Chapter 14

Pherein immediately drew his dirk and charged towards the sound of the scream. With keen eyes he looked for threats or danger in the dark. Already several torches were springing to life and there were calls from the guards along the wall to members of the City Watch who were responding to the sound of terror.

By the time Pherein reached what he estimated to be the location of the alarm a crowd of towns people were already there along with four members of the Watch.

"What in the Nine Hells is going on?" a man in nightgown and cap called out.

"She was just here, not fifteen minutes ago," a plump middle-aged woman whose hair had been pinned up for the night sobbed.

"Who? Who are ye talking about, woman?" a member of the city guard asked, trying to calm the distraught woman down.

"My…my daughter…Rosy," she began to sob anew.

"Do you know what happened?" the soldier asked.

"I heard the scream and when I came her window was open and she was gone," the heartbroken mother reported.

The crowd that had gathered began to murmur at the report.

"That's another one!" someone called out.

"There's evil afoot in this place," another added.

"Where is Sheriff Rosk?"

"I'm here…I'm here. Relax everyone." The sheriff reported, pushing through the crowd. Though there was a chill air this late in the night the lawman was visibly sweating, beads forming on his balding head.

"This is the fourth person to go missing this month!" another person in the crowd yelled angrily.

"Don't be hasty," the sheriff countered nervously. "I'll investigate and get to the bottom of this."

"Mayor Walcot knows about this, mark me. He's covering it up because he thinks it bad for trade," a woman spit out. "But I tell ye, there is something foul afoot in this city!"

Pherein realized there was nothing he could do and in truth it was of little interest to him. He was frustrated that the pleasant thoughts of the evening had been interrupted by the alarm. As he turned away to walk through the gate into the city proper and to his lodging at the Sorrowful Ranger the dilemma that had struck him before the scream again came to the forefront. What was he to do?

Little did any realize that closer than any knew, the young girl in question was being hustled off into the darkness of the night west towards the foothills of the Adamantine Mountains. The drugged girl was being easily carried over the shoulder by a rough looking ogre in leather armor with two armed men in front and two in the rear.

"What do you have for us, sweetheart?" a female voice crooned quietly in the still ness of the night.

"Young one," the ogre grunted. "Pretty too."

"You have done well. I will be sure to reward you when next we are alone."

One of the bandits looked over to the other in his party and grimaced at the thought of the two together but wisely held his tongue and kept the dirty look from the pair.

"See ye back at camp," the ogre confirmed and continued walking off with his band in the night.

The search would be futile. Not knowing who to look for or where the City Guard stumbled around in the darkness, nowhere close to their quarry, just like every other time.

The next morning Pherein awoke refreshed from the evening despite the late hour he had retired. The dinner and time with Lily and her family was invigorating yet he also had the student Lauren on his mind. They had connected right before the blond-haired former slave had interrupted. He hadn't forgotten that. Confusion began to cloud the pleasant memories he had and suddenly his mood became sullen with frustration crowding in.

Sitting at his usual place in the inn, the plate of food he had called for was put before him. He tucked in but only got partway through before he was interrupted. Taking a seat uninvited was Sherrif Rosk. The stocky, red-faced man had been a fighter once, or so the stories went, until he retired to take on the task of chief constable of the town. While the two knew of each other neither had prior cause for any form of connection but clearly something was on the lawman's mind.

"The mayor would have a word with you, this morning," Rosk declared in a quiet voice, "if you would be so kind".

Pherein cleaned his teeth of food with his tongue. "What about?" he asked noncommittal.

"The recent troubles. He…we could use your help."

The Delorgan's first instinct was to decline as it was not really his problem nor did he want to get entangled in any local trouble but his experience with Professor Horsewood and the imploring look on the sheriff's face gave him pause to reconsider. At the very least he could hear what the man had to say.

"I will be there presently," the fighter answered then went back to his food.

"Thank you," Rosk nodded his head in approval and left the man to his breakfast.

