FrivYeti/CalinPg18
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"And then he just left?" Amanda frowned thoughtfully, and glanced around. She and Bryce were sitting on a bench by the ornate floral fountain that took up the centre of town, and people were passing by. None of them seemed to be paying any attention to the pair, but she kept her voice low anyway. "I don't know, Bryce. Sounds suspicious."
"I know, but... it's hard to explain. He seemed trustworthy." Bryce shrugged. "Anyway, he claims he'll be around. Keep an eye out for strange-looking animals. I'm more worried about what he said about the fae."
"That he had friends with them?"
"No!" Bryce looked at Amanda. "What's wrong with you, today?"
Amanda shook her head. "I don't like this, Bryce. I know, I know, just because he's... what he is, doesn't mean that he's evil. But we don't actually know anything about him. If he's the same one that the Hunt got rid of, wouldn't that make him evil?"
"Not necessarily. I mean, a year back, no one actually died. Just a few animals." Bryce sighed, and leaned back on the bench, watching the sky. "I don't think I have a choice but to trust him. Not with everything, but in general." He paused. "And I have to try and find this spy."
"If there is one. Could be a red herring." Bryce raised an eyebrow, and Amanda sighed. "No, you're right, it probably isn't. I just don't like the idea that somebody we know could be a spy for the Fair Folk. And I suppose you can't tell your father."
"Not unless I find proof, I can't." Bryce sighed, and turned to look at Amanda. "But I need to figure it out, before everything goes sour. Who's been acting strange, lately?"
"Everyone?" Amanda looked down at the ground. "Bryce, we're all dealing with the fact that there might be an army of the fae coming at us at any time. We may or may not be saved by the Realm, and our troops aren't up to fighting them. Define 'acting normal', under the situation."
"Um." There was a pause. "This is going to be a real pain, isn't it?"
"Yep." Amanda glanced around again. "Would make things easier if I could spot people taking undue attention with you. Unless the spy's avoiding you now. Which is possible. Who's been avoiding you lately?"
"What?" Bryce raised an eyebrow. "Well, uh... I don't know. I mean, I've been pretty busy. I haven't seen Lani or Gerald recently, I guess. Redman's off to Greyfalls. Most of the other guards are pretty busy." He sighed. "Brewan's normal - he's still trying to take peoples' minds off all of this. Look, the spy would want to be somewhere he could see a lot, right? That means either the council or the garrison. Probably the garrison."
Amanda nodded. "Alright. The question is, then - how would they have gotten involved? How did they slip into the city? They had to have replaced the first person, right?"
"Maybe. Maybe they just possess them or something. Maybe they..." Bryce trailed off, thoughtfully. "Whoever they are, they need to keep their power up, right? How do Fair Folk do that?"
"That's easy. They eat souls. Or at least parts of souls." Amanda watched Bryce uncertainly.
"And how long does it take for someone to recover from that?"
"How should I know? Ages, I imagine." Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Bryce, where are you going with this?"
"Bear with me. Adar, the others... they're just comatose. What if they were the victims of the spy?" Bryce was staring thoughtfully into space, ordering his thoughts. "They could have been soul-devoured. It could take months, maybe years to recover... if they ever do." He felt the pain rising up, but anger was rising with it. "They never would have known."
"Alright, let's say I believe you. How does this help us?"
Bryce's anger was visible on his face, but something else was rising under it. "Who brought Adar back? Who was alone when he found the missing patrol? Who volunteered to go deliver word to the Realm that we're in trouble?"
Amanda gulped. "Redman. Bryce, you don't think..."
"I think we're too late; it fits together too well. The spy's damage has already been done." Bryce stood. "Redman was acting strange when the others were brought in. I figured he was just worried. Crap. Crap." Yasher Jammar, passing by, glanced over, and Bryce and Amanda waved at him, fixing smiles. The townsman continued on, and Bryce bit back another curse. "If Redman is the spy, then he probably warned them about the riders. There's a good chance that Markus wouldn't make it through. Let's see..." He counted on his fingers. "He left eleven days ago. He should be back today, or tommorow." He kicked the bench. "No use warning Father, now. The extra day won't matter." He shook his head. "I have to try and deal with this now, before it's too late. I have to find the Fair Folk lair..."
"Bryce, that's insane! You'll die!"
"No, I..." Bryce broke off as Lani approached, with a faint smile. "Hey, Lani, what's up."
Lani looked distracted. "Hello, Bryce. You should come to the front gate; Markus is here."
Bryce blinked. "Markus?" He stared at Amanda for a moment, and then back to Lani. "By himself?"
"He's hurt. Gerald is tending to him, and Kala has headed to the north garrison to tell Captain Garamond. But we don't have any other guardsmen."
"Lani, Markus is a guardsman. There isn't any trouble, is there?" Bryce frowned, trying to puzzle out the conversation.
"What? No, no. I think he wanted to get the guards together, that's all."
"Right." Bryce frowned, thoughtfull. "I'll be there in a minute." He started off towards his home, leaving Amanda and Lani standing behind, and then stopped, turning back. "Both of you, don't go to the square. Get home. I have a suspicion - I can't talk about it. Just trust me."
