me staring, Aden quickly looked away.

  Now I was the one who started blushing. Why was this adorable boy making me so flustered? Was it because he was adorable? Whatever the case, staring into his eyes, I could almost forget that I was tied to a chair, arrested for a crime I hadn’t committed.

  Then the door banged open with an echoing clang and I remembered to be scared.

  A well-dressed man with an air of importance and an oversized paunch marched in with a stack of papers tucked under his arm. He threw the papers onto the desk with a loud thump, covering the ones the captain had been studying. Even from here I could see the captain’s face darken, but he straightened and stood at attention. Everyone in the room quieted, copying the captain’s stance.

  “Shall we start, Captain Leonid?” the important man asked.

  He nodded. “Please proceed, Councilor Raynard.”

  Before I could even wonder why a councilor was here and what he wanted with me, the man spun on his heel and stalked over to where I sat. Glaring down his nose at me with a look of contempt stretched across his face, he said, “Where is he?”

  “Who?” I asked stupidly. I looked at Aden, who still hovered next to me. The soldier shrugged sympathetically.

  “Don’t look at him!” Raynard snapped. “He doesn’t have the answers! Soldier, sit down!”

  I was surprised when Aden didn’t budge. He looked to the captain, who pressed his lips together in a thin line. Raynard’s sweaty face turned bright red as he opened his mouth to start screaming. I recoiled, hoping I wasn’t the one he was about to yell at.

  “Go join the others, Aden,” the captain commanded quietly.

  “Yes, Captain.” Flashing me an apologetic look, my only friend in the room slipped away to join the rest of the soldiers who stood along the perimeter of the room.

  I sighed loudly, massaging my wrists and wishing I were home, sleeping in my bed. I’d been scared out of my wits earlier, but now I was just annoyed.

  The councilor directed his attention back to me. His bald spot gleamed in the lamplight, distracting me. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I boring you?”

  I shrugged. “If you were boring me, wouldn’t I have yawned instead of sighed?”

  A few soldiers snickered and Captain Leonid barked at them to be quiet.

  “Think this is funny, do you?” Raynard asked, looming over me again. I began breathing through my nose; he stunk of sweat and fish, a disgusting combination that sent my stomach roiling. “Men and women dead across the city, and you’re making jokes?”

  While that particular statement was disturbing, I still didn’t know what it had to do with me. “Well, what do you want me to do?” I asked him. “Cry and whimper and plead wi
th you to please spare me? I’ve done nothing wrong, and yet you dragged me here and tied me to a chair, and now you’re yelling at me! Why don’t you tell me what you think I’ve done, and I can tell you you’re wrong, and then you can let me go home?”

  The councilor rubbed his temples, like he had a headache. I hoped he did. Glaring, he spoke slowly, like I was having trouble keeping up with his words. “Girl, you are here because of your master’s crimes.”

  “Crimes?” I shook my head, wondering why everyone was accusing Bantheir tonight. First the burly man, now the councilor. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Bantheir here? Because my master is nothing but a street magician. And I’m growing tired of people saying bad things about him!”

  “Is that so?” the councilor asked. “Your master is a kind and sweet man, is that what you’re saying?”

  I frowned. “Well, not exactly—”

  He cut me off with a wave of his meaty hand. “Enough with the excuses! Your precious Bantheir is responsible for the deaths of at least six citizens, and I want to know where he is! Now!”

  BANTHEIR, A MURDERER? I LET out a giant snort of laughter. I couldn’t help it. It was just too ridiculous to even consider. I laughed and I laughed, giant tears trickling down my face as my entire body shook with the effort. Today had to be a dream, one long, giant nightmare that I would soon wake up from.

  “Stop laughing!” Raynard shouted. I hiccupped and quieted, quickly realizing I was the only one who was amused. Aden was looking at the floor, chewing on his lip, while Captain Leonid glared at me coldly. When he caught me staring back, he scowled.

  He liked to do that, it seemed.

  “This isn’t a joke,” Raynard continued.

  “Yes, it really has to be,” I said, cutting him off before he could launch into another rant and rain spittle across my face again. “We’re obviously talking about different people here. Bantheir? The man who performs magic tricks for a few coins? Bantheir, the man who let a stray kitten into our home and fed it our last drops of milk because he felt bad for it? The man who adopted a four-year-old orphan from the slums?” I started laughing again. “You think he kills people? Are you insane?”

  Raynard really didn’t like being called insane. His face turned the shade of a cherry, and he jerked up his right hand, forming a fist.

  Oh no. Not again. Hadn’t I been hit in the face enough for one night?

  A loud boom came from behind the councilor, startling everyone in the room. Raynard spun and I peered around his massive shoulder to see the captain scooping up a pile of papers from the floor.

  “Apologizes,” he said when he noticed Raynard staring at him. “My hand slipped and knocked your documents off the side of the desk.”

  “I had those in a specific order!” Raynard stomped over and snatched the papers from Captain Leonid’s hands. “Starting with the first murder and ending with tonight’s!”

  “‘Tonight’s’?” I echoed. “People died tonight?”

  The councilor was too busy sorting through his papers to answer, so the captain spoke up for him. “Yes,” he said, his dark eyes burning into mine. “A young couple from Way. Perhaps you know them? They were last seen at your street performance, talking with the magician.”

  I felt cold all over, as if the captain had thrown an icy bucket of water at me. I shook my head rapidly, my curls flying in every direction. “N-N-No, that’s impossible. Bantheir just met them, he would never—” I had to make them see, make them realize that Bantheir would never, ever—

  “We have witnesses,” the captain said softly.

