Page 23 of The Study of Fire
“Hey, I need those,” said the only person in the pen.
“So do I. And of the two of us, only you know where the extra oil is stored.” Valek returned to the FIIK room.
He finished the last week of cases using purple ink. Then he set the lanterns on the edges of the map and stood up. Walking around the other tables, Valek waited for the colored dots to fade from his vision. With the extra illumination, he hoped to view the finished map as a single entity.
When enough time passed, he returned to the desk and glanced down. A rainbow of colors filled the map. The incidents had moved through the city during the seven weeks like a wave. And Valek now knew the next area of Castletown in its path.
CHAPTER5
It was after midnight by the time Valek reached his corps’ safe house in Castletown. Since he’d left the castle in such a hurry earlier, he had forgotten to send a message to the Commander explaining his absence. Now he’d missed their nightly meeting. It happened from time to time, and the Commander usually understood.
The safe house resembled all the others in the row. No lights shone through the windows, which meant the blackout curtains had been pulled closed. He used a special series of knocks to alert Hildred, the agent on duty. When the door opened, darkness loomed behind her figure.
He stepped into the vestibule. The door clicked shut and Hildred swept aside the curtains, revealing a living room that had been turned into an office. One lantern cast a puddle of yellow onto the desk.
“Something wrong?” Hildred asked.
“No. I need to talk to Trevar and Adrik. Do you know where they’re staying?”
“They’re at The Sole. It’s the cheapest inn in town. Is this about the incidents they’re investigating?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Trevar stopped here a few days after they arrived, wanted to see if we had any insights. We couldn’t help him. None of our agents thought they were anything but drunk and disorderly conduct.”
Still, it had been a good idea.
“He asked us to keep an eye out in case we see something odd,” she added.
“Have you?”
“Not yet.”
Too bad. “I also need a patroller uniform. When you do your rounds later, you can skip the Garden District. I’ll be in that area until dawn.”
“Yes, sir.”
Each of his safe houses was equipped with disguises, supplies, weapons, and the necessary paperwork should the local watch discover their existence. Two agents lived there and took turns gathering information about the town and citizens. One worked the day shift while the other slept and vice versa. They discussed their findings at breakfast and dinner. If anything seemed off or piqued their interests, they would report it to Valek. The agents rotated to different cities every three seasons to avoid being spotted and to keep them engaged.
The second bedroom of this house had been converted into a changing room. Racks of clothing lined the walls. Valek sorted through the various sized patroller uniforms and found one that was close to his size. He didn’t have time to return to his suite for one that fit better. Borrowing a knit hat, he pulled it down over his ears.
He said good-bye to Hildred and slipped out into the semi-darkness. Street lanterns in this part of town were few and far between. Keeping to the shadows, Valek headed for the Garden District. The majority of Castletown was a basic grid. Rows of homes were concentrated in some areas with businesses and factories clumped in others. They overlapped at the edges. The city was also divided into districts named after what that area was known for.
The Garden District had a mix of homes with large yards and small farms. The people who lived there were known for growing and selling fruits and vegetables. Valek walked the district, avoiding the patrol officers and seeking… Well, he wasn’t quite sure.
According to his research, the next set of incidents would happen in this area. He didn’t know if he’d encounter a victim or feel magic or something else. So, he kept his senses wide open.
By the time the night sky lightened with the first hint of dawn, Valek had covered the entire district and found nothing.
He returned to the safe house and changed back into his messenger uniform. Hildred also reported a quiet night in the other districts. The map he’d made had predicted the next area to be targeted, but there hadn’t been a pattern to the timing. Guess he’d need to remain vigilant over the next few nights.
Valek entered The Sole right as the sun rose. A cheery bell rang when he opened the door. It was a stark contrast to the inn’s dreary and cold common room. A thin man wearing an innkeeper’s uniform bent over the hearth, stirring a fire to life while adding logs. Then he hung a metal tea pot over the flames.
When he straightened, he turned to Valek and eyed his uniform. “Can I help you?”
“Do you serve breakfast?”
“Yeah, but I just opened and haven’t started cooking. I can get you a cup of tea while you wait.”
