Infernal Investigations

“Well,” I said, looking out the window of the room we had rented. “I think we have our answer. Or at least winnowed it down some.”

For the second time this year, I was looking at the main cathedral of Halspus. The same central spire towering over the hexagonal structure. The same irritable feeling of divine magic trying to kill me through the window. More muted, since the glass provided a physical barrier between us and it.

It was swiftly approaching noon, the temple doors open and accepting a stream of people. The bisected image of Halspus striking down a multi-limbed fanged devil, Argothias’ker with an incandescently glowing torch now flanked a steady flow of people inside. To my mild confusion, most of them were in the robes of Halspusian priests, and far more of them that I expected. He was the head deity of the city, but I wouldn’t expect this many of how clerics would be going into the largest church to him in Avernon in the middle of the day, and so few coming out. The constant stream had dug a massive furrow in the snow, you could even see the bare stone of the pavement now that the snow had stopped.

I turned to the table in the center of the room. Getting one so close to the cathedral had been…difficult. Most of the place surrounding it were understandably very high class, but we had found a place for travelling pilgrims. Me and Alice had come in under heavy cloaks, and the owner had still almost flipped out until Gregory has sweet-talked his way out of it with the help of some coin and me and Alice’s best ‘penitent self-hating Infernals here to let ourselves be destroyed by the holy pure light devouring our unworthy flesh’ act.

Even so, we’d ended up in a room with no beds, just blankets stretched over hard wood, and three chairs of which only one felt actually comfortable to sit in. Gregory had confirmed that on all three, so it wasn’t just the tails getting in the way.

A bowl sat on the table, regular wood, filled to the brim with water. Precisely carved symbols along the outside of it, while inside floated a crossbow bolt, tip still flecked red with dried blood.

It pointed at the cathedral, occasionally drifting slightly to the left or right, tracking the movements of Priestkiller inside the massive edifice.

“Sorry about bringing you along Alice,” I said coolly, looking up from the bowl at where her and Gregory were relaxing by the door. “I realize that can’t have been very comfortable.”

“She didn’t give you much of a choice on coming alone,” Gregory said wryly, getting an irritated look from Alice.

Neither of them had, which I thought would be the doom of me when we set off, especially with my emotions high from both my discussion with Melissa and their…efforts before all that.

Thankfully, it turned out fully focusing on the case at hand was sufficient to keep my mind off other details. No matter how much those other details had tried to hold my hand during the process. I had the Hells’ own luck that the the other had ended up looking away when their counterpart attempt to initiate, and that I had been firm in my discipline.

Only ten seconds for each. Definitely not any longer.

“It would have been less exposure if someone hadn’t insisted on walking around the entire cathedral,” Alice complained, shuddering as if that would shake some holy magic of Halspus off of her. “Was that necessary?”

“Yes,” I replied. “If it had turned out that the Priestkiller was somewhere behind the cathedral you two would never let me live it down.”

More importantly, it was a genuine possibility. And even with the confirmation that the Priestkiller was inside Halspus’ cathedral, it didn’t nail down Forcreek as the killer. It could be Gallaspie. It could be some unmet disciple of Halspus who’d been kept away from the rest of us to prevent even the slightest chance of discovery. It could even be someone just visiting.

We’d know for certain once we saw Forcreek leaving the cathedral. And be able to keep track of him. Within limits.

There were limitations to the tracker. First, it could only track direction, not distance. Second, since it was in the bowl, it couldn’t track elevation either. If I could construct a sphere of water, that would be capable, but I didn’t have any mage contacts who I could lean on to make that. Trying to go through Intelligence would just result in them figuring out what I was doing. Voltar likely already suspected about the crossbow bolt. Right now what was keeping that under wraps was important.

“I’ve arranged for the room for a week,” Gregory said. “That and making sure the owner doesn’t speak up about a pair of Infernals wanting a room near the cathedral took most of my funds, so let’s hope this doesn’t last too long.”

In other circumstances, I would disagree, but a week should suffice. We didn’t need this place to stake out the cathedral to break in, just to confirm an identity. Forcreek couldn’t stay inside there forever. And if he could?

Well, I had another plan on how to handle that.

“We’ll need someone to stay here monitoring this,” I said, tearing my gaze away from the cathedral. “And it will have to be one of us. Or perhaps Tolman. There are not many other options.”

Alice opened her mouth, but then reconsidered what she was about to say.

I hadn’t told them most of the details surrounding Melissa’s conversation with me, but they knew that her help couldn’t be depended on. And her trustworthiness was also…up for debate. I breathed out. Let it go, Malvia. Whatever her choice, I would not get involved until she made the first move.

