Turn 85

This is the end of the festival proper, but there is still a week's worth of feasting to look forward to as the local guilds display their wealth and generosity, and rumor says that after that His Lordship might order a hunt.
    Alas, Emmett's taste buds are so deadened that he barely recalls this experience. A shame really, but what can you do?
    Ibn Fadil, on the other hand, resolves to find out what the stuff is and whether he can buy a cask or six to bring back aboard the _Distraction_ (but does it have to be kept cold, he wonders?).
    The following morning, the visitors--variously bruised, hung over, and tired--are awakened by a considerable commotion that seems to be sweeping through the castle. It appears that some time last night, four bodies were left in the square, hidden enough by the snow that they were not discovered until dawn. The word "mutilated" recurs, and although there is a certain excitement about this there is also a sense that no one is really *surprised* about it. One of the bodies is that of the young man Pham noticed the other day.
    Emmett, having cleverly consumed his weight in water after returning from the festival, is in better shape than one would credit - despite having gotten very little sleep. When the commotion drags him out of bed, he quickly tracks down Brunon and assumes an air of 'place' as if he belongs in any sort of inquiry to these events. He also checks around to make sure none of his friends are among the missing.
    Ibn Fadil tags along in Emmett's wake, looking unwontedly gloomy even though he didn't drink much at all last night; this news reminds him of Bral and his worries about the friends he left behind there. Following Emmett's lead, he tries to fade into the other man's shadow, like a self-effacing assistant.
    None of the visitors are missing. When Emmett and ibn Fadil track him down Brunon is heading out of the square and looking harried and, lacking Emmett's foresight, more than a little hungover. "What?" he demands.
    Emmett has already ben glancing over his shoulder, wondering what the half-elf is doing following him, when Brunon barked. "My crew's been accounted for, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help. Figure something like this, you'll need all the help you can get. "
    "Not unless any of you saw anything last night." He stalks along for a few moments, muttering something that sounds like, "four months... last time."
    "Right. I won't get in your way. You need help though, just ask." Emmett gives Brunon a sympathetic look, then starts planning out a better guard rotation for the crew members and the ship.
    The sergeant's destination is one of the other guard posts, where he gives his fellows the news and makes inquiries; none of them saw anything.
    It is clear from their reactions that this is not the first time this has happened, but it is the first time with multiple victims. All four were male, all like Telek upper-class and young. It is possible to almost see the waves of superstitious dread spreading through the city with the news.
    Emmett shrugs, gives a jerk of the head to indicate to ibn Fadil to look around and heads back to the castle. There he borrows a horse and picks up a bundle of furs before visiting the ship to check on the women and keep them up to date.
    "If this thing is only killing men, then these yahoos probably suspect women. And even though this was going on before we got here, it's probably not a far leap to blaming us," he thinks on the way.
    "What's going on?" Inez wants to know. "Heard all the noise yesterday, but Miss Fussy-Britches here didn't think it would be a good idea to sneak out and go to the party. I hope *you* had fun."
    Nyala ignores this in perfect, frosty silence. Being here with no other company is clearly taking a toll.

* * *

    Meanwhile, the Zakharan's enthusiasm for looking around is almost nonexistent, but it's better than sitting in the castle letting his dislike of this place fester, and for that matter better than going out to visit Nyala and maybe deciding to stay out there ... he shrugs in his turn and wanders off in the general direction of the square. The visitors no longer have guards attached at all times--either they've been judged harmless or everyone is just too busy right now--but he notices the figure he saw the other day--or one very much like it--dogging his heels as he returns to the square.
    Yestin is there, and visibly relieved to see him. "Where did Emmett go? The captain said to tell you we should try to stick together a bit until we know what's going on. He's going to try to see His Lordship," he adds, "and get some information, and Hiro's with him... they're not exactly first in line though. And I don't know where Alais and Pham are. One or the other of them might want to take a look at this." He leads the way around the guard house to the small yard--his efforts at amiability appear to be paying off, as no one stops them--where the grisly findings have been laid on the snow and covered with a cloth. "I've never seen anything like this, was wondering if anyone else had." From the many shallow wounds it seems the killer or killers were interested in prolonging the event as much as possible. Some of them seem to form runes or arcane symbols, and each of the bodies has also been branded on the forehead with an unfamiliar mark.
    "Konrad Iyasu, father owns a couple of ships; Telek Cenon, up and coming in the Artificers' Guild; Walter Rehema, similar; Gerard Negasi, family owns a lot of the land around here I gather. Of course it's pretty impossible trying to track where anybody was yesterday." The giff looks worried. "From what I can gather, people think someone was trying to put a curse on the town, doing it during the festival. I don't know what to think," he admits.
    

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