Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa (20 page)

* * * * *

The Council of
Peace Investigation Department building was a hive of activity that morning;
awash with further Darnhun mercenaries as well as investigators taken off
low-priority cases.  All seconded for this monumental hunt.  The hunt for the
vampire.  Horna Gladwell had decreed any sightings, however obscure, were to be
reported in immediately and investigated fully.   The archive doors had been
flung wide open to aid in this huge endeavour.  Horna had pulled in every
favour he had amongst the city's elite.  Leaving Victoria still with the same
question she had had last night.

Why?  Why was
this such high priority?

Horna seemed
almost desperate to find Alyssa.  Something else was going on and she wanted to
get to the bottom of it.

Fortunately for
her and Malak, Horna was so busy hunting the vampire he didn't notice the two
of them slipping out from the gaggle of investigators and Darnhun troopers. 
They headed for Horna's Sanctum. 

Victoria
entered, startling little Glynis from her desk.

“Oh, Victoria.”
said the Elf, looking even more nervous than usual.  “I didn't expect you.”

“I'm sure.” said
Victoria.  She smiled, but only slightly.

Begin by
putting the suspect, at ease.

“We're very
busy, what with this vampire hunt.”

“Yes,” agreed
Glynis, her voice childlike as always, half smiling in return.  “odd business. 
The boss is really hyped up about it.”

“Indeed.” said
Victoria.  She wandered closer to Glynis's desk.  “Not sure why though.”

Glynis frowned,
looking little confused.

“Well, sure a
vampire,” she shrugged.  “Clear and present danger to peace. Very important.”

“Well” Victoria
rather pointedly tapping her chin in a thoughtful kind of way.  “True, but he
seems very...”

She looked
directly at Glynis.  Or indeed, she looked
into
Glynis might be a better
way to describe it.

“...eager.” she
finished with, her tone changing.

Glynis's eyes
flickered.

Got you.

“Well.” said,
Glynis, pushing her chair back a little.  “He's the Overseer.  Has to take
these things seriously.”

“True.” Victoria
was now standing directly in front of the table.  Looming over Glynis.  She
leaned forward clasping her hands behind her back, eyes fixed on little Glynis
who was now doing a rather good impression of a frightened rabbit.

“Why is he so
eager Glynis?” Victoria asked rather pointedly.  “You don't happen to know, do
you?”

“Ah...no.” the
Elf replied immediately, without looking Victoria in the eye and with one of
her hands rather rapidly doing something to the underside of the table.

“Well I'd
believe you Glynis.” said Victoria, looking from Glynis's head to her arm and
back again. “If you weren't frantically calling the guard with that little
device under the table.  No doubt wondering why old Garlow is taking so long.”

Glynis froze,
her eyes flicking from Victoria to table and back again.  The elf gulped.

“You see...”
Victoria moved to one side, sliding herself onto the table to sit before
leaning even closer to Glynis and doing a wonderful job of invading the elfin
woman’s personal space.

“...Garlow is
currently regaling Malak with many, many long-winded tales of his time with the
Legions.  So he won't be bothering us for...”

She looked down
on the elf, her eyes burrowing into the elf's painfully scared expression.

“...oh let's
just go with a long time.”

Glynis,
effectively backed into a corner, looked like she was about to cry.  Victoria
was feeling exceedingly cruel, considering if anyone were watching it would
look distinctly like she was bullying a fifteen year old girl.  Thing is, she
was also feeling exceedingly vindicated in her actions.

“Now.” said
Victoria next, reaching over and politely (but firmly) taking Glynis's arm,
moving it from the over-used button from under the desk and placing it on the
desk itself.  She patted the hand.

“Why don't you
tell me everything.”

Glynis, subdued,
did indeed tell Victoria everything.

Everything.

* * * * *

Preparations for
the night were mostly done by Katy and James, due to Alyssa's inability to
leave the house without exploding.  Katy slipped into her parents' house to
reassure them.  Both the Militia and the Council of Peace had visited earlier in
the day and her parents were rightfully worried.  With the expertise expected
of a teenager she concocted a convincing lie about 'getting frightened' and
'staying at a friend's', adding 'it won't happen again'.  She then made sure to
acquire her father's library key (without telling him of course) and adding
that she was on the late shift tonight so wouldn't be home till late.  She
didn't leave her parents with any time to query further.

James, meantime,
went out to work as usual despite his late night awakening.  He had a very
nervous day at work understandably, but fortunately his shyer-than-usual
demeanour was not noticed.

Alyssa decided
that whilst she didn't need to sleep, it seemed like a good idea considering
both her friends were out and occupying yourself in someone else's house for
eight hours was difficult.

The first thing
she saw when she awoke later that night was James looking down on her

“Morning” he
said.

She smiled up at
him.  “Evening I hope you mean.”

He nodded with a
smile.  Katy was standing nearby.  She held up the library keys.

“We're good to
go.” she said with a smile, an almost part way mischievous glint in her eye. 
James looked between the two of them.

“Alright.” he
said.  “Let's go.”

* * * * *

“This isn't one
of your best ideas.” said Malak

“I know.”
replied Victoria.

In fact it could
be considered a very stupid, and indeed dangerous plan that could not only get
both of them killed but also potentially end the lives of two civilians or one
civilian and one vampire.  Depending on how tonight went.

