by Devyn Jayse
"I'd appreciate that." A little excitement built up in me, and I exchanged a glance with Oscar.
Morris scratched his head. "Other than that, the ships have been coming in regular. News is that the Kedun is making another play at attacking the Fortress. Of course, we know the Fortress can defend itself with help of their luwians."
"The Kedun have luwians too," Oscar said, referring to the winged horses both kingdoms had access to. Luwians were rare and guarded jealously. As far as I knew, only the Fortress and the Kedun had luwians.
"Yes, but we all know the Fortress is better at training," Morris protested. "They have that great big training school the nobles send their children to in the hope that they're selected by a luwian."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"It's the Fortress. They've been doing it for generations."
"What do we know about the Kedun?"
"Not much," Oscar admitted. "The Fortress and Kedun will continue to war until one or the other gains access to all the luwians. Sooner or later, they'll discover they're not the only ones with luwians."
"Something you know that we don't, Oscar?" Morris asked with a raised eyebrow.
Oscar shook his head. "War is pointless."
"Said the man who collects and sells weapons," I added dryly.
Oscar smiled. "Everyone needs a hobby."
Morris let out a loud bark of a laugh. "True, that."
I realized Morris hadn't touched on one thing, so I decided to ask him. "What do people think of the killings here?"
Morris gave me a blank look. "Killings? What killings?"
Oscar interjected. "The usual Blights lawlessness. Dare's still to get used to those."
"That's not what I was--" I began to correct him.
"You know the dangers of living in the Blights." Oscar shrugged after interrupting me once again.
"How do you not know about that?" Morris frowned at me. "I suppose it's because you've been good with Blaze's crew that you haven't seen the violence here around you, but you have to keep your guard up. There are some very bad people living in this part of the kingdom."
I opened my mouth to protest, but Oscar shot me a warning look, and I snapped my jaw shut. He didn't want Morris to know about the dead women. I frowned. Why not? Why does he want them hidden from his friend?
He told Morris, "As you've seen, Dare's looking for someone to help her with her training. She's getting a little rusty, which can be dangerous around here. Do you think Wendell would be interested in sparring against her?"
Morris brightened. "He would love it! I could ask him as soon as I got back to town." He turned to me. "And if you need me, I can help out once in a while. Despite my beating you, I'm not as spry as I used to be."
"We can have a rematch whenever you're interested. But I'll be winning next time."
"Ha! You wish. I'll still beat you, but probably three hits to nil," Morris taunted me.
"We'll see."
"Wendell is going to enjoy sparring against you." Morris grinned.
"I look forward to it," I said with a smile.
Morris spent the next hour telling me about his friend Wendell and how amazing he was with the sword. Despite it all, I couldn't shake that question from my mind: Why doesn't Oscar want Morris to know about the murders?
12
As soon as Morris left, I turned to Oscar. "Why didn't you want him to know about the killings?"
Oscar ignored me, reaching under the counter and taking out the map. He studied it with a frown. It had become common for him to take it out randomly and stare at it as if that would help him solve its secrets.
"Oscar! Why didn't you want him to know?" I put my hand across the map to force him to look at me.
"He didn't need to know," he replied.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Blights business needs to remain in the Blights." Oscar removed his spectacles and wiped them with a cloth.
"What does that even mean?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.
Oscar placed the spectacles once again on the bridge of his nose. "It means we take care of our problems here. We don't involve townspeople or castle folk. The Blights takes care of its own."
I frowned. "But it's someone from town or the castle that's doing the killing. How would we find out who it is without getting help from those who live there?"
"You don't know that for sure. And that doesn't change the fact that it's Blights business."
"Even if telling people from town or castle may help us discover who the murderer is?" I asked.
"What it would do is cause more problems for the Blights."
"What do you mean?"
"The Blights already has a bad reputation among the townspeople and castle folk. We don't need to add to that negative perception by spreading the news about the dead women."
"I don't understand the secrecy when it's the truth." I worked to moderate the note of frustration in my voice.
"People don't need to know everything. News of the murders may escalate, and the Watch may come down to the Blights and take away people who have nothing to do with the incidents. In the meantime, the person who is responsible for them will withdraw and hide away without ever being caught."
"You can't know that will happen," I protested.
"Perhaps not, but I've seen enough to know how this is likely to play out." Oscar shrugged and replaced the map back under the counter.
I studied him. "But I thought Morris was your friend?"
"He is. But Morris talks. And something as newsworthy as a serial killer in the Blights is the type of morsel he would like to pass on to people. I would prefer that he didn't know the details."
"I guess I can understand that," I finally said.
The murderer would be overly cautious if he knew we were searching for him and might decide to stop. If that happened, we would never find him. But what if he continues? I thought a balance had to be found between telling everyone and keeping it a secret.
"I still think we could use all the help we could get in ending them."
