The sun had begun its journey toward the western ridges of the Chadom valley, when two men came down from the hills, their footsteps heavy from the day’s fatigue. Each carried a crossbow slung loose and a dead pheasant tied by the legs.
Torik let out a hardy belch.
“Aah. Better.”
“Ya need ta stop eating them yams, Torik,” Levi complained. “Yer farts smells like an ox’s ass.”
“Aah, shut yer trap. I’m sick of eating fish e’ryday. Besides, I need more food than you,” he looked down at the shorter man.
“Ya migh’ be tall, but yer thin as a stick. Where does all tha’ food go?”
“Who knows?” Torik replied, as his eyes fell upon the city of Cradle sprawled below them.
The capital of their new nation had finally begun to take shape. A palisade surrounded by odd towers; sharp, like arrowheads pointing outward, and a proper castle wall under construction. Dozens of buildings surrounded it, like children sitting around an elder. They were of an odd design, with an inner courtyard. Most were in various stages of construction, but some were almost finished and already had families living within.
“Look at that. That’s our home,” Torik whispered in awe.
“It’s something, isn’t it. Who’da thunk refugees would have their own city, and a castle.”
They walked towards the common kitchens in quiet contemplation, when Torik’s nose began to itch.
“You smell that?”
Levi didn’t even bother to sniff.
“No, you bloodhound. The rest of us don’t have your weird nose.”
“It’s not weird. It’s a gift from God. My ma’ always said that.”
Levi wanted to shoot back, but shut himself up at the mention of Torik’s mother. Poor woman hadn’t survived the exodus.
“What do ya smell?”
Torik sniffed multiple times, just like a dog. “Sharp. Haven’t smelled anything like that before.”
Levi let him take the lead, assuming the role of handler. His brows knitted when Torik began walking towards the building with a red cross on it. The very first one to have been finished and occupied.
He stopped in his tracks. “Hospitaal. Really? It’s the third time!”
“No! This is different. It’s the smell of spice. Why would there be spice in a hospitaal?”
“I dunno, I’m no healer!” Levi grumbled, even as he kept following the taller man.
──────── ??? ────────
In the military’s headquarters, Lothar gestured for Aprilia to sit down. When she didn’t, he pulled it back and guided her until she sat.
“Who was the last person to come to your house?” the sharp eyed Rafiel asked her.
She clenched and unclenched her hands before answering. “My mother. It couldn’t be her.”
“Hmm. Before her?”
She spent some time thinking, until her eyes widened. “Mia came asking for something.”
“Was she alone in the house for any length of time?”
“I- I was in the kitchen for a minute or two; not too long. Jack’s study was locked as always.”
“Let’s talk to her.”
The noise of the city under construction came back as they exited the military’s headquarters. Everyone had become numb to the constant noise of stone being chiseled, wood being hammered or sawed, supervisors shouting and men grunting with effort.
Aprilia walked among the chaos, blind and deaf to it all, her heart hammering in her chest.
She guided Lothar to the outskirts of the construction area, where the forest of tents still stood.
After asking around, they found Mia sitting with her friends, giggling and gossiping while embroidering a large piece of cloth. Their chatter instantly died as Lothar and Aprilia entered the tent, their eyes instantly glued to her dress.
“Mia?” Lothar addressed the obvious leader of the group.
“Yes, General?” she stood up, beautiful and graceful as ever.
“We have a few questions for you.”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“About what?” she asked, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance at Aprilia’s existence.
She followed them out of the tent at his gesture.
Lothar looked her in the eyes. “Something was stolen from the Supreme Leader’s house.”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. “And you think I did it?”
“We don’t know who did it,” he said slowly, with a placating gesture. “We are just asking around.”
“I’m no thief.”
Aprilia sighed. “General, do you need me here?”
“Why?”
She gestured for him to bring his ear closer, then whispered. “My presence rankles her. She would be less defensive without me here.”
He nodded.
She was about to leave when a soldier arrived, panting.
“Torik is in the headquarters, General.”
Lothar nodded his acknowledgment and turned to Mia, “Would you accompany us?”
She gave him a challenging look, “Sure. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
They went back to the headquarters, where a lanky man with wavy hair and a shorter one, slightly balding despite his young age, were standing in the reception area.
“These are Torik and Levi, General.”
“I know,” Lothar said, nodding to the two men. “Torik, we have a problem. Something valuable has gone missing, and I want your help in recovering it.”
“At your service, General,” Torik bowed clumsily.
“It’s a bag of tea. Spiced tea, so it should have a strong scent.”
The man’s eyes widened. He looked triumphantly at his shorter friend.
“I knew there was something special about it!”
“What?” Lothar asked for clarification.
“We was walking next to the hospitaal when I caught the most unique scent I’ve smelled.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What was it?”
“I dunno. They kicked us out when I went looking for it.”
