V2Ch62-The Alchemist’s Substance
“What is it?” Mariella asked quietly, stepping closer to Tybalt.
The other women followed her lead and crowded around him.
The necromancer lowered his voice.
“This rockslide wasn’t a natural event,” Tybalt said. “It was an assassination attempt. Dero found something- ” The dark elf produced the bit of burned rope she had shown Tybalt already- “that shows this was actually a targeted explosion.”
“In addition to this fuse, there were also burnt wood splinters and residue of some chemical,” Dero said.
Tybalt nodded. “It was just like the manmade rockslide Andric used against our squad back when they were first trying to find the village. I also saw a bit of fire overhead before it happened.”
“I guess that rules out someone from outside the tribe,” Vidalia said reluctantly.
“Do you… think it was Andric?” Victoria asked immediately, her brow furrowed.
“I wouldn’t think so,” Tybalt said. “But I don’t know. I don’t know him as well as you two, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would endanger his people’s future out of spite. Even if he was determined to kill me out of romantic jealousy, I don’t think he’d put you and Vidalia in the line of fire.”
Plus, it would be really stupid to make himself the prime suspect this way.
“How did your little date go?” Dero asked. “Badly enough to plunge him into despair?”
Vidalia shook her head but looked like she was suppressing the urge to laugh.
Victoria blushed. “Honestly, it… didn’t go very well. It wasn’t Andric’s fault.” She gave Vidalia a pointed look.
“Oh, don’t go blaming me,” Vidalia replied, shaking her head. “You were distant and uninterested the entire time. Like you were thinking about someone else or something. Andric looked so disappointed. I was just more honest about how I felt. It was probably refreshing for him. I told him outright that the only man I see myself marrying is Tybalt.”
The necromancer and the foxgirl exchanged flirtatious looks.
“You’re the one he’s always been interested in, Vida,” Victoria said. “You- ”
“All right, so the outing was a minor disaster for Andric,” Mariella interrupted. “Unless we believe he’s a real suspect, it doesn’t sound like that really matters right now.” She turned to Tybalt. “Can we get the local authorities involved, or do you think the Councils of Elders were in on it?”
“Well, I think Isak probably has to be completely blameless. It’s hard to imagine him willingly putting himself and those children in the line of fire just to assassinate me. That sort of behavior takes a lot of conviction, and I haven’t seen a hint that he’s opposed to a single thing I’m doing. I don’t really know about Elder Sybil, but Vidalia trusts her, so I figure we can probably assume she wouldn’t try to kill all of us either.” The foxgirl nodded. “Plus, if she wanted to get rid of me, it would be smarter to use poison and pretend it was medicine or something. I wouldn’t suspect a thing. But anyone else… they’re all suspects. People who are powerful under the current system are the ones with the most incentive to come after me.” All four women nodded in unhesitating agreement. “The reason why I asked you to tell Elder Sybil not to leave is that when Andric used explosives before, she was the one who concocted them. So I want to ask her questions about that.”
“Do you think this person is going to try again?” Victoria asked a little anxiously.
“Probably.” It was Dero who spoke this time. “Whoever did this was willing to kill innocent children and a member of your Council of Elders just to get to Tybalt. Or Vidalia. I don’t know if it’s right to assume that the necromancer was the target, even though that is the most obvious possibility. But politicians can be surprisingly clever, in my limited experience, at least when it comes to backstabbing and scheming. Sometimes they move in ways that disguise their true motives.”
“No, I think darling is the target,” Vidalia said, shaking her head slowly. She looked at Tybalt. “I’ve seen in visions that people might oppose you before. A few of the Elders, jealous of the new leader taking away their power and influence. This trying-to-kill-you bit is new, though.”
“Is there anything we can do about this right now?” Victoria asked uneasily. “It’s frightening to think the killer might strike again. What if Uncle Edmund and Hayden are there?”
“The two of you should come and stay with me,” Tybalt said. “Until the crisis is over. We’ll add on extra rooms so that it won’t be cramped between you, Kistana, Dero, and all the kids.”