Two hours later Pherein was ushered into the comfortably appointed and dark wood paneled office that was the office of the Mayor.

"Calvert Wolcot," the mayor introduced himself, shaking Pherein's hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming."

Pherein nodded his head and returned the handshake.

"Please, sit. May I offer you something to drink?" the thin, dignified looking man asked as Sherrif Rosk entered the room and closed the heavy oak door.

"No, thank you," Pherein responded, sitting in an overstuffed leather chair opposite the lacquered desk. "Why have you called me here?"

"Straight down to business," Walcott said to Rosk. "That is so much the way of the Delorgan's. We could learn something from them."

Pherein wondered how many of his homeland the man knew but figured in his position and the strategic importance of the town he likely knew what he was speaking of.

"Yes, well then," the mayor began, "I understand from our sheriff you were on the scene at last night's incident where a child went missing."

"I was."

"And you may have heard others have gone missing in the last little while."

"I have."

"We have understanding to believe that they have been kidnapped and are connected," the mayor stated, looking around as if he expected someone to be eavesdropping.

"That seems a likely conclusion," Pherein confessed starting to figure out why he had been called.

"I would like you to do an investigation, quietly mind you, of this and see what you can find out.

"Why me?"

"The Guard and local militia are not equipped to subtly handle this kind of situation. And honestly, there attempts have been less than successful. Better one or a small party as to not attract attention."

"Again, why me? Why not a hunter or tracker?"

"I am friends with Heinrich Horsewood and he recommended I talk to you after the latest incident. He seems to think you are not only a man of honor, but ability as well. Listen, this is keeping me up at night and I do not know what to do. But I also do not want to cause a panic, or worse, have vigilantes running about trying to figure this out. I want this stopped, and the people back if possible."

Pherein weighed the sincerity of the man and could see he was genuine. Again, his instincts said 'walk away' that this was not his problem, but something deeper and one that tugged at the core of his being spoke louder- it was the right thing to do, and would perhaps help move him towards the man he should be. If not him, then who?

"I will look into this for you," the Delorgan declared. "Give me all the details you have."

Sherrif Rosk breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank you. I can see Heinrich was right about your character," the mayor said, smile lighting up his burdened face. "But should we not talk about your fee first?"

"No, I will trust you to give me what's fair based on what I'm able to come up with," Pherein countered, a bit surprised at what he was saying. Truly he did seem to be changing.

"That is good of you, Delorgan, you do your clan and people honor," the mayor declared. Taking a small bag out his desk he threw it to Pherein who caught it with one hand, the soft sound of tinkling audible. "This is for any expenses you may incur. If you need more, please ask. I cannot express how much I appreciate this."

The mayor and sheriff then shared the information they had on the disappearances which turned out to be not much. Though Pherein made no promises he did pledge to do the best he could.

Leaving the town hall, the islander began the preliminary part of his investigation. He had been given the locations of all the disappearances so took a walk to see where they had occurred. He started with the earliest and ended up at the location he had been at the previous evening. Nothing stood out, all seemed random though it did occur to him that all had occurred among the lower or more common classes of society in Grantsbend and several had been in the area outside the walls. That seemed to answer the question why this was still rumor and there was no general outcry. It felt good to be doing something noble and to help the people. Again, it made him think of home.

While Pherein was starting his investigation, Lily's heart pounded as she opened the door and entered into the Sorrowful Ranger. She'd barely slept the night before thinking of her time with Pherein. The evening had been simple and uneventful yet in that was a delight she'd rarely experienced. She thought back to the last time she was in this place and while she burned anew with embarrassment in fact her attraction to the big fighter had only grown as had her willingness to give herself to him. Now though it was not just in the physical sense but emotionally as well. That caused her to smile and be filled with hope that there might just be a future with the Delorgan. Molly had asked several times when she would see her new friend again. So, she had set out to be there around the midday meal in hopes of seeing him. Instead of what the proud woman sought she saw her.

The other woman.

