"Don't touch that beer!" I yelled at a man that was about to pick a bottle up from the ground. "No one touch the beer! It is poison!" The crowd gasped, and they moved away from the liquid.
"Fallon, are you okay?" I yelled to my wingmate as I sprinted after the suspect.
"I'm fine. Get him, Anelia!" Fallon shouted, and the situation reminded me of my first chase outside Rafa Manus' tavern.
It had only been a few days since I had chased the rancher Spurius Canta, but I'd used my Alula almost constantly since then, so when my wings spread to launch me into the air, I quickly devoured the distance on the man I was chasing.
Veer seemed to realize that I had the speed advantage, and he glanced over his shoulder when I was fifteen feet away. The bandaged man turned sharply into an alleyway, and I missed the kick I had aimed at his back. I landed beyond him and cut a sharp turn to chase him into the narrow space between two adobe buildings.
The man was fast, and he had already made it about forty feet into the narrow passage. He jumped over a stack of trash crates, scaled a bamboo fence, and then disappeared from my view. I'd run various obstacle courses during my training, and while I couldn't expand my wings to their full length in the narrow alley, I used a bit of their lifting power while I bounced my boots off the fence and the wall of the building. I floated down the other side of the drop in a controlled half-glide and saw that I'd gained a dozen feet on Fontayne Veer.
"By the Priestesses, halt!" I yelled in the hope that he'd actually give up this chase, but the man didn't acknowledge my command and made a high jump in an attempt to scale another bamboo wall. He almost missed his grab for the top, but his fingers latched on, and he managed to throw himself over the side.
I jumped high against the wall and flipped over the top. My wings flapped out for half a second to steady my fall, and then I landed in a full-speed sprint.
On a bridge that carried me over the next lower floor.
It was a bamboo walkway that connected this floor to a high housing tower almost a hundred feet away. It looked as if it may have been a construction scaffolding bridge, and the towers of the nearby buildings had hidden it from the air. It was a good sixty feet to the ground, and Fontyane stood dead still at the middle point of the crossing. He stared down at the dark alley below and then shuffled the front of his boots over the edge.
"Don't jump, Veer! Just surrender peacefully. There will be a trial. You don't need to kill yourself."
I took a dozen steps closer to the bandaged man, and he turned to face me. I couldn't see the expression of his face because of the bandages, but his eyes were the same bloodshot red as Pruet's.
"There is no hope," he gasped.
"You will get a fair trial, Veer. Please step toward me. You don't need to kill yourself," I raised my hands with my palms toward him and tried to speak in a soothing voice.
"I didn't want to kill them! Any of them. They were so hungry. I couldn't give them enough. Then I couldn't get more of it. They wouldn't give it to me. It was their fault." His voice was a whine.
"I understand," I said. "Can you step over here please? The Priestesses will give you peace. They will bless you and end your pain."
"The Priestesses?" he asked, and his voice became a shriek. "The Priestesses? I made a mistake. I should have never agreed." His eyes focused on me, and the bloodshot orbs glowed with hate. "You've done this to me. Stay away!"
He took a few steps away from me on the bridge. The path was a good three feet wide, but it was just bamboo planks and had no guard rail, so he had to hold his arms out to maintain his balance. I stepped onto the bridge, and my Alula cape transformed into the feathery wings of my sisterhood.
"Stay away. They sent you to kill me, but I won't let you." His voice was a hair above a whisper, and he reached into the flapping bandages that surrounded him. I thought he might have pulled a knife or dagger out of the folds, but instead he pulled out a pistol.
My heart had already been racing in my chest, but it skipped three beats when he leveled the gun at me. I was twenty feet away, and I wondered whether the man could actually aim the flintlock at me. His arm looked surprisingly steady, and his red eyes seemed to have lost some of their insanity.
"I'm not trying to kill you, Veer. Put the pistol down please." I lowered my hands as I spoke and hoped that he would follow my movement. He didn't, and I realized that I was just a finger pull away from death.
"They sent you to do it. I don't remember you."
