Iriona

[Victoria]

She was in a strange land, in a strange house, in a strange man’s bed. Without him. At least in the past when she had been in situations somewhat similar to this, there was a man with her. But looking around the small room she sighed, it didn’t look like anyone else lived here with him. Of course if he had a girlfriend or wife, he wouldn’t have offered his bed to her. Going over to the dresser she pulled out one of the drawers before glancing back at the door, just as suspected, there was nothing that indicated a woman lived here. So what guy invites a girl to stay and not try to get her into bed with him? A strange one. Certainly didn’t come by that often, it hadn’t taken long at all for Colin to win her over and charm her into his bed. She shut the drawer before heading over to the cupboard, in there she found nothing of apparent significance. If she had to guess, looking around this place, it didn’t even really seem like he lived here. There was nothing to really indicate this being a home at all. No pictures of family or friends, no collections of anything, at least not in here. She was a smart, strong woman, why was she making it so damn easy for him to get at her? If she lay down and go to sleep, she’d be at his mercy if he did anything. She didn’t know this place. If it was even real. She still wasn’t so sure it was. But she could feel exhaustion pull at her, and the bed looked comfortable. But she wasn’t going to go there. She wasn’t going to make it that easy for him.

Instead she pulled a blanket from the cupboard and placed it on the floor near the door, he wasn’t getting in here without her noticing first. Laying down, she stared up at the ceiling trying to make sense of everything that had transpired over the last hour or so. The last thing she remembered was laying down on the couch in the office, staring at Heather Dixion’s murder board, next thing she knew, she was standing in the small office space of a stranger. A man who dressed like he was from another time, spoke like it too. He called this place, Iriona, or at least that’s what she thought he had said. That wasn’t anywhere she had ever heard of. And sure, geography hadn’t been her strong point in school, but she would know that name. There was no such place as Iriona. It was made up. A concoction of a child’s imagination. But he had shown her to the poppy fields. Which only proved this was some twisted dream. Her mind continued to run through every thought and angle, trying to figure out what was really going on here. Because this all couldn’t be real. But trying to piece together an impossible puzzle was like a lullaby to her. It wasn’t long before she felt the edges of sleep pull at her, tempting her with it’s warmth.

The sun poured through the window, streaming across her face. Rubbing her hand over her face, she sighed. So she had slept after all. And she was still here. Well that wasn’t exactly proving her dream theory to be true. Pushing up off the floor, she straightened out the dress she was wearing. She slowly stepped over to the window and peeked out to find Elion still out in the orchard where he had said he would be. Huh. So maybe he was actually being honest about that. Going back over, she picked up the blanket off the floor, folding it back up, she placed it back where she had found it before pulling open the door to the bedroom. Glancing out, the house was empty as expected. And right next door was the small study she had first appeared in. Slipping out, she headed for his desk, if there was anything in this house that was going to tell her more about where she was or if any of this was real or not, she had a feeling she would find it in there. First she went down through the drawers, paper, pencils… a little old fashioned, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was all things one would expect to find in a desk. Which wasn’t helping her at all. But then a piece of paper on the desk caught her eye. Words were scrawled across it, almost like a list.

- Dead Murdered Sprite
- Who?
- How?
- When?
- Why in forest?
- M/F?
- Motive?
- Speak with spirits
- Visit burial tree

Right. Well none of that made any sense. Hearing the front door open, she froze for a moment. Before she had a chance to put the paper back where she had found it, he was at the door looking at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. “Sprites?” she asked, “Spirits?” Putting the paper down, she rounded the desk and crossed her arms over her chest, “What is all of this?”

[athena]

The sunlight filtered through the peach tree’s branches and warmed Elion’s eyelids. He lay there for a moment watching the leaves flutter in the morning breeze. Ever so slowly Elion propped himself up. His body was stiff from the awkward position he had spent most of the night. Rubbing his neck, he shifted to look at the house. There was no movement that he could see, and so Elion assumed his guest was still fast asleep. Bringing himself to his feet Elion stretched, unable to contain the groan of pleasure as his muscles relaxed. Elion scooped up the bedding and noticed the bits of leaves and dirt smeared across the fabric. Looking down, he saw that his clothes and skin suffered a similar fate. He dumped the blanket and pillow by the front door and headed around to the other side of the house where the tub was.

The recent rains had collected in the tub, and Elion decided to use the rainwater rather than run the pipes. He stripped down quickly before splashing into the cold water. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant bath, but the coolness of the morning air and water ensured Elion washed quickly. He hopped out and grabbed a towel from the outdoor cabinet nearby. Luckily, there was a clean set of clothing inside as well; Elion had often forgotten clothing and had had to scurry around the house in nothing more than a towel. Needless to say he had learned his lesson. Feeling refreshed and smelling of citrus and herbs, Elion gathered the rather large collection of dirty linens. A trip to the launder would soon be in order. Elion entered the house, and dropped them in the basket near the door. He paused, noticing the bedroom door was slightly open. Elion listened and heard a gentle rustling from his office.

Elion pushed the office door wider, revealing one woman holding his notes. Elion looked at her, torn between confusion and curiosity. He certainly did not give her access to the office, although he did imply she could make herself at home so he could not exactly be angry with her. He was more curious as to whether or not she could decipher his cryptic writing and why she was rooting about in his desk.

“Sprites? Spirits? What is all of this?” Aria asked. Her tone was accusatory and once again Elion found himself emotionally torn. He was amused by her confusion, yet also embarrassed. Aria’s tone reminded him distinctly of his mother’s reprimands when he had been a boy. Despite his best efforts to restrain his laughter at the situation, he could not. Instantly, Aria shot him a glare that would most certainly cause one to wither away. The best Elion could manage was an apologetic blush and sheepish grin. He was tempted to snatch the paper away and declare it none of her business, as was his rite. But Elion suspected that it would only inspire further wrath on Aria’s part. Although Elion was forced to admit that he found Aria’s ire charming, he did not wish to rouse it again. Besides, Elion had a sinking suspicion that the woman would get the answers she wanted one way or another.