Lauren had been frustrated by not seeing Pherein the night before though the attention she'd received from other men was not unwelcome. Still, her goal of seeing the man who was now occupying her thoughts had not been met and that was frustrating. After doing some work and supervising a class for Professor Horsewood she returned to her destination from last evening in hopes of finding him having a meal. Standing beside the long wooden bar she scanned the room and didn't see him, but the quick-thinking woman did see another who was most unwelcome to her. The attractive blond-haired woman from the previous day was nearby, looking around like she was seeking something.

Lauren knew what that was.

The eyes of the pair of women met for a moment. Without thinking, Lauren strided over purposefully until she was standing in from of the shorter woman looking down at her in more ways than the physical.

Oh, it is you," Lily stated, voice ice cold, looking up at the woman with disdain.

"And who are you, anyways?" Lauren asked pointedly, heart beginning to beat hard as she addressed the woman who had interrupted her conversation the other day. "And what right did you have to interrupt my conversation yesterday?"

"Well, I am Lily," she stammered, caught off guard by the intensity of the brown-haired woman whose hazel eyes now burned into her. "I…I am a friend of Pherein's."

"Interesting." The proud Latrellan leaned in, "He did not mention you at all in our time together recently."

Lily was taken aback by the aggressive statement and thought to leave. Then, something deep within began to burn and so she decided to fight back. "And he didn't mention you at all when we spent last evening together." She allowed the student to reach the wrong implication and smirked at her obvious discomfort. "Are you not an assistant of Pherein's recent employer?"

Now it was Lauren's turn to be on the defensive. "Well yes…that is true…I mean…," she stammered.

"And did you not just meet on that trip?" The woman's blue eyes bore in. "You must have since he didn't mention you before he left on it."

The boldness of the declaration shocked the sensitive student and was like a dagger in the heart. "Well….uh…I," Lauren stammered, unsure what to say.

"So what is your interest in him?" the blond woman pressed in, deep blue eyes flashing.

"I did not…I mean… I," Lauren's instinct told her to back down, the cost of this was getting too high. Yet something in the recesses of her spirit caused her to push back. This was no longer about the man saving her life. This was about someone of value. She noticed the brass nose hoop for the first time. It was time to fight back. "I can ask you the same thing. And what is your interest in him, slave?"

Lily looked at the younger woman, eyes intense behind her glasses and began to lose confidence. The desirable student was obviously interested in Pherein, as was she. Her clothes and manners spoke to the privilege and wealth she likely came from. And the point had been made- she was still technically considered a slave. How could she compete? This was something she'd have to consider.

"There is no point to this conversation." Lily decided this was a waste of time. Even if she saw the fighter now she was not in the right frame of mind to talk to him. Without saying another word the proud woman turned and left the inn.

Lauren saw that her reference to her rival as a slave struck its mark. The intelligent woman was a bit embarrassed by the statement. It was beneath her, true, but now her competitive spirit was up, and she would win. With the other gone she thought to stay and wait for Pherein, but she also saw a number of people had been watching the heated exchange between the two women and this was not the kind of attention the quick-thinking woman wanted. So, glaring at several who were smirking at her, she too left.

If either had remained it would not have been long before the object of their quarrel returned. Pherein had gotten as far in his investigation as he could so decided to return to his lodging and consider the situation. He found himself in better spirits participating in a noble cause as he returned to the Motley Tankard.

"Delorgan," the barkeep called out, gesturing him over with a turn of his head.

"Aye, what is it?" Pherein asked, train of thought interrupted by the unexpected summons. Normally most people gave the solitary islander a wide berth.

"Two ladies were sparring over ye earlier today," he said in a low voice so none of the barmaids could hear.

"What two ladies?"

"Lily, friend of me barmaid Ellie, and the dark-haired one who came in to see ye the other day."

"What do you mean they sparred?"

"I mean, they each came in, saw the other and began to quarrel over you," the portly human answered.

They argued?"

"Aye."

