Author's Notes: Hey everyone, glad that you liked it, hope you like this one. As always I own nothing.
Karl and Wilhelmina rose before sunrise and departed, grabbing some bread and cheese on the way out. They entered the streets of the city with Wilhelmina taking the lead. Even at the early hour there were people about, vendors setting up stalls, night watchmen heading to their beds and other nocturnal people retreating with the coming of dawn. There were other people as well, street children came up to them and tried to both beg and pick their pockets, some at the same time. Karl chased the pickpockets off, but to his surprise Wilhelmina gave a few coins to some of them. There were other threats as well. These were full-grown men, hardened to life on the street. They looked at Karl and Wilhelmina speculatively, sizing them up. Sensing them, Karl turned and locked eyes with some of them, his hand resting on his sword. Perhaps recognizing a fellow predator the would-be attackers moved back into the shadows and caused them no trouble.
They passed through the streets till they came to what appeared to be a boarding house, the kind which catered to people of medium income. Its exterior had been white but it had not been painted in some time and was stained with soot and grime and in desperate need of washing. Several window sills did sport flower pots, as if the owner was determined brighten up the place without going through the trouble and cost of either cleaning or repainting it. Wilhelmina looked at it and then nodded her satisfaction.
"This is the place." She said simply, her voice once again taking on the masculine tone. Karl looked at the place, a doubtful look on his face.
"Are you sure? This does not seem the kind of place a girl like the one you described would come to." Wilhelmina gave a dismissive gesture.
"You don't understand women, especially the silly romantic ones. To her such a place and any real or perceived danger would only add to the appeal of a forbidden rendezvous." Karl had no experience with such things so he merely shrugged and continued to follow Wilhelmina.
They came up to the door and Wilhelmina nocked sharply. The door was open to reveal a stout woman of middling years. She wore a bright red dress which did not really flatter her figure. Her neck sported several gaudy necklaces and her face sported a garish amount of mascara and her lips were a bright red and when she saw them she broke into a broad and insincere smile.
"Come in good gentlemen. It's a bit early but I am sure that we can find a clear room for the both of you." Wilhelmina's face took on a look of slight distain but she stayed focused on her objective.
"That will not be necessary. We are looking for someone and we have reason to believe that she was here recently." At her words the false smile left the other woman's face.
"I am afraid that we maintain a policy of confidentiality at this establishment. I think that it would be best if you leave." At this she made a small hand gesture and two large men appeared. They had clubs at their belts, but they made no move to draw them. Not that they needed to, they were both large enough to deal with most men. Wilhelmina glanced at them but gave no sign that she was intimidated by them.
"I fear I must insist." She paused and her tone become coaxing.
"There are important people who wish the girl found, they would be grateful for your help." The woman did not even pause to consider it.
"I don't know anything!" She declared, and edge of panic in her voice. She snapped her fingers and the two men advanced. Wilhelmina turned to Karl
"Dog!" Karl ignored her word and surged forward. The man on his left was a little ahead of his comrade and swung his fist in a powerful haymaker. Karl brought his left forearm up to block the blow. The man was strong, but the Wolf was stronger. Karl staggered a little, recovered and launched a count-attack. He launched a punch straight into the man's face. The man's nose broke and he fell to the floor, his eyes rolling up in his head.
Seeing the fate of the first man the second was more cautious. He took a step back and went for his club. Since he went for a weapon, Karl did as well. His longsword leaped from its scabbard. He slashed the man's forearm, not enough to hurt the man badly, just enough to make him drop his weapon and clutch at his arm. A sharp whistle from Wilhelmina caused him to halt, even though he had had no intention of hurting the man further now that he was no longer a threat. Still, it would not do to have it appear that they were not working together perfectly in front of others. Once it was clear that he had stopped Wilhelmina turned back to the woman.
"As I was saying, has there been a young woman here of late? She would have been here to meet a man and would likely have made an effort to conceal her identity." The woman was clearly stunned by what had just occurred, but was still reluctant to speak. Wilhelmina sighed.
