Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry for not updating sooner. Have been told chapters not long enough will try to do better and make a few things clearer.
They had barely returned to their inn when a messenger arrived to deliver a message inviting them to the town villa of Margaret Leitdorf, the second Leitdorf they needed to call on.
"This is convenient for us." Karl said as Werner read the message and went to the table to write a reply. "But why is she inviting us do you think?"
"Oh there is no mystery here my boy." Werner replied with a slight smile as he handed the reply to the messenger. "She sees all the other claimants as rivals, but feuding is always most intense between family members. To her Albert Leitdorf is her true rival. Doubtless she hopes to learn something about him from us that she can use against him. Hopefully, we can use that to learn something ourselves."
After they had lunch, bathed at the bathhouse and changed into clean clothes a carriage arrived for them. It took them to a large town house. It was not as large or as grand as some they had visited but it was equally lavish in its display of wealth. It was decorated mostly in white and gold and the smell of perfume nearly seared Karl's nose.
A slightly plump maid showed them into a lady's boudoir where Margaret Leitdorf received them. She was about forty and like her maid slightly plump; with a pleasant, if slightly vacant face, framed by a mass of black curls. Karl did not even want to think how much her red gown and jewels cost.
Behind her chair stood an elderly man. He had a long thin beard which was shot through with silver. He wore long robes of deep purple with gold and silver stars and other strange symbols.
The woman gave them a slightly vacant smile and held a hand up for Werner to kiss. "I greet you to my home Brother Werner." She said in a distant dreamy voice.
Werner kissed the proffered hand. "I greet you Lady and please allow me to express my deepest condolences at your lose. "
"I thank you," she said, her voice becoming sad; "Yes, the loose of my dear nephew Hans was a great tragedy and a blow to my efforts to attain my rightful title as Elector Countess. I can assure if you have not solved the case by the time I gain my title I shall put the whole resources of the province at your disposal."
"I thank you my lady." Werner said. "If I may say so you seem extremely confident of your chances of gaining the title."
"Oh, I know I will. It has been foretold." Here she turned an indulgent smiled fondly at the man standing behind her. "Herr Erasmus here is a magister of the Celestial Order. He read my horoscope and he assures me that the stars foretell that I shall indeed become the new Elector."
As Werner made polite sounds Karl suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. The man was no wizard; he did not detect a hint of magic on the man. Just to be sure he feigned a yawn to cover his mouth and altered his nose slightly so he could get a better smell of the man. As he had thought, no magic, none; wait there was something. It wasn't magic but it was familiar; though try as he might he could not place it.
"Yes," Margaret Leitdorf said, her voice interrupted his thoughts; "It was indeed horrible. Poor Hans was coming to have dinner with me after he concluded some business for me. He had just gotten out of his carriage when four robbed men attacked him. He fought ever so bravely, even killed one, but the others surrounded him and cut him down. The scoundrels fled before help could arrive."
"I see," Werner said; "Now, could you tell what business you had your nephew on?"
"Of course; I had sent him to deal with the Stokers, fine people, an exhalent example of the peasant backbone of our Empire. Though they do tend to occasionally get airs above their station. Would you believe they had the gall to suggest that Hans marry that Elise girl, the niece of my dreadful kinsman Albert. It is, of course, tragic that she was murdered; but still the thought that we would combine the two branches of the family is preposterous. I will not relinquish nor weaken my position to that thief Albert."
As she went on Karl fought the urge to snort again. Peasants! He had been a peasant, the Stokers were not peasants. Wait! That was it! The smell on the false wizard, he smelled like the Stoker house! So the charlatan has dealings with the Stokers, or had at least been in their house, and he did not think his patroness knew about it, that was very interesting.
They learned nothing more and they soon took their leave. As they rode back to their inn they discussed what they had learned.
"That man was no wizard." Karl said confidently, wanting to impress Werner with his knowledge.