Our Imperial Intelligence contacts were an option, but as much as I might personally be tempted to trust Tagashin, Voltar, and Dawes, I couldn’t trust them to keep it secret from their superiors. Voltar and Dawes out of some strange sense of honor or unwillingness to lie, Tagashin because I knew they could compel her to answer if needed.

I didn’t need to even think for a second on if we should involve Varrow. No.

“Slayer of the Dead Derrick is an option,” Gregory pointed out, walking over to me while keeping as far away from the bowl as he could. “Or your new friends at the Temple of Lareran.”

“Maybe,” I said, looking as more people went into the Cathedral. Middle of the day. “Derrick I still don’t want to trust fully. And Metrill, it depends on who she trusts, but keep in mind her church had its own member of the conspiracy nestled into their ranks.”

Derrick seemed to be less involved than either Gallaspie or Timmel, but I couldn’t let my guard down around her. Not until I was certain, which may not be until this entire mess is over. And with Metrill, it depended on who she sent. It would be easier if we hadn’t already found one snake there.

“We can’t just keep it to four of us,” Alice said. “Especially when three of us are likely to burn the moment some of these priests pull out the divine light on us.”

“I know,” I muttered. “The issue is we do not have a lot of trustworthy pools of people. Captain Malstein is probably out. The Xangs are too likely to be wild cards, especially those who want haven’t had a chance to wet their blades yet. I am not hiring anyone out for something this important, and-”

My line of thought trailed off as I glanced back at the cathedral again.

“Is there some noon ritual associated with Halspus?” I asked, as another carriage pulled up, disgorging a small group in Halspusian robes. “This seems excessive.”

Gregory came to the window. “This does. I suspect the clergy of Halspus are being brought in to be prepared.”

I cocked my head to the side. “So, they have finally admitted reality and are preparing for when at least some of the details to this go public?”

“Our own temple is doing the same, albeit we did it two days ago,” Gregory said. “Preparing for if this goes public. Expect a lot of angry clerics to come out of there as soon as that meeting is concluded.”

I raised an eyebrow. “If they want to keep it under wraps, this seems an ill-advised way to go about it?”

“I doubt they’ll be told the whole truth,” Gregory said. “Most will probably be told to expect some kind of slander against the church. The senior-most ones will probably be told the full truth. But also, no matter what a fellow cleric of the deity does-”

“-Flame issues stay within the Flame,” me and Alice both said, getting an irritated look from him.

“I resent the implication of the comparison,” he said. “But yes. Which is why Intelligence’s involvement has been so poorly received.”

“Any chance of hiding it was dead the moment it started,” I muttered, turning my attention to the cathedral again. “Voltar sped the process up some. Not by much.”

“I had this same conversation with Slayer Derrick and Bishop Gallaspie,” Gregory said drily. “Before they decided to ignore what I said and just keep me around for information on you and Voltar. At least Derrick tried to be polite about it.”

“What did you tell them, anyway?” I asked as another carriage pulled up.

Some priest inside took one look outside and gestured, sunlight lancing out at the built-up snow. I closed my eyes as my skin felt a light burn, which faded after the cleric had finished using divinely granted magic to clear his path. I’d call it privileged, but truth be told, I’d have done the same thing.

“General observations on you and Voltar,” Gregory said. “And a detailed account of what all happened the night of the party at my house.”

“Oh,” I said. “How detailed?”

“Essentially everything,” Gregory said.

I almost asked if that included me essentially putting us in a situation to try to make him kiss me, but luckily some semblance of rationality throttled my brain before I said anything.

“Also, Imperial Intelligence needs to be informed anyway,” Gregory pointed out. “At the end of the day, they’ll be the ones needed to arrest the Priestkiller?”

“They have their own game,” I muttered.

“And?” Gregory prompted. “Malvia, whatever their own game is, it’s not letting the portal open. And if it’s recruiting the Priestkiller? That seems less damaging than risking this ritual go off.”

Alice and I traded glances. I couldn’t shed my suspicions but-

“The four of us ain’t going to take him down by ourselves,” Alice said.

“A fair point,” I conceded. “Getting the Imperials involved is a requirement. And hopefully the warning Voltar’s superior received was enough. But yes, we need them. Even if Gregory’s angel friend is willing to give up more flesh, I have little desire to tangle with the Priestkiller without help.”

