13

Owen confirmed what Ianto had known, had hoped he was wrong about but knew deep down he was not.

"He drowned" Owen said calmly "the hands were removed while he was still alive, he was tied there and left for the tide. The wounds were severe and although I see no sign of quaternization the blood loss did not kill him. The water in his lungs tell us that"

"Why the hands?" Toshiko asked swinging in her chair.

Ianto clicked his fingers and her chair dropped, making her squeal, then laugh softy. He then winked as he said "because magicians show their magic with them. We use our hands to display some trick or something. A lot of people think our power is in our hands, not our souls."

"So… cutting off the hands is a way to prevent the magic?" Owen asked.

"Or steal it" Jack muttered "He keeps doing it trying to work out why it isn't working."

Ianto sighed as he looked over at his husband who was dead on the money… as per usual. "I agree, I think whomever this is, they think taking the hands is going to give them some sort or power or immortality or something."

"Great" Owen huffed "So… you could be a target! Pinching them from the Plass right?"

"No. My eyes are grey, one of the things I spent years learning as a small child, how to hide my true eye colour." Ianto shook his head "All the dead showed their lineage with their lilac pupils."

"Like your Grady's when he is pissed, they go sooo purple. Cool" Owen said as he fiddled with papers like they were discussing the weather. Something he liked about Owen, he didn't really care.

"So… the other two… any ideas?" Owen motioned at the pictures on the screen that had been altered to look less… dead.

"No, but there are more than one branch from the great tree out there, possible these are distant cousins." Ianto conceded "I suppose I can go visit their shelters and ask."

"Shelters?"

"Well… valleys or coves. You know… their little space. We each have our own areas and although we trade and sometimes visit, we each stick to our own vale unless in the other realm" Ianto looked at the faces on the screens again and grimaced "that youngest one though… he looks like a teenager. I hate to be the one to have to go in and tell his people."

"Humans are scum" Owen said without preamble, "clearly; we are capable of heavy shit!"

"We don't know if it IS humans Owen!" Toshiko scolded with a frown "I did detect a Blowfish in the area of all three of their body dumping areas… sorry Ianto."

"So… all three were dumped here in the bay?" Jack moved to stand at the wall, looking at the different flies up there "We have males, twenties maybe… all Elvish, all with traits that how that and someone had removed their hands and dumped them I while still alive. Why not kill them?"

"There are several reasons I can think of. A sadistic prick who likes to watch them struggle and suffer. Another is maybe they think killing them will release something that null and voids the magic they think is in the hands or… maybe they think they will not drown. I mean.. cut their hands off and they are alive. Dump them somewhere they will be found… maybe this idiot thinks they are OK" Owen finally suggested, then hummed to himself as he sat and drummed his fingers on the table "Of course… the real problem with that is thinking they will be found in time. So… all dumped near our back door. A Torchwood thing?"

"Or a ME thing" Ianto agreed "They know I am here? Think I will save them? OR … is this a test, or a warning."

Jack didn't like that theory, leaping from the chair with alarm "the kids, are they safe?"

"In the vale? Are you kidding? They are in the safest place they can possibly be" Ianto smiled softly, "Besides… Barney will protect them."

Jack snorted as he agreed, the little dog would surely savage a toe or something if someone tried to touch his pups. Yeah, Jack relaxed knowing he was being a bit of a dickhead. After all… right. Jack pulled up the home cameras to check and saw his two boys dancing around the living room as the princess sat with her cheeks sucked in, lips pursed judging them.

"awwww, they are playing strictly come dancing or something" Jack laughed, "Guess who the judge is?"

"She will have a little paddle with a 10 written on it for sure, well… Jay will get that, she will tell Joshua he needs to pick up his feet or something snarky." Ianto smiled back.

"Jyps is soooo hard on him"

"He's the oldest. She is hard on him because he is the grown-up of them" Ianto shrugged "If you watch them you will see that he does not actually mind, he likes being in charge… with her orders."

Jack snorted as he knew his husband spoke the truth.

She manipulated them like she was playing a musical instrument.

Clever minx.