Lindell and Cory searched for Eireen to tell her what had happened. Tabitha found them at the harbor. The three of them moved to stand by the harbor wall, away from the crowd. There was a nice breeze coming in off the sea. Tabitha wore her usual dark blue blouse and long black skirt despite how warm the day was, and she was the only one in Arkose that Lindell had ever seen with a parasol, let alone a black one. He did wonder why she dressed like that. She really was the palest person he had met.

  “I heard about Lovro.” Tabitha frowned, staring out at the sea for a moment before looking back at Cory and Lindell. “Lovro is like a son to Belanger. The Rune Master clearly wanted to make an impression going after him.”

  “Then he was the duke’s closest ally?” Cory asked.

  Tabitha nodded. “Lovro is from a family of nobles in Shale, but he moved to Arkose to be closer to his mentor. That is what he’s told other nobles at the market. He met Belanger while he was traveling.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t know more. Belanger’s friends don’t talk to me, so I only know what I overhear. They don’t like anyone out of the ordinary. I really should get back to the shop and out of the sun. Even with the parasol, I don’t like being so close to sunlight.” She looked at Lindell. “As a Priest of Nox, sunlight will make me weak, and I will eventually pass out. But only if I’m in direct sunlight.” She patted Cory’s shoulder on the way past, walking away along the harbor toward her shop.

  “I didn’t know Nox had any priests,” Lindell said. He hadn’t known the God of Night had even returned to Eavris.

  “She’s his only priest,” Cory said. “Nox is the one who told her about soul mages and about your magic. He and Vedrix are close.”

  They found Eireen at the market and told her what happened. Hector joined them, having heard about Lovro.

  “I’ll try to find out more about Lovro and Belanger here at the market,” Eireen said.

  “I’ll help Donovan talk to Lovro’s friends, if he had any other than the duke,” Cory said.

  Lindell and Hector asked around at the harbor, but most people didn’t want to talk to Lindell. The harbor was busy even early in the morning, but it was extra crowded now that it was nearing midday. There were a lot of shops along the harbor, and it being the warm part of the year, there were many travelers in Arkose. For once, Lindell was the one staring at the crowd.

  “The Rune Master could be anyone,” Lindell said.

  Hector sighed. “About all we do know is that it isn’t the duke.”

  A man stepped out of the crowd, staring at Lindell and Hector where they stood by the harbor wall. The man’s clothes were of fine cloth, but they were rumpled and a little dirty. His short, graying black hair wasn’t so neatly combed as it always had been before. Irwin Meadows took another step closer, his eyes narrowing. Lindell had tensed all over. What was Irwin doing there?

  “I was exiled because of you,” Irwin snarled. “I’ve lost everything because of you.”

  “You lost everything because your disgusting deeds were revealed,” Hector said. “Any nobles you deemed inconvenient, you kept out of the way by drugging them and keeping them captive in their own homes!”

  Irwin’s face turned red. He glanced around, but only a few people had stopped to watch. They quickly hurried on their way when Irwin looked at them.

  Lindell’s breath had gone shallow as he stared at Irwin. This man was the reason Ricliri was dead. “Why are you here?” the words came out quiet.

  Irwin glared. “I had to leave Shale. I had to go somewhere. Lavern and I are old friends, so I came here. I didn’t expect to find the two of you here.” He frowned hard at Lindell, looking him up and down. When he spoke again, he did it much louder than before. “So the rumors were true, you have turned into some sort of hairy beast. That’s what happens when you mess with magic!”

  Now lots of people had stopped to watch, and they weren’t moving away as the others had. Lindell tried not to look at them, but they were staring at him, not Irwin. Lindell’s heart beat fast. His magic felt hot and wild inside of him. Irwin was grinning, looking around at the crowd. He said something else, but Lindell didn’t hear the words. Lindell turned and ran, away from the stares, and away from Irwin. He didn’t stop running until he was out in the forest.

  A swarm of bats flew at him. He cried out, ducking to avoid them, but they passed right through him and vanished. The cry of a bird split the air right above him. Claws raked at him, but they didn’t cut him. Lindell sank to his hands and knees on the ground. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the sounds all around him, and trying to control his magic. At last, he pulled his magic back. It stopped fighting him, but something was wrong. It felt different.

  How did it feel different? Lindell was trying to figure it out when he heard Hector calling his name. Lindell stumbled to his feet quickly and turned to face his brother. Hector’s eyes were light brown and feline for a long moment this time before they returned to normal. He started to say something, but Lindell looked away.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder a moment later. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” Lindell said, pulling away, not liking how his voice shook and betrayed him. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I don’t think Irwin is going to leave Arkose soon if he’s staying with Belanger and has been exiled from Shale,” Hector said gently.