"Dog!" She cried out. Karl turned and started towards the woman. That was enough, the woman backed up against the wall, her hand raised to ward Karl off.
"Alright! Yes! She was here! A few days ago!" The woman paused and took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer tone of voice.
"She came in around noon, that curly brown hair of hers sticking out from under her hood. Her lover was already here. They had just gone up to the room when they came."
"Who?" Wilhelmina demanded. The woman hesitated for a moment then spoke again.
"Some men, they said the man's wife had sent them. They already had two men in the room and they jumped them as they came in and they bundled her and her lover out the back." Wilhelmina gave her a hard look.
"You must not be very vigilant, to allow so much to go on without you and your people being aware."
"I am not a Watchman!" The woman snapped. "My boys are here to stop trouble when it starts, not patrol the building like the bloody Reiksguard!" Wilhelmina gave the woman a stern look.
"I would have a care, the Reiksguard do not like to be denigrated by being compared to their lessers. Now we'll will need to see the room that they were in." The woman looked reluctant, but after a moment signaled for a maid.
"Take them to the special room." Wilhelmina turned to Karl.
"Go with her Dog. I have a few more questions." Karl, sheathed his weapons, nodded and followed the maid to a room on the second floor, ignoring the sounds from rooms they passed till they came to a door and she showed him in.
It did not look any different than any other bedroom, a large bed a small table with a basin and pitcher in it. Karl could smell a variety of people who had left their scent in the room, but what he could not smell was any residue of magic. It seemed that the attackers, whoever they were, had not allowed Agatha Gruben time to cast any spells. He looked around the room again. The woman said the attackers were already in the room; where had they hidden? His gaze focused on a wardrobe, it looked large enough for a man or two to hide in it. It would be a tight fit and not comfortable, but it could be done. Still, there was something wrong about the situation. The wardrobe was on the far side of the room, if they had burst from it as soon as the lovers had entered the room then Gruben should have had time to at least begin to cast a spell. His thoughts were interrupted by Wilhelmina coming into the room. He was about to tell her of his findings but she held up her hand to silence him. She walked about the room glancing here and there but not really looking at anything intently. After a moment she spoke, sounding unusually loud.
"Well, there is nothing to be seen here. Come Dog! We should get going." Karl wanted to protest, but she held her hand up for silence and they departed.
They made their way through the streets to a wine shop where Wilhelmina bought a jug of wine and some sausages. They took a table as far from the others as possible, not difficult at that time of day, and set to eating. After a time Karl looked at her.
"You did not seem interested in inspecting the room, there were some interesting things to discuss." Wilhelmina gave him a semi-patient sigh.
"I am sure there was, just as I am sure that the room has a peephole for someone to spy or listen in on those in the room. If we had said anything in the room, then those people would have known it and word might have gotten back."
"Back to whom?"
"Whomever the woman was reporting to. It was clear that she was afraid of something, or someone. Even when she saw how dangerous you are and I threatened her with displeasure from the nobility she was reluctant to talk, that means that there is someone she fears greatly and I have no doubt that she is even now informing whomever it is she fears. And as whomever it was that took Gruben was able to enter a building which has only one door without comment, we can assume that the people behind the disappearances are the same people that she fears."
"Then we should be watching the place then, to see if she sends a message or they come to her."
"I don't know that that will happen. I think it entirely possible that they only threatened or bribed for this one snatching and will have nothing more to do with her. But if there is more contact we will know, you are far from my only servant. Now, what did you discover?" Karl informed her of all that he had seen in the room, including the absence of magic in the room. Wilhelmina nodded in agreement.
"I saw and sensed as much myself. It is indeed curious. They were well prepared, but that does not explain how they were able to attack the two and she was not able to employ her magic. Granted, most sky-gazers have all the wits of a goose stuck on the head, but even so they usually have some sense of self-preservation."
"Maybe there were more people involved than the woman said and they attacked from behind."
"I don't think so, if there had been too many they risked giving themselves away. No, they came with only the men who were in the room."
"Even if they took her by surprise, how were they able to keep her from casting?"
