The Nekromancer - 43. Chapter 43

Amnor Sen watched the jailer's wagon rumble away, Jeremy kneeling next to the mauled dwarf.

"What in the gods' names happened?" Jeremy demanded. "Did he get attacked by a wildcat?"

"A wild catfolk," a man said, covering the dwarf's corpse.

He tossed it into another wagon as Jeremy and Amnor Sen looked at each other in horror.

"Jakun did this?"

"This catfolk, did he have dark fur and a book on his hip?" Amnor Sen demanded.

"Yup, that's him. We have reason to believe he was breaking into this store and was caught by the dwarf."

Amnor Sen shook his head roughly.

"That isn't like Jakun. Are you sure he was trying to break in?"

"Well someone broke in, and we found a sword and a spellbook on him."

"Those are his," Jeremy frowned.

"Jeremy, I'm going to get Jakun and talk to him. You try to figure out who actually broke into this place and if they took anything, okay? Aside from Jakun's claw marks, I don't see anything suggesting this dwarf is the intruder," Amnor Sen said.

The elf took off, running lithely after the wagon as the cleric watched.

"Fuck, I want his ass so much…" Jeremy sighed.

Shaking his head, the cleric moved around the store, looking at the broken window. He stuck his head in the hole, searching the dark interior with a soft grunt.

"Dammit, I need a light…"

Stepping back, he yelped as his foot was stabbed, caltrops still littering the ground.

"Someone ran…"

Glancing at where the dwarf had lain, Jeremy shook his head.

"No, if it was him, the caltrops would probably be further away… why are they close… unless Jakun chased someone away from the store."

The dwarf was between the shop and Methusda's forge. Jakun could have been chasing him toward the forge, but it didn't make sense for the amurrun to kill the dwarf if he had been chasing him toward his companions.

"He was an accomplice," Jeremy muttered. "The real thief ran in that direction."

He looked down the alley, his eyes not picking anything up.

"Fuck, they got away completely free and left their friend to be captured."

The cleric shook his head, a murmured prayer escaping his lips. He felt a brief rush of power escaping him, and then nothing.

"That figures…" he grumbled, leaning against a wall. "How is this place impervious to even the gods' wills? What happened here?"

Silence answered him, the cleric the only being still braving the alley this late at night. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Find the thief, but he had no idea what the thief looked like, and no witnesses save for Jakun and a dead dwarf.

"Fuck… I'm heading back to the shop," Jeremy grumbled, limping away.

Meanwhile, Amnor Sen was chasing down a wagon, staying behind it as the vehicle plodded slowly through the streets. He saw a blurred form slip out the back, the elf frowning at the sight of a halfling sized Anya. The werewolf vanished as soon as she hit a street in front of Amnor Sen, the paladin trying to figure out what had just happened.

He didn't feel any different, but then, he had never been the best with magic. The part of town he was entering was definitely nicer, and the paladin found himself wondering, was this city using magic to beat down those without it?

The wagon pulled into an enclosed yard, a pair of dwarves guarding the entrance with short staves in hand. Looking at them closer, Amnor Sen realised they weren't staves.

"Excuse me, my companion was just arrested on false charges," the paladin said, approaching them.

"Not our problem," one of the dwarves grunted.

Amnor Sen frowned, looking past them to where Jakun was being dragged out of the wagon, bloody and bruised.

"Look, if I can just talk to someone-"

"You're talking to me, and I'm saying get lost."

"I'll give you each five gold right now if you let me talk to someone in charge," Amnor Sen said in near desperation.

The dwarves looked at each other, the one on the right holding out a hand. Amnor Sen slipped ten gold out, his gut clenching as he paid off the guards. They let him through, the paladin hurrying toward the building beyond the wall.

He pushed through a door, locating a man in a sharp uniform.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a catfolk who was just brought in."

"Who let you in here?" the human growled.

"I'm a paladin of Shelyn. The catfolk is one of my companions. I know he is not responsible for that dwarf's death," Amnor Sen said quickly.

"He was caught in the act of robbing a store and beating a dwarf to death. He is guilty and will hang in the morrow."

"Did you ask what he attacked the dwarf?"

"Why bother? He'll just come up with some lie to save his ass," the man scowled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, you have no business here-"

"Can I just have five minutes with him? Please?" Amnor Sen pleaded.

The human grunted.

"Fine. Five minutes."

Amnor Sen was led to a room, the door locked behind him. Jakun was led through the other door, his wrists and ankles shackled. Amnor Sen frowned at the stab wound that was still oozing blood on Jakun's arm.

"Why?" the elf demanded immediately.

"He attacked me. I was trying to stop a human woman who was climbing out of a broken window."

"Did you tell the guards?"

"They clubbed me. I couldn't think properly."

Amnor Sen sighed.

"They want to kill you. I don't know how, but I'm going to find a way to free you. Okay? There is a good chance we won't be able to come back to this city if you go free."

"I can't die until Loran is gone," Jakun said sharply. "You have to get me out of here. Please."

"I promise, you will be freed."

"And my book?"

Amnor Sen frowned, but nodded.

"I'll do what I can," he promised.