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Where Dragons Rule

Shades of the Past

By Evan Drake

"Sometimes, I really hate this job," Liam said to no one.

He actually loved his job as a city warden, patrolling the streets of Peridan with his partner, Mal, and doing his part to protect the city he knew and loved. It provided a sense of accomplishment. That and it gave him the perfect excuse to wander the city. Everyone else complained about the night shift, but he loved it. The city was quieter then, more peaceful--not including drunken brawls or lover's spats because someone came home late, usually reeking of booze.

But those moments didn't bother him. The moments when the peace was utterly ruined, and he was reminded of the ugliness the city and its citizens needed protecting from that made him question his choices.

He knew that when he took the job. That it would require staring in the face of atrocities capable of breaking the stoutest minds. That it would require staring into the eyes of true monsters who prowled the streets in broad daylight and wore friendly faces. It didn't happen often but it was always the worst when it did. Those cases gave him nightmares.

He waved away the cloud of flies buzzing in his face and gazed upon one of those moments, tightening his stomach at the grisly sight. After eight years on the job, he still couldn't stand the sight of a dead body.

"Wait, don't we know this guy?" Mal asked. Even in the middle of the night, the red scales of the Ramscale dragon stood out like a blood-soaked beacon. "Oh! He's that guy who keeps shouting shit from the streets."

"The Blue Dragon Guy?"

Everyone knew the "Blue Dragon Guy". For weeks, he spent hours every day preaching in the streets to all who would listen about the blue-scaled demon who was going to rise and take over the world. The man was clearly out of his mind, but no one ever claimed responsibility for him. Any attempts to get through to him were always met with more preachings, so everyone just left him to himself. It was easier since technically, he wasn't doing anything illegal or trying to hurt anyone.

Mal looked up at the only open window of the nearby building. "That's where he fell from. Guess someone finally got sick of him. Or he couldn't handle being right."

"Not funny."

"It wasn't a joke. You remember what happened when that blue dragon showed up here. After the mess she caused, I'm surprised more people aren't shouting in the streets."

He remembered because it wasn't that long ago and he couldn't forget otherwise.

He paid the warnings no mind like everyone else but everything quickly went sideways the day he passed a blue dragon on the street. He could still recall the screaming and the chaos. People panicking and hurting themselves in desperation to find shelter from the senseless violence. He had never seen anything like it and to this day, no one could figure out what happened.

The next day had been even stranger. He still had nightmares about it. They had been up all night re-establishing peace when an intense pressure that threatened to crush his organs came from nowhere. A command echoed in his mind, one that spoke with absolute unquestioning authority: "Give her to me." And then silence. But nearly everyone in the city had lined up, creating a lane from one end of the city to the other. They all stared straight ahead, said nothing, and wore the same blank expression. Then everyone went back to normal as if it never happened. No one seemed to remember it taking place. He had been one of the few seemingly unaffected by it although his head remained foggy for the rest of the day.

Liam hoped to never go through something like that again.

Seeing the body on the street, however, made him feel as if that wish wouldn't come true. After the incident, the Blue Dragon Guy hadn't been seen. Everyone assumed he had run for the hills.

Not that anyone blamed him. A few people had packed up and left themselves.

"Something's not right," Liam said, turning towards the building. "I'm going upstairs to take a look around. You mind keeping an eye on the body? We need to examine it before the rats try to get to it."

He couldn't get the thought out of his mind. The dead and empty eyes staring up at the sky. He had seen a few bodies of people who felt so trapped they only had one option left. But none of them decided to leap through a window backward. The idea alone sounded incredibly difficult.

The door to the victim's apartment being unlocked further supported his theory. It seemed unlikely anyone would still be there after all this time, but he drew his club all the same. They were allowed a firearm and a small blunt weapon. He found the club to be much more effective than the pistol in many cases except when dealing with dragons since close-quarters combat with them was a death sentence.

In this case, a human had to be involved. Dragons had enough natural weapons that they didn't need to push someone out of a window.

A first glance at the apartment, it was obvious something was very wrong. He expected the place to be a mess, likely tossed by the attacker or at the very least signs of a struggle. Instead, the apartment was neat and practically empty. A single bed, a small table with one chair, a short dresser, and a small travel trunk were all that cluttered the space. The table was bare except for a single place setting and the bed housed some disheveled sheets.

Liam rubbed the top of the dresser and inspected the thick coating of dust on his finger. The same could be said of the table. "The only thing that looks like it's seen some use is the bed," he said to no one.

The window was wide open, not that it mattered since the glass had been broken out of it. A cool night breeze flowed in, making him shiver. He holstered the cudgel and stuck his head out the window and looked down at his partner below. The red-scaled drake stood out easily amongst the crowd of people surrounding the scene.

Liam swore to himself and ducked back inside. His partner would need help keeping the crowd away from the scene, but first, he wanted to search the apartment for clues.

The dresser was empty but the small trunk by the bed contained dozens of loose pages and some wrinkled clothes. Sitting on top of the pile was a single broach in the shape of a dragon. Unlike the rest of the items, the broach looked expensive and well-cared for save for a single deep scar down the front. Despite its defacing, it shone with the same brilliance as anything showcased in a jewelry store.

He knew that broach. It was carried by people who still supported the idea that dragons were descent of divine beings. Seeing people with it wasn't uncommon in Peridan but he heard it was an item of controversy further east.

"So you were a believer. But if you had abandoned your faith, why do you keep this around?"

That and other mysteries could be investigated later. Collecting all the evidence possible and getting downstairs took priority. Liam closed the trunk and brought it with him outside. He could better examine the items inside the station. Thankfully, the trunk was much lighter than expected.

More watch wardens had arrived by the time he returned to the street. While they corralled the crowd, Mal had returned to examining the body.

