Bitter Wind (Death's Handmaiden Book 2)

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘My place is closer,’ she said.

  ‘Fine by me,’ Brian replied. There was a slight frown on his face, however.

  ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘No…’ He shook his head and then grinned. ‘I had a weird feeling, but it’s probably just the late hour. Shadows. You know?’

  ‘Mm. But you’re wrong about one thing.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘It’s not late, it’s early. I hope you’re not sleepy.’

  Brian smirked and looped an arm around Marie’s shoulders. He was almost thirty centimetres taller than she was, so doing so was easy. ‘I’m not even a little bit sleepy.’

  235/9/12.

  Courtney yawned. It was not appropriate, but she could not help it either. ‘It’s too early to be out here looking at a body,’ she said. Grumbled, really. She was grumbling. That would not do. ‘Have we got an identity?’

  The body was lying behind bushes outside one of the laboratories. The person who had found it – currently being treated for shock – had thought someone had got drunk and fallen asleep at first. Unable to wake the supposed drunk, they had checked for a pulse… There was little in the way of visible injury. The man had a wound in his chest, right over his heart if Courtney was judging it right. That was it. Not much blood either since the wound was almost like a needle puncture. No signs of bruising. No signs of a fight. Just that single puncture wound.

  ‘Brian Keifer Plank,’ Kyle said. ‘His ketcom is still here. It’s a fairly good one, so we aren’t looking at robbery.’ With money being something you carried around as data, robbery was a relatively unheard of crime. People would attack others to steal possessions, but in a school where everyone wore the same uniforms and carried little more than their personal ketcoms around with them, those computers were about the only thing worth stealing. They got one or two cases a year and the culprits were usually caught.

  ‘Okay… Let’s get Don out here to check over the site. Once he’s done, he’s to send the body for autopsy, unless he can get a definite cause of death with his magic. I’ll notify the administration so they can contact his family.’ Courtney gave a sigh. ‘This is going to be a pain in the butt. Let’s keep a lid on this as long as possible, okay?’

  ‘Fine by me, boss,’ Kyle replied, ‘but you know what the rumour mill in this place is like.’

  ‘Yeah… Yeah, I know.’

  ~~~

  ‘Chess is really into this paper, it seems,’ Mitsuko said. She was with Nava and Melissa today, heading for lunch. Rochester had, apparently, rushed off straight from class to meet with Hoshi.

  ‘You know what he’s like when it comes to metaphysics,’ Melissa said. ‘Even I think a report on someone actually spending time in Q-space sounds interesting.’

  ‘Mm,’ Nava said.

  Mitsuko glanced at Nava and their eyes met. ‘Mm,’ Mitsuko said.

  ‘Have you heard anything from Courtney today?’ Nava asked, changing the subject.

  ‘About what?’

  ‘There have been a few rumours floating about on the social channels. Something about a body found near the labs.’

  ‘I’ve heard nothing from Courtney… I’ll message her. If there’s something up, she’ll have to tell the council eventually.’

  ~~~

  ‘When I messaged you about the body,’ Mitsuko said, ‘I wasn’t expecting you to request my presence at SSF HQ. And Mel and Marie too?’

  ‘Actually,’ Courtney said, settling onto a seat at the room’s conference table, ‘I only needed Marie, but I figured I might as well brief you at the same time and Mel can minute it so it goes in the records.’

  ‘You needed… me?’ Marie asked, her tone uncertain.

  ‘You were the last person to see the victim alive. Except the murderer, obviously.’

  ‘D-doesn’t that make me a suspect? Wait… I was the last… Who’s dead?’

  ‘His name is Brian Keifer Plank. According to the admittance records at your building and the track of his ketcom registrations, he slept in your apartment on Saturday night.’

  ‘W-we didn’t sleep much, but he was there from about one in the morning to… seven thirty. He, um, he was alive when he left. Honest, he seemed fine when he left. A little sleep deprived, but… He was fine.’

  ‘According to the records, he left your building at seven thirty-four. Time of death was seven thirty-eight on Sunday morning.’