"Well, we know that when they attacked Dorchener they had drugs to weaken him, they likely used them on Gruben as well. That would also explain how they would be able to move her to wherever they are taking them. She would be powerless to resist and no one would comment if they were seen, men hustling drunken women through the streets in that part of the city."
"But where are they being taken?" Karl wanted to know.
"I am not sure. The kidnappers could theoretically keep them drugged indefinitely. But if they were planning to do that they could simply kill them. No, they will need somewhere secure where they could hold magic users."
"What would they need for that?" Wilhelmina gave him a look and then she began to speak.
"Well, like a regular kidnapping they would need some place in which they can hold a person and it has to be some place where outsiders are unlikely to stumble upon by chance. Additionally, they would have to keep her in a place which they could line with lead. Seeing the confused look on Karl's face Wilhelmina explained.
"Lead absorbs magic. Putting her in a place lined with lead would dampen her abilities and keep her from using her magic against them." That gave Karl a worrying thought.
"Does that mean that you may lose your ability to use magic as well?"
"It might. We shall of course try to avoid that, but if necessary I am not unskilled with a blade." Though her words were confident it was clear that the prospect did not thrill her.
"Well," Wilhelmina said; "It hopefully, will not come to that. In the meantime, this may prove to be useful."
"How so?"
"Well, there is a bit of a shortage of lead-lined rooms in the city. If they are still here in the city then they would have to create such a place. That means that they would have to acquire a large amount of lead. Someone would likely take notice if such a large amount was suddenly purchased."
"Unless they brought it in from another city." Karl interjected.
"There is that possibility." Wilhelmina admitted. "We shall first investigate the lead merchants in the city. If they have not had such an order we shall go and investigate the city gates, they are supposed to inspect all shipments which come into this city, though they might have been bribed to look the other way or smugglers might have been contracted to bring it in. I shall have some of my other contacts get on that." With that they finished their food and departed to begin their investigation.
They made their way to the part of the city which housed the various metallurgist guilds. Once again Karl allowed Wilhelmina to do the talking. Here she took on the guise of working for a noble in need of lead to improve his estate. To Karl's disappointment everywhere they went they were informed that the men that they spoke to had an abundance of lead readily available. Wilhelmina would casually ask if their business was doing well and from the various replies Karl did not think that it appeared that any of them had had any sudden or unusually large orders for lead of lead of late. By the time they had finished speaking with all the merchants the sun was near setting.
"We have done all that we can do for today. In the morning I will get my other contacts to start their own inquiries." With that she stared walking in the direction of Karl's house. Karl thought that Wilhelmina was acting slightly odd, but his efforts to discern what was going on proved to be unsuccessful. When they arrived at the house the smell indicated that Olga had already prepared dinner. As they ate Wilhelmina outlined what would happen next.
"In the morning I shall be going to see some of my other contacts and see if they have any knowledge of the lead."
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Karl asked. Wilhelmina shook her head.
"It would be better if I go alone. Many of the people whom I am going to talk to can be a rather suspicious lot. If I were to show up with a complete stranger it would only make things awkward and they may refuse to talk to me at all.
"No, I need you to do something else. I need you to go around the city and see if the general public has taken notice. No need to ask any questions, just see if anyone is talking about the disappearances and death among the mages. Come back here at sundown, I should be back by then." With that they ate their meal in silence and then went upstairs, the look she gave him telling Karl that he would be spending another night on the floor in his wolf form.
The next morning when he awoke Wilhelmina was already gone. Shifting into his human form Karl dressed and armed himself and then went downstairs. There he found that Olga had laid out a bowl of porridge and fresh bread. He thanked her and started to eat. As he did so he noticed that Olga had not returned to the kitchen and that she had a worried look on her face. Putting down his spoon he turned to face her.
"Is something wrong?" He asked her. She was clearly hesitant to reply, but after a moment she gathered herself and replied.
"Master, I wouldn't pretend to understand what is going on with you and the young lord who has been staying here, but, is what you are involved in dangerous?" The question took him off guard. To cover and buy himself time to think he asked a question of his own.