"Any luck?" Liam asked, setting the trunk down to rest his arms.

"This guy smells funny."

"He's dead, Mal. I don't think he's going to smell good."

Mal cut an annoyed glance his way then returned to the inspection. "I meant he doesn't smell like most humans."

"Oh? And what do most humans smell like?"

"Ass, booze, and sweat."

Liam chuckled sarcastically.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, what's he smell like then?"

"It's hard to describe. Just trust me on this. He smells like he spends a lot of time alone. He doesn't drink or hang out with others. And he stinks of plants."

"That sounds about right. His place is practically empty. Just a bed and this thing." He nudged the trunk with his foot. "It's like he spent his days eating, sleeping, and warning people about the blue dragon."

"And now he's dead after a blue dragon stomps through the city."

"Yeah, hopefully, it doesn't cause too much of a fuss. We really don't need folks panicking. Anyway, you finish with him. I'm gonna ask any of these gawkers if they saw anything."

It was almost always a waste of time, but he did it anyway on the off-chance of being wrong. Unfortunately, this time did not turn out to be one of those times. The only responses he got were "I didn't see anything", "I just got here," and "Isn't knowing what happened your job?"

It was the same when he tried to question the residents of the building about their neighbor. But no one knew his name, only that he kept to himself and acted strangely so they stayed away. The landlord admitted that the guy kept his head down and paid several months in advance so no further prying was done.

"You didn't think to at least ask the name of the guy living in your building who spends most of the day shouting in the streets?" Liam asked the landlord.

The tall balding man shrugged. "He kept the sermons out of the halls and didn't make a mess. I figured the guy earned his privacy."

"Yeah, and a fat lot of good that did him," he mumbled as he returned to his partner. Mal seemed to have finished his investigation. The mortician had shown up and the body was covered. That killed most of the crowd's curiosity and they had begun to disperse.

"Please tell me you got something because all I found were more questions," Liam said.

"He didn't jump; the body's been cut. And he smells dead."

"Uh, he fell through a window, and I'm pretty sure smelling of death is a side effect of dying. I'd be more shocked if he wasn't."

"Unless the glass cut him on the way down, someone sliced him before the dive. And he's been dead too long."

"He's right," the mortician added. "I'd say he's been dead for two days at least if not longer, but I'll have to examine the body to be certain. There are also three parallel cuts on the torso."

"I don't remember seeing any cuts on his body."

"Because these aren't the clothes he died in. But as I said, I'll know more once I've examined the body more thoroughly."

Liam sighed heavily. "So we have a murder made to look like a suicide of perhaps the most mysterious man in the city. This is gonna be a long night."

****

"This guy was seriously paranoid," Liam said.

The moment they returned to the watch barracks, they got to work going through the contents of the trunk. Mal couldn't read so the task of sorting through the papers fell to Liam. Anyone looking at it could tell their victim was deeply disturbed. The contents were ravings and rants, some of them not even in complete sentences. Trying to make sense of it all made his head hurt.

Liam sighed and rubbed his eyes and then got back to reading. "Listen to this: 'Had another dream last night. The dragon with blue scales pulled me into her embrace and said comforting words much like a mother soothing a child. But it was wrong. I began sinking into her breast. She pinned my arms and legs and wrapped her wings around us so I couldn't escape. Her heartbeat sounded like a countdown to my death. When I was completely smothered, I woke up. The blue demon cannot comfort and cannot protect. She is coming and will consume us all.' " He sighed again and sat the page down to rub his eyes once more. "And there's a whole pile of this stuff I have to go through."

"We need to know what happened," Mal said.

"I know, I know. But this would go a lot faster if you knew your letters or at least bothered to learn."

"I'll pass. That's what you're here for."

Liam was certain the real reason Mal didn't want to read was because he found it boring and it gave him the perfect excuse to avoid paperwork.

"Anything else in the trunk we need to know about?" Liam asked.

"It stinks of lavender."

"Does that matter?"

"I can't smell anything else. It's like he was covering his tracks."

"Wouldn't smelling of lavender make him easier to track?"

"Maybe he was more worried about someone knowing where he'd been."

Liam straightened up in his seat. "Or maybe there was something in that trunk he didn't want anyone to know about. Let's hope our friend was crazy enough to write it down. I think I just found my reason to keep reading."

Reading the other letters turned up more nonsense. More ravings about dreams of the blue dragon absorbing him into her body or tearing him apart. It started giving Liam a headache again because to make sense of it all, he had to read between the lines and determine the meaning behind the metaphors.

The more Liam read, the clearer it became that this blue dragon was likely more than a figment of imagination. The older documents shifted from nonsensical dreams to descriptions of real places and conversations with someone whose name couldn't be remembered. This dragon, whoever they were, was real. Not just the one that had made a mess of the city a few weeks ago, but even before then.

One page, in particular, caught his attention. He immediately sat up and re-read the entry aloud:

" 'The blue demon visited me again today. She gave me a bundle of blankets and told me to keep it hidden. I was to be extremely careful with it and guard it with my life. I don't know what she gave me but it was heavy and it required both hands to hold. I didn't dare look inside despite every urge telling me to. I buried it deep in my belongings and covered it with plants to mask the scent.

" 'But when I awoke in the morning, it was gone. There was no such bundle in my belongings. It was just a dream but this feeling of dread will not leave. I fear I have lost something precious. Something important. And when the demon finds out, there will be a reckoning.

" 'I must warn people. They have to know. It's too late to retrieve the sacred object I had been entrusted with. The blue demon is coming. We must prepare.' "

Mal, who had been curled on the floor, lifted his head. He had concluded his inspection of the trunk hours ago but remained to keep Liam company.

"That explains why he was shouting in the streets and why that trunk stinks," Mal said.

"It does, but what if this is what got him killed? We know that his death was staged. They knew where he lived. He was deliberately stalked and hunted."

