A Murder in Cyrene
by Agent Doiron
Copyright© 2026 by Agent Doiron
Fantasy Story: In ancient Cyrene, where the Greek gods are real and grant powers to their worshippers, a member of the city guard investigates the murder of a prostitute.
Tags: Fiction Crime High Fantasy Paranormal Magic Prostitution Violence
Ragged steps rang out on a moonlit street in the city of Cyrene. Short brick buildings stood mute testimony as a woman stumbled through the near darkness. Her sandaled feet pounded along the packed dirt as she staggered out of an alleyway. She was injured, afraid — blood dripped down her leg from a knife wound in her thigh.
She fell to the ground, scuffing her knees on the hard packed dirt. With shaking limbs she struggled to get back on her feet, staggering into a wall in the process. Gritting her teeth she started running again but maintaining balance proved harder with each faltering step. She stumbled and weaved down the uneven street until she finally fell face first on the ground. With shaking arms she tried to push herself up and failed.
The sound of her breathing echoed off of the buildings around her, harsh and shallow. Not the heavy breathing of someone who had been running, but the desperate breathing of someone who couldn’t get enough air. In the feeble light of the moon the woman’s lips began taking on a bluish tinge.
A shape stepped out of the darkness, walking the same path that the woman had stumbled down moments before. A man, wrapped in a cloak, a knife in his hand, the blade wet with blood. He walked slowly. The woman flopped on the ground, struggling to breathe. He didn’t need to hurry.
The midday sun glinted off of the calm sea as a small galley slowly worked its way across the harbor. Standing on the dock, Magnus waited impatiently as the ship approached. He really hated this kind of job. The wonders of his position, senior enough that he wasn’t allowed to wear armor but junior enough that he could be ordered off to perform trivial duties like this one.
Pacing back and forth, Magnus watched while the ship’s crew took its time maneuvering the vessel into position. While they fussed about, a man on board stepped up to the railing and scanned the dockyards. Of average height, he wore a bronze breastplate and matching helmet. Belted at his side was a short bladed sword, the hilt worn and faded with use.
“Hail dockside,” the man called out. “Are you here to greet us?” A cautious approach, not overly surprising considering the sword belted at Magnus’s waist. Magnus pulled his badge of office out from under his tunic.
“If you’re with the Lady Chara then the answer is yes,” Magnus replied. Hidden behind his back, he brought the ring on his left hand into position. The man on the ship was armed. If things turned ugly then Magnus wanted the ring ready to go.
With a bump and the grinding sound of wood against wood the ship slipped into position. Crewmembers jumped off the vessel and busied themselves with ropes. The man in the bronze armor took the opportunity to vault over the railing onto the dock.
“Greetings,” he said, “I am Gaius, the Lady Chara’s bodyguard.”
“Welcome to the city of Cyrene, Gaius. I am Captain Magnus of the city guard. I’ve been ordered to escort the Lady Chara to the palace.”
Gaius looked at him for a moment, taking the time to examine his chain of office. Eventually he seemed to reach some sort of decision and nodded, extending his hand. The tension between them eased as they shook hands.
A voice echoed strangely from the ship. Magnus looked up to see a woman standing at the railing. She was short with dark hair that fell casually across a white tunic and long gray skirts. In her hands she held a ball of what looked like blown glass. She spoke, but the words she used weren’t meant for human ears; they slid across Magnus’s mind like oil, heard but impossible to understand. Magnus instantly recognized the woman’s use of magic, her prayer to summon divine power. The orb in her hands started to glow.
“Tell me Captain Magnus,” she said. “Is it true that I won’t be persecuted for my religion?”
It wasn’t the first time he had been asked that particular question. Granted it was the first time someone had asked while peering at him through a ball of magic, but that didn’t change his answer. “That’s correct ma’am. Visitors and citizens alike may worship whichever gods they choose in our city.”
There were many religions on the Middle Sea and it could mean a death sentence to worship the wrong god in the wrong place. Not in the city of Cyrene though. By royal decree there was no religious persecution in Cyrene. As long as people followed the king’s laws then no one cared who they prayed to.
“You’re telling the truth,” the woman said, a note of surprise in her voice.