"What brought this on?" She looked flustered and shifted from one foot to the other before she began to speak.
"I…I am worried about you Master. Aside from Max you are the only person who has shown me kindness. I don't like the thought of you being in danger, of being hurt or killed." She stopped and looked worried, perhaps afraid that she spoken out of turn and Karl would be angry at her.
Karl sat in silence for a moment, in truth he did not know what to say. He had, more or less, gotten used to being in danger and the majority of the people that he associated with were in the same situation as he was. He had not thought about how this way of living would affect anyone in his life who did not share that danger. Looking at her he found feelings of concern for her stirring inside him. What would happen to Olga if he were to die? Where would she go and what would she do? She was in a strange city and knew no one here. Likely she would have to go back to what she had done before and he did not want that. Moreover, it seemed that she cared for him in a way and his death would grieve her. He had not thought of that. He had taken her in as a kindness and did not want her to have any more suffering in her life, he had not considered that she had feelings for him.
He did not think that it was love or anything like that, rather it was like what Clare had felt after they had first met. The thought that he might cause her more suffering, the very thing which he had tried to rescue her from, upset him. His first impulse was to lie and say that what he was doing was perfectly safe, but that would not do, especially if he were to stumble home covered with blood. He looked at her and smiled at her.
"Well, I won't say it is without a bit of peril, but fear not," her he raised his voice and finger in a melodramatic manner; "I shall overcome all challenges." She smiled slightly and he continued, though now his voice was more serious.
"I cannot tell you exactly what is going on, but I can tell you that I am helping people in a way similar to the way that I helped you. Don't worry," he said lowering his voice; "I shall do all that is in my power to make sure that I get out of it with my skin intact, but even if something happens I shall make sure that you are taken care of." She chocked and her eyes teared up. Not wanting to make things even more awkward, Karl quickly finished eating and was on his way.
As he walked down the street he thought about how he was going to fulfil his promise to Olga. The only money that he had was from Marx and he did not see how he was going to leave it to her and he also doubted that Marx would let Olga stay in the house. This was so confusing it was frustrating. It was much simpler to deal with problems when he could solve them by hitting something. He was not good at being responsible for someone else. His attention was grabbed by the sight of a crowd ahead of him in what appeared to be a market square. Grateful for the distraction he headed forward to see what the commotion as about.
The crowd was gathered around a body in flowing robes. The robes, though clearly old and stained, were still quite flamboyant. Bright patterns whirled in garish patterns and was studded with stars and strange designs. Scattered around him were a number of vials and strips of paper which smelled of chemicals. Laying on the ground near the body was a large, equally garish, floppy hat. The cause of death was plain to see, the man was laying on his stomach and his back was covered with blood from several stab wounds. The blood was partially dry, so the attack had not just happened, but the blood, along with the folds of the robe, concealed what exactly caused the wounds. Standing next to the body was a man in the uniform of the Altdorf Watch.
"Does anyone know this man?" The watchman was calling to the crowd. A number of heads were nodding assent.
"Aye, I know him." Said a fat man in the garb of a baker.
"His name is…was Franz. He claimed he was a wizard, or some such thing." At his words the watchman looked uneasy.
"A spell-caster you say?" Near the baker an older woman hooted.
"If Franz was a wizard I'm the queen of Bretonnia!"
"It's true," another man said; "He was a small-time performer and he hadn't a bit of magical talent, but the yokels who came into the city for market fell for it. Made quite a bit of money off of it too I'll wager." As the man spoke the baker was looking around at the crowd, a suspicious look on his face.
"I'll tell you who did it, it was Paul." The watchman turned to face the man.
"Who is this Paul?"
"Paul was Franz's assistant. He would collect the money from the act and make sure no one stole it. Not to bright, but strong as an ox. I once saw him break a man's skull with a single punch."
"Where might this Paul live and what does he look like?" The watchman asked.
"Here and there." Was the reply; "I think he likes to spend his free time on Tanner Street. There are some taverns which sell cheap beer, which soak up most of his share of the earnings." The man paused and chocked his head to one side, before he spoke again.
