Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

SIX - A Cold Room

Zenetra returned to the third floor with her mind entrenched in thoughts of the trip. Paper airships from Oliver rested on several desks, their maker nowhere in sight. She took stock of the strangely empty room on her way to her desk. Over half the field cadets were gone, claimed in part by the election, and the third floor was made quieter because of it. On the faces of those who remained were hints of dismay at not receiving an assignment.

Clemence Pocket's side of the desk was littered with random items including pens, a hairbrush, a circular mirror, and a tubular case of pink lipstick labeled "Impulsive Love." More intriguing than the messy desk was the empty chair neatly tucked in underneath. Zenetra breathed a sigh of relief at this absence. For once, Clemence wouldn't step on her heels at the end of the workday.

After bundling herself into her constabulary winter jacket that was the same blue color and as stiff as her uniform, she locked the file on Scarlett Burn inside the top drawer of her desk. Never had she left so early. As she dodged cadets and constables who hurried up and down the stairwell, Zenetra made her way to the ground floor only to spot a familiar face waiting at the landing.

A pleated brown coat concealed the bloodstains on Tilde Thorpe's clothes. Hands tucked into pockets, she leaned against the wall nearest the stairwell with eyes glued to the lifts across the way.

"Are you waiting for someone, Constable Thorpe?"

Tilde's head swiveled. Her eyes shone as bright as Jokull, the clear blue glaciers of the Northern Realm. "For you, actually."

"Oh?" Zenetra's foot hovered over the last step.

"Inspector Hatwig wants us to collect files from the archival department before we leave today."

Zenetra should have expected this. Leaving her training to Onnan would be pointless. With a pang of guilt for the young constable standing before her, who had already had quite an eventful day, she wondered if being charged with babysitting the team's cadet was punishment for her tardiness.

"Alright," Zenetra said, her response colored with empathy. "Lead the way."

They fought their way across the busy main vestibule to a separate stairwell. The way down to the archival basement was deserted.

Tilde flew down the steps, tripped once, and righted herself. She waved up as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "C'mon!"

Zenetra glanced back to the main landing, where a flurry of activity continued, before gliding down the stairwell after Tilde. A meeting with Commissioner Fokle, assigned to a team on her first day back, and now a trip to the archival department. For a cadet, she was having just as eventful a day as Tilde.

"Have you ever been down there?" Tilde's question echoed off the concrete walls. "To the dungeons?"

Zenetra's eyebrow twitched upward. It was gone before Tilde could see. "Is that what the constables call it?" 

"That's what I call it." Though Tilde's speech was naturally fast, it remained articulate and clear. "You've never been down there. You would have mentioned the Blob. Just call me Tilde, by the way. We're practically the same age, after all. Next year you'll be a constable yourself! I remember how excited I was when I entered field training. You must be anxious to get this last year over with and receive your first star."

Zenetra mentally tripped on the mention of "the Blob" but caught up and said, "That's very kind. You're welcome to call me Zenetra. Constable Qhina already does."

Amiable smile firmly in place, Tilde replied, "Oh, Mimi's amazing! She's one of the best. When she was a cadet, her field trainer sent her in to infiltrate a Guild rally. It was supposed to be an in-and-out report. A one-time thing. But, well, you've seen what Mimi is like. Those Guild Sympathizers fell in love with her. One in particular fell for her harder than the others and invited her to the inner ring of operations. Commissioner Ryngware couldn't let the opportunity pass and Mimi was more than willing, so her entire last year of training was spent in the field, on her own, acting as the only spy the CF had at the top level of these sympathizers.