Mal tilted his head. "He was killed over an imaginary package?" He yawned loudly. "You've been reading those papers too long."

"C'mon, I'm being serious here!" He dropped to the floor so he could better look the drooping drake in the eye. "Look, we know that blue dragons are real. We know that at least one of them is very dangerous, and we know that for some reason we've been forbidden to look into it." He shook the winkled papers in his hands. "And look at the date on this, it was written almost a decade ago. He's been having this dream for years. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been doing this in other cities as well."

Mal yawned again. "If that's true, the case will just get buried. You know they don't like anyone asking questions about the blue dragon."

It was what Liam hated most about that day. Not long after the incident, they had received orders from on high to stop qusestioning witnesses and stop looking into the "Blue Dragon Incident". No explanation why, just threats of severe consequences for any who didn't listen.

While Liam wanted to disobey that order, there were no leads to follow. Not without crossing the bridge and he would never get clearance for that. Things were handled very differently in western Peridan.

"Look, we gotta get to the bottom of this before it gets buried," Liam continued. "We know this kind of dragon is real. What if our guy encountered a blue dragon who gave him something to hold on to?"

Mal tilted his head. "Why would they do that? The guy's off his rocker."

"Maybe they're the reason he's crazy. Either way, someone thought it was worth stealing." He plucked the dragon-shaped broach off the desk. "If this was just a robbery, they wouldn't have left this behind. It was the most expensive thing in the room. He was killed because he had something they wanted. And I have an idea where to look."

Mal's expression questioned what Liam was getting at but quickly, the drake's eyes widened showing he understood. "No. You know how the temple gets."

"They're the only ones who would give a damn. He said it himself, 'a sacred object', and he's been badmouthing dragons for weeks. Who else would want him dead besides dragon worshippers?"

"The captain's gonna be pissed."

"Let him. I'm more worried about doing my job. But first, we need to do some research into this broach. I don't want to walk in there blind."

****

The bell rang above the door for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Liam had grown tired of hearing it. His legs hurt from walking all day and he had been running on next to no sleep.

Each jeweler they visited told them the same thing: that they didn't fulfill those kinds of orders and didn't know anyone who did. They were pretty sure it was a lie to protect clients. No amount of explaining would convince the jewelers they weren't trying to arrest anyone.

Finally, they had no choice but to cross the bridge into Western Peridan which was dragon-controlled. Liam had hoped to avoid doing that as neither side was allowed to cross and conduct investigations without putting in a formal request. But that took time they didn't have. That and Liam was pretty certain any such request would be denied.

Mal assured him that so long as they were quick and kept their heads down, they would go unnoticed. It wasn't as if they would be recognized on the other side. So long as no one saw their badges, they would be none the wiser.

So far it was working but the results were pretty much the same. No one seemed to have any information for them.

It had grown tiresome and disheartening.

Now they stood in the last remaining jewelry store they knew of. The place was much older than the other shops they had visited and it showed. The sign outside, the shelves, the cabinets, and even the floor were outdated and showed signs of intense wear. Another thing about the store was how spacious it was compared to the others. Mal could easily walk the show floor without fear of bumping into anything. Décor like that usually meant it was designed with dragons in mind, a good sign.

The shopkeeper, on the other hand, was a woman who had to be in her early 20s. She greeted them with a wide smile as they came in. Next to her on the counter sat the grungiest grey-and-black striped cat Liam had ever seen.

"Hello, kind sirs," the young woman said. "What can I do for you today?"

Liam returned the friendly smile and approached the counter, trying to avoid eye contact with the cat that watched them suspiciously. "Hi, maybe you can help me. My grandfather recently passed and I found this in his belongings. I'm hoping you could tell me about it."

The cat sniffed the broach placed on the counter and narrowed his yellow eyes.

The store clerk picked up the broach, her eyes widening every second. "Oh, this is...One moment."

She disappeared into the back before anyone could ask. Moments later she returned with a much older woman, most likely approaching if not past 60. Liam assumed she was to be the owner of the store.

"You say your grandfather gave you this?" the older woman asked.

"Well, I found it in his things. He's not in a position to be giving anyone anything. Is something wrong?"

"Did he tell you he was a draconian?"

"Well, we all figured, but he never said anything. Bit of a hot topic in my family," he added with a nervous smile.

"Hmm, all right. Well, all you need to know is these are given to the most trusted and loyal kobolds serving under a Matriarch. If it's marked like this it means the Matriarch has released them from her service."

"That happens?"

"Rarely, but it does happen. The broaches are scarred to let others know they are still allies even if they don't officially serve and that they may pledge themselves to a new Matriarch if they are willing."

"Oh, I had no idea," Liam said. Glancing at Mal it was clear the drake hadn't known either. "Is there anything else you can tell us about it?"

The older shopkeeper was silent for a moment. "Well, I shouldn't, but there's no rule against it. But in the future, you might want to remember that people don't like to discuss these things with outsiders. Man's dead so I don't see the harm. The broaches are designed after the Matriarch they serve, and sometimes, they're marked with initials on the back." She flipped the broach over and motioned for them to examine it under the lamp.

Liam swore under his breath upon seeing the underside bare. The old woman, on the other hand, swore loudly. She practically threw the broach back at them. The young woman paled and backed away from the counter as if contaminated. The cat hissed and leaped off the counter.

"Get that thing out of my shop," the older shopkeeper said. "And if you know what's good for you, don't mention this to anyone."

"What do you--?" Mal began.

"Please leave," the young woman said, her eyes begging them to listen. "An unmarked broach is never a good sign. If the Matriarch doesn't want to be known, she will not take kindly to people asking questions."

"And I don't want my business burned down because of some family drama we're not a part of," the old woman added. "Now, I beg of you, take your broach and never come back."