He gently took the paper from her hands and folded it into his pocket. “Surely you have spirits and the like where you’re from.” “Most definitely not,” she responded quickly. Elion looked at her incredulously. How was that possible? Maybe the inhabitants of Springmount simply were unable to recognize them. “I am quite sure you do, you simply don’t recognize them. As a child, did you not think that the crackling of the fire or the babbling of a stream was a voice? A voice that tried to say something?” Aria looked at him, thoroughly unconvinced. “Children are more susceptible and open to the calls of spirits,” Elion said with a shrug. “If you do not recognize them, then the fault is with your tutelage. It is something that all parents of Iriona teach their children.”

Elion turned, ignoring whatever protest Aria was about to mount. “For simplicity’s sake, the spirits are the forces that drive Iriona. They are omnipotent, and most certainly not to be angered or crossed. What we have here,” Elion said as he indicated the piece of paper in his pocket “is somebody who has done just that. Sprites are closely connected to spirits, especially those of the wind. Murdering one is paramount to an attack on the spirits themselves and will undoubtedly upset the balance should it continue. This paper is the start of my inquest. Now,” Elion turned to face Aria “I must return to the forest where I found the murdered sprite. I suspect you will follow me whether I wish you to or not, so come along then. I will answer whatever questions you have, for I suspect you have many of those as well.”

[Victoria]

All of this was making her head hurt, if she was going to be honest, yet again. “I’m a detective,” she reminded him. Of course she was going to follow him. “Homicide to be exact.” When she got nothing more than a confused look from him with a slight raised brow, she smiled, “I do what you seem to do,” she said, nodding to the paper he had, “I find killers, lock them away for a long time.” Except it was a lot more complex than that. There was the whole legal process she had to go through, she had no idea what the system was here in this world. She still wasn’t entirely sure how the system worked here. He was looking for a killer though, maybe she could be of some assistance.

As he started to head for the front door of the house, she followed behind him. She didn’t know anything about this world so she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to help him with this case. But if she couldn’t be in her own office helping Jack with the Dixon case, then at least maybe she could help Elion with his. If he would let her that is. Her sudden appearance in a new place had obviously thrown her through a loop, and for it to be so drastically different from what she was used to. But this man had been nothing but perfectly nice to her, so why shouldn’t she be nice in return? He deserved that much. Where she was from, a stranger wouldn’t have offered a couch to her, let alone their bed the way he had. Things were different here, a lot nicer apparently. But clearly the one thing that wasn’t different was the intent to kill. And that was something she did understand. Maybe she couldn’t understand why, how, or the concept of spirits and sprites, but a killer was a killer, no matter what land they were from. And killers always left behind clues.

As they neared the entrance to the forest, she quickened her pace to fall into step beside him, “Thank you,” she said softly, realizing she hadn’t previously said it. “Not many people would take in a stranger like you did last night. You could have left me out in that field, but you didn’t.” And that was possibly the most absurd part of all of this. He had thrown around terms she didn’t know, he spoke in ways she didn’t entirely comprehend. But that she could come to deal with, she didn’t know how to deal with a perfect stranger being nice for no other reason than that he could.

She followed him deeper into the forest, sure she had questions, but she felt like they would have time enough for that later. For now, he was clearly focused on whatever it was he was looking for. And who really knew for sure, maybe all of this – dream or no dream, would lead her in the right direction with her own case back home. It was a tough thought to wrap her mind around. That other worlds could even possibly exist. But there were many things she had been proven wrong on before, maybe this was one of them.

[athena]

So she was an agente. A strange one since she didn’t seem to have any connections to spirits or the like, but an agente nonetheless. Elion wasn’t entirely sure if Aria was stating it simply as fact or because she wanted to help. Regardless, if Aria wanted to assist the case, he could not refuse. He was simply in a position that would warrant a refusal. Elion nodded his acknowledgment and consent for assistance. Another set of eyes would be helpful, especially a set that was unfamiliar with Iriona.

Elion set a brisk pace for the forest. The last time he had been within the forest, he had seen no clues as to what murdered the sprite. No footprints or broken branches. No tools or weapons. Nothing to show for the murder except for the scorched ring of earth around the sprite. Scratching his beard, Elion thought harder. He found it especially strange that the ever-vigilant trees of the forest saw nothing. Whoever committed the crime was highly skilled – or lucky. Elion couldn’t quite decide.

“Thank you,” Aria’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Not many people would take in a stranger like you did last night. You could have left me out in that field, but you didn’t.” Elion stopped, noticing she had caught up with him. Her thanks caught him off guard; wherever Aria was from, it must have been an incredibly strange world for people not to show kindness. Such was the way in Iriona.

“Oh...uhm...You are welcome?” Elion finished lamely. He shrugged before pressing onwards to the forest. He saw the signs of where he departed from the bath the day before and indicated to Aria that they would be travelling deeper into the forest. She silently acknowledged Elion’s hand gestures. Much like before, they abruptly stumbled into the clearing. Since yesterday though, the scorch mark seemed to have grown darker and more sinister. He pointed out the spot to Aria.

“I found the murdered sprite in the center of that ring,” Elion explained to her. Aria slowly wandered over, taking in all of her surroundings. “Where is the body?” Aria turned and asked. “I buried it.”