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I doubted Captain Malstein would either be willing to stick his neck out for me anytime soon, or even be allowed to after what had happened with the trap involving Mourner Kelson. The Xangs were a different story, especially if their failure to kill or capture the Priestkiller pricked as much as I expected. But they also were a less reliable set of allies then what I would prefer.

The clerics? I was willing to trust Lareran’s acolytes a little, but had little knowledge of how much divine power they had at their disposal. And the other churches may be infiltrated. The names I’d found as involved in the conspiracy could be the entirety of those involved, or just a small minority, some of the least important members.

Given they’d been the ones running the risk of embezzling money to launder through Holmsteader? Probably the latter.

Which left Imperial Intelligence. Damn.

“I’ll send a note to Voltar,” I muttered. “Or probably just tell himself as soon as I can. Or Tagashin, if she shows up. Until then-”

“I’ll do it,” Gregory volunteered. “Since I’m the only one who won’t feel like my skin is being scraped off.”

“We appreciate your sacrifice so much, noble,” Alice said, tone dry but not the kind she used like she wanted to strip flesh off. “Alright. Malvia, next steps?”

“I want you to get with Tolman, make sure Mourner Kelson is doing alright,” I told her. “Don’t ask him where he’s at or anything, that stays quiet even from you two. After that, get in touch with Thieves’ Guild, find out if any more of the missing diabolists have turned up. I’ll do the same with Barnes.”

“You expect to find her?” Gregory asked, then held his hands up as I turned a dry gaze on him. “Not to doubt your skills, but Barnes is-”

“Barnes,” I replied. “I figure she will find me rather than the other way around.”

“You just going to sit on your ass drinking tea while we do all the running around, aren’t you?” Alice said.

“No,” I replied, rolling my eyes, my gaze landing on the Cathedral’s entrance again. Argothias’ker dying at the hands of the man who would reclaim the sun. “I’m putting some doubts to rest.”

***

I hated to fit into certain stereotypes about Infernals, but much of my time since leaving that rented room had been spent hiding in alleyways. Even worse, I’d spent that time stalking a probably good citizen of the empire.

Slayer Derrick had spent the last seven hours being a very harried woman, and she looked no less so as she emerged from a temple of Zaviel, pausing to stare at a statue flanking the entrance.

That was my impression, at least, from tailing her. The Slayer had made multiple stops over the last few hours, most of them at temples of Zaviel. She usually stayed a good twenty minutes at each, each a small stone building that was at the entrance of a graveyard. From my understanding, the majority of the space was actually underground, including where the majority of the bodies were buried. Having your grave be on the surface was a luxury.

She’d made a few other stops. Two arcane shops. A butcher. Several cosmetic shops, which puzzled me a little. I’d never noticed her wear any. Then again, they’d been in a rich enough district I’d been forced to conceal myself more than normal. They had their alleyways actually patrolled by private security and screamed if they so much as saw horns.

The point was, good cosmetics meant to hide some of the ravages of time might not be as noticed.

I frowned as Derrick continued to stay in place, looking at the statue. She’d stared when she entered the temple as well.

A glance at the statue Derrick was staring at made me realize why. Oh. It was hard to tell, but if you smoothed out the wrinkles, took away some of the ravages of time, the Slayer was staring at herself, perhaps in her early twenties. The statue must have been made in the last half-decade.

That explained the Slayer’s expression, although that smoothed out when the same priest who had greeted her when she arrived came out.

They traded words as they headed over to her carriage, and I fished my map out.

I idly marked the location of this one on my map. Eight so far. Probably not many more, with the sun disappeared behind the buildings. Soon the light would be gone entirely.

“Hey Malvia,” Tagashin whispered cheerily next to me. “What are you doing?”

I did not jump or shift, although after a second I had my tail release the knife it had been drawing. It had already been halfway to the back of her neck.

“One of these days, you’re going to pull this on something or someone less friendly and more capable than me,” I chided her.

“If I am ever foolish enough to pull this on someone like that, I will have deserved it,” she replied. “So, again, what are you doing?”

I rolled my eyes. As if she didn’t know.

The kitsune had come as a regular human this time, no Infernal disguise, although she had kept her hot pink suit and hat. I eyed it critically, but not a single one of the other people in the alleyway had reacted. Three people were living further down, and some moron who considered himself tough had been lurking at the other end. A quick flash of a sword and a grin filled with pointy teeth had been sufficient to make all four look the other way.

“So,” I continued. “Any reason you came to say hi? Another cleric dead?”

