land for such,” Merun said, clasping his hands together. “Those incompetent mage knights who have been patrolling have yet do anything about this. Hopefully you can, Captain.”
“It isn’t easy for them either, we are at war after all,” Dante said with a sigh. “A stalemated war, but a war nonetheless.”
At his words, the Innkeeper’s face bore a scowl, “Werewolves, vampires, gremlins, imps… all those filthy cthonicans are always causing us humans trouble! If I ever get my hands on one, I’ll burn it on a pyre with a fire spell!”
Dante clenched his teeth at the Innkeeper's violent tirade. He thought of Amelia and the horrors he found out she had to see as a child—horrors the likes of which Merun had ranted about. Dante cleared his throat and promptly changed the subject. “So, Vice-Captain Regalis and Naro Verillian are upstairs?” he asked.
“Ah yes, they are. I am honored that you three would stay here at my humble inn—all three of you! Sir Verillian is much different than those other filths, it is a good thing he is on the side of us humans. What an honor… what an honor.” Dante turned on his heels and made his way up the stairs without another word. The Innkeeper called after him, “If you need anything, let me know!”
Dante wordlessly climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor where several oak doors lined the walls, all empty, he assumed—save but for one he reached at the end of the corridor, that was slightly opened. Looking inside he saw a young, red-haired woman dressed in the attire of the mage knights and a young man around his age, who was garbed in ordinary brown tunics, felt shoes and tights—the attire of the general populace. Under the young man’s broad-brimmed feather cap were two large, cat-like ears which twitched as he appraised a scroll with golden eyes.
The pair sat at a desk where papers, compasses, maps and scrolls were scattered—Dante thought it was quite a mess, but a necessary one.
The young man looked up from the scroll towards Dante as he entered the room. “Good even’ Sir Legothe!” he chimed, tipping his cap to Dante. “Lady Rina was just telling me fascinating tales of your boyhood,” he added with a grin, displaying a set of white teeth with long canines. He then pointed to the red-haired girl who took up a map as she smiled at Dante. The young man continued, “I never knew you so deftly arranged flowers and the like, why have you not told me? I could have gotten many an elixir crafted from your gardening knowledge,” he mused.
Dante shook his head and entered the room, taking his sword from his waist and setting it at the side of the table—beside the other two which he recognized as belonging to the pair. “It’s nice to see you’ve only given good accounts of my childhood, Lady Rina,” he sarcastically said to her.
“Well, Naro did ask what we got up to during our childhoods in Tarien,” Rina replied, laughing as he rolled his eyes. She handed the map in her hand to Naro who got up and patted Dante on the shoulder before walking over to a window—looking from the map to the hills beyond where the Eastern Black Rose Fields could be easily discerned.
Dante looked at Rina and smiled. “I am surprised you still remember such details,” he said. “I am even more surprised you requested to investigate these murders.”
She shrugged. “Since I was stationed in the neighboring town and finished my task, I decided to tarry.”
“You had not asked for permission to do so.”
“Well, my men and I already caught the werewolf who was causing all that trouble in the town.” She paused with a thoughtful forefinger to her lips. “He was quite clever disguising himself as a human and living amongst us, but his love for stealing gave him away in the end. Anyway, that’s done. So why stay there?”
Dante gave her a stern glare. “You were to ask me for permission before taking another mission.”
“Come now Dante, it is not such a problem to come here is it?”
“You need to follow the rules. Even though we are childhood friends, I am still your superior.”
“Well I apologize, Sir,” she said with a sarcastic tone. “I believe this would be a good experience for me, since the war is at a stand-still. Do you not want me to keep my skills honed?”
“Was the werewolf mission not enough?”
“No. He was harmless, I didn’t even have to use my sword let alone magic.” The disappointment in her voice was duly noted by Dante, who nodded as he waited for her to continue. “This… Shadow Woman sounds like she would be a much greater challenge.”
Dante sighed. “So, you yearn for battle as always. Is that why you came?”
“Partly. I am researching the vampires, as I told you this morning.”
