89th of Dusk, 102
Archbishop Kallo's home was in the wealthier districts of Tairos. In between the Central Church and the Tairos Hall, it was a large wooden home with the golden eye of Aemir on its door. After learning of the newly minted Archbishop's schedule for the following day from his secretary, Kael and Marcus decided morning would be best, when Ovince Kallo would leave for the southern districts to meet with the Blacksmith's Guild.
The sun was beginning its stretch around the skies. Fog ran throughout the city, it was a rainless morning. The air was thick with humidity, and the two Sentinels were up, watching the door to the Archbishop's house from a safe distance. Before the morning bells could ring, the door opened, and out came the Archbishop, donning a brimmed hat. A carriage was ready and waiting; he entered it, and after a few seconds, it was off up Main Street.
The Sentinels waited for the carriage to fade away into the fog, then made for the door. Marcus knelt down to pick the lock while Kael covered him, observing the area. Very few were out at this time, a perfect time with the perfect conditions to attempt something like this. The door came open, and the Sentinels entered.
Marcus motioned for Kael to be silent as he closed the door, maybe in case someone was still in the house. Once the door shut behind them, they crept through the hallway, making a mental note of the different rooms on the first floor. Kitchen, living room, dining room; Ovince Kallo was certainly enjoying the benefits of such a high-standing position. Under the staircase, a trapdoor caught their attention, they would definitely be coming back to it.
Up ahead, footsteps sounded. The Sentinels were immediately on notice, they silently rushed over to the living room as the sounds moved closer to the stairs. Marcus made a cleaning motion, indicating maybe a maid was still in the home. The two hid in the room, keeping an eye on the stairs. The footsteps reached the stairs, then began to rhythmically head down. Do we reveal ourselves? We could make up an excuse; however, no matter what the case, sneaking into an Archbishop's home could very rarely be excusable.
Marcus seemed to be weighing the same things in his head, however, they didn't have much time. The legs of the person walking downstairs came into their view, followed by the torso, then the head. It was a maid, carrying a broom. Kael's body loosened, less tense than previous. They were out of view from the maid, however, Marcus tapped Kael on the shoulder, beckoning him to follow. So we will be revealing ourselves.
Marcus walked out of the living room, followed by Kael. The maid immediately took notice, now on the ground floor and only a few paces away from them. "Is Master Kallo with you?" she asked in an eerily monotonous tone.
"No," Marcus said, "we are Sentinels, here to investigate something important; we believe the Archbishop could be at risk."
"Where is Master Kallo?" the maid asked, ignoring Marcus' statement.
"He is away."
The maid's head twitched to the side, then back, as if she was being pulled around by invisible strings. Marcus furrowed his brow in confusion, and Kael observed the woman with an idle curiosity.
Kael blinked, then she was gone. A crash sounded behind him, and as he turned around, Marcus was no longer next to him. The maid had zipped across the room, crashing into Marcus and sending him into the kitchen. Marcus lay on the ground, struggling for air. The wind has been knocked out of him. Kael turned his attention to the maid, who was twitching again, dangerously close to Marcus.
Kael sprinted towards the woman, unsheathing one of his blades and swinging it down as he encroached on the maid. She dodged it with inhuman speed, and Kael was beginning to understand what she might be. The maid blitzed towards him, now using her broom, swinging it towards Kael's head. The Sentinel anticipated it, bringing his arm to guard his head. The speed of the strike, along with Kael's stone bracers, caused the broom to snap in half, one half smacking Kael in the back of the head.
He lurched forward, dazed by the unseen shot. Kael sliced his sword in the area in front of him, searching for the maid. His wits slowly came about him. Is this blood magic? The woman had moved away from him, slowly circling him. The kitchen was wide with much space to move. Marcus began to breathe behind Kael, though he certainly was still compromised.
There's only one way this woman can move this fast. If this is blood magic, then I have just have to catch her.
Kael sheathed his sword confidently. Without her broom, the speedy-maid was unarmed, and Kael didn't plan on using his sword to restrain her. The Sentinel moved forward, slowly cornering the woman. The second the maid's back hit the wall, she bounded forward at Kael once more. This time, Kael changed levels, crouching down and sliding forward, intercepting the maid at the waist. He grabbed her legs and lifted her up; her body was unbelievably light. The Sentinel slammed the woman into the wooden floorboards, and she screamed in pain. Kael clasped his gloved hand over her mouth, muffling her screams.
Marcus made his way over to his partner, now breathing fine. "That…that caught me off guard."
"I think this woman was using blood magic," Kael said. "Her speed, and how fragile she feels, is exactly how they taught us."
Marcus paused. "I'm afraid you might be right. I…I can't believe it." He took a deep breath. "Why…why did it have to be this?"
Kael looked at his shaken partner. "What should I do with her?"
Marcus covered his face with his hands and fell to his knees. "Of all the things it could be…why this? Why now?"
Kael frowned. "Marcus?"
Marcus snapped back into reality, looking back towards his Kael, then back at the restrained maid. "I…Turn her over. Turn her face over. Let me see her neck."
Kael moved the woman's face with his hand clasped around her mouth. Marcus moved her hair away from the back of her neck, revealing a red emblem in the shape of a circle with an x-shape inside. "A puppet," he sighed.
"How do you know?"
"Because I've…" Marcus winced. "I've seen a lot. They all have this mark on their neck."
"I see," Kael noted. "What shall I do with her then?"
Marcus looked at the woman with pity. "Her soul is already gone; the best thing we could do for her is to free her."
Free her? Oh, right. Kael redrew his blade and sank it into her chest.
"Oh, High Aemir," Marcus prayed, "please accept a soul we have freed from torment. Please lead her into the Lightlands for eternity."
Kael closed his eyes during the prayer.
Marcus rose silently. "I don't know how they came back…but there is a skilled blood mage operating in Tairos. We have to alert Evalor immediately for reinforcements. This threat is now much greater than we could have ever imagined."
"Is it Ovince Kallo?" Kael asked.
"It could be, we'll be asking him ourselves." Marcus eyed the cellar. "There's more to search, though."
Kael followed Marcus to the cellar trapdoor. Locked. After picking it, the trapdoor came open, revealing stairs leading to darkness. The Sentinels headed down wearily, unknowing of what could be waiting for them below. When they reached the floor, Kael struck a match from his satchel, lightly illuminating the area. He located two candles and lit them. It was an organized cellar, with a writing desk and one bookshelf lining the wall.
Kael walked over to the writing desk, examining it, while Marcus took apart the bookshelf. Just like the previous Archbishop, Victor Heron, Ovince Kallo's study seemed normal on the outside, aside from the fact that it was located in the cellar. The desk was similar to Archbishop Heron's, with very minimal objects on top. Kael checked both drawers, finding a clump of sealed parchments and some unfolded parchment, a thoroughly annotated map of the city, and a velis trinket.
"A ledger," Marcus said, flipping through a text. "Payments to the captain of the guard, just yesterday. 5 crests?" And the ledger in his house…why would it not be at his work office? Marcus closed the ledger. "Just the fact that there was blood magic in his house…that's all we need." He made for the stairs to the main floor. "You stay here, look around. I'll be returning with our heretic."