"We can, and we can ask for it. You've told Garren, I'm sure." He waited until I nodded in confirmation and then continued. "That means the relevant parties in the castle know about what's happening here. They don't need mass hysteria and castle folk scared they will be murdered in their sleep to order them to send a contingent of guards to wipe out any trace of lawlessness down here."
I hadn't considered that. An overreaction by the nobles would mean innocent parties might be harmed in order to ensure safety even though they were never at risk from the killer themselves. "I see where you're coming from."
"Yet you still remain unconvinced," Oscar pointed out.
"I think it's because a lot of people have been telling me to stop looking into it. I don't understand why we can't all pool our resources and work together to help figure this out," I replied. "And I mean everyone who would be useful in helping find the person responsible."
"Who's told you not to look into it?"
"Blaze, Ragum, Miss Ruby--you name it, they've asked. Even Garren, I can tell, only wants information and would rather I was not directly involved in seeking out the killer. The only person who's asked me to help is Penny."
"Why Penny?" He seemed quite confused.
"One of the victims was her friend's mother."
Awareness replaced Oscar's confused expression. "Ah, Jessie. May her soul rest in peace."
"You knew her?" I hadn't expected that.
"Everyone knows everyone in the Blights. You may not know them well, but you would have seen them. I'm sure by know everyone in the Blights looks familiar to you even though you may not know their names."
"Not everyone." Not yet.
"Give it time, then, and you'll know everyone," Oscar predicted. "It's a small enough place."
"It doesn't feel like that to me," I muttered.
"You've only just gotten here. And you haven't really been going to different places."
"People keep telling me how dangerous it is to wander into unknown areas of the Blights." I didn't know how many times I had heard that, but it was wearing thin. "I keep telling them I'd heard all the Blights were dangerous."
"You'll learn which areas are to be avoided and which are all right to venture into. It's all based on your needs."
"Well, at the moment my needs are limited, and the only way I'm going into different areas of the Blights is to find out information."
"If you do that, make sure you ask someone about where you're heading before you go there," Oscar advised me, his eyes serious. "Sometimes a little knowledge about your destination can save you a world of trouble."
I gave him a smile and pushed back the stool I was sitting on, getting to my feet. "Right now, my destination is the Rebel Hare. I've got to meet Penny and walk her to school."
"Give her my regards."
"I will."
"And Dare, remember, don't venture into unknown territory blindly," Oscar warned again.
I gave him a wave and left The Fortune.
13
I stretched my neck from side to side until I felt a faint crack, and I sighed in relief. That felt good.
"What's wrong with you today?" Penny asked, eyeing me curiously.
"I trained yesterday. I didn't realize I was so out of shape until I woke up today with my body all stiff and sore."
"You're out of shape?" Penny asked skeptically. She eyed me up and down. "It doesn't seem that way."
"Trust me. I am." My whole body was aching. I decided then and there that I was going to make a habit of waking up early in the morning and going for a run in order to make sure I got some exercise other than the constant walking I did around the Blights. I needed something that was harder on my body. "I used to practice much more frequently than I've been doing here in the Blights."
"Maybe you should find someone to practice with," Penny suggested.
"I am," I replied then amended my statement. "Well, Oscar said he's got someone he's going to contact for that."
"Can I watch when you practice?"
"Sure, why not? You can laugh as you watch me getting beaten."
Penny made a protesting sound. "I wouldn't do that!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You probably will when you see how out of shape I am. Would you like to learn as well?"
"No, I don't think so. Vin tried to teach me, and I just kept dropping the sword," Penny replied, shaking her head.
"You may just need some practice. Maybe the sword isn't the right weapon for you. You could learn how to use a dagger or even a kitchen knife."
Penny laughed. "So if someone jumped out at me in an alley, I would take out my kitchen knife and start sparring with them?"
"You could if you knew how to use it properly." I grinned.
"I'll think about it." Penny said with another laugh.
I was so focused on my conversation with Penny, I didn't notice a man until I bumped into him.
"Excuse me," I said. Not only was I out of shape, I wasn't even paying attention to my surroundings enough to notice the man walking toward us.
The man's face was hidden by his low hat and cape. He didn't respond to my apology but just continued on his way. My hand instinctively felt for my purse, which was still there--not a pickpocket. He walked past Blaze's man.
"Did you see that?" I asked Penny, frowning at the man's retreating back. Some people need to learn manners.
"Did you check your purse?"
"It's still here. Honestly, some people are just rude."
"If he didn't take your purse, it's a good day, as Vin would say."
"Who would be stupid enough to rob your brother?" I wondered aloud.
"You'd be surprised." She shrugged. "It's usually a young one who doesn't realize who he is. They're too caught up in having just learned to pickpocket that they haven't figured out who the right marks are."
"I can just imagine Blaze's reaction." I grinned.
Penny laughed. "You should see the children's when they realize who it is they tried to rob."
