Heir of the Forgotten

~Hidden Message~

Standing outside, the group relaxes. All three could use a long rest. They accomplished their tasks for the day. Rest seems like something they've earned. They may have done nothing physical, but they spent their energy mentally.

Heading back to the house they had been lent, a human girl runs up to them.

The small human girl's eyes are wide, and blood drips from her dress as she rushes towards the group of fae.

Selene glances towards the two males she's with, who both sigh heavily.

"We need help, please." The girl shakes as if there were an earthquake beneath her, and she was wobbling with it.

"Must be serious if they came to us," Vincent sneers. His voice coats with poorly hidden malice.

Selene shakes her head, bending to the child's level. "Can you lead us to the emergency?" She holds a soft voice as she talks to the child.

The child nods and starts running.

Selene follows, which naturally causes the two males with her to follow behind.

The girl leads them to the center of the village, where a crowd is gathering.

It's difficult to pick out individual words in such a crowd, but it can still be done. Some whisper prayers, others can't fathom how this happened with the prince and royal guard here.

Navigating through the crowd felt impossible. Nobody would budge; nobody wanted to lose their view of whatever was at the center of the circling crowd.

For a moment, Selene nearly lost the two she's been with.

"This is an awful occasion to display your incompetence." The prince glared as he tugged Selene to his chest and pushed them both through the crowd.

"Don't let her look." Dorian had pushed through first, and even his experienced stomach churned at what he saw. "Anyone who isn't law enforcement return to your home. Keep the children inside." No wonder that child looked like she'd seen a ghost.

When the crowd cleared, Vincent snarls, "somebody needs to tend to those in shock." He kept Selene pushed against him with a hand over her eyes.

Despite Selene's desire to see, their voices scared her, keeping her still.

She hated being so close to Vincent. His body pushed against her. He enveloped her, overwhelming her every sense. Whatever cologne he used kept her from picking up other scents. His hand kept her sight dark, and his heartbeat thudded in her ears. She could feel his every breath as he held her close.

Dorian removed his gloves, dropping them on a platter some human guard held to him, swapping them for disposables. In one motion, he shrugged off his top layers then slipped on plastic shoe coverings. With a sigh, he slipped his hair back to complete things. Wearing only his black shirt and his pants, he stepped into the puddle of blood.

He's never felt this sick standing before a crime scene. Then again, he's never seen a display like this. The body's strung on a cross, with its organs hanging out and on the ground.

Shivering he moves back the hair of the first victim and clenches his hands into fists.

"Fae?" Vincent asks as he watches Dorian do the worst part of the job. He's content getting to keep Selene from seeing this. Another breakdown would delay things.

"Based on how much blood there is, one of them is True Fae." Fae heal quickly as is. True fae are different. They can go from nearly dead to fine in a matter of minutes.

Vincent nods, biting the inside of his cheek. He watches Dorian step over organs, searching for any sign of this relating to their case.

Dorian moves to the opposite side of the pole, where another body hangs. He doesn't look long before he rushes out of the puddle and heaves.