“Maybe an extra house,” Dero said with a snort.
Tybalt shrugged. “Maybe. Anyway, if you’re not living with your uncle and cousin, they’re less likely to be drawn into any attack on us. I think this is going to take a while to unwind. Even after I know who decided to try and kill me, I can’t carelessly go after them.”
“What?” Victoria said. “The Council punishes criminals, Tybalt. Even if it’s one of their own, trying to hold onto his power, like Vidalia thinks. If you get the evidence- ”
“I have to be patient,” the necromancer replied. “Even once I know who it was. I have to make sure there was no one else involved. I’m going to be the leader of the beastfolk in time. I can’t have someone in my ranks, secretly plotting against me, sowing discontent, waiting for an opportunity to strike. I’m setting things in motion so that we won’t be caught by surprise like this again. Until then, we have to be patient and keep things tightly contained within our circle.”
“What if- ?” Victoria began to speak again, but Vidalia gently grabbed her by the arm.
“We understand, Tybalt,” she said. “We’ll of course trust you to handle this. Do you need anything else from us?”
“Do you have any obvious suspects?” Tybalt asked.
“Well, half the Council likes Vida, and half of them dislike her, does that count?” Victoria asked with a note of sarcasm in her voice.
But Tybalt answered seriously: “Yes. Give me the names of the members of both groups. Also, if you can explain the factions in the Council generally, how people tend to align, that would be helpful. Some people are the type to do something like this alone, and some are the type who only find courage in groups.”
“Before that do you have some more specifics about how you’re going to protect all of us?” Mariella asked quietly.
Tybalt noticed, with this prompting, that Victoria still looked disturbed by the revelation that someone, probably someone she knew, had attempted to kill all of them - and willingly killed a pair of orphans. The foxgirl was barely holding herself together.
“Absolutely,” Tybalt said. He flashed the fire mage a gentle smile. “If you’re all willing to accept this. It does come at a kind of personal cost…”
He explained the method. Then the five of them continued their conversation. It went on for another fifteen minutes, as they tried to get out everything they needed to say to each other.
Finally, they stopped when Elder Sybil emerged from Tybalt’s new home.
“I understand that you wanted to speak with me, Lord Necromancer?” she asked.
The necromancer approached.
“We need your discretion,” Tybalt said quietly. “You were the one who made the explosive material Andric’s defense force used against my Army squad, weren’t you?”
She gave him a slow nod, her expression turning a bit uncomfortable.
“Well, we think someone used it,” he said. “The rockslide today wasn’t natural. Dero found a rope fuse, along with burnt chemicals and wood from a container the chemicals were stored in.”
The alchemist’s eyes widened, her mouth opening in a little, shocked ‘o.’
“I understand,” she breathed after a moment.
“So, about the substance you made for the defense force, where is that stuff stored? And has anyone else bought some recently?”
She shook her head sharply. “No, I don’t make that for just anyone. We keep what supply there is of it in a cave near the village. It was the same cave where the old folks and children hid during the Army’s attack.”
Tybalt nodded, then turned to Dero. “Can you take us there, so we can check on the alchemist’s stash of explosive liquid?”
“I live to serve,” she replied dryly.
One teleport and twenty paces later, and they stood in the depths of the cave. Though it was dark, Tybalt could make out the shapes of multiple bows and quivers of arrows along with a few slings.
“It should be right here,” murmured Elder Sybil. She crouched down, and she picked up a small cask made of wood so dark that it almost blended into the cave wall. “There’s, it’s- ” Her expression froze.
“Something wrong?” Dero asked.
“It’s light,” Sybil said, looking like she might swallow her tongue. “Almost empty. I… I don’t know what happened.”
“It seems like someone stole it,” the necromancer said.
“Only someone on the Council or one of Andric’s defenders would even know where it was,” the alchemist said, rubbing her forehead in apparent anxiety.
“Then I know where to begin my search,” he said. “I assume I can count on your discreet support.”
The old woman nodded.
“And I’ll need an additional favor,” Tybalt added.