Liam wanted to protest further but seeing the frightened looks on the women's faces told him it was a losing proposition. And they couldn't afford to draw attention to themselves. With a heavy sigh, he tucked the broach into his pocket and motioned for Mal to follow him outside.

"That's not good," the drake said once they were outdoors. "The other jewelers knew."

"Yeah, they took one look at this thing and realized it wasn't worth the trouble. I'm starting to see why our victim was paranoid. What was he into?"

"Nothing good. We should go back. There's nothing for us here."

Liam agreed they had no reason to stick around and likely word had begun to spread that a pair of fools was asking questions they shouldn't. The time when they officially overstayed their welcome approached.

Going to the temple was their only option. Liam hoped to go there armed with more knowledge, but that was no longer an option.

****

There were three dragon temples in Peridan. Two on the west side and one on the east. Liam and Mal knew that asking questions on the west side was a surefire way to get caught so they crossed back into their jurisdiction to the temple in the east. It also helped they had an informant on this side.

No matter how many times Liam set foot inside the temple it amazed him. Massive, detailed murals of humans and dragons had been carved into the walls. Large statues of the various dragon species looked down at passersby. Shadows cast by the large braziers made the carvings dance and the statues seemed to move in his peripherals. At the far end of the chamber stood a statue that reached the ceiling. It depicted the All-Mother, the creator of the world and all the creatures within it. The legends state that she took of a dragon and all dragons were created in her image. This one had been designed after the typical dragons seen today but also a human-dragon hybrid. According to legend, she could either form at will. Between the pair sat a large sphere that Liam could only assume was meant to represent the world.

He turned his attention away from the impressive carvings to the large crowd before them. At the head of the group stood a large silver-scaled dragon known as a Silver Horntail. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking the signature spiked tail the dragon held high, the studded gems hanging from it shimmering in the light. In front of the dragon, stood a row of kobolds, the humans who have dedicated their lives to serving the dragons and upholding the teachings of the temple. Each one wore long silvery robes. A few had their hoods raised which covered their faces.

Liam sighed and began making his way toward the front along the edge of the room. They would need to wait until after the sermon was over before approaching their contact. She was easily visible in the front row as one of the kobolds with their hood lowered. The last thing he wanted was for Kala, the dragoness in charge of the temple to know what they were up to. The draconian dogma was famous for being protective of its own. Not that he could blame them. The last time the faith had been challenged it resulted in the bloodiest war in known history.

The Keeper's voice carried easily across the quiet chamber: "And remember, dear children, to follow always the teachings of the All-Mother. For it is during times of strife that our faith is tested. That our foundations are shaken. But the All -Mother has graced us with a powerful and unshakeable will! No matter the hardship, we have survived! We survived when the world was fresh, new, and lawless. We survived when the world was being torn apart, soaked in blood, death, and fire. And we will continue to survive now!"

"But what if that dragon comes back?" a person in the crowd cried, silencing the wave of cheers. "What if she does more damage than before?"

A flash of anger crossed the Keeper's face. "I admit, I failed in protecting you that day, but not again. Should that dragon return, we will be ready and we will endure. Just as we always have. But I ask you not to hate the blue dragon, the 'blue demon' as a certain someone had liked to call her--"

Liam raised a brow at the use of past tense. It was something but a weak lead at best. Word could have easily spread by now.

"--but the All-Mother has reminded me that this dragon is one of her children, like all dragons. But this one is misguided and confused, corrupted by hatred and prejudice. What else can she be but a demon if everyone claims it so? No, do not hate her, dear children. Instead, welcome her, embrace her, and help her find her way back into her mother's love."

"But I heard she's caused even more trouble further east!" a new person cried. Liam wished he could pick the speakers out of the crowd. People who dared to speak up were often the most forthcoming with useful information.

"And would you abandon a child simply because it misbehaves?" Kala asked. "Have you never acted out in your youth or even now? Does the All-Mother abandon you when you question her word? Stray from her teachings? She did not abandon you when the world ran red from the bloody crusade to exterminate her children. She did not abandon you even as others today are subjugated and forced into servitude. So tell me, why should we not follow that example? Should we not offer help and forgiveness to those who need it? We shall. The world cannot be rebuilt on anger and spite. Vengeance cannot heal, only destroy."

She paused as if waiting for a response, but her gaze said otherwise. It was the look of a parent who had given the final word and dared the child to argue further. As expected, no one spoke up.

When it became clear that she had established order, the dragoness continued her sermon. "Remember, dear children, it is easier to shake a fist than to offer a helping hand. There are many who are just as lost, confused, and angry as you. Continue to help them and direct them here so they may find protection and absolution in the All-Mother's embrace."

"All this to draw new members," Mal mumbled.

Liam nodded although he kind of agreed with the Keeper. If it got people to help each other instead of pointing fingers and plotting revenge, what did it matter?

He turned back to the crowd and noticed Kala sending a sidelong look their way. He could have sworn the faint hint of a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. She couldn't possibly know their reason for being there yet. To distract from the depressing thoughts, he turned his attention to Claire, their informant, who stood among the row of kobolds at the head of the crowd. She avoided eye contact and they made no attempts to draw her attention.

Once the sermon ended and the crowd began to disperse, Kala approached Claire. They were too far away to hear the exchange but the ashamed look in Claire's eyes and the way she furtively glanced their way said enough.

Any more doubts were put to rest when the pair approached them.

"It is rare that members of the city watch grace us with their presence," Kala said. "So what brings you here? I doubt the two of you came for spiritual guidance."

"We just have some questions, Keeper," Liam said. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Are you here for a confession?"

"It's business," Mal said.

The dragoness nodded and led them deeper into the temple until they arrived at a large office. One glance at the various shelves filled with books and the desks cluttered with loose papers and inkwells revealed what the place was used for.