"I just started with the Potentia. It is my third day on the job," I said.
"You'll ruin everything. I'm sorry. It has to be--" I didn't wait for him to finish. The obvious movement would be to throw myself backward, away from his bullet, but I dove forward off the bridge.
I fell to the right and wrapped my left hand around the bamboo of the walkway. He fired, but adrenaline filled my body to the brim, and I couldn't tell if he had hit me, or if I was just jostled when my hands clutched around the ledge of the bridge. I swung under the planks and used my Alula to lift me up on the other side as if I was swinging on a bar. My legs came up first from under Fontyane, and they wrapped around his waist as if I wanted to ride him. I yanked hard with my arms, back, and shoulders once I had him in my grasp.
Then we fell off of the bridge.
He screamed and let go of his pistol. I screamed, but it wasn't because his bullet had connected. My shout was a cry of victory mixed with joy. My wings spread out from my upper back, and they caught the air like a lover's embrace. By the time the two of us reached the ground below, I already had the man's arms handcuffed behind his back and had pulled two daggers from among the bandages on his body.
"Fontyane Veer, you are under arrest," I said as Fallon landed next to me and a dozen guards surrounded us on the street.
Chapter 19
"Fontyane Veer came up with the drug while he was working as an apothecary's apprentice. He got a position with our nest so that he could easily partner with Pruet Carna and mass produce it. They had sourced out a large operation that partnered with Rafa Manus' moonshine distribution. They used Quentin Eamat for cases. Valteera Royar had potware that the guards found in Pruet's house. Tronique Ballator crafted Rafa's distillery equipment, and he was going to make more for Veer. Narius made the carts for Restina and had recently made a batch with side paneling that could be rotated to conceal the branding."
"So that it could ship out of any brewery's warehouse and not be stopped by guards?" Captain Ocellina asked from behind her desk. Fallon and I sat in her office, and we were debriefing her on the case.
"Yes. He knew the guard patrols here. It was part of his contingency plan."
"Where does Dust come into this? From your report, he knew about the panels on the rickshaw and which beers had the drug in them."
"He is probably the mastermind behind all this, but Veer said he didn't know the man, other than by reputation," I said with a smirk. "Dust tried to kill me when I got too close to Rafa's operations, and he knew about the drug-laced beer being stored at Restina. His name was also in the ledger I found hidden in Aetius Colo's room." I wiped my eyes with my fingers and fought against a sigh of exhaustion. Fallon and I had questioned Fontyane for three hours, and he proved my hypothesis with half-insane answers. After we had interrogated him, I'd spent another fistful of hours compiling the report that lay on the captain's desk. I was starting to feel like I was insane, but I probably just needed to sleep for a week.
"But Fontyane admitted to the murders. So it is possible that Dust is just the money," Fallon said to the captain.
"Could be. I tried to ask him a few questions today, but he said he'd only speak to the pretty brunette Potentia who arrested him." Ocellina shook her head, and her long black hair reflected the light from the open window. "We can spend tomorrow interrogating him."
"What about all the bodies in Veer's home? Why did the drug have that effect on their bodies?" the beautiful woman asked.
"Fontyane said he change
d the recipe by adding algae yeast, and it became more addictive. At first, he thought that feature was great, but then he couldn't make it fast enough, and his suppliers couldn't deliver their wares to him. It had that effect on his mind and body. He said he killed some of the people in his home to protect himself once they became enraged, but others died from lack of the drug."
"Captain, the guy's brain is rotten. He blamed the Priestesses for the whole thing. He said they made him do it. I was surprised that Anelia was able to pull a quarter of what she got out of him," Fallon said with a laugh.
"The report mentioned that Pruet's blood had turned to a yellowish mush?" Ocellina asked.
"Coroners are trying to figure out what the drug did to his body. It will probably take them a week," I said.
"Well, it sounds like this case is solved. The suspect admitted to the murders, and the evidence points to him. We will try to get more out of Dust tomorrow, and the coroner's report will be an interesting read, but great job, you two."