  My words, on the other hand, were piercing shouts. “I don’t care! They were lying! Bantheir is a good man; he would never kill someone!”

  “And yet why were men breaking into your house tonight?” the councilor asked, his precious papers once more sorted.

  “I have no idea! They said Bantheir took something from them, but Bantheir claimed he didn’t know what they were talking about!”

  There was a triumphant flash in the captain’s eye, gone as quickly as it appeared. I stared at him; when he noticed, he quickly averted his gaze.

  “Clearly, Bantheir is a master at lying,” Raynard replied dryly. “And you’re either incredibly stupid or just as good as lying as he is.” He walked over, placed his hands on the back of my chair, and stuck his face inches from mine. It was so eerily similar to what the burly man had done that I began shaking again, but I refused to tear my gaze from his. I would not let him know that he intimidated me. “Unfortunately for you, I am not stupid. I know there’s something you’re not telling us, and you will not step foot outside this prison until I’m satisfied you’ve told us everything you know. Captain Leonid!” he shouted as he pulled away. “I’m leaving this matter up to you.” He pointed a finger at the captain. “You will make her talk.”

  The captain nodded. “Yes, sir.” He said it without any emotion, like forcing a young lady to spill her secrets was something he did every day. Maybe it was. I shuddered.

  Raynard left the room, papers in hand. When it became clear that the show was over, the other soldiers began filing out, taking amongst themselves. The captain watched them go, waiting until it was just him, Aden and myself. He held up a single sheet of paper clutched in one gloved hand. “There’s one other thing you should know—something that connects tonight’s murder with the others.”

  Others? But no, that was right, Raynard had said six people had been killed. Two from last night and four others. There was a serial killer loose in Dusk? How come this was the first I’d heard of it?

  “What is it?” I asked, my throat dry.

  Captain Leonid leaned against his desk, crossing one long leg in front of the other. “Magic.”

  I blinked, wondering if he was making a joke. But his face remained deadly serious, that already familiar scowl in place. “Magic?” I repeated. “Are you telling me he killed people with a deck of playing cards?”

  The captain stared at me. I stared back. Aden alternated, staring at us both in turn. The captain gripped the paper in his hand tightly. “Will you please be serious?” he demanded.

  “I am!” I shook my head. “He’ll be furious at me for revealing this, but you do realize the magic isn’t real, right?”

  Captain Leonid raised an eyebrow. “Magic is real.”

  “Yes, it’s real, but it’s also completely forbidden!” What was wrong with everyone tonight? “First you accuse Bantheir of murder, and now you’re telling me he’s a dark magician, like the ones who had started the old wars?” I laughed scornfully. “Next you’re going to tell me dragons are back from extinction, too!”

  As my laughter echoed off the walls, it was clear from the sour expression on the captain’s face that he was not amused.

  Desperation drove me forward, words spilling from my mouth in a rush. “Bantheir isn’t a real magician. Everything in his shows? They’re tricks! You know, ‘pick a card, any card’?” I mimed holding a deck in my hands. “And then your card magically appears?” I pretended to hold up a single card. “That’s sleight-of-hand, not real magic. If you’re saying these people were killed by magic, then you obviously have the wrong suspect in mind.” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling smug.

  With a disgusted sigh, Captain Leonid looked at Aden. “We’re done for tonight. She’s in no mood to cooperate. We’ll try again tomorrow. Soldier, take her to her cell.” Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

  My shoulders slumped in defeat. What had he meant by that? I was cooperating! What did he want me to do, admit everything, maybe confess to a couple of other crimes as well? My eyes filled with tears. This was bad. This was really bad. Not only was Bantheir being accused of crimes only I seemed to know he was innocent of, now I was in trouble, too. A cell? Raynard said I was stuck here until I confessed to everything.

  Did that mean I was to spend the rest of my life in prison?

  No! Eventually th
ey would realize they were searching for the wrong man, and I would be set free. The question was, how long would it take them to realize?

  Aden came over and began undoing the knots from around my ankles. His brow crinkled in concentration as he worked and despite my dire predicament, I found it endearing. “You believe me, don’t you, Aden?” I asked softly. “Please…”

  “Of course you’re innocent,” he said, freeing one of my ankles. As I turned my foot in circles, gritting my teeth against the pins and needles sensation, Aden moved on to the other one. “But your master isn’t.” He paused in his work to peer up at me, his green eyes sad. “The magician Bantheir has killed a lot of good people, Irina.”

  I wanted to put my hands on his chest and give him a good shove so he’d topple over. Instead, I snarled, “I’m so sick of everyone talking badly about Bantheir! If you knew him—the real him—you’d know how impossible this is! He’s been framed! He wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone kill someone!”

  Aden dropped his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

  “Oh, Aden.” I covered my mouth. “I shouldn’t yell at you, not when you’re the only one being nice to me.”

  He gave me a small smile. “You’re allowed to be angry.” He offered his hand and I took it, stumbling once as I stood. We left the interrogation room, walking down a narrow, dark corridor.

  “So much has happened, I don’t even know what to think! Between the murders and being arrested and, well, what about the men in my house?” I continued. “Doesn’t anyone else find it suspicious that they showed up the same night the couple was murdered?” I was struck with a sudden idea. “Maybe they killed those people and left evidence behind that would implicate Bantheir! Why don’t you ask them about it?” I paused, making a face. “Oh, wait, you can’t, because your dear, stupid captain killed them! If he’d been thinking, he would have apprehended the real criminals, bringing them in for questioning instead of me. How dumb can he be?”