  When Lindell thought about that, his magic felt wild again. “I need to focus on the case.”

  “And I will help,” Hector said, “but we should avoid the harbor for now.”

  The two of them went back into Arkose. They went to the market, where people stared at Lindell more than usual. Had Irwin said something? Lindell wouldn’t put it past the man to spread rumors. His magic stirred, still not feeling right. He pulled his thoughts away from Irwin, trying to focus on the case. They had to find out more about Lovro Barns and what he had been doing before he’d been cursed. Another noble had found Lovro in an alleyway on the west side of town, not far from Lovro’s home. Lindell didn’t see Eireen at the market. By sunset, he had never wanted so much to go hide in the office attic. The others looked exhausted during dinner.

  “We know the Rune Master is someone who hates the duke,” Eireen said. “Is that all we know?”

  “Yes,” Cory said. “And that doesn’t narrow it down at all. I think even those who aren’t witches are starting to hate the duke. Lovro’s friends didn’t know anything that might help.”

  “The curse can’t be broken without the stone?” Hector asked.

  “No,” Cory said, frowning hard. “There was something different about the curse. It’s not just that it’s really strong. The magic felt different. A curse shouldn’t be able to…seep into a person like that.”

  “Then the Rune Master has found a new way to make curses,” Eireen said.

  Cory nodded. “It would seem so.”

  Now they were dealing with a powerful rune witch who had found a whole new way to curse people. Lindell held back a sigh. They had no leads so far on who the Rune Master could be. Hector told the others that Irwin had been exiled from Shale, was an old friend of the duke’s, and had come to Arkose. He thankfully didn’t mention Lindell running away into the forest and losing control of his magic. Lindell lay awake worrying all night, about the Rune Master and his own magic. He didn’t practice illusions, too distracted by his thoughts.

  The next morning, he reluctantly took a bath. Having wet fur made him smell like a wet dog, but he did feel better with clean fur. After breakfast, none of them stayed at the office. They set a box out front where potential clients could leave letters detailing their cases. Hector was with them, and Lindell hoped this meant his brother would soon officially join Phoenix. Donovan found them before they’d gone far from the office.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Another noble was cursed,” Donovan said.

  The five of them went to the healer’s. The man was lying on the bed next to Lovro’s. He looked older than Lovro, maybe around Delia and Donovan’s age. His short light brown hair was neatly combed. His clothes, of fine cloth, didn’t have a wrinkle on them. The man wasn’t tossing, turning, and moaning how Lovro was. He appeared to be deeply asleep. Cory released his corruption and put a hand on the man’s, closing his eyes. He opened his eyes and pulled back his corruption, frowning harder than Lindell had ever seen him frown.

  “You can’t break this one either?” Delia asked.

  “Not without the stone,” Cory said.

  Lindell had seen the man around a few times but hadn’t spoken to him. He did know the noble was another friend of the duke. His name was Vern Eady, and he had only lived in Arkose for a year, having come to town just after Lindell and the others opened the office.

  “Is it the same curse?” Hector asked.

  “No,” Cory said. “He’s barely breathing. He doesn’t appear to be trapped in a nightmare like Lovro, but maybe his is a deeper sleep.”

  “We need to talk to the duke’s allies,” Lindell said. “Not just friends of Lovro or this man, but specifically the duke’s allies. Clearly they’re the target.”

  Everyone agreed with that. They left Delia with the two unconscious nobles and headed for where the nobles lived. The healer’s was on the west side of town, but it was near the harbor. Donovan went to talk to the duke, returning with a list of his closest friends, those he trusted most. Donovan asked Cory and Eireen to ask around at the harbor and market, while he would talk to the nobles who weren’t close to the duke. Hector and Lindell would talk to the people on the list, of which there were surprisingly few. The first was Floretta Eady, Vern’s aunt. She reluctantly let them into her house and talked to them in the parlor.

  The woman appeared to be in her late sixties. She scowled at Lindell, then ignored him entirely and just stared at Hector, who had to do all the talking. Her expression hardly changed when Hector told her what had happened to Vern. Just like Lovro, he’d been found outside in the alleyways on the west side of town, not far from home. She tightened the gray ribbon that held her long dark gray hair in its bun, then straightened her gray dress with a sigh.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard the name Eady in Shale,” Floretta said, not waiting for an answer. “We are a well known family. I came to Arkose to retire, to get away from the drama of the Shale nobles. Vern was a bit of a troublemaker in Shale and was sent to live with me before he could cause a scandal.” She smiled, her eyes distant. “Our wonderful duke set Vern on the right path.”

  “How long have you known the duke?” Hector asked.

