Chapter 28

Our two-month journey back to the Vishant Capital city was uneventful. There were no attacks or distractions, but the looming threat of our enemy still hung in the air. We worked hard to prepare ourselves for what would occur in the coming days. Endless fighting drills and sparring matches. Some one on one, but now almost all were an eight-person free for all. Lillian would watch and keep track of the hits and wins. Her practice came on our hunts and she reveled in our time together then. I could not wait for her to be able to stay in her human form.

As we grew closer and closer to the capital, trepidation at what we would find set in. We had no idea what would be waiting for us when we arrived and what kind of reception we had waiting for us. While those outside the city walls were friendly enough, those inside them had sided with the arrogant Dran. Who could say if the person who now was in charge was any better than his or her predecessor? I knew that Patrons were a mix between heritage and appointment by the Dran. Usually the oldest child will inherit the position once the parent steps down. If the child passes on the job, then the next child in the line would become eligible. If none wanted to, or there were no children to pass it off to, then the Dran would appoint the replacement.

I would have thought there was some sort of process for succession, but I never learned it. When I asked Janet about it, she said that it was someone that was nominated by the council of nobles. The person would act as Dran until they are able to find two or three more candidates. An impartial arbiter is selected and the candidates, including the acting Dran, show the merits of their ability and their desire to be Dran and how it would help the people. After a week of deliberations, the arbiter then chooses the best candidate and they become the new Dran. Like Patrons, it was passed down from parent to child, but she had no idea what happened now. The Dran had no legitimate children, nor did he have any illegitimate ones, either.

As we neared the city, I was shocked to see that people were still being kept out of the interior. It looked just as busy as ever in the makeshift camps surrounding the high walls of the capitol. Janet guided our wagon towards the stable master, and we were pleased to see him as we neared. He waved and guided us inside, asking us how we were doing.

“My friends, it is so good to see you again,” he said with a warm smile. “I trust your trip was fruitful, but I did not expect to see you all again so soon. You had said you were going to Int’samba and that would have not brought you back here for another two months.”

I got down from the driver’s seat and replied, “You are right. We had some great success up north but had to change our plans when we received word of what had happened here.”

“Aye,” he replied sadly. “The Dran was not a favorite of anyone here, but that was excessive even for the wrongs he has done.”

I nodded, “Agreed. I do have a question for you. Has anyone figured out how he was killed and by whom?”

“No lad,” he replied. “They were worried that a Voguel had gotten into the city, but no signs or other deaths were found. Then there was the noose; no wolf could manage that, and I doubt he would have killed himself. Finally, it was the fact he was eviscerated before he was hung. The jerked stop of his fall caused his organs to pour out of the wound, to the ground.”

“Have they begun to let anyone into the city yet?” I asked. “I would think that with the arrogant Dran gone, everyone would have been moved back into the city.”

He shook his head and sighed, “No, lad. They claimed that they were keeping it locked down to ensure the killer would not get away. That was two months ago, and they have yet to change their tune.”

We thanked him for the information and made our way to the inn. We were happy to see the innkeeper, and we were given our previous room. Once we got our things squared away, we made our way towards the nearest gate to the city. I was not surprised to see the number of soldiers there had tripled. As we approached, one of the soldiers walked towards us.

“The city is off limits to you, filth,” the soldier announced condescendingly. “Head back to your squalor or I will kill you where you stand!”

I glanced at the soldier, seeing the arrogant sneer on his face. I quickly grabbed him and threw him at the line of soldiers, knocking most of them down with the force of the impact.

“I did not just deal with a fucking den of Voguel to come back here and deal with your shit. So I am going to make myself clear. I am going into the city. You can either get out of our way, or I can go through you. We killed nearly two hundred Voguel, so a handful of soldiers will not mean a thing to me.”

I watched as they scrambled to get out of my way and open the portcullis for us to pass through. We made our way inside and headed directly for the historical records department to see Elinia. It would be good to see her again and I could tell that Ingrid was happy to visit again. We were shocked when we found a group of soldiers in front of the entrance. As we approached, a soldier came up in an attempt to stop us.

“I am sorry, but the historical records building is closed for investigation,” the young soldier said. “I apologize for the inconvenience, but we cannot allow interference. Please state your business here.”

“I am Davik and this is the Torgal,” I said, causing the soldier to pale slightly. “We were coming to visit Elinia to let her know we have returned to the city. She is a friend and has been assisting us in our fight against the Voguel. What has happened here that has required an investigation?”

“I am sorry to inform you that Elinia is dead,” he replied. “She was attacked, and the entire facility was ransacked. Documents were tossed all over and some were destroyed.”

I shared a glance with Janet, and we all knew the reason this happened. So now we needed to get in there and see if she had left anything for us before these people ruined it or found it first.

“Well, since we deal with this all the time, allow us to take a look,” I said, trying to use what little charm I had.

“I am sorry, but I am not sure that I can let you in here,” the soldier stammered. “This is a military matter and is not exactly your purview.”

I took a step towards him and said, “The Torgal have the highest rank in the military, with only the Dran being higher than us. So, stand aside and when we are finished, I will let you know.”

I made sure to say it loud enough the others could hear, and I was pleased to see them move away from the door. I was not normally this harsh with anyone, but this just added to the signs that Voguel was here and behind this. We made our way in and surveyed the damage. The entire building had been torn apart, obviously in a desperate search to find something. As I looked around, I noticed one or two things that made my blood run cold.

I stepped out of the doorway and turned to one soldier, “how long ago was she killed, and the place tossed?”

“She was killed only last night,” he said with a sigh of remorse. “Screams were heard last night, but by the time soldiers arrived, there was no sign of the perpetrators.”

I thanked him and returned to continue my search for clues. The evidence had me both baffled and a bit frightened. What had me on edge was the evidence of incredible strength that was within the whole building. To anyone else, it would look like a group of attackers had done all this. To us, it showed one incredibly strong individual who was comparable to us.

As we continued looking through the chaos that had been unleashed inside of here, we came upon the site where Elinia was killed. There was no body, as that had already been taken, but I would have Lillian and Kayla go take a look to find out exactly what had happened to her. Given there was not too much blood it was force-based injuries, not blade or claws. Sadness filled me as we mourned our lost friend, who was yet another taken in this thoughtless war. The sadness and loss was replaced with anger and determination as we spread out to try and see if anything was not as it was since we left.

Given the level of disarray it would seem a daunting task, but we were not dissuaded. We spent the next two hours in full use of our powers using our speed, strength, and skill to organize and clean up the building. By the end of those two hours we had nearly half of the mess cleaned up and enough organized to get an idea of what was missing or destroyed. It seemed that whoever was responsible had been trying to get rid of documents of various types. Land ownerships and transfers. Birth and death records. Land taxes and such.

However, due to the large gaps in records we could not narrow down a particular name, but we concluded that it was something to do with our First One. If what had been destroyed gave any indication, it would be of Voguel passing on lands and monies to new identities. If those were all within the capitol, then it would easily explain why they could never weed out the Voguel threat entirely. The question still remained that if someone had been hiding here in plain sight over the centuries, why was it no one had been able to identify him before now.