"So what is it you wish to know?" Kala asked.

Liam hesitated before removing the broach from his pocket. He didn't want to get the dragon involved but there was no getting around it now. "I was hoping you could tell us something about the Matriarch this represents."

Claire received the brooch and held it up for the Keeper to examine. He liked to think he was good at reading others. The subtle unconscious body hints that told what a person truly thought.

In Claire, he saw nervousness. The stiffness of her movements and the constant shifting of her weight gave it away. She could possibly know something about this broach or her mind was elsewhere. He couldn't tell which.

Dragons were a bit harder to read because they didn't quite express themselves quite the way humans did. The obvious tell was usually the tail, but for Horntails, they learn young to keep the deadly appendage still to avoid accidents. Kala's body language gave away nothing. She was perfectly relaxed and she examined the broach with a nonchalance as if looking at some mundane item.

"Oh, well this is interesting," Kala said. "This was created using a style I haven't seen in quite some time. Where did you say you found this?"

"We didn't," Mal spat.

"Do you recognize it?" Liam asked Claire, hoping to draw the conversation back on course before it deviated further.

Unfortunately, the kobold refused to even look at him, and only the barely perceptible shake of her head showed she even heard the question.

Kala quickly interrupted before Liam could push for a response. "In any case, the broach is unmarked so there is no way to know who issued it. I recommend you leave it at that. Matriarchs who don't want to be noticed do not take kindly to inquisitive minds."

"Unfortunately, the nature of our work doesn't allow for that," Liam said. He shot a pleading look at Mal to let him handle the talking then continued. "I'm sure you understand. Not everyone wants a helping hand and it's important to protect ourselves and deter those who disrupt the peace we're working to build. That's where we come in."

"Well spoken, but one must be careful not to cause trouble in their quest to prevent it. Sometimes it is better to leave things alone."

"And as we've said before, we can't do that. If someone told you not to help a soul in need, would you listen?"

The Keeper smiled. "Very well, then I can say this: the Matriarch you're looking for is not in Peridan and likely never was. These broaches are modeled in our image, but I do not recognize this one. And it doesn't matter since she released him from her service. No, I would instead look to those who would take offense to dragon worshippers. They are more likely culprits."

"Really?" Liam asked. "That's quite the observation. Maybe another believer didn't take kindly to him calling the All-Mother's descendants demons."

Kala motioned for Claire to return the broach before replying. "If that were the case, the broach would not have been left behind. Even in death, such a thing would not be left in the hands of a blasphemer. If the Matriarch were involved she would have demanded it is reclaimed. No, the only logical conclusion is someone else is responsible. Now, I'm afraid we must return to our duties. I hope this helps and I wish you luck in your investigation. Claire, please see them out."

"One last thing," Liam said. "Could you tell us where you were last night around midnight?"

Kala paused long enough to reply, "I was here, asleep. My duties often require getting up quite early so I prefer to rest when I can."

"And someone can verify that?"

"My entire congregation can attest to it."

"They'll say anything you tell them," Mal mumbled.

The sudden frown showed she heard him. "In that case why ask for my whereabouts at all? I wouldn't bother to bloody my claws if I have such obedient subjects at my beck and call.. And I of course would have ordered them to lie if questioned. Now if you're done with these ridiculous questions, I have work to do."

Liam bowed and let the dragoness leave without incident and was glad Mal let the matter rest as well. He didn't know what had gotten into his partner but it would have to wait. They had learned a lot from that conversation like that Kala knew the gender of the victim and that a murder had taken place. But bringing it up now would get them nowhere. The dragoness clearly didn't intend to reveal what she knew and nothing short of hard evidence would make her crack.

The moment they were alone, Liam turned to Claire. "Is there something the Keeper isn't telling us?"

"Forgive me, but I shouldn't speak out against her."

"It isn't against the rules if she didn't tell you not to say it."

She stared at them for a moment torn her expression betraying the conflict taking place in her mind. Eventually, she replied, "A few days ago, a man came by asking about the purpose of the broaches. It's not uncommon for someone to come with questions but he seemed agitated and his questions were strange. The Keeper told us not to feign ignorance if he came by again."

"What kind of questions?" Liam asked.

Claire led them into the hall before speaking again. "He wanted to know the specific kind of metal used, how they were distributed to kobolds, and how to find the Matriarchs they belong to."

"Did you get a name?"

"He refused to say but we know he's a member of the New Scale Guild."

"The what?"

"A new group of people claiming to be for the continued peace of dragons and humans and humans," Claire answered angrily. "But they have no dragon members and their activities are questionable at best. Whatever they want, it can't be good."

She fell silent and nothing more was said until they left the temple.

"Please forgive the Keeper if she seemed impatient. She has been under a lot of pressure even since the dragon attack."

Mal snorted but didn't retort Liam moved quickly to salvage what remained of the pleasantries between them. "Thank you, we'll keep that in mind."

Thankfully, Claire let the matter end there and went back inside. Liam turned on his partner.

"What was that?" he asked. "They're not going to give us a straight answer if they think we suspect them; you know that."

"Kala lied to us."

"Yeah, I know but you were being difficult even before then."

Mal regarded him with a serious look. "I knew her before she became Keeper. She's a liar."

"Yeah, she's hiding something, sure, but she made a good point. What would she gain from killing our guy?"

"She'll find a way."

Liam worried his partner was losing perspective due to some lingering resentment for the past but he chose to leave it alone for now. The top priority now was to research this New Scale Guild and determine if they really had something to do with the murder.

****

Research into the New Scale Guild and its predecessor was sparse and worrying. It was as if the city watch avoided the group at all costs. Even checking records of current investigations made no mention of the group.

They were forced to refer to Kyle Reeves, the current master of the archives or as everyone called him, the Librarian. A man well past the age to retire, but he knew more about the city's records than anyone else and happened to be the oldest member of the city watch.