"Thank you," Fallon and I said together.
"I still have a few leads to chase. Aetius Colo's ledger had the names Damara Trillion and Laramae A. There is also--"
"When was the last time you slept?" Ocellina asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Three, maybe four days ago," I said. "But there is something I want to talk to you about. Something that happened in Rafa Manus' tavern. I ended up under the city--"
"Stop," Ocellina raised her hand, and a smile formed on her perfect lips. "When was the last time you had a beer?"
Fallon let out a laugh, and she covered up her mouth when I looked at her.
"Two days I believe." I smiled at the woman.
"Alright, let's go. We need to celebrate." Ocellina stood up from her desk and walked toward the door of her office. "You have a place that you like?"
"I do, but it is on the far side of level twelve," I said. I knew that Fallon's family came from the mid levels of the city, but Ocellina was an orphan just like me. She probably wouldn't mind drinking at a working-class place like Juliana's.
"Sounds, good. I'm buying. You coming, Fallon?"
"Yes, captain," Fallon said. "Wouldn't miss it."
The words made my heart warm, and the gruff blonde woman gave me a nod.
The three of us stepped out of the office and into the bullpen of the nest. My heart was still fluttering with the captain's brief praise and her invitation to go drinking, so I was caught off guard when the two women stepped aside. There were ten other women standing in the bullpen, each with their blue Alulas hung over their backs. I knew them all by name and description, since they were my nest sisters, but I hadn't seen anyone besides Fallon in the last three days. They had all been busy with their own assignments, and the introductions had yet to be made. There were also about fifty guards assembled in the space, and I recognized all the sergeants, as well as Mitar with a group of other investigators. All the gathered women and men stood at attention facing me. In the middle of the bullpen was a woman dressed in beautiful flowing robes that were the same color as my Alula.
A Priestess.
I recognized the woman as the same Priestess who had given me my Alula. She was tall and slender like a willow tree, and her platinum hair flowed over her robe like a waterfall of moonlight. When I made eye contact with the woman, she smiled at me, and the sunlight through the windows of the nest seemed to glow brighter. The room was silent for a few moments, and then Ocellina began to speak to the gathered crowd.
"When Potentia are first given their wings, they are named pigeons. Not because of any disrespect to the bird species, but because rookies are going to be doing little else but picking up trash and trying not to get killed." There was a brief bout of laughter in the room, and the captain turned to me.
"Most of our sisters are promoted within the first two years; as soon as they solve enough cases to impress their captain or they solve a major case that brings favor from the Priestesses. That is what makes this promotion so unique. In the history of our order, there has never been a pigeon promoted as quickly as Anelia Orba. It has been three days since she joined our ranks, and even though I believed she had great potential, I would have never believed that in that span of time this young woman would have apprehended the serial murder who is plaguing our district, discovered and ended an illegal moonshine and tax evasion scheme, and arrested a man who we suspect is one of the criminal masterminds of our city. This promotion is unprecedented because Anelia's results are extraordinary."
The gathered men and women applauded with Ocellina. I tried to keep my cheeks from burning and the room from spinning, but I failed at both, and a stupid smile spread across my face. I hadn't expected to be promoted so soon. I hadn't even considered it, but the captain must have deemed my performance extraordinary, and I felt my heart swell when I thought of my mentor.
"We are very proud of you Anelia. I have brought a vase of water from the Apa Pool. Will you allow me to bless you again with its magic?" The beautiful Priestess floated toward me, holding a dark blue ceramic vase in her hand.
The crowd hushed again, and I knelt before the woman. From what I understood, this wasn't the normal promotion procedure. I had thought that Potentia were fully promoted by their captain with a token speech, and then a small drinking party. I had heard that a Priestess would sometimes attend our promotions, but I had never heard of any Potentia receiving a blessing after the first that allowed us to bond with our Alula cloaks.
"The Apa Pool is our life. From it, Petrasada is born, and from Petrasada, our souls are created. We return to the Apa Pool when our bodies die. Its magic is life, death, and a reflection of the suns. May you be blessed by its love and energy."
