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Images swirled before Eldin's eyes. A young bootblack, barely eight years old. A line for the service. Getting skipped, only for the man who skipped him to be sent away. A kind smile. Drinks. Laughter. A note delivered. Lois de la Croix. His new friend. A Mill. A kill. Fast and painless. A mutilated body. Pieces scattered into the river. A severed hand as payment for sins. The young bootblack again.
Eldin looked around the toy store in silence, frowning. It was creepy, and not just because it was Dettlaff's temporary home. He, Regis, Renfri, and Aralyn spread out through it in silence, touching nothing as they searched for any clues. The bootblack, with some bribery by Regis, by way of a special polish to make it easier to shine shoes and increase the child's income, had directed them to the store, which Regis had then used his smoke form to slip into and unlock for them.
"Found something," Aralyn said as they were searching the second floor, Aralyn holding a letter, reading it carefully. "It's a ransom letter. Says someone he cares about, some woman named Rhenawedd, is their hostage, and they'll torture and kill her if he didn't come to Beauclair and kill five targets for them, in a manner they prescribe." She handed it to Eldin.
"Three day time limit," Eldin nodded. "If he doesn't, they claim they'll send her finger with the next letter."
"There you have it," Regis said. "Proof poaitive that Dettlaff killed not of his own accord. A blackmailer's sunk his claws into him."
"You're right," Eldin nodded. "But that doesn't make Dettlaff any less of a threat. Good men have become monsters for love, and good men have become monsters for far less. As true of humans as any sentient being."
"I suppose you're right," Regis nodded. "But with this, we now know a way we might stop the killing peacefully. We need only save Rhenawedd."
"Who is she?" Renfri asked.
"His one-time lover," Regis answered as Eldin stared at a mural of a woman's face painted on the wall. "The sole human woman with whom he was very close. Because she accepted him. With her aid and care, he found a place for himself in this hostile world. She began the work that I strive to continue."
"This her?" Eldin asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"I'm not sure," Regis admitted. "It must be, but I've never had the pleasure of meeting her, alas. She deserted him a time before we met. Though he always claimed she'd gone missing."
"You doubt it?" Aralyn asked.
"I know humans better than he does," Regis explained. "Their capacity to be disloyal, dishonest. I also know she took her things. Not something one associates with the kidnapped or those who disappear against their will."
"True," Eldin nodded, still frowning. "Where do I know this face?"
The others walked over to study it. Finally, they all shook their heads.
"It's going to bug me," Renfri said. "I swear I know her."
Eldin shook his head, looking around, then walked over to a shelf off to the side where a small stack of papers lay. He picked them up and leafed through them.
"The victims," Eldin said. "The four so far." He stopped on the last, finding a stain on it. He sniffed the cards, each, and frowned.
"What?" Renfri asked.
"Smell this," Eldin said, passing her a note.
Renfri sniffed it and frowned. "I know that smell."
"Nazair," Eldin reminded her. "You'd have smelled it in the quarry. It's cinnabarite."
"Oh!" Renfri nodded, then scowled. "That fucking spider gave me a literal blood bath!"
Eldin and Aralyn laughed.
"As for this stain, I think it's wine," Eldin mused, sniffing the stain. "Good wine. Probably better than I've ever had."
"Does that mean anything?" Aralyn asked.
"In Toussaint?" Eldin snorted. "It means everything. Come on. I bet Anna Henrietta can direct us to someone who can identify it."
"So, we're to find Rhenawedd, then?" Regis checked.
"Yeah," Eldin nodded. "If we can free her, the blackmailer won't be able to force Dettlaff to kill his final victim."
Regis nodded. "You report back to the Dutchess, then. I'll remain here and await Dettlaff. I shall convince him you're a friend. That you can help."
Eldin nodded. "See you soon, then."
Regis nodded, and Eldin left the toy store with Aralyn and Renfri. Together, the three of them returned to the Dutchess, finsing her and Damian on a balcony overlooking the city.
"I was not mistaken!" Damian snapped as they approached. "You arrived and trouble followed soon after!"
"Step aside," Eldin said uncaringly. "Got a matter for the Dutchess."
"At last, Witcher," Anna Henrietta said, sounding relieved. "We've been on tenterhooks! Did you find Milton's killer?"
"We're close," Eldin promised. "That second Higher Vampire I mentioned? He agreed to try and help me stop the Beast peacefully. We found where the Beast has been staying, but he wasn't there. Our temporary ally stayed to convince the Beast that we mean to help. But there have been complications. He's not killing because he himself cares about moral decay. He's being blackmailed by someone who does. They send him orders and a threat, and he has no choice but to carry it out."