Elion pointed to the burial tree. Although Elion had just buried the sprite yesterday, a swath of wild flowers already covered the grave. “If you will excuse me a moment,” Elion said. He turned to the tree and wondered how this conversation would appear to Aria. He had been able to understand spirits since a child, so Elion had always known both sides of the conversation. But for Aria, who did not, he wondered what it would sound like to her. Elion had also heard that sometimes humans sounded strange when they talked to spirits. He wasn’t entirely sure how that occurred, but apparently humans would mimic the sound of the spirit or speak in a seemingly foreign language. Elion simply did not know how he sounded. It would certainly prove to be an interesting experience for Aria.

He rested his hand lightly on the burial tree, feeling the bark thrum to life. Connecting with the earth spirits had always been easy for Elion. His father often joked that Elion was half earth spirit himself. He waited a moment, letting the reserved spirit grow accustomed to his presence. “What has happened here,” he asked softly. “We know not,” the tree responded. “The sprite did not either. There are images. A man. His face is...strange.” “Strange how?” he prompted. ”Old. But he is young? We cannot explain.” Elion sighed. “Do you know why? Or how? When even?” “Time...is irrelevant. It was not here, but elsewhere that one died. It was put here. Images of someplace other. He wanted...” the spirit paused, searching for the words. “He wanted the wind? He is...spiritless.” “What does that mean?” Elion asked, but the earth spirit within the tree remained silent. He dropped his hand, knowing that the burial tree had given him all that it could.

“Well,” Elion said, turning to face Aria, “it’s not much, but at least it is a start.”

[Victoria]

What the hell was that? Was he seriously talking to a damn tree? And she had so willingly followed this man off the beaten path into the middle of the woods. It was quite possible that she was the insane one here after all, after all her years of training, her instinct was clearly failing her. Whatever had just transpired, it didn’t even sound English. But what was one more thing she could catalogue away as crazy. She was about to question him on what the hell he was talking about when he said it was something to go off of when something caught her eye. Turning away from Elion, she stepped around the charred ring in the center of the clearing, her footsteps light and easy. She knew better than to disturb anything at the scene, they could lose valuable evidence if anything was tampered with. But then, he had already screwed them up by burying the body. Clearly they worked on different levels. That was a rookie move. Going over to the tree that had caught her attention, she placed her hand on the bark. Running her fingers down over the rough edges, there was something here. Something had moved.

Leaning in closer, she slowly inspected every last inch of what she could see, and finally there it was. Plain as day now that she had found it. A long blue thread dancing in the ever so slight breeze blowing through the clearing. Plucking it from the bark, she looked past the tree into the woods. No killer was ever meticulous enough to cover up everything. Maybe there were no broken branches here, but this thread told her the killer had passed by this tree. Pushing off the tree, she slipped around it surveying the land in all directions. There had to be something else. Anything else that would lead them in the right direction. But She was missing the most valuable information of all, how this… sprite was murdered. That could lead them right to the culprit after all.

But as her eyes scanned over the leaves on the ground, the sticks and brush she saw it. “Aha,” she whispered to herself. A bush bent out of shape like something had stepped through it. At least they had a direction now. Stumbling into the brush, she caught herself on a nearby tree and it warmed beneath her touch. Yanking her hand away, she stared at the spot where it had rested, looking for any signs of what was going on. Looking back at Elion, she shook her head before pushing forward into the woods.

Coming up on the bush, she took notice of what was causing the bent look, one of the branches had been snapped. Perhaps in a rush to get away from the scene? Who knows. “Are there any animals native to these woods?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Elion. They had to rule out other options. This could have easily been done by an animal large enough. Or it could have been done by their killer.

[athena]

Aria pushed off into the forest. Elion watched her go before he himself pushed off from the burial tree. He kept Aria in his peripherals as he approached the circle of scorched earth. Crouching, Elion inspected the ground more closely. He reached out hesitantly and touched the ground. Nothing happened. Elion half expected there to be some sort of shock. And then he paused, waiting. Still nothing happened. A wave of concern washed over Elion. He should have been able to feel the earth spirits stirring at his touch. But there was nothing, not a single sigh. Elion rested his opposite hand in the grass outside the circle. Instantly, he felt the stirring of earth spirits. What could the culprit possibly have done to block the earth spirits out? Elion scrapped his fingers across the scorched earth and delicately sniffed. It smelt of fire. And sulfur. Possibly saltpeter too. But there was a strange undercurrent to smell; one that Elion could not place. He collected a larger pinch of scarred earth and deposited it in a small pouch. Perhaps somebody at headquarters would be able to assist.

He heard Aria exclaim to herself from somewhere off to the left. Standing, Elion brushed the dirt from his fingers and carefully stalked through the forest. He found Aria stooped, examining a bush. She looked up at him. “Are there any animals native to these woods?” “Plenty,” he responded as he crouched beside her. The look she shot him was distinctly annoyed. It reminded Elion of his younger sister. He’d seen it on more than one occasion, especially when she expected a more thorough answer.

“There are deer, whistle pigs, skunks, wolves, squirrels, birds, a huge assortment really.” Elion touched the broken branches. “I’m fairly certain a deer caused this though,” he said studying the bush further. “It’s a berry bush, it’s berry season and the bush is missing all the ripe berries. Deer like berries. There are a few more around that suffered a similar fate.” Elion turned, noticing that the two of them were essentially shoulder-to-shoulder. Uncomfortably, he shifted slightly away. Aria watched him intently and inwardly Elion cursed her skills of observation. “That though,” Elion said, pointing at the thread and hoping to change the subject, “that is most definitely human.” Aria rolled her eyes as if Elion was a master of the obvious. “We can take that to Grifad. He is quite good with these things. Far better than I.”

Elion stood. “He will hopefully be able to tell us where this thread was produced. Once we have that information I suppose we could travel to the city of production, or contact the local agente headquarters to begin a search.”

“A search for what?” Aria retorted. “All we have is a piece of thread. We don’t know anything else.”