“Yes ma’am,” Magnus replied.
With a flick of her wrist the light from the orb dissipated. It had been a truth spell of some sort, one she used to test the veracity of Magnus’ replies. Apparently he had passed the test. She carefully put the orb in a pouch hanging from her belt.
“Are you the Lady Chara?” he asked.
“That is correct, Captain,” she said stepping off the ship. “However I am also an initiate of Athena. I was sent here by my father on a diplomatic mission.”
Magnus suppressed a smile at her words, she was saying more than she realized. If her diplomatic mission had been important then a member of the royal family would have been at the docks greeting her. Yet, if it weren’t important then why would she be sent across the Middle Sea? The answer lay in the pendant hanging from her neck. Initiate was the title given to new members of the church of Athena. Her father had likely sent her on this so-called diplomatic mission in order to get her away from the virgin priestesses. It wouldn’t be the first time a high-born child was sent to Cyrene to save them from the clutches of a local church.
“Welcome to Cyrene lady Chara. Please allow me to escort you to the palace.”
Magnus led the way out of the dockyards. The route he had chosen would take them through the old city district, an area characterized by rough brick buildings separated by hard packed dirt streets.
“I don’t understand why so many people are attracted to this city,” Chara said pointing east toward a fishing settlement near the city walls.
“It’s the ban against religious persecution,” Magnus said. “There are some brutal religions on the Middle Sea and they victimize the poor. Many of the people moving here have lost family members to the sacrificial knives. It doesn’t take many...”
The shrill sound of a whistle interrupted him. The noise echoed over the city from a nearby street. Instinctually his hand went to his sword and he took a step toward the sound before remembering his companions. He looked up to see both Gaius and Chara watching him expectantly.
“What was that?” Gaius asked.
“City guard,” Magnus replied.
“Are you needed?”
“No, probably not. It’s likely just a young guard who’s caught a pickpocket.”
A second whistle started blowing, making him regret his words. The only reason two whistles would be blowing is if a second guard got to the scene and the two of them weren’t enough to handle it. Normally he would already be running toward the whistles, but he couldn’t right now; his orders were to escort the Lady Chara to the palace.
“If you are needed captain,” Chara said, “then we can take a quick detour.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Magnus set off at a trot, just slow enough for Chara to keep up. By the time they arrived, there was already a small crowd gathered around the alley where the guards were blowing their whistles.
Closer up Magnus could see the cause of the commotion. There was someone on the ground, and through the crowd he could see bare flesh and blood. The senior guard spotted him and a hole was quickly formed through the crowd.
“Thank the gods you’re here, sir,” the senior guard said.
The guards stopped blowing their whistles and stepped back as a sudden silence descended. Behind them in the street lay the dead and naked body of a woman — her skin disfigured by dozens of cuts forming arcane symbols. There was a lot of blood, especially on the left leg near a deep wound in her thigh. A red flower had been placed in her mouth, its color a striking contrast to her pale dead flesh.
“Sweet goddess,” Chara muttered.
Damn it, he had forgotten about her. He was supposed to take her to the palace, not give her a tour of a murder scene.
“I’m sorry ma’am. I shouldn’t have brought you...”
“Nonsense, Captain,” she interrupted. “I’m not some flower to be sheltered from the world. I am fine. We can wait until you are finished here.”
Despite her words she looked a little green. It was obvious that she wasn’t accustomed to seeing dead bodies. If she was going to play at being tough, though, that was fine with Magnus, he had a job to do.
“Anyone know her?” Magnus asked.
“Delpha,” the senior guard said. “She’s a street priestess.”
“Damn it!” Magnus said.
“What’s a street priestess?” Chara asked quietly.
“It’s a polite term for a prostitute,” Gaius replied.
“File leader,” Magnus said addressing the senior guard. “Go to the temple and give them the news.”
“Sir?” the man asked. There was fear in his eyes. The priestesses wouldn’t take the news well.
“There’s no need Captain. We already know,” said a feminine figure in a pale blue hooded robe standing in the crowd. With delicate fingers the woman reached up and lowered her hood, revealing soft features framed with golden blond hair. Her strikingly blue eyes scanned the crime scene for a moment before settling on Magnus. The hint of a smile tugged at her full lips.