"So you want records on the old Scale Guild, huh?" the old man asked. For someone pushing eighty, he didn't look it. Except for the wrinkles on his face and hands, his body showed no other signs of getting older. Even when he moved to grab a dusty tome off the shelf, he had the spryness of someone less than half his age.

"Yes, sir," Liam said."We think they killed a man."

"Oh ho, I can assure you they've done a lot more than kill a man." He dropped the book on the table and released a cloud of dust with it. Mal sneezed. "I'm telling you now, there's nothing in that book worth looking up."

"What?" Mal asked.

"Y'see, 40 years ago when the old group disbanded, we had a fire that destroyed all the records we had on them--not that we had much to begin with. Sounds might suspicious if you ask me. Back then we would often get orders from on high to bury an investigation, lose evidence, or find it someplace it shouldn't be. And when that order came down you obeyed or you were out of a job. If you were lucky. I know some good wardens who went missing poking their noses where they shouldn't."

"And the Scale Guild was involved?" Liam asked.

"Of course! We all knew it even if no one said it. But back then times were different. Lots of back door deals were going on like someone was planning for something big. If you wanted to find out anything you had to make deals with the wrong kind of people. Once the Scale Guild went up, things just quieted down."

"We'll give it a look anyway," Liam said. "Maybe there's something in there useful." The book felt much heavier than it looked and he nearly dropped it. He quickly recovered, his ears burning with embarrassment.

"Listen, piece of advice, if the Scale Guild is really involved in whatever you're investigating, leave it alone. Some things are best left buried."

"You sound like Kala."

"Oh ho! Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while!" he cried, slapping the desk. "A real piece of work, that one. I remember when she wanted nothing more than to be in charge of the wardens on the west side. She was damn ruthless back then. Then out of the blue, she ups and crosses the border and becomes the Keeper! Maybe she found religion and mellowed out."

"Not likely," Mal said.

"Yeah, if that one changed, I'm a dragon in human skin," Kyle said. "Anyway, I wish you boys luck. And keep your heads down, you hear me? We lost too many good wardens to those shady Scale Guild bastards. We don't need to lose more!"

****

The book as expected revealed nothing. It contained a history of the old Scale Guild and its official mission to enforce the peace between humans and dragons. The rest of the book's contents were about the city's history and complex political structure. Liam knew it was a lie even without hearing it from others. The fact that the book couldn't detail one public accomplishment the group did was proof enough.

It only reinforced his resolve that this New Scale Guild couldn't be allowed to rise into power or else dark times were on the way.

So they doubled down in their search of tracking down the group's headquarters. Finding it didn't take as long as Liam had feared. A quick bribe from an underworld informant told them all they needed to know about where to find their quarry.

Unfortunately, it was all the informant could give them. It seemed the New Scale Guild was very picky about its members and even more secretive about what information it leaked.

That was fine by Liam. He'd rather get the information straight from the source anyway.

At first glance at the building, he knew he didn't like it. Everything about the place, the well-decorated windows, the polished walls, the large awning and carpet over the entrance, screamed tacky high-end establishment. The neighboring buildings seemed dirty and poorly developed in comparison.

The moment they approached the door, the doorman, a tall and thin individual, the exact opposite of someone expected to hold a sentry position stood and barred their passage. Liam wouldn't be shocked if a gentle breeze could knock the man over. When he stood up was obvious he needed to duck to enter doorways. It didn't make him more intimidating. The bushy eyebrows and bushier mustache reminded Liam of a poorly trimmed tree. If he were more immature, the man's appearance would have been funny.

"Can I help you?" the doorman asked.

"We're here for your boss," Mal said.

The doorman turned to the drake with a threatening sneer then back to Liam. "You need to teach your pet better manners."

Before Liam could intervene--not that he was going to--Mal snarled and headbutted the doorman in the chest. The man flew against the wall and slumped to the floor with a heavy groan.

Now Liam stepped between them before things escalated further. "It's funny because someone forgot to teach you manners," Liam said. "That is a respected member of the city watch and a good friend of mine. He's no one's pet. Don't get up. We'll show ourselves in."

The doorman made no attempt to stop them.

As expected, the interior was packed with fine furniture and gaudy wall decorations. Inside were only humans but they wore expensive, well-tailored clothing. The place reeked of cigar smoke and booze. The din of conversation was outmatched only by the music of the band in the far corner.

"Looks like someone's not hurting for funds are they?" Liam asked no one. He recognized some of the faces in the room. A few nobles, some well-respected shop owners, and even various members of law enforcement made up the population.

They didn't get far before another larger man blocked their path. This one better fit the idea of a large imposing individual meant to dissuade would-be troublemakers.

"Excuse me, but we have a strict dress-policy here," the man said.

Liam flashed his badge. "I think you can make an exception. Now tell us where your boss is."

The bouncer's face twisted but he stepped aside and pointed to the window on the upper floor. They made their way through the lobby, avoiding eye contact with the other patrons. He suppressed a smirk at the nervous tension in the air.

Yeah, that's right. Whatever deals you're making, whatever back-door plans you had, they've been compromised. Be afraid.

The room upstairs contained the most expensive furniture but the arrangement suggested the room was meant more for comfort than aesthetic appeal. One man sat behind the large desk before a row of bookcases. He had the broad shoulders of a trained soldier rather than a businessman.

The man glanced up at their entrance and then continued with the paperwork scattered before him. "I will be down in a moment. I thought I made it clear I was not to be disturbed."

"Yeah, we didn't get that memo," Liam replied, showing his badge again. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man's expression remained unchanged.

Damn, this guy must clean up in poker games. Getting a read on him will be hard.