“Of course we do. We’re looking for a man. A man whose face seems old, but he is young. And one that has a fair amount of knowledge of minerals and the spirits.” Elion stopped, thinking. Suddenly, the images the burial spirit tried to convey, the ones of someplace other, made sense.

“The sprite was murdered in a town or city. By a man who had access to a healer or alchemist laboratory. We can narrow down the place once we get that to Grifad. And I’m sure this will help pinpoint the place as well,” Elion patted the pouch at his waist. Aria looked at him incredulously, and perhaps with a touch of anger. Elion was not entirely sure.

“You have a most excellent eye for these things,” Elion stated as he offered his hand to help Aria. “We should take these things to headquarters...unless you see something else of interest?”

[Victoria]

It was her ability to see things where others couldn’t that ultimately drove the FBI to offer her a job. It was the one skill everyone seemed to focus in on. But she was more than just a good eye. Though she didn’t know exactly how this Grifad person was going to be able to tell them where the killer was from. Normally she would take the thread to the lab, have it analyzed for DNA samples, if something came up, run it through the system for a match. And chances were probably pretty good that it wouldn’t amount to much at all. Ultimately, one thread wasn’t going to make or break a case. But he seemed to think it was this huge discovery. This was why leaving the body was so damn crucial. But apparently that was one lesson he skipped during his training. The body could give so much more than what the crime scene could.

Giving one final sweep of the area, Aria nodded before reaching for the offered hand. However, as soon as she was on her feet again, she pulled her hand free of his. No sense in any form of prolonged contact. As soon as this was over, she would return home to Colin and they would continue to go about their lives as if none of this was happening. Brushing her hands down along her dress she sighed, but just as she was about to acknowledge what it was that Elion was saying something tickled at the edge of her consciousness. A warmth came over her, it felt like someone was touching her shoulder. Shrugging away from the invisible force, she heard something, almost a whispered voice carried on the breeze, “Such a pain in the ass.”
She looked around the forest, her eyes searching for the source, “Colin?” she called out. But there was no answer. No nothing. It all faded away almost as quickly as it had come.

Barely acknowledging Elion, she pushed by him back out into the clearing. Something funky was definitely going on here. Scanning around the area in one final sweep, she headed back the way they had come off the path. “Lets get this thing where it needs to go,” she said, looking down at the thread in her hands. She didn’t have time, or the sanity for that matter, to focus on Colin. On what she thought she had heard back there. It was all too much for her brain to process. When Elion caught up to her again, she caught his gaze but then dropped it almost as quickly. “The body could tell us a lot, you know,” she said matter of factly, “And you and the killer are the only one who’ve seen it. What did it look like? Had it been shot? Stabbed?” Of course she was asking all these questions knowing full well that she didn’t have the faintest idea of what a perfectly healthy, living sprite looked like. But maybe at this headquarters of his there were books, or a computer or something she could use to get up to date on sprites. All without him knowing. She didn’t need him thinking she was even more incompetent than he already clearly did.

[athena]

As Aria called out for somebody named Colin, Elion wondered if perhaps another bout of madness was taking over her. Yet, it seemed to be gone before the madness, if it was truly that, set in. Aria appeared to be a reasonable and logical person, one that would not typically be suspected of insanity. Watching Aria work, Elion began to think that perhaps something larger was at play here; he could simply not believe that this woman was unstable in any way. Something more complex than either of them could fathom was more than likely at work.

Whatever had disturbed Aria before had vanished and her attention was fully devoted to the investigation. With a quick scan around the clearing, she indicated that her work was complete and she was ready to move on. Elion was more than willing to accommodate her. He liked to consider himself an experienced agente, no longer able to be disturbed by such scenes. But something about this clearing, and whatever was building in this case, left Elion unsettled.

“The body could tell us a lot, you know,” Aria said matter of factly, “And you and the killer are the only one who’ve seen it. What did it look like? Had it been shot? Stabbed?”

Elion made his way back to the road, digesting her words. He wasn’t entirely sure what ‘shot’ meant, or what exactly she was hoping to find just by looking at the body. Bodies, especially the deceased kind, were more helpful once they had been reconnected with some spirit. Once the body had been reconnected, either through burial or burning, the spirits could access the deceased memories and thoughts, feelings and images. A successful agente ferretted these memories out, or asked the proper questions, to further the investigation. Apparently, this was not how things operated in Springmount (if that was the correct term for this other place.) Elion had to wonder how exactly investigations occurred there, especially since spirits didn’t seem to play any major role.

“Well,” Elion began, setting a brisk pace for Eltal, “it looked rather dead.” A smirk played across his lips. Surely Aria wouldn’t expect it to look any other way, but then Elion found he was often at a loss. He barely understood some of the questions Aria asked, and it seemed as if she understood a great deal more about Iriona than he did of Springmount. The only common ground that they seemed to have established was that they were both agentes...in some fashion. But taking her questions in all seriousness, Elion felt his trademark scowl and hard glare settle on his face. “I don’t believe it was shot, although I do not really understand the concept. Nor was it stabbed. You may rest assured that the killer and I are not the only ones to have seen the dead sprite. I sketched the scene when I returned to headquarters; the image is in the investigation report for all to see. When we reach there, I shall grant you full access to the report.”

Eltal rose up before them rather suddenly. “This is the city of Eltal,” Elion explained. “Agentes have headquarters in every major city. Agentes are placed based upon proximity to a headquarter.” Aria nodded in understanding. It seemed that that had been straightforward enough. “The city is busy at this time of day, so I ask that you remain close. I have little desire to set out a search party for you.”

He set off, pleased to see Aria keeping up with ease. Elion took the quickest route to headquarters, ducking around people and down several alleys before reaching the ominous gray stone building. “Here we are,” Elion announced as he pushed the door open for Aria. Within the gloom of headquarters, Grifad seemed to materialize from nothing at their side.