  ‘How did he die?’ Mitsuko asked.

  ‘Sorcery,’ Courtney replied. ‘A spell, but not one I’ve ever encountered or even heard of. Something pierced his chest, entered his heart, and then… whipped about in there, cutting and piercing… Death was probably more or less instant. I doubt he felt anything. No signs of defensive injuries. As best we can tell, he was dead in one strike. He was a fifth year doing combat exclusively and he was taken out in one hit.’

  ‘You should ask Nava about the spell,’ Melissa said. ‘Maybe she’s heard of it. She does seem to know about some unusual spells. Especially lethal ones.’

  Courtney shrugged. ‘I figured I’d tell you and then she’d come see me if she knew anything about it. Meanwhile, Marie, don’t leave school grounds. To be honest, I don’t think you had anything to do with this, but I’d be remiss if I let you run off while you’re our only suspect.’

  ‘You couldn’t get anything from the body?’ Mitsuko asked.

  ‘The cause of death, but not the identity of the killer. Whoever it was probably used Scryguard to block Don’s attempts to uncover their identity. I suspect they used Escape Detection too, because we’ve got nothing on any of the security cameras.’

  ‘It sounds like a professional. Are you checking Brian Keifer’s background?’

  ‘Of course. I’m not expecting to find anything. This doesn’t feel like a hit. It feels like something personal. Then again, I could be wrong…’ Courtney sighed and then shrugged. ‘Please ask Nava to contact me if she does have any ideas. Right now, just about anything I could call a lead would be good.’

  ~~~

  ‘That’s not a spell I’ve ever heard of,’ Nava said. ‘Should we be discussing this over dinner?’

  ‘We’ve discussed worse things,’ Mitsuko replied. ‘Could you ask Fawn?’

  ‘If I ask the first lieutenant about something like that, it means opening up the enquiry to the ASF.’

  ‘Hm. I’ll check with Courtney. She probably had to go through them to get background information on Brian Keifer, so it may be okay.’

  Nava nodded and glanced at Melissa. ‘You said she thought that this was something personal?’

  ‘That’s what she said.’

  ‘I’d tend to agree. Hiding the body where it was… It’s a half-hearted effort. A professional would have left it where it was or done the job properly. We have another killer on campus and we’ve barely made it a week into term.’

  ‘Don’t remind me,’ Mitsuko said in half a groan. ‘I was really hoping for it to be quiet.’

  ‘Tempting fate is never a good idea. Of course, hoping for mass murder or apocalypse doesn’t result in peace either. You can’t make it rain by washing your contragrav.’

  ‘I’m absolutely sure that normal people don’t have to worry about people getting murdered in their neighbourhood all the time, so something must work.’

  ‘Well, the murder rate is a little high, but there are about twelve thousand people living on campus. It’s not an entirely excessive rate so far.’

  ‘I think it’s an excessive rate.’

  ‘Observer bias,’ Nava said. ‘You’ve been right in the middle of too much of it. Maybe it’s you. You’re a trouble magnet.’

  Mitsuko’s back straightened. Her eyes widened. ‘Wha? But… But you’ve been in the middle of it all too!’

  Nava shrugged. ‘So has Mel. Are you going to suggest it’s her?’

  ‘Me?!’ Melissa squeaked.

  ‘Exactly. It couldn’t possibly be Mel, so it must be you, Suki.’

  Mitsuk
o sputtered helplessly for a second before Melissa came to her aid. ‘I don’t think logic works like that.’

  ‘You’re probably right,’ Nava agreed. ‘Let’s just call it bad luck instead.’

  ‘Well, I wish our luck would change,’ Mitsuko grumbled.

  ‘Yeah. That would be nice.’

  235/9/13.

  Marie sat down at her desk and plugged in her ketcom. Authentication was by facial recognition, so the response was immediate; the display lit up with her usual preferences and she was ready for homeroom.

  That, however, would be starting in fifteen minutes, so she had time to check the social and news channels. She almost stopped reading the school’s news channel when she spotted a story about the body which had been found the previous morning, but she decided that she needed to know what everyone else knew, so… There were no names attached to the story. The News Club had failed to get a comment from Courtney and, so far, it seemed that the identity of the victim was remaining secret.

  The local gossip channels had no more information. There was speculation. Speculation was, perhaps, inevitable. Marie knew more about the Harbinger incident in the spring than most and she had watched the gossip channels explode with wild speculation regarding serial killers back then. Another mysterious death on campus was bound to result in more guesses. Brian’s death was entirely different to anything that had happened back in May, but there was speculation that the same killer was involved. And…

  Marie frowned at her terminal. There was a post made late last night marked as read which she could have sworn she had never seen before. After a second or two of confusion, she concluded that she must have opened it last night and totally forgotten about it. Besides, the teacher had arrived and it was time for homeroom. Marie closed down her browsers and forgot about the aberrant post.

  235/9/14.

  ‘That spell is an interesting one,’ Nava said. It was lunchtime and the usual suspects were gathered around a table. Usual, minus Rochester, plus Courtney. Courtney had asked why Rochester was not there and Melissa had mumbled something about Hoshi and the paper. Mitsuko had asked why Kyle was not with Courtney, and Courtney had sounded a lot more confident about his whereabouts than Melissa had.

  ‘Interesting?’ Courtney asked.

  ‘First Lieutenant Fawn Tyrell used precisely that word. It’s not that it’s never been seen before, but occurrences of its use are rare and no one knows where it originated.’

  ‘Define rare.’

  ‘Going back about two hundred years, there have been seven other cases where the victim had similar wound patterns. Every case has been on a different world. There is no detectible connection between the cases. A couple of them have definitely been professional hits, but most appear random. The first victim was a noted thug responsible for a number of street robberies. He was found in an alley with a knife in his hand. The assumption is that he tried to rob the wrong person.’

  ‘That’s… interesting.’

  ‘A secret spell,’ Mitsuko suggested. ‘Something taught to members of a single clan or family. They don’t use it where it can be seen by others, unless they’re cornered.’

  ‘Or paid well,’ Courtney said, nodding. ‘That makes sense. It’s not really helpful, but it makes sense.’

  ‘The first lieutenant suggested that, if you find the person responsible, you might solve a two-hundred-year-old mystery,’ Nava said.

  ‘Great. Well, at least I have something to look forward to.’

