Lowe and Gray: The Atavistic Box

Chapter One - The Mysterious Death of Adrian Gray

DETECTIVE INSPECTOR LOWE was a busy man. He left his house at the time he was supposed to be arriving at the solicitor's office. Well, he thought, the reading of Adrian's will can wait longer.

Adrian Gray died on the thirteenth of July. According to the coroner's report, he had died of an unexpected heart attack whilst organising his next auction.

Jensen Lowe, however, knew this was not the case. He was informed of Adrian's careless visit to the sorcerer Malignant and had insisted he accompany him, but Adrian being his stubborn, strong-willed self didn't listen. He never did. He was arrogant, sharp-tongued and dismissive but also childish and wise, and quick on his feet.

Jensen drove through the city until he reached a small town called Valden. To any mortal eye, Valden was a small village, a run-down bad neighbourhood - not safe for any visitors. The buildings were covered in graffiti and the pavements lay under a sheet of litter. The air stank of stale urine so any passerby was immediately put off from entering.

To Jensen, Valden was a bright city with clean buildings and beautiful stone roads. Most inhabitants of Valden deemed cars and public transport unnecessary. The houses in the city were beautiful, made from honey-coloured stone and the roofs were a shimmery bronze. In Valden, the grass was greener and the light bounced off of every building. It was no Almara, but it was the closest thing to home. Jensen despised it.

He sighed as he parked his car in the spot reserved for Prime Detective. The car park was small, as most workers didn't use cars. The building in front of him was a simple building with mirrors for walls, reflecting every ray of light that hit it. It was tall and thin, reflecting a needle in the sky. There was no building like it in the city, so it was pretty easy to find the English Haven.

Jensen took his hat from the passenger seat and placed it on his head as he locked his car and walked through the doors to the Haven.

"Jensen," the administrator said, sending a message to the council of Mages.

The detective smiled thinly. "Hi Brick." The administrator very much resembled a brick: broad and short with brick-red hair.

"The Mages are ready for you," he said, and Jensen walked through.

The Council of Mages met in the White Room. The room wasn't white. The walls were a soft stone beige hung with paintings and bookcases. These were just decoration however, to make the room seem less empty. In the middle of the room was a long mahogany table and behind it, sat the council of Mages.

The council was made up of three members - two Upper Mages and an Esteemed Mage. On the left sat Maven Tenacious, he was a Warlock and Jensen despised him. His face was almost always carved into a sneer, and the sneer deepened whenever the detective was around. On the right sat Gracious Gladden. He always dressed in black and contrasted Tenacious' sneer with a broad smile. Between them, sat the Esteemed Mage, Aristo Meticulous. He came from one of the ancient sorcerer families and had been Esteemed Mage for a long, long time.

"D.I. Lowe," Meticulous nodded in greeting when Jensen entered.

"Esteemed Mage," Jensen bowed his head slightly before the Mages. "I'm here to discuss the death of Adrian Gray."

"Of course," Meticulous said. He sounded a little surprised, but he adjusted his spectacles and waited for Jensen to continue.

"He passed away July 13th. As you know, Adrian lived a double life - an author and auctioneer in the mortal world, and my partner in ours-"

"Yes," Tenacious nodded, waving a hand in the air. "However Mr Gray was more committed to his life in the mortal world."

"He still worked here," Jensen responded. "And I have reason to believe Malignant is involved with his death."