“Afternoon boss man,” he said cheerfully. “I see you brought a lady friend.” Grifad nudged Elion playfully, waggling his eyebrows to emphasize his point. “Hardly Grifad. This is Aria, an agente in training,” Elion offered. Aria would no doubt be displeased with this introduction, but it would excuse any of her strange questions. “She has travelled far to study with us, and I have taken her as a student. You will see more of her. Aria,” Elion continued as he turned to her, “this is Grifad. He is a lesser agente here.” Grifad bowed, but not before offering Aria a cheeky wink. Elion felt his scowl grow harder. Gently, he pulled Grifad aside. “I have some things from the clearing,” he explained. “I wish for you to investigate them and tell me all you can.” Quite suddenly, Grifad grew serious. “Right away Captain,” he said as he took the items. “We will be in my office should you need us.” With that Grifad hurried away to begin his own work.

Elion delicately grasped Aria’s elbow and drew her closer, indicating for her to follow. She wriggled out of the loose grip, glared, and crossed her arms. Once again, it seemed that there was a difference in understanding. Shrugging, Elion headed to his office, weaving in and out of the tables and other agentes.

His office at headquarters was much larger than the small one he kept at home. And it showed all the wear and tear that a home well lived in would typically have. The bookshelves were crammed haphazardly with books, papers, maps, and spirits knew what else. The two chairs that were tucked away in the corner for guests looked just as chaotic as the desk with reports stacked every which way. Elion gestured vaguely to a chair. “Just move the reports elsewhere,” he said rather gruffly. Rooting around in the pile of papers on his desk, Elion finally found his recently opened investigation report. He had marked it with a cryptic pattern that passed as filing numbers in headquarters. “Here is all that I have so far, including the sketches of the sprite and the scene. Of course, nothing we have found today has been included.”

Aria took the file and began perusing it intently. Elion himself settled behind his desk, shuffling through his own stack of papers. A letter jumped out at him from beneath several reports. The curling script looked all too familiar. Instantly Elion opened the letter, already knowing who it was from.

My dearest son,
Your father says there is something amiss. He does not know what it is, but fears that it will greatly upset the balance. The spirits in Haleah are very agitated. He has taken this information to the agentes in Muula. They should contact you shortly.
Your ever loving mother, Lys

It was hardly a strange note. His mother often wrote small missives such as this to him. It often helped to ease the correspondence between the Muula agentes and the ones of Eltal. However, his father concerned him. Elammin was as aware and connected to spirits as Elion, if not more so. If he felt something, then it seemed certain more trouble would follow. And it was on his desk.

Elion saw the missive from Muula. The formal scripting and cryptic markings denoted it as such. Yet, it was more than a simple letter. It was a thick, heavy packet and Elion dreaded to open it. Nonetheless, he slowly hefted the packet and untied the twine. Papers slid out. On top was a sketch. Another murdered sprite had been found.

[Victoria]

Flipping through the folder Elion had handed her, Aria sighed. Why the hell was everything hand written? And sketches? How could they trust that there wasn’t a dirty cop in the mix setting up the evidence? So maybe Elion was honest about these things, but they couldn’t trust everyone would be. The system here made absolutely no sense at all. They didn’t have electronic filing, they didn’t have cameras. How much time did they waste sketching the scene? The hours right after a kill were the most important. When the prints were the freshest. But then it didn’t seem they had any kind of database for that either. So finding prints would be completely useless. What did they have to go off of?

Seeing Elion’s grim expression, she placed the file down on the edge of his desk and stepped up behind him. Another file, another sketch. Another dead sprite. They looked almost fairy like. Were fairies and sprites the same thing? Or did they hail from different species? Why was she analyzing this? “Another one?” she questioned.
“In Muula,” Elion confirmed.
Where the hell was that? These places didn’t even exist. But that didn’t matter right now. It didn’t matter when something was being killed. Human or otherwise. Here in Iriona sprites were clearly important. This case was important. Living things were dying. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a serial case on your hands. Those are harder to solve.”

Taking the folder off the side of his desk of the first sprite found, she leaned back against it. “I’m working one of these,” she noted, “So far there have been three girls brutally murdered and left in the woods. Bare naked. All under the age of eighteen. We have nothing to go on.” Not even a thread could help their case right about now. “I’m pulling out my hair on this one. I can’t let another girl die.” She fell silent for a moment, flicking through the papers once again. “Sprites are important to you here, those girls are important back home.”

She wanted to help him, but at this point, she didn’t know how. Not unless they went to the scene in Muula. Then maybe she could use her keen observation skills to find something else that could assist them. Even if she didn’t understand the system and how it worked around here. They had one, and ultimately that was all that really mattered. She sighed again before holding up the sheets in the folder, “So firstly, what can you tell me about all of this nonsense?” she questioned, “Secondly, how far is Muula?” she asked, “I’m most useful in the field.”

[athena]

Elion rested his head in his hands. Aria’s words echoed loudly. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a serial case on your hands. He knew that and yet he had never felt so lost before. The spirits had given him so little to work with. He seriously doubted if he would have been able to progress to this point if Aria hadn’t found the thread. All Elion’s hopes were pinned on the thread and small pouch of dust. He desperately hoped that Grifad would be able to decipher them and point them in some direction. “I fear it may already be that,” Elion finally answered.

“I’m working one of these,” Aria started. “So far there have been three girls brutally murdered and left in the woods. Bare naked. All under the age of eighteen. We have nothing to go on. I’m pulling out my hair on this one. I can’t let another girl die.” Aria’s attention drifted to the file a moment. “Sprites are important to you here, those girls are important back home.”