Back at the temple entrance, Derrick was getting a parcel out of the back of the carriage, two feet across in all directions. One of the acolytes who’d held me at crossbow bolt point was helping her with it. She’d left one at each temple, and I presumed it had to do with the oft-mentioned Day of Closing Skies and Solemn Ground. Two days away now.

“Not yet,” Tagashin said, settling in next to me. I’d assumed the position of a knocked-out drunk by the alley exit, complete with a half-empty beer bottle loosely gripped. “That must be uncomfortable.”

It was, but you got used to it after a while. I’d endured worse. “The clerics?”

“Again, no one is dead yet,” Tagashin said, giving the two clerics a cheeky wave neither reacted to. I resisted the urge to clock her on principle. “No one is finding several of them though, which has everyone in a real tizzy. Everyone is trying to figure it out, and instead of helping, here you are getting drunk and spying on Slayer Derrick.”

I hadn’t drunk a drop yet, but it wasn’t worth arguing. “Just scratching an itch of suspicion. I have information for Voltar. I have good proof that the Priestkiller is in the Cathedral of Halspus, and I can track him decently well.”

Tagashin grinned. “So you did take the crossbow bolt. You would not believe how much those two argued about that after you left. Cheeky girl, did you think no one would notice?”

“No,” I replied. “I figured no one would care when I get results.”

Tagashin cackled, and this time my did tail did smack her across the back of her skull. Lightly!

“Point taken,” Tagashin said. “You know the ones above them don’t care about that. And what do you plan on doing next?”

I paused, considering the Slayer for a few seconds.

“I think,” I said. “That I’ll ask Slayer Derrrick if she is willing to help me get an audience with Bishop Gallaspie in the Cathedral of Halspus for tomorrow morning. Critical information to the investigation. I feel both of them need to know.”

Tagashin breathed in sharply and spat out a few words I couldn’t understand in a harsh tone. It did not sound complimentary, and continued on for a few seconds while I watched the Slayer exchange a farewell with the cleric she was talking to.

“I’m going to assume some of what you said,” I replied. “And no, I have not lost my mind. Now, would you mind changing into something less ostentatious before the Slayer leaves?”

Tagashin glared at me, then dramatically snapped her fingers. In a moment, the pink suit was gone, replaced by a more mundane set of clothes in brown and black.

“Perhaps a little quieter next time,” I muttered.

“We’re half a street away,” Tagashin said. “And it’s only because Derrick might have enough divine favor to pierce my glamour that I’m bothering at all. How are you keeping up with her, anyway?”

I watched as Derrick finished saying her goodbyes to the priest, giving him the parcel, then heading back to her carriage.

“Malvia?”

“This isn’t her main carriage, and while she’s well-cared for, I don’t think her personal wealth is that great on its own,” I muttered. “The church provides for her needs, of course, but the carriage isn’t really enchanted. So it has to make slow going otherwise it will be a ride the good Slayer’s bones won’t agree with.”

“You’ve been trailing her on foot?” Tagashin shook her head. “She’s going to notice sooner or later.”

I rolled my eyes. “I am technically part of Imperial Intelligence still, Barnes. She spots me tailing her? She figures I got assigned to tail her by Samuel Voltar. Being told earlier that I am very much not part of Imperial Intelligence anymore is just going to make her even more convinced of that.”

“So you want to get seen?” Tagashin said as we continued following the carriage.

“I don’t care if she finds out later,” I told Tagashin. “I just wanted to see what she’s doing today. It’s convinced me, and now, I’m going to get an audience with some very juicy bait.”

“Hrrm,” the kitsune said, ears perking. “Do I get to ask what this juicy bait is”

“Nope,” I said, giving Tagashin a small grin. “I’m afraid telling you is out of the question.”

The Kitsune scowled, but I just shrugged in response. She wasn’t going to hear anything she might be forced to regurgitate for her Intelligence superiors.

“Listen,” I said, getting up as the Slayer’s carriage started rolling. “Just trust me on this one. And as we stalk, let me tell you some other things Voltar might be interested in.”

***

“You know, Miss Harrow,” Slayer Derrick said. “It’s not often I get to have a guest in my carriage twice in one day.”

I grinned, ignoring the acolyte with a bolt point digging into my ribs. Again. Use a gun! For the sake of my clothes if nothing else.

“If this is the kind of reception attached to such an honor, I can understand why, Slayer Derrick.”

That earned the bolt point pushing in a little further, but the Slayer laughed.

“Fair enough,” she replied, waving her hand and the bolt withdrew. “What brings you back after me, Miss Harrow? And how did you find me?”