"Blackmailed?" Anna asked. "Be so kind as to explain how a vampire can be blackmailed."
"Higher Vampires are as intelligent as any human," Eldin explained. "This one fell in love with a human. But that human was kidnapped, and now if he doesn't kill the blackmailer's selected targets, they'll tie her down and let starving rats eat her alive." He reached into his satchel, pulling out the notes. "If I can track down the blackmailer, the killer will have no reason to kill anymore, and the murders will stop. However, all I have to go on is a few scraps of papers, upon which the killer wrote down the victims' names. However, one of them is stained with a drop of wine. A wine of far higher quality than any I've ever had."
"Send for the ducal sommelier," Anna ordered a man nearby. "Hop, hop."
He ran off instantly.
"In Toussaint, wine is sacred," Anna said.
"Exactly what I said," Eldin smiled. "A drop of wine is as good as a signature by the blackmailer."
Anna nodded just as the sommelier arrived, an older man dressed in red.
"Your Grace wished to see me?" he asked.
"Witcher, show him the paper scrap," Anna instructed, Eldin passing it to Renfri, who passed it along to the sommelier. "Benoit, can you determine which wine made this stain?"
Benoit sniffed it, nodding to himself as he smacked his tongue as though tasting the actual wine. "Mhm...mm, yes, yes...The west bank of Sansretour, that's rather obvious. Aged in barrels of Beauclair oak. Hue...deep burgundy. Clarity...high. It's simple. Sangreal. The twelve sixty-nine vintage."
"Wow," Eldin nodded. "Even the color from a single whiff of a stain. We should rent him out to tell us about monsters we're tracking from now on."
"Agreed," Renfri grinned.
"That's impossible," Anna said, turning toward them.
"We were-" Renfri began.
"The wine is produced as Castel Ravello," Anna continued, not seeming to have heard them at all. "Especially and exclusively for the ducal table."
"Maybe some Sangreal was stolen," Renfri offered.
"Agreed," Anna nodded. "We must go to the vineyard, see if there's not been an incident."
"Will Her Beautifull Grace be joining us for the journey?" Renfri asked, nearly sounding casual.
"Your Grace, it is far too dangerous," Damien said. "The Witcher and his companions should go alone."
"Agreed," Eldin nodded. "But, perhaps Renfri should stay here as well. In case our temporary companion attempts to get in touch."
"It pleases me that you gentlemen finally agree on something," Anna said, "but I've made my decision."
"We would be honored to accept Your Grace's wonderful company," Renfri curtsied.
"We will travel incognito," Anna said. "We've no wish to give the courts any reason to gossip. You will accompany us as well, Damien. For the duration of this mission, I release you from your obligation to adhere to court protocol. In short, from now on, I am Anna Henrietta, not Your Grace."
"Yes, Your Grace," Damien nodded, then caught himself. "Err, Witcher, are you ready?"
Eldin glanced at the others, both of whom nodded. "We're ready."
"Excellent," Anna nodded. "Give me a moment. I must don something more appropriate and concealing, then we will be off."
She walked away, and Eldin and the others headed down out of the palace to ready their horses, Damien bringing another horse.
"I have a request," Damien said. "It may be inappropriate to ask, but...will one of you three ride with Her...with Anna Henrietta? I will feel more confident that she is safe that way."
"I'd be glad to," Renfri nodded, smiling.
Damien nodded and turned to the palace to watch for Anna. A few minutes later, Anna finally emerged, dressed in a black shirt and pants and with a black cloak, the hood pulled up over her head. Everyone mounted their horses, Anna making no complaints about riding with Renfri, or about Renfri holding her against her tightly, and they all started off, travelling out of Beauclair at a calm trot before picking up the pace a bit once they were out of the city, though largely for reasons of not wanting to be caught on the road by bandits.
"This vampire," Damien spoke up as they rode through the countryside. "Have you faced its sort before?"
"Never," Eldin admitted. "Barring my earlier fight with it, of course."
"Have you ever heard of someone defeating such a vampire?" Anna asked.
"I know of someone who defeated one," Eldin nodded. "But he couldn't kill it. As I said, only another of their kind can kill them. That's why fighting against each other is their greatest taboo."
Anna nodded, and they all fell silent, Anna's escorts focusing their attention on their surroundings.
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