Elion looked up at her, seeing her eyes reflect the same turmoil he felt. “All life is precious. I wish I could aid you in some way as you have helped here,” he stated earnestly. Aria nodded slightly before returning to the former investigation report. Elion skimmed the report from Muula. There seemed to be little difference between the two sprites. He glanced over the sketch again. This time though, something seemed off. He held up the paper and eyed it critically. There. According to this sketch, the sprite’s wings were missing. At least three of the four were. What could that possibly mean?

So firstly, what can you tell me about all of this nonsense? Secondly, how far is Muula?” Aria’s questions drifted to him. For a moment Elion didn’t answer, staring intently at the drawing. He felt that there might have been a similar case quite a while ago. One that was most certainly before his time. Elion processed her questions before answering. “Muula is at least a week’s journey by foot. Shorter if we can find horses or some transport,” he said answering her most recent question. He wasn’t entirely sure what information Aria wanted. Was she asking about the filing process or the sprite? Elion decided explaining most of it would be best.

“I have comprised that file. We typically work investigations alone unless assistance is requested or there is something outside an agente’s expertise. Once the investigation is complete all information is comprised in a file. Of course, files are maintained throughout the case so that methods and the like are recorded and any assistance may be kept up to date. The complete files are given to the agente head, known as a dux, for review. They are reviewed and placed in the vault should they need to be referenced.”

Elion paused, debating how to explain the instance of the sprite. No doubt that Aria understood the importance of solving the crime and preventing future losses, but he wasn’t entirely sure if she would understand the significance. How could he impress upon her the severity of the situation? Elion was not convinced she would completely understand the concepts of spirits, sprites, and the balance. He had mentioned them before, discussed them briefly even, but Aria seemed to brush it off. Whether from understanding the concepts or a lack thereof Elion was not sure.

“I have already explained to you the circumstances of the sprite’s discovery. I was hoping at the time that it would be an isolated incident, but it seems that it will not be so. The death of one sprite angered the spirits – particularly the wind spirits. Sprites are very close to wind spirits, you see. They are, in essence considered an extension of a wind spirit. Or second in command if that is easier to understand. Murdering one is like murdering a prince or some such, except a king cannot wreak as much destruction as angry spirits. If this continues further than these two sprites, I’m not sure I can maintain the balance between spirits and humans. The balance is essential for our survival. As the murderer is a man, he is upsetting this balance and attempting to break it. If he does, who knows what the spirits will do? Their vengeance will be terrifying and utterly destructive, I am sure. This is why we must stop the murderer before things get out of hand. I hope that answered everything.”

Elion stood, closing the file from Muula. “This is a high level investigation, one of top priority and significant enough to draw the concerted efforts of both the dux of Muula,” Elion waved the file, “and the dux of Eltal. It is not often we work together.”

He collected a few reviewed files to take to the archivist in the vaults. “Now, if you will bring that file, I would like to head to the vaults beneath headquarters before we depart for Muula. I feel like is precedence for this, although I am not entirely certain. I would like to know for sure before leaving. Not to mention I would like Grifad’s analysis. It might help us narrow our search.”

Elion held the door open for Aria. “After you,” he indicated before shutting the office door and headed towards the vaults.

[Victoria]

Stations partnered all the time in Springmount. How could they get away with not working together on things? But then it was only really cases that involved both jurisdictions. Like the Dixon case had been shared with both Short Hills where they worked on the Stephanie Burke case and Devlin where they worked on the Taryn Harris case. Just as they had shared the files with them when Heather Dixon matched the same M.O. But that had been as simple as driving the files to one another. Not having to walk for a week in hopes that someone there would have something of use. In that time they could lose five more sprites, and it seemed like things would escalate quickly if they did. Flipping through the file again as she followed Elion down to the Archives, she sighed. There had to be something they were missing. Something that would tip them off in the right direction. It felt all too similar to how she felt at home. Like ripping her hair out and beating her head against a wall would be far more productive than anything they were accomplishing.

“Aria?!” A voice called, panicked. Looking up she expected to see Elion watching her, trying to catch her attention for some reason. But he was still making his way down the dingy hallway. Stopping, she looked around. Who else here knew her name? That Grifad guy, but he wasn’t around either. “Aria wake up dammit!”

Jack.

First Colin and now Jack? Maybe she was losing it after all. Elion certainly seemed to think so. Not that she really cared what he ultimately thought of her.

Suddenly she felt like she was slipping, losing grip on everything around her. The hallway faded in and out of her vision before her office and Jack suddenly came into focus. Blinking, she stared up at him. What the hell had just happened? Where was Elion and the hallway, and the file? Looking down, she was still holding it. What was going on? “Jack?” she asked, her voice groggy from sleep.
“They found another one Aria,” he said urgently, “Out in the Hills again.”
Instantly Aria threw the blanket off of her and was on her feet. “Same M.O?” she questioned as she reached for her jacket and gun.
Jack shook his head, “Not exactly,” he answered. When she raised a brow at him, he smiled, “This one is still alive.”

This was the break through they were waiting for. Dropping the file onto the couch it wasn’t long before Elion, Iriona and the sprites were forgotten.

[athena]

The Archives were far beneath the ground, and the dingy lighting only seemed to reaffirm that. Elion marched along silently, lost in thought. He hoped that the archivist would be able to point him in the proper direction; after all it was the archivist’s job to be familiar with the hundreds of records stuffed in the shelves. He idly tapped the Muula report as he hit the base of the stairs. Turning the corner, Elion saw the withered old archivist hunched behind his desk, busy cataloguing.

“Good afternoon Jakan,” Elion started politely. “My guest and I have some report inquiries for you.”