"He's a little on the short side, he's been mistaken for a Halfling more than once. He has think curly brown hair and eyes of the same color. He wears whatever he can find, though he likes things with bright colors. I think he mismatches intentionally to give himself a more outlandish look and often as not he's barefoot." The watchman nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Right, I had better speak to him at once." He turned and raised his voice to take in the entire crowd.
"This man was murdered! The body is not to be touched, some of my fellows will be along shortly to collect it." With that he made his way through the crowd and was gone. Seeing that nothing more was to be learned, Karl departed.
As he walked through the streets he considered what he had just witnessed. Did what he had just seen have anything to do with the disappearances that they were investigating? On the surface that seemed unlikely; the people had said that Franz was just a charlatan and Karl, who could smell no magic on the man, was inclined to agree with them. All the other people who had vanished were clearly magic-users, could not the causers of these events tell the real thing from a fake? It seemed like they could, as Karl was certain that they could as all the other disappearances had been genuine wizards.
On the other hand, as they had not involved the Watch in their investigation, Karl and Wilhelmina were blind on that front. For all Karl knew street performers were being killed on mass. Karl wondered how he could find out if that was the case. He doubted the Watch would tell him if he just went up and asked and he did not have time to wander the city looking into rumors of possible deaths of street performers. He decided to relate the matter to Wilhelmina when she came back that night, knowing her she likely had sources inside the Watch as well.
He moved among the crowd asking about it, but it seemed that there had been no other deaths that they knew of, though of course they mostly stayed in their own neighborhood and did not know about what was going outside of it. Karl could not risk discovery by asking too many questions, so he soon left. He considered going to talk Paul, but decided against that. He was not a member of the Watch, he did not even have fake credentials to fool Paul with. Worse, Paul might talk about a man asking him the same questions that the Watch were asking him. No, that might attract the wrong kind of attention. He would have to wait for Wilhelmina to come back, she was clever, he was sure that she would think of something.
He wandered through the city for the rest of the day, but failed to learn anything else. As the sun started to go down Karl retraced his steps back to his house. As he entered the house he smelled something cooking. Entering the kitchen he saw Helga at the stove frying a fish with onions. She looked up and smiled, clearly not wanting to bring up what they had talked about earlier. Before he could say anything he heard the door opening and the smell told him it was Wilhelmina, so he went out to speak with her. She looked tired, but when she saw him she gave a slight triumphant smirk.
"I see that you enjoyed some success." She gave him a slight not, but indicated not to speak of it again while Olga could still hear them.
The dinner was suburb, though Karl decided that he preferred beef and pork to fish, but he could not bring himself to say anything which might have hurt Olga's feelings. After dinner Wilhelmina motioned him to follow her up the stairs to his room where they could speak in private. Once they were there he shut the door and waited for Wilhelmina to speak.
"It took me a bit of effort, but I at last found what I was looking for." She told him as she pulled off her boots.
"What did you find?" Karl asked.
"I spoke to one of my contacts and he told me of a very interesting delivery. Two months ago a large shipment of lead came into the city. It had all the proper papers and the guards at the gate were told that it was for the making of lead shot for the garrison. However; I spoke with those responsible for supplying the garrison and they received no out of the ordinary influx of ammunition. I spent the rest of the day seeking the stuff, but I had no success." There was a pause and then she looked at him with a slightly impatient expression.
"And your efforts?" Karl had been distracted from his own thoughts by his surprise that she was so well connected. He had known she and Marx were well connected, but it seemed that there was no corner of the city which they did not have informers. Her words brought his mind back to the present.
"I saw a rather unusual thing shortly after leaving the house." He quickly filled her in on the murder of the street charlatan and the odd behavior of the watchman. She took his words in, a frown forming on her face.
"For a mangy mutt, you are quite clever at times. Yes, his behavior was odd. Most members of the Watch would have either assumed that this Paul was the murder, or simply not cared, it is not as if the victim was anyone of importance." She tapped her finger on her chin pensively for a moment and then, with a sigh, she began to pull her boots back on.
