The events of the 4th of Sandstone, 1067"Honey, do you
have to go?" Udib Arrowsalves whined. "Aryn said we could have the day off, since he's spending it going over the books."
"In a weary world such is this, there is no rest for the wicked," Hikan Riddlewire growled to his reflection in the cracked vanity. He gave one last adjustment to the knot in his thin black tie, and satisfied, he loosened it half way, exposing the unbuttoned collar of his shirt. The dwarf grabbed his steel-lined trench coat from the chairback it was slung over, and draped it over an arm, turning back to his girlfriend - another member of Aryn's entourage. He just shook his head and pulled out a flask from his trouser pocket, and took a healthy pull. Udib winced.
"I wished you'd stop drinking that," she chastised.
"I wish you'd get your figure back. We don't always get what we want."
Udib stuck out her lower lip and rolled over, pulling the sheets up to her neck. "Whatever, just go."
Riddlewire snorted, and pulled his bowler down over his eyes. "Yeah, yeah..."
***
Hikan knelt beside the pond by the Temple of Zefon, his face grim, his beard scraggly and unkempt. He'd enlisted the aid of Erendor, and that dwarf was currently struggling with his fishing pole, slowly winding the reel.
Shortly, a mass of hair crested the water, and in seconds the corpse of a child was pulled free of the water. Erendor strained, and eventually a small stone block came up with it, tied to the child by a crude rope. He blanched, and the child dropped to the bridge with a heavy thud. "Oh god," he moaned, "That's the Duke's child."
"It's an obvious suicide," Riddlewire called. He slowly stood up, brushing dust from the knees of his trousers. A quick motion pulled his flask free, and he took a quick slug as he trudged over.
"Suicide?"
"Yes. The stone block is to keep him underwater. That baby knows that, as a baby, he's comprised mostly of layers of fat and bones that have not yet reached their high levels of adult density. As such, he tied this rope around his ankles and threw himself in the reflecting bond, as punishment to Kuli for killing his mother."
"And the caved in head?" asked Erendor.
"Weighted down with that stone, he must have sunk...
like a rock!" When Erendor didn't laugh, Nakin spit on the sidewalk and took a pull from his flask. "It's from the lake bed."
"I don't think buoyancy works like that."
"No? I like to think that if your room was to be searched, some of the Duchesses' missing jewelery wouldn't be found in your dresser."
"I haven't stolen anything!" Protested Erendor.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't be questioning what the officer on duty says about the damned crime scene! Now get the hell out of here!"
As Erendor left, Hikan smirked. He tugged his coat straight and went to take a pull from his flask, but it was empty. With a curse, Hikan squatted down on the bridge and dipped the silver flask into the pond. He watched as it bubbled up three or four times before pulling it free. With a quick twist of his forefinger and thumb, he tightened the cap over top it, and stood up.
The flask tucked away, Hikan pulled a small notepad from an inner pocket of his coat. Flipping to somewhere near the middle, he scanned down it with a small stick of charcoal, drawing a line across the middle of the page.
Two Down.
Author
Topic: Migrursut: What Comes After The World Ends? [Epilogue] (A Community Fort) (Read 389209 times)