Jakan slowly looked up. “What guest?” came his dry reply. Elion turned and found that Aria had vanished without a trace. He peeked up the stairs. Perhaps she had dropped the report? Or was distracted by something she had seen? But there was nothing. She was gone. “What in the hells?” Elion muttered. Something strange was definitely going on with that woman, and Elion was forced to admit he had no idea what it was. Elion turned his attentions back to Jakan. “It will just be me then. I have several questions.”

Elion reached for the report and paused. Damnit, Aria had the folder. He supposed that he would have to rely on the Muula file, even though the circumstances differed. Elion briefly described the circumstances and the scenario. Jakan nodded and ruffled through a catalogue. “I do not believe that there has been a similar investigation,” the elderly archivist said slowly. “The closest investigation that I do have involves the accidental death of a sprite. The situation was quickly resolved, and there is nothing that matches the descriptions you have given me.”

Elion sighed and rubbed his beard. That had been a dead end. His last hope was focused solely on Grifad. And Aria’s disappearance left him at another loss. Her skills were unique and he could have used any help. Not to mention she had the file. Slowly, he climbed the stairs and tried to think of another plan. How could he progress without any leads? Frustration bubbled up, and Elion forced himself to stop walking. He took a few deep breaths. Calmness slowly returned as he centered himself. At the top of the stairs, Elion turned towards his office but was interrupted by Grifad.

“Please tell me you found something,” Elion almost begged. “I did,” Grifad piped up cheerfully. “You were right about the sulfur and saltpeter in the bag. The third ingredient is a poison known as Fellis. It’s a rare poison, so it was a little difficult to decipher it, but I managed,” Grifad state proudly. “Because Fellis is so rare, it’s rather easy to trace and closely guarded. It fetches a high price at apothecaries and generally shop owners keep tabs on who purchases.”

Elion smiled. This could definitely help narrow down the investigation, although if Fellis could be procured anywhere it would still be a long process. “Anything else?” Grifad nodded. “The thread you guys found is a specialty fabric produced here in Eltal. I’d say that your guy got his stuff here in Eltal. I made a list of the apothecaries that sell Fellis. And there’s only one shop that has this type of cloth. I wrote it down too.”

A weight had been lifted from Elion’s shoulders, and it visibly showed. Finally, this investigation could take direction. A broader smile split Elion’s face. “Truly Grifad,” he said clapping the man on the shoulder, “you are a wonder. I will go to these places immediately.” Grabbing the list, Elion tucked it into the Muula report and stalked off into the busy streets of Eltal.

[Victoria]

“She’s in a coma,” Detective Douglas said as he leaned back against the wall.
Aria shook her head, “We have to talk to her,” she huffed.
“Don’t you think we all know that James,” Jack said, “She’s the only one that’s seen this guys face. But she’s pretty damn beat up, she needs to rest and then when she does wake up we’ll have to battle any psychological damage he’s done to her.” He told her. This wasn’t the lead she had been hoping for. It was just as useful as another dead body, but this time there was no crime scene. The hospital had done everything they could to extract evidence, but just like all the others, she was clean. Who ever this guy was, he was careful. He knew what they would be looking for. He was calculated and planned his attacks just right. He was smart and that was scarier than anything else. Any girl in about a fifty mile radius was at risk right now.

“Detectives,” an official voice called and Aria turned around to face the men in suits. Dammit. “I’m Agent Brant and this is my partner Agent Styler. We’re with the FBI.”
“You can’t have these cases,” Aria immediately said as she stared down the man in front of them, “These girls are our responsibility.”
“We don’t want to take you off the case ma’am,” he answered, “But yes, we will be taking over from here on out.”
“Don’t you ma’am me,” she hissed. “It’s not serial yet, she’s not dead.”
“It was serial with Heather Dixon,” he corrected her, “His third kill. This one makes a fourth attempt which means he’s not stopping. You can fight us on this, but we’re only here to help. We have more resources than you have available.”
“More resources my ass,” she retorted, “If you had any more clue than we did about this guy you would have come at us sooner. You don’t know anything about this case, you don’t know these girls.”
“I understand that Stephanie Burke was your cousin,” Agent Brant tried again, “Don’t fight us Detective James, we’re only here to help.”

Aria shoved away from the wall and pushed through the two agents, “I’m going home, call me if she wakes up,” she said, her gaze set dead on Jack. He had to understand how important this was to her. She would return to the office to pick up the file they had sent over on this newest girl. There had to be something, he couldn’t be perfect every time. Sooner or later he would slip up and when he did she would be waiting to take him down.

[athena]

The clothier had tried to help Elion as much as possible, which was unfortunately very little. The blue fabric was a specialty item produced only in that shop, and was therefore very popular. The ingratiating little man explained, in exact terms, that, while he understood the agente’s need for information, he could not possibly remember all of the customers who purchased his products. The man had truly been infuriating and Elion left the shop rather angry. He questioned how the man managed to keep his shop open with such an unpleasant personality.

After his experience with the clothier, Elion stopped in at four different apothecaries before he found a shop that sold the poison he was looking for. The shop owner was a wizened old woman who recalled the man perfectly. She described him as a tall young man, with a scarred face. The nature of the scar was unknown, but it made him appear older and he wore a blue hood and tunic to conceal the nature of it. He had shown his scars to the shop owner in the hope that she would have a remedy. The woman reported that she did not, and he had purchased the Fellis and left. Elion took notes on the properties of the poison and drew a sketch. The elderly woman confirmed that he looked quite similar to that. Before he left the shop, the woman provided one last piece of information that proved to be the most helpful yet. She had recorded the man’s address for the purpose of tracking the Fellis. Elion felt more hope than he had in days as he left the shop and headed towards the address.

The address led Elion to a better section of town and he finally stopped in front of a well-kept brick home. He knocked and waited. Several minutes seemed to pass and there was no movement. Finally, Elion grew impatient and knocked on the neighboring home. The resident answered immediately. After a few introductions, Elion posed his questions to the neighbor and was disappointed to learn that the resident was a bit of a recluse and was never seen. The homeowner had a hired hand that ran all the errands, but lately the assistant had not been seen either. The neighbor believed them to have both left town. Elion nodded before he returned to the brick house.

