Chapter VIII

When Dario awoke the next morning he could not get over the feeling of guilt that washed over him. Last night he'd been so worked up because of Evalina and everything about her that he had, in a moment of foolishness, taken a harlot into his bed.

First, this meant that he had violated his vow to his order that he would only take one of the holy redeemers into his bed. After all, the redeemers raised the children born from such intimacy within the abbey, and those children grew up to be acolytes, justicars, or redeemers. If he'd gotten this prostitute pregnant he had no idea what would happen to that child.

Second, and far more importantly to Dario, he'd betrayed Azalea's trust. Sure, at the abbey Dario would have relations with other redeemers, likewise Azalea would have relations with other justicars, but they both understood that to be part of the way they concealed their love for each other from prying eyes. In this case, Dario had slept with another woman not because he was trying to protect their secret, but because he was full of lust. Worse yet, this was not even the same woman he'd been lusting for.

Dario sat up, hung his head in his hands, and released a deep sigh. The sigh was apparently loud enough to wake the prostitute. She'd told him her name, but he'd forgotten. She turned over and smiled up at him. “Well, good morning. Would you like to do all that again?” she asked.

“Thank you, but no,” said Dario. He stood from the bed and walked over to his coin-purse on the dresser. “How much do I owe you?”

“Five denarius,” the prostitute said as she climbed out of the bed and started to dress again. Well, “dress” only by the loosest definition of the word.

“Five denarius...” as Dario picked out the coins from the leather bag it struck him just how expensive this trip had become already. He'd paid double for the room, and then paid even more than that for a night with a prostitute he'd not even been attracted to. This was not how justicars behaved, they had far more discipline than this, and Dario cursed himself for his foolishness.

As soon as she had the money the prostitute left the room and closed the door behind her. Dario dressed quickly, and donned his armor once again. He'd been led so far off track from his quest. He was a justicar, he was here to bring down the slave trade, not cavort with harlots.

He made his way back down to the main floor, all of his belongings with him once again. In his peripheral vision he saw Evalina's divine, white hair again and could smell her sweet scent. He immediately turned his attention elsewhere, determined not to even look at her, lest he be seduced by her yet again. At least, that was his resolve until he heard her sobbing. Then his heart bled for her, and almost against his will he turned back towards her to see what was wrong.

The inn-keeper patted her on the shoulder, sympathetically, and she wiped tears from her eyes. Dario walked over to her. “Evalina?”

“Oh, hello again,” she said with a wavering voice. “Are you enjoying your stay?”

“Evalina, what's wrong?”

Evalina shook her head and looked up at him with those big, enchanting eyes. “It's nothing. Something awful has happened, but I'll be alright.”

“What is it?”

“I just need to get over it.”

“Evalina, please tell me!” Dario said, placing both of his hands on her bare shoulders.

Evalina stared up at him for a moment, then stood from her chair and threw herself into his arms, crying into his chest. “My grandpa...” she said between sobs.

“What? Did he pass away?” Dario held her tightly and placed a hand on the back of her head. Again, her sweet scent filled his nostrils, and memories from the previous night filled his mind.

“No, he was murdered!”

“Murdered?”

“Yes...he was found with a wound in his chest...a knife wound. Someone...” whatever Evalina said next was rendered inaudible by her sobs.

“Where is his body?” Dario asked.

Evalina sniffled and looked up at him. “Under the temple, in the crypt. Why?”

“I'm going to find out who this murderer is and bring him to justice,” said Dario. “If I can just touch your grandfather's body I can see what he saw in his last moment. That will give me somewhere to start looking.”

“Whoever did this is a heartless monster...they might kill you too. I can't ask you to put yourself in harm's way...”

“That is what justicars do, Evalina,” said Dario, his heart full of pride. “You said it yourself, we cannot be afraid of anything. Please, take me to his body.”

Evalina wiped her eyes and gave Dario a peck on the lips. “Thank you.”

She took Dario by the hand, and again he blushed and the gentleness of her touch. But he immediately re-focused his mind on the objective ahead of them. He had a murderer to punish.

Evalina led Dario to a temple made of white stone surrounded by riveted columns. It was a typical Western temple, with altars and idols for each of the various gods that those living in Nox may choose to worship. There was a god of wisdom, a goddess of loyalty, a god of war, a goddess of knowledge, a god of vengeance, a goddess of eroticism, and many others. There was even an idol of the Agalmite god, and two statues standing next to one another; the Mother and the Father. Processing before each of the altars were the pagan priests, with their colorful robes and tall, pointed hoods. Dario wasn't sure whether to laugh or be disgusted at the blasphemy of it all; the Father worshiped in the same temple as a god of vengeance.

He felt a pull on his hand and his attention was back on Evalina, who led him down a stone, spiral staircase into the rooms underneath the temple. The walls of the crypt were lined with coffins, and the foul smell of their preserved bodies filled the air. Spiders scurried into the corners, and cobwebs lined the ceiling. The two of them soon arrived at what appeared to be the only coffin not covered in dust.