Lothar turned to find Aprilia rooted to the spot, a look of dawning horror on her face.
“What is it?”
“Emma,” she whispered. “She visits me sometimes. But she, she’s my-.”
Mia sniggered triumphantly. Lothar shut her up with a warning glare, before approaching Aprilia.
“But she’s my friend?” Aprilia said, unsure about her own words.
He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You stay here. We’ll talk to her.”
“No,” she straightened at those words, looking him in the eyes. “I want to be there.”
He studied her face, then nodded solemnly,
They walked to the hospital, the building buzzing with activity.
Lothar stopped one of the workers, a cross of red ribbon pinned on her dress, “Where can we find Emma?”
The annoyed woman’s expression turned to shock as she recognized him. “She, uh, she is in her office.”
Nodding to her, the group moved forward, Torik’s nose twitching more frequently.
They climbed up to the second story, and headed to her office. The sound of stone grinding against stone was coming from the closed door.
Lothar knocked.
No response.
He knocked again, with more force.
The grinding stopped.
“Who is it? I’m busy!” Emma’s annoyed voice came through the door.
“It’s important!” he bellowed.
The short young woman opened the door, smelling strongly of herbs. Her eyes widened as they fell upon Lothar. They momentarily flickered from Torik to Levi, finally resting upon Aprilia, whose head was hung in shame.
Lothar forced the door open and gestured her to get back in with hard eyes.
She reluctantly complied.
“Go fish,” Lothar said to Torik, who was already looking around the room.
Each wall was covered in dried herbs hung from the ceiling. A mortar and pestle lay on the center table, a green herb half-ground between them.
“What is happening?” Emma asked.
“Just checking for something,” Lothar said lazily, his eyes wandering the room, while his body blocked the exit.
Torik slowly went from one corner to another, his nose sniffing everything, while Levi put the things he had moved around back in their place.
“Aprilia, what is happening?” Emma asked, but she remained mute, sniffling.
Torik pulled open a drawer, then pulled it out of the cupboard it sat in. He reached out a hand into the darkness and came back with a pouch the size of his fist.
“Found it!”
The room went quiet.
Lothar turned to look at Emma, who did not protest or shout.
She just stared at the pouch as if it had been torn from her chest.
“Check it,” Lothar told Aprilia, who opened the bag in Torik’s hands with trembling fingers.
She didn’t need to say anything. The unique smell was proof enough.
Lothar closed the door and faced the diminutive healer.
Before he could say anything, Aprilia croaked, grief lacing every word. “Why, Emma?”
When Emma didn’t reply, Lothar barked, “Answer her.”
Her gaze lifted to meet Aprilia’s. “You know very well why, Apri. You have everything; beauty, a strong man and now wealth!” she sneered, her eyes traveling up and down the expensive gown.
“I kept trying to push you away, but you wouldn’t listen! Kept inviting me to your house, where I could see all that you had and I never would. So I thought I should have something nice as well. That’s why!” she spat the last words at Aprilia.
“No,” Aprilia said quietly. “You didn’t steal it because you wanted it. You wanted to know what it feels to be chosen.”
Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes, and before she could say anything, Aprilia had lunged forward and enveloped the shorter woman in a hug.
“Don’t pity-”
She tried to pull away, but Aprilia didn’t let her. Soon, the dam of Emma’s emotions broke as she began crying in her friend’s arms.
Lothar waited until her tears had dried up.
“What else did you take?”
Drying her eyes with the back of her hands, she shook her head. “Nothing.”
“We will do a thorough inventory. You’re only digging your own grave if we find anything else missing.”
Her gaze met his. “I did not take anything else.”
“You are coming with us.”
Aprilia put herself between them. “General, can we not end this here?”
“No. We need to confirm nothing else has been taken.”
She nodded and let them “escort” Emma back to the castle, where she was locked in one of the bastions.
Back in Jack’s house, Aprilia and Lothar spent the rest of the day carefully doing an inventory of everything.
They visited the headquarters the next day, to find Matilda sitting in the office. The old woman straightened up to face them.
Emma was brought out. Disheveled hair and head hung low.
“Nothing else is missing,” Lothar announced, then turned to the old woman. “You say she is the most promising healer in Chadom?”
“She is. None took to Jack’s methods as quickly as her.”
“Can you please not imprison her?” Aprilia pleaded.
“You are asking me to undermine discipline.”
“I’m asking you to let me take responsibility for her. I know her. She is not a petty thief!”
“You will invite resentment.”
“I already have.”
Lothar searched her face. “Still. There must be punishment.”
She nodded. “Bar her from visiting critical areas like the castle, the industrial district and the border without an escort.”
“So be it.”
The next morning, Aprilia passed the hospital.
She could see Emma through a window, bent over a patient. People watched her now; some with suspicion, some with anger.
Aprilia now understood that once security and wealth were involved, even compassion came at a price.
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