"We had better go see if we can find this Paul and see if he knows anything." Karl was not thrilled at the prospect, but it was clear that Wilhelmina was not to be detoured. He could see quite well in the dark, but in order to maintain his cover and for Wilhelmina he took down a lantern which he had found in the house and the made their way into the streets.
As soon as they were outside Wilhelmina took the lantern and the lead, Karl had told her where Paul was likely to be found and she clearly was more familiar with the city than he was. As the sun had gone down Karl was at first anxious that the authorities would stop them and demand to know their business, but this did not happen and it soon became apparent to Karl that the worse the neighborhoods they passed through, the fewer watchmen there were and by the time they reached the area that they were looking for there were no to be seen.
Karl wished he could smell the man but he had no idea what the man smelled like, he could hardly have sniffed the body of Franz with all of those people looking on. Not that it mattered, the smells of cheap beer and spirits, unwashed bodies, rotting meat, unwashed bodies and all the other smells all combined to form a stink which was so strong that finding an individual smell would have been impossible. Indeed, it so offended Karl's nose that it took an effort to keep going and caused Karl to start breathing through his mouth. Wilhelmina, Karl noticed with a trace of envy, appeared to be unaffected by the smells around them.
They made their way towards Tanner Street and began their search. They made their way through several cheap taverns and had no success, though it was necessary for Karl to break a few fingers before they were able to make their exit. They were becoming discouraged when they heard a scream ahead of them. They rushed forward and came upon a woman running towards them.
"MURDER! MURDER!" The woman screamed. Karl tried to catch her, but she was too quick and was gone into the darkness. He was about to give chase when Wilhelmina caught his arm.
"Forget her! Let us go see what all the fuss was about." They did not have to go far before they found what they were looking for, a body halfway in an alley. The light of the lamp cast as many shadows as it did light, but it was enough to show that the body was cladding cloths of many colors. Wilhelmina gave a disgusted sigh.
"I have a horrible suspicion that this is the man we were looking for." Looking at the body Karl could not help but agree, then he caught the scent of something. Leaning in he inhaled the man's odors and confirmed what he had suspected. He smelled magic on the man.
"What is it Dog?" Wilhelmina asked, leaning it to take a closer look.
"The man was more than he made himself out to be." Karl replied. Wilhelmina looked at the body for a moment and then turned to examine the walls on either side of the body.
"Ah, scorch marks on the walls caused by magic. It seems he was a hedge wizard."
"A what?" Karl asked. Wilhelmina made a disgusted sound in her throat, though Karl was not sure it was directed at him or the body.
"A hedge wizard, you peasants may call them "wise folk" or some other such nonsense, are fools who dabble in magic without attending the Colleges of Magic. Usually all that they accomplish is blowing themselves up or attracting the attention of something that they would really rather not. Unfortunately, before either of those eventualities, they bring the witch hunters down and stir up the masses against all magic users." She looked down at the body again.
"It would appear that this one took some precautions at any rate. He had his assistant do the actual performing to draw the crowd's attention while he surreptitiously did his magic. If the crowd should turn against them they would go after Franz while Paul would be able to make his escape, or at least have a better chance of doing so."
"Instead," Karl said; "They ended up attracting the attention of someone a bit more dangerous. Do you think it is the same people we are looking for?" She rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh course they are, my mentally-stunted puppy. Why do you think the watchman was behaving so oddly? He was doubtless one of the people that we are looking for. He probably came here to deal with Paul as soon as he left Franz's body." She rose and turned to go.
"Let us be gone. There is nothing more to be learned here and we cannot be seen by the crow and the Watch, when it finally gets here and we have lingered too long here as it is." With that she stared walking away, Karl shrugged and followed after her. As he walked he could not help but feel that something was nagging at the back of his mind, there was something lingering just out of reach to his mind, but he could not quite pin it down.
They reached the house without incident and, as it seemed that Olga had already gone to bed, they were able to make their way up the stairs to Karl's room. Once there Wilhelmina sat on the bed while Karl took the chair. As he sat down the thing that had been nagging at the back of his mind at last became clear and he was able to give voice to it.