With a tired sigh, the man rose from his seat. "I'm Jimi Kofi, the owner of this establishment--"

"And leader of the New Scale Guild," Mal finished.

There was a brief flash of annoyance in Jimi's eyes. "You've done your homework it seems. But why would that interest the city watch?"

"Because your group has a problem with dragons," Liam replied. He lazily strolled about the room, examining the various paintings of landscapes on the walls. Nothing stood out. "The Scale Guild doesn't have the nicest reputation."

"Contrary to popular belief, the Scale Guild did not hate dragons," Jimi said in a tone that suggested he had grown weary of hearing that argument. "Nor did they oppress them. Their mission was to foster peace between our species."

"Through blackmail, intimidation, and espionage," Liam said. "Please, they were no better than thugs trying to control the streets."

"I'm sure you didn't come all this way to discuss the morality of a now disbanded group. If you're questioning whether or not I intend to follow in their footsteps, the answer is no." He dropped back into his seat and went back to the papers. "Now if you're done with your questions--"

"We're here about a murder," Liam said. He studied their quarry for any signs of nervousness. Jimi's defenses remained unbroken. He was far too calm for Liam's liking. That usually suggested something. Even innocent people reacted to accusations. "I'm sure you heard about the man thrown from the window of his own apartment?"

"And you think my organization is responsible."

Liam noticed something had caught Mal's attention and the drake was examining the walls, so he purposely moved to the far side of the room to draw attention there.

"Actually, no. I'm just trying to find out who the guy is," Liam said. "We still don't have a name since no one bothered to ask for it. And you being part of the New Scale Guild, dedicated to fostering peace between humans and dragons, would most likely have that information."

"And what, pray tell, gave you that impression?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious. A guy screaming about demonic dragons would get in the way of peace, wouldn't it? A group dedicated to bringing us closer together would care about someone like that, right?"

Jimi leaned forward on his elbows and fixed him with a steely gaze. "That's right, Unfortunately, I cannot help you. I do not know his name or where his delusions of a blue demon came from. As for him disrupting the peace: he was a raving madman. Giving him any attention would be lending him more credence than he was due."

"Well someone thought he earned enough credence to be murdered."

"And determining who that someone could be is your job."

"Liam," Mal said. He had migrated to the back of the room by the bookcases. "I smell lavender here."

Liam turned to Jimi. "Care to explain that?"

"I wasn't aware the use of lavender was illegal. I had a lady over. As someone who is not married or in a committed relationship, I didn't think it'd be worthy of such attention."

"It's not except our victim smelled of it, too."

Jimi shrugged, his expression still unreadable. "I'm sure it's a very popular fragrance."

Mal said nothing and continued closely examining the bookcases. Jimi continued his stoic demeanor but Liam noticed the cracks forming. He tapped his index finger in an uneven rhythm and his gaze was too focused. Most people did that when they were struggling to keep from looking at something else.

Eventually, Mal stopped, reared up on his hind legs, and pressed his weight against the wall. There came a loud pop and a _twang_as the locks popped and the secret door swung open revealing a set of stairs.

"The smell is stronger in here," the drake added.

"What do you know, a secret passage," Liam said, drawing his cudgel. "Get up. We're taking a tour."

Jimi said nothing and complied without resistance. The shock on his face should have made Liam smile but he felt uneasy. Jimi didn't seem the kind of man to be caught off guard easily.

The descent was short but led to a small room cluttered with shelves stuffed full of documents. Off to the left stood a very imposing wooden door. A gated window allowed one to peer inside. Looking through the portal, Liam saw all kinds of torture devices and instruments of pain laid out on the tables beyond.

He turned back to Jimi. "You're into some really rough stuff, aren't you?"

"As if the city watch doesn't employ such aggressive interrogation tactics," Jimi shot back.

"Save it for the courts. Mal, did you find what you were looking for yet?"

The drake was buried deep in one of the cabinets. A flurry of random objects flew behind him as he emptied the space. He soon emerged with a narrow wooden box in his jaws.

Liam brought Jimi with him to the table and opened the box. Inside was a three-pronged weapon meant to be held in someone's hand.

"What do you think that's our murder weapon?" Liam asked. Turning to Jimi he added, "Care to explain before we drag you down to the barracks for an 'aggressive interrogation'?"

Jimi stared gap-mouthed at the weapon, his face pale. All of Liam's joy at their victory faded. He saw the events playing out even before it happened. Jimi's eys had all the signs of a cornered animal left with one option.

He tried to restrain him, but Jimi squirmed free and drew a pistol from underneath his shirt. Liam drew his weapon as well. Mal growled but remained where he stood.

"Hey, don't be stupid," Liam said. "Even if you kill me, that gun won't stop Mal. And if you run, you won't make it to the door. Just put the weapon down."

"And then what?" Jimi shot back. "I imagine the dragons will come to extradite me the moment you lock me in a cell, assuming I don't have an unfortunate accident first."

"Why do the dragons want you?" Mal asked.

"You don't know? Allow me to enlighten you then. You two are nothing more than another set of pawns in a grand game that's been going on for the last 20 years. Perhaps longer given the impressive lifespan of dragons."

"What game?" Liam asked. He slowly circled closer to the stairs to cut off escape and further divide his attention between them. "And what do you mean 20 years ago? What does that have to do with now?"

"20 years ago your victim, Stefan Nevans, was a mercenary. I acted as the broker between him and a client who wanted to transport important cargo. He left for the job and I never heard from him again. When he resurfaces, he is the shell of a man you know ranting about the blue demons coming to kill us all."

"And you have no idea what he's talking about?"

"How could I? The client I sent him to was a human, but it wouldn't surprise me if the man was a go-between for the dragon who wanted to keep their identity a secret. I never heard from him again either. Sometime later, I learned people were asking questions, so I packed up and left Diamus for good, coming south to Peridan and starting anew."