"About me?" Pherein couldn't believe it.

"Aye, tis true."

"Do you know what about?" the fighter asked, head starting to spin from what he was hearing.

"That I am not entirely clear about," the barman confessed, "but it seemed to be about the nature of your relationship. Thought ye should know."

"Thank you."

Pherein went up to his room and lay down on the comfortable bed, even more confused than before. So, Lily had shown up and Lauren again. It appeared each had come to see him and turned on each other. He thanked Latrell that he hadn't been there but instead had been alone on his investigation. But now what? How did he resolve this? The fighter grunted in frustration.

So much for his good mood.

Lily was a mixture of anger and insecurity as she woodenly walked back home. Who does that girl think she is calling me slave? The proud woman stormed. Yet the voice of conviction screamed that was all she was or would ever be. The student was obviously well off. The quality of her cloth and cut of her clothing showed she was one of privilege.

How can I compete with that? Lily moaned to herself. Besides, the girl is gorgeous and full of fire. What man wouldn't want her?

For several minutes Lily walked alone with the conviction of her thoughts. The happy sound of a meadowlark singing did little to cheer her attitude. Yet inside a fire that had been lit continued to burn.

But I do care for Pherein and he seems to care about me, she thought to herself. I would like to explore these feelings with him. Besides, he does seem to care about me.

Or perhaps it's just Molly, the voice of doubt chided her. Who are you? Nothing. Nobody.

"No!" The force of the woman's yell not only startled her but the songbird nearby who flew away in a panic.

Lily could feel her heart pounding, a heart that beat free, a heart that beat for love. Love for the land that had given her nothing, love for her children and even her surly mother, love that had once loved a man who cared for her. Love that longed to be experienced anew, genuine and rich.

The woman felt a burden lift and a spring re-enter her step. No, she would not give up so easily. This was something she wanted, and it was worth the fight.

Lauren stormed back to the university campus, her striking looks marred by the snarl on her face. Who is that wench to stand in my way? My father owns five just like her and of the same value.

The darkness of the thought caused her to halt in her step causing a woman who was walking behind her to bump into her.

"Watch you step, if you please!" Lauren snarled.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," the woman apologized, taken aback by the aggression of the woman before.

Oh gods, who have I become?" Lauren whispered to herself. Her body started to shake with emotion and she stumbled over to a stone bench not far away to sit down. Hot tears filled her eyes as she recounted what had just happened.

I despise the fact my father owns slaves! Why would I think this way? Lauren chided herself. And then to lash out at that woman when it was my fault.

Tears now cascaded down her porcelain white skin as her shame broke the rage of competitiveness she had been in. Taking her tear-stained glasses off and wiping them with a cloth Lauren took several deep breaths.

"What have I become?" the distraught woman whispered again to herself. "This is not what I came here to be."

The master student's feelings for Pherein were complicated. He had saved her life and they'd been on an incredible adventure together. His strength and assurance had been intoxicating to her and so desire had naturally grown. Yet now they were back in the world, not on the trail. What were her real feelings now?

Lauren paused and allowed the question to bubble a bit, tamping down the fierce emotion seeking to rise. It was obvious the beautiful blond-haired woman was interested in the fighter, and they had some sort of connection, but how deep? And what were her feelings? She knew what her father would think and that made the Delorgan even more attractive. But that wasn't right either. No, for too long she had been selfish in many ways, including love. What she had experienced in the Dead Lands had been the opposite. She'd seen sacrifice, devotion and honor from Pherein and Professor Horsewood.

So, what were her true feelings?

Lauren took in three long and slow breaths, feeling her heartrate slow. Then it came, like the dawn of a new day. Her feelings for Pherein were genuine and real. She had to confess she didn't yet understand the depth of them but she wanted to find out how far down they went. So she would continue on but she also pledged herself to not become involved in such an undignified display like had just happened. If the other woman wanted to go that route, so be it. She instead would rise above. That settled and with renewed resolve the invigorated woman returned to her apartment.