Faerunners

The Chase

Tallis stood in the captain’s office wearing his best jacket and tie. The office was beautiful in a gaudy, overdone sort of way. It had its own fireplace topped with plaques and trophies, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, lit with white magical stones, and a massive desk with gold filigree riveted around the edges dominated the room. The room was big enough to hold all three clerks and some of their files.

The captain matched the room perfectly. She was a hard eyed woman with golden-brown skin and straight black hair. Tallis had never seen her dressed in anything other than fine gowns. 

The captain stared at him over the rims of her glasses and flipped through the report Tallis had left for her. “The sergeant came to talk to me this morning. I understand you’re responsible for hindering his investigation. Do you have anything to say about that?”

“If you’ll look at the letter …” Tallis began.

The captain held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t have time. I don’t have time, Tallis, to sit and read a ten page manifesto. What I do have time for is for you to stand there and tell me what is going on.”

“Yes, ma’am. Well, you see.” He struggled to find the right words. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

She held up a hand, silencing him again. “Collect yourself. Don’t stand there tongue tied and piddling all over my carpet.”

He took a deep breath and started again.  “The man Allistair arrested is innocent.”

“Then why did he sign this?” The captain slid a single page across the desk. “It’s a confession. The farmer says quite clearly that he unwittingly summoned a Fae creature thanks to materials he had stored illegally on the property.”

“That’s not what happened,” said Tallis. He crossed the room and picked up the confession. “He didn’t do any of this. Half the time I was in that room he didn’t even know what we were talking about.”

“But then his story changed.”

Swallowing hard, Tallis laid the page back down on the desk. “Well, yes. I suppose, but-”

“But nothing.” An edge of steel crept into the captain’s voice and she stood, placing her hands on the desk and leaning forward. “I know you haven’t been here long so I am going to make this as simple as possible. People who lie don’t keep their stories straight. Ever. People who tell the truth only have one story to tell.”

“You don’t get it,” Tallis pleaded. “You should have seen him.”

“One, if you are going to stand there and whine you can leave right now. Two, it is not your damn place to me what I do or don’t understand.” The captain stepped out from behind the desk, her voice rising in volume. “And I have seen him, listened to him. I took the fucking notes for the sergeant. Piss off back to your desk.”

What a disaster. His legs had gone to jelly and his guts had tied themselves into a knot. It was time to play the ace he had up his sleeve. “The sergeant isn’t who he says he is. He’s a Faeruner.”

The captain spread her arms wide and stepped closer. “Whippity, dippity do. He’s a runner. I’m a captain. Water is wet. Any other brilliant revelations?”

He took a step back, inadvertently. “You knew?”

“It’s why I hired him. People change, Tallis. He used to be a runner. Now he puts more Faerunners away than the rest of the office combined. You used to be the best clerk in the building, now, you’re just being a pain in the ass. I am done. Get out. Go home. Come back tomorrow with a better attitude and I might let you keep your job.”