"Why him?" At Wilhelmina's confused look he continued.
"I mean why go after Paul? All the others who have gone missing were licensed wizards, or at least apprentices of such. Why would they suddenly go after a hedge wizard who has no connection whatsoever?" For once Wilhelmina did not have a sarcastic remark, instead she leaned back, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I do not know." She said after a moment. "It is puzzling. Perhaps they merely have a hatred for magic users, they would hardly be alone in this regard. But if that were the case, why would they go after the wizards first and the hedge wizard second? One would think that it would be the other way around; hedge wizards are usually less skilled than licensed wizards and, as they are illegal, they can be hunted openly."
"Well," Karl said; "Perhaps it is simply that licensed wizards are easier to find than hedge wizards." Wilhelmina looked skeptical.
"That may be true, but the fact that they were able to tell that Franz was not the wizard, makes it appear that they can find then when they want to and, as I said, they are easier to kill as they lack the training that the colleges provide." Karl decided to take her word for it and merely nodded. After a moment he spoke again.
"So what are we going to do now?" Wilhelmina thought for a moment, a look on her face suggesting that she was considering doing something extremely unpleasant. At last she seemed to make up her mind and turned back to Karl.
"We have tried hunting and it has gotten us nowhere. It is time to try a different tactic. It is time for us to go trapping."
"What do you mean?" Karl asked, not sure he like the sound of this plan. She merely gave him a look.
"We'll go into the details in the morning. For now let us get some sleep." With that she pulled off her trousers and crawled under the covers.
For his part Karl shifted into his wolf form, flopped down in front of the fire and was soon sound asleep. Sometime in the night he was awoken by movement. Before he could react he realized that it was Wilhelmina wrapped in a blanket. Without saying anything she lay down between him and the fire and wriggled around till she was pressed against his side.
"Don't get any ideas Hound." She said in a sleepy voice. "I am only doing this because you are blocking all of the heat." Within seconds she was again asleep. Karl only sighed and was also soon asleep.
When Karl awoke the next morning Wilhelmina was gone. Karl shifted back to his human form and went down stairs. He had just started on breakfast, a bowl of porridge, when Wilhelmina returned. She did not say a word, merely went to the kitchen and got porridge for herself. Karl wanted to ask her what the plan that she had been talking about the night before, but she hushed him with a look. After they finished eating they left the house and went back into the city, as they left Karl saw that Wilhelmina was carrying a bulging sack. She had also specified that he was not to bring any of his weapons with him. That made him uncomfortable, he had become use to the feel of weapons since becoming a werewolf, but he had to trust that she knew best.
They walked down the streets leading toward the market district when she suddenly stopped and moved into an alleyway, pulling Karl after her. Once they were a little way inside she opened up the bag and took out a voluminous robe. It was purple with gold stars and other symbols. There was also a floppy hat of the same color and with the same designs on it. Karl looked at the gaudy attire and then at Wilhelmina.
"What is this all for?"
"Simple, they are going after street performs who can actually do magic, so we are going to be street performers." Karl stared at her, feeling the Wolf growl within him.
"I am not wearing that thing." He declared flatly. She merely rolled her eyes at him.
"Relax, I'll be the ones wearing it. Make sure that no one is watching." Karl turned around and watched the entrance to the alleyway as Wilhelmina donned the robe and hat. When she had donned them she moved towards the mouth of the alleyway. As she passed Karl he fought the urge to laugh. In addition to the ridiculous outfit she had somehow made her face appear even more mannish than it usually did. She had also attached a fake beard. If Karl had not known better he would have sworn that she was a man. He could not help himself and snorted. She turned and glared at him.
"One word from you and I shall make you very sorry. Your ability to breed puppies is not needed by our master to be useful to him."
"So what is my role in all of this?" He asked her. In response she handed him a wooden cudgel.
"You will act the part of my assistant. Your job is to watch any coins we might earn from the crowd." She then smiled at him maliciously.
"If we make enough, I promise I'll buy you a nice, juicy bone." Karl again felt the urge to growl, but suppressed it.