“When I saw you in the town square with Naro this morning, we barely had enough time to talk,” Dante replied. “What made you so interested in the vampires then?”
“I despise them the most. One did a number on me once.” She glared at Naro who had started chuckling by the window as he continued reading the map. Rina refocused on Dante and continued. “I have reason to believe this Shadow Woman might be one.”
“As do I,” Dante said, “based on what the townsfolk had said it appears she might be. She only comes at night, flies and uses some sort of hypnotic magic. All the traits of vampires.”
Rina took up a paper with a drawing of a rose and showed it to Dante. “Not to mention the black roses left next to victims. Vampires have always been fond of black roses.”
“Yes… yes they have…” Dante said thoughtfully, looking at the drawing of the rose Rina held up.
“How was your investigation?”
“I had not learned much else unfortunately, but I plan to patrol tonight and see what comes up.”
“I see,” she said, nodding knowingly. “You’ve changed quite a lot you know.”
“Hm?”
“You’re no longer the brash, hot-headed boy I grew up with”—she placed her hand on his and smiled warmly—“You’ve become a strong, disciplined man. Your parents would have been proud.”
“Thank you. You’ve grown quite a bit yourself,” he said, returning the smile. “You’re no longer scared of vampires for one.”
“Wha...! I never was!” she protested, rolling up the paper of the rose and throwing it across the room at Naro who had once again begun chuckling. She huffed in annoyance as Naro raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand, causing the paper to burst into flames before reaching him—then casually continued to read the map as though nothing had happened.
“Still short-tempered as well,” Dante said, now chuckling himself. “Might be problematic being the vice-captain of the Royal Mage Knights, don’t you think?” he teasingly asked.
“I take it out on the cthonicans,” she said. “It makes me tougher than every other mage knight in our forces!”
“So it would seem.”
They smiled at each other for some time before Naro came back over and set the map on the table between them, “These Black Rose Fields are the only areas in Tarien where the black roses bloom?” He pointed to a place on the map with a russet-toned hand.
“Yes, they are,” Dante said. “Why do you ask?”
Rina nodded. “Dante, as you know, a black rose was left on the bodies of the victims.”
Dante nodded in turn. “Yes, as we just discussed.”
“There might be some clues there in the Black Rose Fields, have you checked them out?”
“I had planned to, later tonight.”
“How much later?” Rina asked.
“Just before midnight. That’s around when the murders usually occur”—Dante shuffled through some papers on the table with drawings of several victims—“the townsfolk reported that the Shadow Woman flies back to the Black Rose Fields when spotted. Maybe I can find her around there then.”
“Yes, we heard so as well,” Naro said.
“You two have been quite busy while I was away for the morning, I see.” Dante looked from one to the other as he tapped the drawings which he knew Naro had done.
“Yes we have,” Rina said. “We h
ad also planned to go to the Black Rose Fields just before you came.”
“Which ones?” Dante asked.
“The eastern fields,” Naro said.
“Just you two?”
Rina shrugged, “Well, we didn’t know when you would have been back from your meeting with the Viscountess. Now that you’re here, perhaps we can go together?”
Naro fixed his cap and fixed the drawings Dante had jumbled. “We had planned to leave earlier, though. As soon as we were done here.”
“That won’t do,” Dante said, shaking his head, “I think it’s best to leave when I planned. You can do as you please though, since neither of you is officially assigned to the case.”
“I’ll go at my planned time all the same,” Rina said, standing up and grabbing several scrolls from the table. She then made her way over to the door. “I will prepare my magic, change my attire and then go. Will you be ready, Naro?”
Naro tipped his cap to her. “I will be as ready as a groomed griffin.”
Dante watched her leave as Naro sat down in front of him. Naro cleared his throat and removed the cap from his head, unveiling a head of scraggly silver hair. “Quite headstrong, isn’t she?”
Dante smirked and nodded. “At least that hasn’t changed about her.”
“I think she’s trying to prove a point, you know, to her father”—Naro shrugged—“when I visited, he wouldn’t stop praising me for my skills and saying how he wished he had a son. Not something a daughter would constantly wish to hear growing up, I would assume.”
“The Duke of