"I agree," Werner said with a smile; "So tell me, how did you know he was a fraud? " Karl felt his insides freeze. He could hardly tell the truth and he cast his mind about frantically for an alternative answer.
"Oh," he said after a moment's thought; "I served with one before I met you. There was a wizard there; that fellow and the wizard did not seem very similar." Well, technically it was true, Clare was going to be a wizard, or whatever one called female magic users, and she was nothing like the man back there.
"Indeed, well you've certainly had a very interesting life." Werner said. "Well, I have never been in the army but I have worked with wizards of the Celestial Order and he is not one of them, the symbols were all wrong. Good enough to fool most perhaps but not someone familiar with the order."
"Who do you think he is?" Karl asked, glad to move on from his laps.
"I am not sure; I suspect that he is nothing more than a confidence man. The lady seems a slightly ah…credulous individual and a clever man could make a great deal of money from telling what anyone can clearly see she wants to hear.
"And there is more. Did you notice how he reacted when the Stokers were mentioned?"
"No, I am afraid I did not." Karl admitted, feeling embraced by that fact. He had been focused on using his altered sense of smell and had failed to use simple observation; it seemed he still had things to learn. Seemingly unaware of Karl's train of thought Werner continued speaking.
"He reacted when they were mentioned. It was very slight, I doubt most people would even have noticed it, but he clearly grew tense when the Stokers were mentioned. Something about the Stokers makes him very uneasy."
"But the Stokers work for the Leitdorfs, why should he be nervous about them?"
"I don't know, but I very much want to find out. There are too many unanswered questions in all of this already, we don't need anymore."
They had barely arrived at their inn when a messenger came up to them. "Brother Werner? Captain Henricus sent me."
"Has there been a new development?" Werner asked.
"Yes Sir, they found another body."
They were taken by carriage to an inn across the street from where the Lord High Justice had been murdered. They were taken to a room on the top floor. Inside lying on the floor near the door was the body of a young man dressed in bright flamboyant clothing. He did not appear to have been dead for very long, his body was still stiffening. Cause of death was not difficult to determine, buried in his throat was an unusual weapon. It looked like a triangle formed of three blades smeared with a something that Karl didn't like the smell of.
"Who is he?" Werner asked.
"His name, according to the landlord, is Heinz regular man about town. His landlord came up here this morning because he owes rent. Found him like this and came crying to us." Henricus answered. "At first I thought nothing of it. But when the landlord mentioned the odd weapon used I got curious and you will please note the location of the room's window, directly across from Lord Rohm's, the one you said was forced."
"Indeed," Werner said going over to examine the window. He stared at the window frame from several angles for several minutes. He then went and pulled a rag out of his robe and pulled the strange weapon out of the man and examined it closely for a while.
"Yes, this is related to the Lord Justice's death. His murderer came here, little risk the man here was often out. As you can see here," he gestured to a gouge in the window frame; "Is where the killer hooked his rope and then threw it across the street to the other roof. He crossed on the rope, poisoned poor Rohm and then returned. Heinz here must have been just returning and the killer was surprised and killed him as well."
"What are these?" Karl asked, indicating several scratches on the windowsill.
A strange look came over Werner's face. "I have a suspicion, and it would go with the shuriken we found, but I would like more evidence first."
Afterwards they went to their inn and had lunch. Afterwards they returned to Werner's room, where Werner proceeded to sink deep in thought. He remained deep in thought for some time oblivious to Karl's presence. At last, as the sun began to sink towards the horizon, he began to speak.
"I must confess that I now believe that things are far more dangerous than I had at first believed. While I believe that we are dealing with a power play but I now believe at least some of the players are employing means that no sane man would employ."
"What do you mean?" Karl asked both his human and wolf halves made uneasy by Werner.
"I fear you shall know soon enough. I fear we shall be busy tonight. I am going to an apothecary of my acquaintance to have him look at this." Here he held up the shuriken which he had brought from the inn where they had found it. "I am going to have him look at this; you'll observe that there is poison smeared on the blades, if it is what I think it is it will confirm my suspicions."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Karl asked.