  Floretta smiled at Hector. “He was a family friend before either of us even came to Arkose. You won’t find a better duke than Lavern Belanger.” She drew herself up. “I help him find ways around Queen Edith’s laws, to make Arkose a safer place. Lavern understands how dangerous magic and witches are.” She patted Hector’s arm, still smiling. “I’m so glad you came to Arkose. Perhaps you could aid us.”

  Hector pulled away gently. “We need to be going,” he said quickly.

  Floretta’s smile slipped away. “You will find whoever did this? I don’t doubt it was a witch out to get me for aiding the duke.”

  “We’ll find out who did it,” Hector said. If Lindell hadn’t known him so well, he wouldn’t have known that smile was fake.

  Lindell and Hector left the big house.

  Hector shivered as soon as they were outside. He absently wiped at his arm where the woman had touched him. “I’ve seen her at the market before. She keeps touching me and smiling.”

  Lindell managed a smile. “Maybe she likes you.”

  “She introduced herself to me by saying she heard I was a noble in Shale,” Hector said. “She doesn’t like me, she likes status.”

  The two walked along the wide alleyway.

  “Where to next?” Hector asked.

  Lindell looked at the list, his steps slowing. The duke’s allies were fewer than he’d thought. Even fewer with two of them cursed. Lovro Barns, Floretta and Vern Eady, Ernest and Pearl Welch, and Wilson May. Plus Irwin, now that he was in Arkose, but he wasn’t on the list since he had only just arrived.

  “Wilson May,” Lindell said, but he knew they couldn’t put off the Welch house forever.

  The next house was only a few down from the woman’s. Lindell used the brass knocker, but there was no answer for a long while. He and Hector were just about to move on when the door opened. The man on the other side was dressed in fine clothes, like a noble. Most of the nobles of Arkose had servants to answer the door, but this man wasn’t dressed like a servant.

  The man stepped outside, closing and locking the door behind him. He frowned at Lindell and Hector, staring at them with dark gray eyes. His short black hair was combed neatly. He looked to be maybe in his mid thirties. A sprig of lavender was pinned to the lapel of his jacket.

  Hector sneezed. “Sorry.”

  The man raised a brow. “Can I help you? I was just about to head out.”

  “Are you Wilson May?” Lindell asked.

  “I am,” the man said. “And who are you?” He didn’t stare at Lindell more than he stared at Hector, and unlike Floretta, he had asked who Lindell was rather than what he was.

  Lindell and Hector introduced themselves.

  “We’re with Phoenix,” Lindell said. “Two of the duke’s allies have been cursed.”

  Wilson sighed. “I heard about that. If you’re hoping I can tell you who we’ve angered lately, I’m afraid the list is terribly long. It might be quicker to tell you who doesn’t hate the duke.”

  Lindell hadn’t expected that from one of the duke’s allies.

  “Can you tell us more about Vern?” Hector asked.

  Maybe Wilson would tell them something Vern’s aunt hadn’t.

  “Vern dislikes magic even more than his aunt,” Wilson said, “but he’s more concerned with ingratiating himself with the duke. He’s afraid of angering witches unless he’s with the duke. He wasn’t like Lovro, who was shaping up to be just like the duke. I’m sure Floretta told you she’s been helping Belanger make laws against witches.”

  “And you?” Lindell asked.

  “I’ve been helping Donovan with Giselle and Julius’s case,” Wilson said with a smile. “If the duke finds out, I may disappear as well.” The smile vanished. “I have made some progress. It’s not much, but it is something we didn’t know before. We know Giselle was killed with a wave bladed sword and was found in an alleyway, but there was a witness who was ignored before. A fisher saw someone wearing a black cloak with the hood up murdering Giselle. The fisher didn’t see the killer’s face, but she’s certain it was a man. She said she saw his clothes, which were made of fine cloth.”

  “Then maybe you can figure out who killed her,” Lindell said.

  “I hope to,” Wilson said. “I will do what I can to uncover the truth.” He frowned, staring at Lindell. “Be careful around the duke. You are just the sort he would despise. I apologize, but I really must be going. I’m meeting with the duke. And there is nothing I can tell you that would help with what happened to Lovro and Vern.” He walked away along the alleyway.

  “Even he knows no one likes the duke,” Lindell said. “At least he wasn’t so bad as the last one. And he’s working with Donovan.”

  Hector was frowning at Wilson, who was almost out of sight along the alleyway. “He smelled strongly of lavender. I saw it on his jacket, but that was small for how strong the smell was.”

  “I didn’t smell anything,” Lindell said.

  Hector sighed, running a hand through his hair, pulling some of it loose from its ribbon. He had only started tying it back recently. “I suppose we can’t put it off any longer.”

  Lindell’s tail stopped moving. “I suppose not.”

  It was time to talk to the Welchs, to their Uncle Ernest and his new wife.