“Don’t think I can say why I was on your trail,” I said, grimacing. “I like my neck, and it’s been made clear how close it’s been to getting slashed.”

Not really lying on that part, even if there’d been no blunt warning.

“As for the rest, it’s tied in a little,” I told her. “I need a favor. An audience with you and Bishop Gallaspie inside the Cathedral of Halspus. Tomorrow if possible.”

There was utter silence in the carriage for a while, then a whispered. “You’ve gone mad, haven’t you?”

“No,” I said, smiling faintly. “I can see why you would think so, but I have information for you both, but more importantly, I need it to be said in a secure location. There’s few places more secure in hands Bishop Gallaspie would be willing to meet at that I can think of.”

Derrick stared at me incredulously. “Tomorrow?”

“It’s critical information,” I replied.

Slayer Derrick glared at me. “I’ve spent my entire day running around preparing for the holiest day to Zaviel, and you decide to ask me about this at the end of it?”

“Trust me Slayer,” I said. “I’m only too aware of how precious time is.”

She glared at me over that, and I immediately regretted the choice of words.

“Sorry,” I apologize. “I meant about how few deaths there are before the ritual is complete, not anything else.”

She sighed. “Apology accepted. But this is..critical. I suppose you don’t get it.”

“My exposure to pantheon religion has been more hostile than not until recently,” I admitted, getting a snort from her.

“Yes, well outside of your recent association with Lareran, I can understand why your exposure to Tarver’s religion might be more positive than not recently,” she said drily.

I blushed. “I think people read far more into that then actually exists.”

Derrick didn’t even need to say anything, was the worst part, just smirk before she got back to business.

“How critical is it?” Derrick said, eyeing me suspiciously. “Especially if you weren’t willing to tell it to me in the carriage, but are willing to tell us now?”

I grimaced. “There really isn’t an excuse. I wasn’t feeling the most cooperative considering the circumstances of that meeting. And I wasn’t as sure about certain facts then as I am now.”

Both true. Being held hostage and forced to answer questions hardly made one inclined to cooperation. And I was more certain about facts regarding the Priestkiller’s identity now then I was then.

“Really?” Derrick said, sounding irritated and tired. “Like what, precisely?”

I mimed looking around. “Information best not said in public.”

She stared for a few moments. “And who are you worried about overhearing?”

I tried not to glare too reproachfully. Really, take a hint.

“I think saying who would already count as too much information,” I replied. “And especially not in the open.”

“We’re in a carriage,” Derrick said irritably. “One that has been enchanted to deal with eavesdroppers.”

“Magic isn’t the solution to everything,” I replied, smoothing my own irritation at the stonewalling away. “If the information was less critical, perhaps, but I am not risking it. If you want to have it somewhere else, maybe the main temple of your deity instead-”

“That won’t be necessary,” Derrick said, shaking her head. “Point taken. I hope you understand how difficult this will be? Infernals who go into the cathedral don’t generally come out afterward.”

Not as difficult as the headache she’d deal with if people trying to eavesdrop attempted to break into the temple of Zaviel, apparently.

“I’m aware,” I said. “I also know it’s possible.”

Mostly from talking with my meager contacts. Gregory hadn’t known much. Metrill had known much more, and seemed almost eager to see how it turned out. They could bring an Infernal inside without hurting them from the sheer light concentrated in the the cathedral, they just usually did it for interrogations.

It would cut off my access to Diabolism, which suited me just fine. Less things for they to accuse me of doing if things went south.

Derrick sighed. “He’s going to blame you if it isn’t anything but earth-shattering, Miss Harrow. But from what you’ve said….fine. I’ll see what I can arrange. Now, I have other stops to make. Out.”

“Of course,” I said as the carriage slowed.

Unfortunately, the acolyte kept an eye on me, as did the coachwoman, so I didn’t get a chance to investigate those remaining parcels to sate my curiosity about what was inside them. It was fine. So was having to walk home, even with the sun ow fully gone and the nearby clock tower chiming out the hour as nine in the evening. I’d gotten what I’d wanted, access to the Cathedral of Halspus.

The main reason was to make sure that Forcreek was the Priestkiller, but there was no reason I couldn’t prod a reaction out of the conspiracy at the same time.

Tomorrow, I’d tell Gallaspie and Derrick three things, a mixture of what I believed to be the truth and some lies. That Nightdweller Timmel of Baltaren’s church had been identified as the third member of the group leading the Diabolism program. Imperial Intelligence suspected them of being the Priestkiller. And they would be raiding the Church of Baltaren not to arrest Timmel, but to conscript them into their ranks.

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