  ~~~

  In a different building, in another refectory, Marie lifted her head and looked around. She had never been one to believe in supernatural senses – except for those provided by a spell anyway – but she had the weird feeling that she was being watched.

  It had started not long after entering the cafeteria, a weird, niggling feeling like an itch at the back of her neck. She had checked then, but there seemed to be no one around her looking her way. And the feeling was still there, biting at the nape of her neck like a bug.

  ‘Is something wrong, Marie?’ Calista asked. Calista was a classmate and a friend, though she did not approve of what she called Marie’s ‘bedhopping.’ Marie had pointed out that she almost always used her own bed, but she avoided talking about men in front of Calista. The Bishop clan were noted for having some odd attitudes to sex.

  ‘No,’ Marie responded, returning to her meal. ‘No, there’s nothing. I think I’m having a paranoid day is all.’

  ‘Your complicated love life coming back to haunt you?’ Calista was grinning, so it was more of a joke than a jibe. Probably.

  ‘My love life is not complicated,’ Marie replied. She meant it too; love had nothing to do with it. Maybe that was the problem.

  235/9/16.

  ‘Marie?’

  Marie blinked and looked around at Mitsuko. Clearly, the president had asked a question and Marie’s thoughts had been elsewhere. ‘Sorry. Could you repeat the question?’

  ‘The budget for the winter ball?’ Mitsuko asked.

  ‘Oh, that’s already ballparked and ringfenced. We’re good. Uh, unless something unforeseen happens, obviously.’

  ‘Good. You seem almost as distracted as Courtney.’