"No I have something else I want you to do. I suspect that our appearance and questions has frightened Herr Erasmus. If we are correct and he is doing something with the Stokers behind the scenes he will likely contact them as soon as possible."
"Wouldn't it be more sensible to stay where he is and not do anything out of the ordinary?"
"Yes it would be. But I do not think he is a brave man and I am certain he will panic, so I need you to go back there tonight. If we are correct he should move to contact them as soon as it is dark."
Taking his hint Karl left and headed out into the gathering darkness. He quickly retraced the rout they had taken earlier. He made good time and soon arrived across the street from the front gate. He was just in time; no sooner had he arrived when he saw someone coming around from the back. Whoever it was, they were hooded and cloaked, clearly attempting to avoid detection. He could not fool Karl's nose however, it was the very man he had been sent to tail.
He let Erasmus get a head start and then followed at a distance. Fortunately the man clearly had no idea that he was being followed and made no effort to shake any pursuers. As Werner had predicted he made straight to the Stoker house and pounded on the front door.
As Karl was hanging back and did not alter his ears in time to hear who Erasmus demanded to speak to when a servant answered the door. He found out soon enough when Franz Stoker came to the door. He seemed very angry and grabbed Erasmus by the front of his clothing and pulled him closed and hissed something in his face. After a moment he seemed to calm down. He released Erasmus and brushed him off. He said something and then went back inside.
Erasmus waited on the step for several minutes and then a carriage came around. He entered it and it took off, Karl in pursuit. It went through the darkened streets till it reached the front of a large warehouse near the cattle markets. As Karl drew near he saw Erasmus and Franz exit and head inside.
As Karl pondered what to do he heard a strangled cry from inside. Erasmus stumbled back out, a blade of some kind in his chest. A moment later Franz walked calmly out and stared down at the body. He was not alone.
Three figures were with him. They were of average height Karl thought. It was hard to tell as they were all shrouded in black robes and seemed to be walking hunched over and in a way that could almost be called skittering.
One of figures reached down to grabbed the body by the legs to drag it back into the warehouse when it suddenly went rigid. It raised its hooded head and seemed to smell the air. Karl suddenly realized that the wind was at his back, they could smell him! How they could do this he did not have time to contemplate as the figure dropped the body and threw something in Karl's direction.
He himself to the side and it bounced off the wall. Unfortunately when he threw himself to the side he landed out of the shadows and could be seen by all of them now. He reached for his sword and cursed, he had left it behind at the inn. They must have seen or guessed his predicament as the three figures began running toward him.
He did not want to fight here; it was too exposed in case he had to use his alternate form. He turned and ran back down the alley. Sooner than he expected he heard sounds of pursuit. But it did not sound like boots behind him, rather it sounded like nails or claws scrapping the ground behind him. Then he realized something else, there were only two behind him.
A sound drew his eyes up. The third was running along the rooftops alongside him. Seemingly becoming aware of his discovery the figure threw another blade again Karl managed to dodge to the side and it clattered harmlessly against the wall. This couldn't go on, he prepared to turn and fight, his body already beginning to change.
"Who goes there?!" The cry caused Karl to whip his head back to the mouth of the alley. Standing there, lanterns in hand were seven members of the City Watch. A scuffling sound drew Karl's attention; his pursuers were gone from the ally, looking to the rooftop he saw that they were now deserted.
Author's Notes: Well here you are hope it was long enough for you. Next chapter will have more answers and perhaps the end of this story arch. The Celestial Order studies the stars and tries to divine the future. That' it for now please pray for the Syrian refugees, the missing hiker in Washington, the survivors and families of the victims in the Sparks Nevada shooting, those affected by the earthquake in the southern Philippines and all who need it. Bye and may Jesus bless you.