"It's funny because Oscar was just telling me that everyone in the Blights knows one another. It's strange hearing Blaze being robbed by someone who doesn't know who he is."
Penny shrugged. "Most people here do know each other, but there are enough strangers moving into the Blights that it's difficult to know everyone who lives here."
"Why are strangers moving here?" Especially when they have a chance to move to the outer territories?
Penny arched a brow. "Why did you?"
"I have a different set of reasons." I'd been exiled from the castle and run out of town by the prince, but I couldn't afford to go to the outer territories because I wanted to stay close to my sister. "What are theirs?"
"Some move here because they go bankrupt and can't afford to live in the castle or town anymore." Penny said.
"But it's not like they can find work here." I knew. I had tried.
Getting any type of job in the Blights that wasn't lawless in nature was difficult. And if one did find a job, it likely didn't pay well. Survival in the Blights was difficult.
She cleared up my misconception. "Some of them live here but work in the town or castle. Rent is cheaper here. Others come here because they're running away from their troubles."
"They'll only find more here."
"I know that, and you know that, but they don't usually know that until it's too late."
"That sounds dark."
"It is." Penny shrugged. "I've seen a lot of it from the different women who've come to the shelter. There are all types of reasons that people come to the Blights. And many of the ones that run away from their problems find out that, sooner or later, their problems will catch up with them."
We reached the school and greeted the people standing outside. Many of them were familiar, but I still didn't know their names. I supposed I had become a familiar figure myself. I knew the people at the school were more open with me than they had when I first started escorting Penny. Oscar wasn't wrong.
I did my usual rounds of checking inside Penny's school and circling the grounds. My job was only to escort Penny on her walk from the Rebel Hare to school, but I had gotten accustomed to my little routine.
On my way back around the front of the school, I gave a nod to Blaze's man, who sat at his regular post on the tree stump. We usually sat together and waited for Penny to finish her classes. He was not one for conversation, so the time went by slowly.
I wondered how I could use the time to be more productive. As I looked around me, I realized the site where the last body had been found was close by. I was sure I could get there and back by the time Penny was done with her lessons.
"I'm going to check out the location of the last killing," I told Blaze's man, whose expression was blank. "I'll be back by the time Penny's ready to leave."
He gave me a nod, and I left, crossing to the area behind the school and continuing along the way.
Like most places in the Blights, that area was worn down by time and neglect. The paint was peeling off the walls, and windows had broken panes. Refuse littered the outskirts of the buildings.
The last body had been found in the alley by an abandoned building. From what I'd learned, it belonged to a wealthy court member who had refused to renovate it. From time to time, guards were sent down to the Blights to clear any squatters out. Those events usually ended in violence, so the Blights residents knew to keep away from the building if they valued their lives. Even the most desperate wouldn't shelter there.
I made my way to the alley, wondering if I would find signs of the last murder. I'd heard the killings were messy and left a lot of blood.
I was only hoping to find traces of the crime. What I didn't expect to find was a body with a fresh pool of blood.
14
I ran toward the body.
Clearly, it was far too late to help the woman. I looked down at her green eyes, staring blankly overhead. He
r red hair was soaked with her blood, turning it dark. Her features were twisted in surprise, as if she hadn't expected death.
Her body lay uncovered, wounds having torn it up. I could see her innards, some spilling out from a slash in her stomach. I turned to the wall to get a hold of my own stomach as its contents had begun to churn.
Once my stomach calmed down, I turned back toward the woman. She looked familiar. I leaned down closer to her and realized she was one of the three women I had glimpsed at Miss Ruby's.
I studied the wounds more carefully. Despite the abundance of blood everywhere, the killer appeared to have been methodical and orderly when it came to inflicting the wounds. The cuts were deliberate and straight, lacking jagged edges. The killer had cut her up like a tidy dinner morsel.
The wall nearest to her was splattered with her blood, which was contained to one area. I studied the empty crates nearby and realized that none of them seemed disturbed.
Bending down on my haunches, I looked at the woman more carefully. Her hands didn't seem to have any marks on them. No dirt was under her nails, I realized as I lifted one cold hand up to study it. I couldn't imagine her not struggling against her attacker. The killer could never have convinced the woman to stay still as he cut into her.
I had no idea.
I sat there staring at the body almost as if the longer I looked at it the more answers I would receive. With a weary sigh, I got to my feet and walked slowly back to the school.
Blaze's man was good. He came to attention the second he glimpsed my face and stood up but didn't rush toward me, waiting instead for me to approach him.
"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as I got within hearing range.
"There's another body at the last site." I pointed my thumb in the direction I'd come from. Alarm spread across his face as I continued, "The blood's still wet."
"Stay here. Don't leave Penny," he ordered. He took off at a run.
I took a seat on the tree trunk he had vacated and contemplated what I had discovered. I could still see the woman's slightly surprised expression. That wasn't the expression one made when being cut open. The women were dying from vicious wounds but didn't seem to be resisting the killer.