The guards reacted as if a bear had suddenly appeared in the middle of the street. There were shocked sounds of alarm as they grabbed for the hilts of their weapons. With an act of will Magnus kept himself from activating the ring on his left hand. Rationally he knew she wouldn’t attack, but her sudden appearance had surprised him.
“Greetings, Yasmin,” Magnus said.
“Hello, Magnus,” she replied with a genuine smile, walking over to stand in front of him.
“This is a crime scene, priestess. I have only just arrived and we have not yet begun our investigations.”
“I understand,” she replied. “I am simply here to care for the soul of my sister in faith. I will not interfere.”
She was lying. He could see it in her eyes. She wouldn’t interfere but she certainly hadn’t come for the sake of Delpha’s soul. He couldn’t just turn her away, though. As long as she didn’t interfere with him or break any laws she had every right to be at the scene. He could force her to back off until he had taken a good look at the body, but there was little point. She could be discreet when she wanted to be and a second set of eyes would be helpful. With a quiet sigh Magnus gestured for Yasmin to join him in examining the corpse.
“Delpha, you poor dear, what did you get yourself involved in?” Yasmin asked. She then started to pray in a quiet voice. It wasn’t divine magic, or perhaps it was the most basic of divine magic; it was a prayer for the soul of the deceased woman. Despite everything that Yasmin could be accused of she was devout and truly cared about her faith.
As Yasmin prayed, Magnus reached into the mouth of the dead body and removed the flower. It was a pomegranate blossom, which helped to explain some of the sloppier symbols etched into the woman’s flesh. Producing a copper coin, Yasmin placed it in the dead woman’s mouth, an offering to the ferryman that would take Delpha’s soul into the underworld. Her fingers lingered on the dead body’s lips. She pulled on them gently, revealing a dark blue discoloration. Leaning forward she turned Delpha’s head and brushed her hair away from her ears. The tips of the ears were the same color.
Continuing to pray, Yasmin made eye contact with Magnus. He nodded that he understood. In return he pointed to the flesh around the hole in the woman’s thigh. It was puckered and swollen. He then traced his fingers down to one of the ritual cuts lower on the same leg. The skin around that cut showed no sign of swelling. Yasmin nodded in understanding, never pausing in her quiet prayer.
With a few final words over the body Yasmin stood up and stepped back. “You will keep the temple informed, Captain?”
“Absolutely, Priestess,” Magnus replied, “and if you learn anything you will tell the city guard?”
“Absolutely,” she replied in the same tone.
They were both lying. It was theatre for any listening ears. Yasmin of Aphrodite was running her own investigation.
Two guardsmen lifted the blanket-wrapped body and dropped it onto the waiting cart as Magnus pulled a coin from his pouch. He held it out to the cart’s owner. “Take her to the temple of Aphrodite. They’ll be expecting you.”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied taking the coin.
With that unpleasant task out of the way Magnus could finally try to catch up with Yasmin. As if to thwart his unspoken plans, Chara walked up with Gaius trailing behind her. Damn it, he had forgotten about her again.
“Shall we go to the palace now?” Chara asked.
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” he said before turning to the senior guard. “File leader, please escort the Lady Chara and her bodyguard to the palace.”
“Excuse me,” Chara said in a tone of indignation.
“What?” Magnus asked.
“I am struggling not to be insulted here. Surely escorting me to the palace takes precedence over any further investigation into the death of a prostitute.”
“Ma’am I mean you no insult,” he said. “Prostitutes in the city of Cyrene are under the protection of the church of Aphrodite and the church reacts violently to anyone who harms them. I need to find the killer before the situation escalates.”
“It’s a race to find the murderer?”
“Somewhat,” he replied.
“Then I’m going with you,” Chara said.
“What? This isn’t a game, Lady Chara. I can’t take you with me. It could be dangerous.”
“I am to be a shield maiden of Athena, Captain,” Chara said. “The goddess I worship is the goddess of truth and knowledge. I have studied investigative techniques. I can be an asset to you.”
“That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“I’m not giving you a choice, Captain. You can either escort me to the palace yourself or include me in your investigation,” Chara said.
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