  Courtney’s ears pricked up at the mention of her name. ‘Sorry. Sorry, but this murder is nagging at me. I hate–’

  ‘Mysteries. Yes, we know. Is anything wrong, Marie?’

  ‘What?’ Marie responded. ‘No. I mean… I keep getting this weird feeling that I’m being watched. I suppose it’s the same problem as Courtney’s. Sort of. Brian… I mean, I was the last person to see him alive.’

  ‘A little paranoia is, perhaps, to be expected. I remember being a little paranoid during the election. Just a little. I had Nava being quite paranoid enough for the both of us, so I suppose I didn’t feel the pressure as much as I might have.’

  ‘It’s not paranoia if they are out to get you,’ Melissa said.

  ‘And I can’t see Nava being paranoid about anything,’ Darius added.

  ‘Not the best choice of words then,’ Mitsuko conceded. ‘Courtney, do you believe Marie is in any danger?’

  Courtney frowned and considered her answer for longer than anyone might have liked. Then again, when it came, her reply seemed to carry more weight for that very reason. ‘No. I can’t deny that it’s a possibility, but at this stage in the investigation I’d have to say that the attack was random. There’s no reason to suspect that Marie might be a target. The school’s general security should be enough to keep her safe.’

  ‘There you have it, Marie. Our resident security expert says you’re safe.’

  Marie smiled, even if it seemed a little faltering. ‘I know. Like I said, it’s just a bit of paranoia. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.’

  ~~~

  It was as she was walking to her apartment building after the meeting that Marie got that feeling again. She stopped and jerked around, as though she might catch the bug nipping at her neck if she moved fast enough.

  Twenty metres back, apparently paying no attention to Marie at all, was Dana. He was hardly the only person on the path, but her eyes were drawn to him. Was he following her? He had been exceptionally clingy back on Aquaria. He had followed her to Shinden! Well, maybe that was a coincidence and he had been planning to move schools anyway… Or maybe not.

  Turning, Marie quickened her pace. When she turned a corner a few seconds later, she looked back. There was no sign of Dana and she let out a breath she had, unconsciously, been holding. He was not following her and she really was paranoid at the moment.

  ‘A hot shower and a night in front of the vid screen,’ Marie muttered to herself. ‘That’s what you need, girl.’

  So saying, she set off to do just that, and without the sensation that someone was following her too.

  235/9/17.

  This time, Marie was quite clear that Dana was waiting for her. He was, after all, standing right outside her classroom and his face lit up in a smile
when he saw her leaving. He had to have come up with an excuse to leave class early too; there was no way he could have got there this fast from the first-year building.

  ‘Hey, Marie,’ he said, which stopped Marie from ignoring him and rushing off to lunch. It was Saturday. Classes were done with for the weekend and she had planned to have a relaxing afternoon prior to going out for the evening, but here he was…

  ‘Dana. How are things going? Getting used to the school?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Everyone’s friendly. I’ve learned my way around. Uh, it’s my birthday today.’

  ‘Happy birthday.’ That still made him sixteen and too young. She could be polite, however.

  ‘I was wondering whether you’d like to go out tonight and celebrate.’

  Of course he was. Clingy. ‘I’m sorry, I have plans. If you’d said something sooner…’

  ‘Oh. Too bad. If you’ve got other plans… I’ll see you around, Marie.’

  ~~~

  In his capsule apartment, Dana lay on his bunk, in the dark, with his eyes closed. Still, he could see. His senses were about a kilometre away, in another apartment, and there…

  Marie stood in her shower, letting the water wash away the feeling of vague trepidation which had plagued her throughout the afternoon. She was going out. She was going to find herself someone to bring back to her apartment. She was going to enjoy herself. Closing her eyes, she ran her hands over her breasts, down over her stomach, over her hips… All the while, she imagined someone else’s hands stroking over her skin. Yes, this one would take a shower with her and touch her just like this.

  Across the campus, Dana imagined his hands running over Marie’s body. It had happened on Aquaria. He knew just how it felt. Her skin was smooth and she responded so well to being touched. It was going to happen again, but for now, Dana would just watch…

  235/9/18.