They made their way to the market square, people standing aside as they passed. They made their way to a fountain, the steps to which Wilhelmina stood on. As she did so Karl took a bell, which Wilhelmina had given him and began to ring it. The sound caused people to look in their direction. The looks that they received ranged from curious, to awe to outright dislike. Once a number of people were looking in their direction Wilhelmina began to speak in masculine-sounding voice.
"Good people! I am Zabar the Great! I have traveled the length of the Empire and seen many sights great and terrible! I, being of a charitable nature, have come now to Altdorf, the greatest city in the world, to lift the cares and worries from your minds for a time!" With that, she began to frantically wave her arms about while chanting all the while.
From his position Karl, who had been struggling not to laugh the whole time, could see that much of what she was doing was pure nonsense. He could see how she brought a small vial from the sleeve of the robe, broke it between her fingers and then threw the contents into the air in the form of a colored smoke. This went on for some time, then the chanting changed.
It became harsher and Karl sensed magic collecting around her and forming into a bird made of shadows. Some in the crowd cheered at the performance others drew back fearfully. Never the less, the crowd threw a number of copper coins into the small bowl which Karl guarded. At last Wilhelmina ended her performance and descended to the crowd.
"What now?" Karl asked.
"We'll do this a few more times and see if we cannot attract the attention of our mysterious friends." She said in a whisper.
"Whatever you say, Zabar." Her only reply was a glare.
They went to several spots in the market and beyond, their routine for the most part the same, gibberish with just a bit of magic added in to attract the kidnappers' attention. As the day drew to a close the crowds gradually broke up and Karl and Wilhelmina began moving back to the house. Karl was just about to make a joke about the money that they had made when Wilhelmina hissed softly. She spoke softly out of the corner of her mouth.
"We are being followed." Now that he was aware of it, Karl could indeed feel the presence of eyes on the back of his neck.
"What are we going to do?" He asked in an equally soft voice.
"Follow me." She said. They walked for a little farther and then darted into a side street. They went a little ways in and then stopped and hid themselves behind some barrels and waited. They soon heard the sounds of many feet pounding down the alleyway towards them and then stop.
The light was bad, but from the smell Karl guessed that there had to be at least six men, possibly more. They started talking among themselves, quiet enough to not be heard from the street, but not quiet enough so that Karl could not hear them.
"Where are they?"
"They must have gone farther down the alleyway."
"We have men there, they would have raised an alert. Jonathan, go see if our brothers saw anything."
"Spread out, search everywhere. Fire a shot when you find something." The men broke up, some going back up the alleyway while a single pair of feet, Jonathan Karl assumed, coming towards them. Beside him Wilhelmina was staring down the alleyway. She must have seen something that she liked as she made a satisfied sound. She then turned to Karl and whispered in his ear.
"When he passes us take him, don't let him make any noise." Karl did not acknowledge her orders, merely waited as the sounds of the man's footsteps grew ever closer. The man paused near them and Karl was afraid that they had been seen, but then the man continued on. Once the man passed them Karl made his move.
Karl stood up and slid up behind the man. As he did so he released enough of the Wolf to add length and strength to his arms. He must have made some noise, or the man was highly perceptive, because as Karl closed with him the man started to turn, going for a weapon. Before he could reach whatever it was Karl was on him. One arm Karl wrapped the man's waist, pinning his arms. Karl clapped on the man's mouth, preventing him from crying out. The man struggled, but was no match for Karl. As soon as it was clear that the situation was under control Wilhelmina emerged from their hiding place and came to join them.
"Well, now what?" Karl asked.
"It's time we had some answers." She told him, her tone hard.
"What are we going to do?" Karl asked her. She looked at him and gave him a smile so cold Karl felt his blood freeze. Inside him the Wolf whined and slunk into the deepest corner of his mind that it could find.
"We take him to Marx."
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope that you liked the chapter. What did you think of it? Any ideas about what is coming next? I can tell you that it may not be overly pleasant for their guest. Till then please pray for the people of France, the families of those who died and those injured. Those affected by the shootings in the US, the people's safety in Turkey and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.