The Magician's Assistant

25

"Cadell left us several years ago. He didn't tell anyone where he was going or why he left. The only reason I'm here now was because we picked up a rumor about him being in Port Thompson. I followed his trail here," Aderyn said.

The group moved as quickly as they could, retracing their steps back to the docks.

"Port Thompson isn't too far from here. You said this was only a few months ago, correct?" Gramps asked.

"The rumor was a few months old by the time we heard about it. I only arrived in Port Thompson a few weeks ago,"

"Who are you, anyway? Who is Cadell?" Rachael asked.

The group reached the park and cut right through it, barely following the foot path that led from one end to the other.

"Cadell and I are both members of the Sikora family,"

"Never heard of it,"

Aderyn shot Rachael an offended look.

"How could you not be aware of us? We're one of the most prominent families on the island. Our history goes back-"

"Ms. Aderyn, I must apologize, but your internal politics are quite obscure out here," Gramps said.

"I understand. The point is, Cadell was the heir to the head of the whole family. He was going to be our leader,"

"And then he just dropped off the face of the earth?" Erika asked. The group exited the park and followed the street towards the ocean.

"Indeed. No one had any idea why,"

"Do you think he committed some sort of crime and ran away?" Rachael asked.

"There was a high profile robbery around that time, but there was no connection between him and the crime,"

"As in, no one found any evidence connecting him, or they wouldn't let anyone find any evidence connecting him?" Erika asked.

"I have no idea. I wasn't directly involved. Cadell is my distant cousin, but we've only met a few times in the past,"

"He knew you were coming. He described you perfectly," Rachael said.

"I must confess. I haven't been very subtle while searching for him,"

"We noticed," Erika said.

"He shouldn't have much reason to run. I was sent here by the family head, but I can't arrest him or force him to do anything,"

"Sounds like you were just here to gather information," Rachael said.

"I thought I could talk him into coming home. I had no idea it had gotten so bad,"

The apartment building finally came into view. It was still some distance away. Rachael started to pull ahead. She gradually accelerated into a sprint, while the rest of the group fell behind her.

Rachael managed to reach the apartment complex in a matter of minutes. Her heart was racing, and she was breathing heavily.

She blasted past the front desk and up the stairs. She forced herself up one flight after another, until she was on Crowe's floor. Finally out of energy, she dragged herself over to the familiar front door, and caught her breath for a moment.

After a minute or two of rest, Aderyn caught up to Rachael. She was out of breath as well, but she seemed to be in much better shape.

She moved towards the door, and stood next to it for a few seconds.

Rachael gave a quick nod.

Aderyn nodded back, and knocked on the door. There was no answer.

Aderyn knocked again, then one final time.

Rachael had nearly finished catching her breath. She reached forward, grabbed the doorknob, and pushed on it.

The door cracked open.

Aderyn peeked inside, then pushed the door open the rest of the way.

"Hello, Cadell?" Aderyn called.

Rachael tensed up.

There was no response. Everything inside the apartment was quiet and still. It looked a lot messier than Rachael remembered.

It was possible that someone was hiding inside, but Rachael couldn't help but feel like they were alone. Crowe was gone.