The rest of the
day had been busy.  Busy setting up the plan and hoping that it worked.  The
preparations had involved a rather interesting conversation with another
department, including an assurance from them that Victoria hoped could be taken
as definite.  It was now late evening and she and Malak were prepared, keeping
watch over the Great Library from a nearby side street.

It was a vast
towering structure of pale sandstone, ancient compared to most of the city's
buildings.  Two huge towers flanked its main entrance, reaching into the sky. 
They were of an ornate eastern appearance, with fat, rounded tops.  The front
door they guarded was a huge affair in and of itself, made of solid oak wood
and studded with iron spikes that would not have looked out of place on a
castle.  It was barred and locked, and looked practically impregnable to the
average eye. Within the library was housed a vast repository of knowledge on
parchment, leather and even stone.  

It wasn't the
front door they were watching though.  It was the staff door at the back that
they were keeping an eye on, a much simpler door with none of the aggressive
nature of the front.  Victoria had remembered the earlier conversation Alyssa
had had with Katy.

My dad works
at the library
Katy had said.  Odds were they would be utilising the back door
to do their little investigation.

He says
there's lots of books about magic and magical creatures down in the basement.

True, she was
gambling on Katy and Alyssa heading to the library the next night and not
wasting time, keen to see if the stories were true and the library could indeed
help Alyssa to become human again.  On a personal level, Victoria hoped so.  On
a professional level, she didn't really care either way; as long as the bigger
plan she had sent in motion was successful

Of course there
was the other question.  The one Gretna had rather forcefully inserted into her
head.

Does Malak
like me?

Victoria shook
her head as if the motion itself would dispel the childish and currently
unwelcome thought. 

I am a
Council of Peace investigator!  Not a bloody school yard youngster with a
crush!  And neither is Malak.  We're adults and we have a job to do!  One that
requires all our concentration.  So it can wait. 

'Till we're
done, then we'll find out.

Victoria
blinked.

That bloody
dwarf and her big bloody mouth.

They kept their
watch, and waited.

* * * * *

The three of
them slipped through the darkened streets, cloaked and each incredibly nervous.

They had headed
out late, later than perhaps they should have, but none of them wanted to run
the risk of anyone still being at the Great Library at a late hour.  Now,
through the snow covered streets, they moved with purpose and speed.  It didn't
take them long.  Indeed, the speed took Alyssa off guard.  She looked up at the
towering structure.

“This it?” she
whispered to Katy

The girl
nodded.  Hugging the far wall, they slipped across the street and down a side
alley.  Round the side of the vast structure, was a single small door down a
flight of steps.  Katy brought out a key and unlocked the door after they
descended.  She looked at Alyssa and smiled.

“Ok,” she said. 
“Here we go.”

* * * * *

“Here we go”
said Victoria, nudging her dozing colleague.  “Our customers have just
arrived.”

The girls had
just entered, coming in via the staff entrance just as expected.  Later than
anticipated, but none the less, they had chosen tonight.  They were not alone. 

Three of
them? 

Victoria
wondered who the newcomer was.  Another friend perhaps?  It might not matter
but...

Malak checked
his crossbow before casting Victoria a look.

“I've said it
once, and I'll say it again.  This is not a good plan.”

Victoria met his
eyes, and shrugged.

“You only live
once.”

He chuckled. 
“Just be careful alright?”

She looked back
at him.  She pursed her lips, not sure what to do.  For the briefest of
moments, the two of them held each other's gaze.  Then they both looked away at
more or less the same time, catching themselves. Victoria settled for slapping
him on the arm.

“Don't worry
about me.” she said, doing her best to bring the situation back to normal. 
“Just make sure you're quick.”

Gods I'm such
a bloody coward.  At least he is as well.

“Alright,” he
said.  “Good luck.”

He ducked back
down the side street and dashed into the night, on to his role in the mission. 
Victoria meantime, made for the staff entrance.

* * * * *

Alyssa was glad
Katy was leading them, because she had no idea where they were going.  James
had given the lantern to Katy to light the way.

“I know this
place.” Katy explained, expertly casting the lantern light around.  “All the
different passageways and corridors.”

Alyssa would
have had a lot more faith in what Katy had just said, if seconds later the girl
hadn't smacked her head off one of the smaller wooden support beams that seemed
to be placed almost at random in this part of the library’s basement halls.

“Ouch!” she
yelled rather loudly, then suddenly clamping a hand over her mouth.

They all froze.

Really do
hope no one is actually here.

Fortunately, no
guards burst from the doors on either side of the corridor and after a heart
stopping few seconds, they continued on.  After somewhat more careful guiding
by Katy through the gloomy corridors, they at last came to an ornate looking
iron door, with a keyhole set at its very centre and various angular symbols
worked into the door’s body.  Alyssa frowned at the odd looking entrance but
Katy seemed unsurprised as she fumbled with the keys.

“Ok, here we
go.” She said again.

She inserted a
large golden key into the door's oversized and expensive looking lock.  She
turned it, and there was a click.  Katy then turned the key again, this time in
the opposite direction.  The whole apparatus clicked again, louder this time,
then seemed to shudder inwardly.  There were sounds of clockwork working inside
it.