Hyathic Homicide - The Mage of Lost Magic

Chapter 5

Ghorza made her way back to the precinct to fill out the paperwork for a mage consultation. The Mage's Guild, with their Magical Investigations Division, were always happy to oblige any requests made by the police, so long as they got their coin. Usually they weren't needed, as magical killings tended to stand out from the more mundane variety. But when they were called upon, they always performed admirably, even if some of the mages were insufferable know-it-alls.

Ghorza filled out the forms then made her way back up to the Captain's office. As expected, he wasn't too happy about pulling in the Mage's Guild, but he trusted Ghorza enough to believe her that it was necessary. Mage consultations always put a hefty dent in the quarterly budget, another reason they were seldom called upon.

Ghorza took the forms and handed them off to a JD with instructions to take them to the Mage's Guild, and to accompany the mage to the scene of the crime. She'd meet them there in a couple hours so she could question the mage herself.

In the meantime, Ghorza took her seat in her office and reviewed the facts of the case. Three men entered an alley, two came out. The one left behind had been dead for days but was somehow seen walking. Same with the men exiting the alley. One of them, presumably, had been killed in the alley and had also somehow walked out.

Three bodies had been found before this one, all a few days dead, with fresh blood at the scene as well. No witnesses and hardly any clues, other than the rumors about the killer being out for vengeance and the footprint suggesting he was a well-off foreigner.

Try and try as she might Ghorza just couldn't find any purchase to latch onto with this case. It perturbed her to no end, but she knew there was no use fretting over it. Work the case, that was all she could do, and eventually the pieces would fall into place.

After a time, an assistant poked her head in, reminding her she had an appointment for the mage consultation. Ghorza packed up her bag, put on her coat, and made her way back to the Merchant's Quarters to make the appointment. She kept an eye out for Selevin, who was nowhere to be found. She left instructions for him to meet her at the crime scene, then set off on her way.

As Ghorza returned to the crime scene she saw the JD she'd assigned to supervise the solicited mage standing and chatting with the uniformed officers maintaining a perimeter. Ghorza walked up and asked after the mage. She was told that the mage had reviewed the scene and had gone to the tea shop across the street to wait for Ghorza, and that she could be found there.

Ghorza sighed as she crossed the street. It was easy to forget that mages did not have the same diligence as her coworkers. No detective would go grab a cup of tea while waiting for Ghorza to arrive.

She entered the shop and, despite the numerous patrons, was able to single out the mage sitting in a booth. Mages always wore the finest pressed suits. She remembered a time where she had thought, due to children's stories, that mages wore colorful flowing robes and tall, pointy hats. Those days were long gone, if they had ever existed. Nowadays, mages used their innate skills to turn a profit, which in turn they used to purchase luxurious clothes and jewelry.

Ghorza walked up to the mage who was dunking a biscuit into her tea. The person sent was a tall elven woman who moved with a languid grace, even when doing something as mundane as snacking with a cup of tea. She had short, cropped blonde hair that barely made it to her chin. Her high, pointed ears stuck out from behind her hair, the tips pierced and adorned with sapphire earrings.

"Ah detective," said the mage, gesturing to the seat across the table, "Please join me. Would you like anything?"

The mage moved to signal a waitress, but Ghorza motioned her away. She knew her precinct would be footing the bill and had no desire to inflate it.