I felt the water pour over my head as the woman spoke. My scalp tingled, then my shoulders, chest, back, everywhere the water touched felt as if it was almost burning. The memory of my first blessing was still fresh in my mind, and I knew that the sensation would almost become painful before it would subside. It did as I expected, and the heat of the water faded as the liquid ran off my body.
"Drink the rest, Potentia Anelia." The woman handed me the vase, and I saw my sisters’ eyes widen.
"Are you sure?" I had never heard of anyone but Priestesses drinking directly from the Apa Pool.
The woman nodded and slid her hands away from vase. I glanced to Fallon and Ocellina. Both women looked as if they had recovered from their surprise, and they gave me approving smiles.
I raised the jug to my lips and took a drink. There was only a bit left, half a mouthful really, but it burnt down my throat like fresh moonshine, and I felt my vision swim with drunken pleasure. I handed the jug back to the Priestess, and the crowd erupted with applause.
The beautiful woman smiled at me, and the crowd quieted again so that they could hear her words.
"We are proud of this nest." The woman turned to the gathered Potentia and guards. "Please continue to protect Petrasada, and we will pray for your safety. " The woman bowed her head and the gathered crowd returned her movement.
Except for one man.
The far side of the bullpen housed the jail cells. We only had six in our nest, and they were on the small side. Two of the cells had bars that faced into the bullpen. Dust occupied one of those cells alone, and his golden eyes met mine when everyone else bowed low to the Priestess. The handsome man shook his head and then beckoned to me before the crowd rose from their genuflection.
"Now I will return to the Apa Pool. Thank you all, and thank you Anelia Orba." The woman smiled to me, and then she was gone, as if she had never stood in the nest to begin with.
As if we had all dreamed of her beauty and grace.
The guards howled with delight, but my sister Potentia didn't seem surprised by the Priestess' sudden disappearance.
"Hey! Shut up!" Fallon yelled over the sound of the crowd, and everyone hushed each other back to silence.
"We are drinking at a tavern on level twelve." She looked at me. "What was the n
ame?"
"Juliana's Place. It is painted pink with flowers on the roof," I said to the crowd.
"So if you aren't working, meet us there as soon as you can."
"I'm buying!" Ocellina shouted, and the crowd cheered.
"I'll meet you out front in a minute," I said to Fallon and Ocellina as we threaded our way through the packed bullpen.
"Alright, we'll wait for you." Fallon smiled at me.
I walked back toward Dust's cell. The going was a bit slow, since everyone wanted to congratulate me and introduce themselves, but I made it to the bars after five minutes and stood before the golden-eyed man with my arms crossed.
"Yes?"
"Ahh. I beckon, and you come. Such a good little servant you are." He said the words in a sing-song voice.
"I thought you had something important to say, murderer."
"Wait," he said as I turned to walk away. I stopped and faced him again.
"You should keep that in a holster. You'll scuff the barrel." He pointed at my belt. I looked down and realized that I had forgotten about the gun he had given me.
"I asked the guards to put my holster and shot pouches on your desk. Is that it over there?" He pointed at the desk that had been assigned to me, and I saw that he spoke the truth.
"Is that another gift?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes," he said with a smile that reminded me of when his twin tried to get me to drink a beer with him. "No strings attached, take it, use it, but just be careful of who you point it at."
"What do you mean?"
"Congratulations on the promotion. And the blessing. I wonder what magical power you might inherit," he changed the subject to the ceremony. Being blessed by the Apa Water was rumored to give magical abilities. Or at least it allowed Potentia to use their Alula cloaks.
"What about pointing this pistol? Is this broken? Do you intend for it to misfire?" I asked.
"No, it will aim perfectly. If you are a good enough shot and you use the lead in my pouch, then you'll be able to hit someone at a hundred yards. You should just be careful of who you point it at," he repeated.
Wings of Justice (City of Light Book 1) Page 19