“This is the one,” said Evalina. “He's in there.”

Dario walked over to the coffin and lifted the lid. The old man lay inside, wearing a gray robe. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes closed for him so that he would appear as if he was merely sleeping, though only a fool would make that mistake. Dario heard Evalina sniffling again behind him. Apparently seeing her grandfather's body again had been enough to bring tears back to her eyes.

Dario placed two fingers on the old man's forehead and closed his eyes. In a flash, he found himself standing in the streets of Nox. People ran by with buckets of water and sand. He turned his head to see that they were running towards a house that was on fire. Behind him he heard some other sounds. Some groans, the sound of a large blade cutting through flesh and bone. Then the sound of running. He turned around and walked down the alleyways to see the source of the noise. There stood a young woman in the alley. She looked so frightened, and blood was splattered across her clothes.

“Hey,” he said as he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

“Gyaah!” The woman spun around and plunged an already bloody dagger into the old man's heart. As the vision faded, the last thing Dario saw was her face, contorted in rage.

Dario removed his hand from the old man's forehead. “I saw the killer,” he said.

“You did?” said Evalina. “Who was it?”

“A young woman. I've never seen her before. But, now that I've seen her and I know that she's guilty I can track her. Come, let's leave this crypt. I have what I need.” Dario pulled the cover back over the coffin. “Leave the dead in peace.”

The two of them left the temple together, and again Evalina took his hand, though this time not to lead him. Dario wanted to protest at first, but the words were caught in his throat. In time he justified holding onto her hand as a way of comforting her during her time of loss.

Soon, they both stopped outside of the inn and Evalina held both of his hands and looked him in the eye. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

Dario nodded. “Mmm...”

“I didn't get your name before.”

“My name is Dario.”

“Dario. I like the sound of it. Please come see me again when you're done,” she said. Dario bowed to her and started to walk away. “What are you going to do to the murderer?” Evalina asked.

Dario sighed. “If she resists arrest I will have to kill her then and there. If she does not I will bring her back here for execution. I'm sure a lot of people will need that closure.”

“I see. Be careful.”

Dario saluted her, and felt awkward the moment after he'd done so. His attempt to look self-assured just made him feel like an ass. As he turned his attention back to the city gates, however, his eyes caught something crimson, and a familiar face.

He was a young man with short, black hair, a mustache curled up on the ends, and a small, strip of a beard running down his chin. He wore a long coat, bright red with golden embroidery. On his head sat a round hat with a wide brim to shield his eyes from the light. Behind him walked a taller man wearing a black cloak over steel armor, and a mask over his face. The taller man was not Dario's focus, however, for the man in red was the same man that Dario saw in his vision. The man who lit the lantern and smiled at the strange creatures that lived deep underground.

Dario felt cold. His hair stood on end and his hands started to tremble. His heart crawled up into his throat, and he placed his palm upon the hilt of his sword. What was the man from his vision doing here? Dario was not sure, but he intended to find out. He started a brisk walk towards the stranger in red. The man in red was conversing with someone near the gates. He looked up at Dario, saw him approaching, but returned to his conversation.

Dario now picked up speed and was nearly at a run as he drew closer and closer to this mysterious stranger. He had so many questions, all of which this man would answer at the point of a sword. The taller man, clad in a black cloak turned to Dario and placed a hand on the hilt of his own sword. Dario noticed that the hilt, strangely, had a skull carved into the pommel, with rubies set in the eye-sockets. The man in red turned to the taller man and shook his head at him. He pointed at Dario and said something Dario could not hear.

It was just then that a crowd passed between Dario and the man in red. Dario pushed his way through the crowd, cursing his luck and shoving people out of his way. When he finally got through the crowd, however, the man in red and his compatriot were gone.

Impossible! How could a man in a bright red coat blend into the crowd like that? Dario searched around for the stranger, but there was no sign of him. He even stopped for a moment and tried to meditate on the stranger's location, but he soon realized that would not work. He didn't know whether or not this stranger was guilty of any crimes, therefore he'd be unable to track him.

After several minutes of searching the crowd for any sign of the man in red, Dario threw his hands up in exasperation. He let out an angry groan, kicked the dirt, and stormed off out the front gates.

Maybe he was seeing things. Or maybe he simply imagined that the face was the same. After all, he didn't remember a red coat from his vision. Perhaps the stranger was merely someone who vaguely resembled the man in the tunnels. In any event, the mystery would have to wait. This was not the mission Felix had sent Dario on, and now he had a known murderer to track.

Once outside of the city walls, Dario closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. “Show me the killer...show me the killer...show me the killer...” he repeated over and over in his head.

After almost a minute of this he felt something intangible pull at him. It was as if a hand had grasped his sternum and pulled him in a particular direction. In his mind's eye he could see the murderer. She was setting up a tent, but he could not tell where exactly.

Dario opened his eyes and smiled. The hunt was on. He would find this murderer and bring her back to Nox, one way or another.