Hyathic Homicide - The Mage of Lost Magic

Chapter 6

After a brisk walk back, Ghorza found herself in her office once again, trying to make sense of everything. Ghorza's office was quite austere. A single bookshelf on one wall filled with little notebooks and bulbous case files. Her chair was simple, but comfortable, placed before a desk big enough to accommodate her size. That was the one luxury Ghorza had given herself when promoted to Chief and granted this office.

She had a withering plant on the windowsill, only alive because Selevin took the time to occasionally water it. The plant had been a gift from a previous girlfriend, and she hadn't the heart to toss it out.

The door was made of a hearty oak tree, with a deep brown, swirly coloration. Stenciled on the outside was her name and rank. Ghorza remembered the pride she'd felt watching the maintenance worker put that up.

Almost nine years she'd held this position. One of the longest tenures ever. For many, Chief Detective was but a steppingstone into the political world, with many of the previous Chief's eyeing the Captain's seat.

That just wasn't the case for Ghorza. She liked her job and had no plans of leaving anytime soon. She helped people. She got them closure on a loved one's death, or justice for a theft. She shut down magical drug rackets and advocated for the little guy whenever she could.

She knew she couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually she'd have to step down or move up. That's why she was grooming Selevin, after all. But she had no intention of doing anything else for quite some time.

Ghorza's reverie was interrupted by Selevin rushing through the door. He was out of breath with a light sheen of sweat on his skin. He must have run some distance to be so visibly tired. Elves were notoriously hardy, with stamina far beyond that of a human, only surpassed by the Orcs.

"Chief," huffed Selevin between breaths, "I found him. I found him."

"Slow down, my boy." Ghorza said, standing from her seat, hands on the desk, leaning towards Selevin. "Catch your breath, then tell me what you think you've found."

Selevin took a moment to cool down, grabbing a seat opposite from Ghorza. She sat back down and stared at her partner, trying to hold back her impatience. Selevin was equally impatient, eager to share with his Chief the break in the case he'd discovered.

"One of my sources, a noblewoman who likes to talk, filled me in on a new arrival." Selevin shared, finally ready to talk. "A man from a distant kingdom, she didn't know which, but who dressed in the finest tailored clothes and arrived just a few days before the murders began."

"That's an interesting lead, for sure," offered Ghorza, mulling it over, "but that's hardly enough to make him our man."

"You haven't heard the best part." Replied Selevin excitedly. "My source was talking to him. She likes to ingratiate herself with newcomers so that she can be the one to introduce them to the movers and shakers. She thinks it makes her appear worldly and in the know."

"Here's the thing though," he continued, "she likes to snoop, and bless her for it. She caught a heated discussion in a hallway between our guy and someone else. And get this, she heard him swear that vengeance would be his."

Ghorza let out a low whistle. This was the big break she'd been waiting for. She forced herself to tone down her elation. As good as this lead was, she couldn't assume it would pan out. She had reason to be hopeful, but it was never good to let excitement overrule her methodology or plans.

"Gear up, Selevin." Ghorza said, standing up and walking to the small dresser in the corner of her office. "Armaments and light armor. We don't want to draw too much attention, but this killer is a mage, so we need to be prepared."