Inconspicuously he picked the lock and let himself into the home only to find the main floor completely empty. His search upstairs revealed similar results. Sighing, Elion admitted that the neighbor was most likely right. If this was his killer he had probably moved on and was hiding out in Muula now. Or at least he hoped so. Frustrated yet again, Elion returned to the main floor. He noticed a door that he had missed in his hurry to check the upper floors. Opening it, Elion found stairs leading into a dingy basement. Hesitantly, Elion descended. He was afraid he would find more sprites hidden away. Instead, Elion found an alchemy laboratory. Sheets of blank paper were strewn across the floor, as if the inhabitants had left in a hurry. As he searched the lab, remnants of the strange concoction Elion found in the forest popped up in the lab. There were no notes to explain the purpose of the mixture, but some children’s books on sprites and spirits were left open on a table. Elion touched the old books lightly. They were familiar; the series was popular for elementary students who were learning about the roles of the sprites and spirits in Iriona. Elion remembered reading it himself as a student.

He paused a moment, noticing a dog-eared page. Carefully, Elion flipped to a section labeled “Patron Cities and Spirits.” Muula and Eltal were circled in pencil, but Eltal had been crossed out with a small “A” beside it. A? For agente perhaps? Elion collected the book and quickly left the building. If it was any indication of where the killer was headed, then he should hurry to Muula.

Several days had passed since Elion’s discovery in Eltal. He had left the address with Grifad under strict instructions that the place was to be thoroughly searched and catalogued in his absence. Afterwards, Elion had quickly gathered a small bag of belongings and his investigation files and set a brisk pace for Muula. He had been on the road for what felt like months, although in reality it had only been a few days. The Facis heat insured that progress was slow and tedious. Elion’s original quick pace had slowed to more of a stroll by the second day.

Despite his slow pace, Elion had made good progress. He had passed his small hometown of Halaeh early yesterday morning and was close enough to Muula that he felt he no longer had to travel through the nights as well. And so, as dusk drew near, Elion decided a night’s rest at the inn outside of Muula was well deserved.

The Hare’s Foot was a well-kept inn, and Elion was more than content with his accommodations. Supper had been a refreshing plate of cold meats and vegetables, and the inn keep had offered laundering services, which were gladly accepted. Nearly six days on the road had left Elion’s clothing in a considerable state of filth. His clothes would be returned to him in the morning, but in the meantime, Elion locked himself in his room to enjoy the cool night breeze in his small clothes. Elion decided it would be one of those rare nights where he would actually be able to sleep and sleep well at that.

Elion pulled the bedding down and was preparing to crawl into the very comfortable looking bed when a rustling sound behind him drew his attention. He whipped around expecting to find a small animal had come in through the window. Instead, Aria had mysteriously reappeared. Elion blushed furiously as he recalled his state of undress. “Damned spirits,” he huffed. “You chose the most inopportune time to reappear,” Elion declared while fighting the urge to shimmy behind something.
[/div][/font]

[Victoria]

With her nose buried in the file of the most recent attack, Aria barely noticed her surroundings having changed. Not until Elion spoke did she look up. Last she had checked she was studying the files in her room in her small apartment. Colin had gone off to work and left her to her own devices. Next thing she knew, she was standing in what appeared to be a small hotel room with a less than half dressed Elion. But she couldn’t even focus her brain on that, although even she had to admit he kept himself well fit. She let it drop, not saying a word on his state of dress, though she smirked when she realized he was blushing. “Here’s your file back,” she said tossing it onto the bed, the papers spilling out of it over the sheets he had pulled back. “Not entirely sure how I managed to take it with me,” she shrugged and turned back to her own files. She had all four girls shoved in one folder. It wasn’t fair how Agent whats-his-face thought he could just throw Stephanie at her like that. Any of these girls. They were more than just victims, they were more than just some file. These girls deserved justice. “So my case went serial,” she informed him before dropping into the chair in the corner of the room, “The FBI came in and took over, like it’s just another case.” She shook her head and flipped open the file again. Stephanie’s picture sat right on top. She was the first victim, she was where all of this began. Of course they had gone through everyone she knew. And there were more dead ends than anything else. And then they found Taryn, and then Heather, now Janie. The worst part was, none of these girls had anything in common. Janie and Steph went to school together, sure, but it didn’t appear as if they had actually known each other. Taryn and Heather were from two different schools. None of them even ran with the same crowds. The pickings were sporadic at best. There was no telling where or who this guy might go after next.

Looking back up at Elion, she sighed, “So how goes the sprite hunt?” she asked. In the time she was back in Springmount another girl had been found, so who knows. In those hours another sprite might have been found too. “Did Grifad come back with anything on the thread?” It was still weird to her to try and wrap her mind around how things seemed to work here. How different the systems were and yet just how similar it all was too. Though in all honesty, what seemed to weird her out the most of all of this was how little this back and forth seemed to get to her. After the initial shock, it almost felt normal. She still didn’t entirely understand where she really was, how it was happening, but there was no denying that it was in fact real. Elion was real, this place was real. This case was real.

She could tell by his stance that he was uncomfortable talking about all of this while he stood there in his underwear, but what he didn’t seem to understand is that none of that bothered her. Not after some of the things she had seen on the day to day job. A half naked man was nothing to her anymore. But all the same, she reached over for the comforter off the bed and held it out to him, “Since it’s apparently bothering you,” she offered with a little smirk pulling across her lips. As much as they went back and forth, as much as his embarrassment amused her right now, she didn’t really want him feeling that uncomfortable around her.