A Poisoned Pear

Hello to all! This is my entry to the amazing Freshman 15s Contest, titled A Poisoned Pear.

When speaking of Johannes Skathi, the words lazy, worthless, and pay the damn rent get thrown around with alarming frequency. After flunking out of magical school, and punching out the guy down at the wizard’s employment office, Johan has ended up in a dead-end job as a rogue-hunter, hunting down all those who’ve broken magical law. Normally, the cases he takes on are small-time criminals; scam artists and petty thieves. But this isn’t a normal case.
A powerful magical artifact has gone missing, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. After casting an unpopular vote, one of the members of the ruling Council is found dead in his home, with his ring stolen and his apprentice missing. Johan is sent down to bring the missing apprentice back, at any cost. But as secrets are revealed, and Johan is caught up in games of political intrigue and magical battle, he must decide who, if anyone, it is safe to trust. Johannes Skathi was sent in to hunt a murderer, but with the stakes increasing, he must ask himself; is he the hunter, or the hunted?