He continued to backpedal despite being up against the wall. His eyes darted between his opponents, never lingering on one. Liam saw how it would all play out. Jimi's mind was made up. This would end bloody. The distance was too large to get to him in time and any attempt to inch closer could end badly.

"I'll let you in on a secret: the New Scale Guild was nothing more than a front. I needed power and status to protect myself, so I created this group, banking on the power of the name to draw supporters and chase away potential enemies. And it worked...for a time. But it seems I was only fooling myself. It was simply a matter of proper timing. I forget that dragons are masters of playing the long game."

"Okay, we believe you. The fact that we were led right to the murder weapon proves that," Liam said. He kept his weapon raised because Jimi continued to sweep the pistol across the room. "But we can't help you unless you put the gun down and come with us to explain your story."

Jimi chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, I can't decide which is funnier, your naivete or that you believe I'm that stupid. If you lead me out of here, I'm a dead man."

"Then how do you plan to leave?" Mal asked.

Jimi shrugged as he turned to the drake. "I don't."

"Wait!" Liam cried. He rushed forward but before taking two steps, Jimi turned the pistol on himself and pulled the trigger.

****

"And that's pretty much what happened," Liam said in a monotonous voice. He had just finished giving his report to his superior, prefect Chidiebere Shannon, but none of it felt real. The events played out in his mind, even talking about it, the whole thing seemed made up.

The prefect listened with rapt attention and didn't interrupt or question as was his style. He was the kind of man who preferred to hear the whole story before passing judgment. In this case, Liam wanted anything but. He wanted someone to interrupt him, poke holes in his story, and call him out on his lies.

Everything had played out too well, too perfectly. Jimi's secret room contained several incriminating documents involving the highest members of Peridan' government. Bribes, cover-ups, blackmail, and threats by everyone going all the way up to the city's council. He never believed the corruption spread so far.

They had also uncovered several more documents detailing other murders. It involved a wide range of victims across multiple classes, ages, and genders, but they were all killed with the same three-pronged weapon. This, too, couldn't have been a coincidence. Someone was building an airtight case against the New Scale Guild and all those affiliated with him.

They were missing something important. Something crucial, but he couldn't piece it together.

It brought to mind the conspiracy Jimi spoke of. Except now they had lost their best lead.

Mal had also been silent the entire time. That was normal, but Liam could just tell that this was different. He had been this way ever since they uncovered the other documents.

"Something else is on your mind, warden," Prefect Shannon said.

Liam snapped out of his stupor. "I...It's just...I feel like we missed something. Everything played out too well. I mean, what are the odds that the exact same odd scent on our victim led us straight to the murder weapon?"

The prefect folded his hands on the desk and regarded Liam with a serious stare from beneath his dark brown eyes. "Do you have any evidence to the contrary?"

"I...no, sir."

"Any leads to potential suspects?"

"No, sir."

"Eyewitnesses who can attest to this theory?"

"None," Mal said.

"Then leave it alone. File your paperwork, close the case, and call it a day."

Liam's mouth hung open at the suggestion. Even Mal wore a stunned expression. In all his years as a warden, the prefect never suggested such a thing. He was usually the type to encourage the aggressive pursuit of all possible angles and ensure they had gotten it right. The last person caught cutting corners and rushing through cases was fired on the spot and investigated for corruption.

The prefect seemed to read their minds as he leaned casually back in his chair and added, "I've held this position for nearly 30 years now and the most useful thing I've learned is when to recognize a bad case. Some secrets are not worth investigating, even if it goes against the oaths we took as peacekeepers of this city."

"So, we just pin the bodies on a dead man to make our lives easier?" Mal asked.

Prefect Shannon seemed unbothered by the accusation. "Do you know how I got promoted? The prefect before me went missing. To this day, we never found his body. He was investigating the dragon temple believing the Keeper was corrupt but could never prove it. When he disappeared, we investigated, but of course, we found nothing and were eventually forced to let it go. Pretty soon we were forbidden but the higher-ups to not even mention the case. All files were to be delivered directly to the Marshall."

He hesitated as if to let his words sink in. It was unnecessary as Liam understood perfectly. Most likely the Dracaena put the word out and like good puppets, the leaders of Peridan obeyed to avoid causing conflict.

Once the dramatic pause ended, the prefect continued. "When I took over the position, the first thing they told me was not to ask questions I didn't want to know the answers to." He leaned forward in his seat again, his expression grim and hard. "And that's what I'm telling you. Anyone who could've arranged this is obviously not some random citizen. They have many connections we likely aren't aware of. Normally, I would say that doesn't matter but everyone in this room knows better. Are you certain you want to pick this fight with nothing else to go on besides a hunch and a hollow theory? Do you think your careers can survive it?"

Liam gripped the edge of his seat, unable to respond. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to think? How could they just be expected to walk away, knowing what they know?

"You both seem confused so I'll say it plain," the prefect said. "Even if you can prove it, what then? You just made the biggest bust of your career. If you cast a shadow of doubt on that, it all goes away. All those accused will walk and go right back to what they were doing. Is that truly what you want for two dead men who were far from clean?"

"We get it," Mal said with a low growl. "We'll bury it."

Prefect Shannon nodded, his face showing no joy in his victory. "That sour taste in your mouth will wash out with a few drinks. I suggest you take the rest of the week off to do so. And keep your heads down in the meantime. I don't what to hear you've been investigating this in secret, understand?"

They understood. It was clear obedience was no simply expected but demanded. They didn't need to respond or confirm.

Liam was in a sour mood for the rest of the day. He struggled to comprehend what they had learned. He hurried through the paperwork. It was sloppy and poorly worded but what did it matter? Anything sufficed so long as he was done and could go to the nearest tavern and forget the events never happened.

Once they were outside again, Mal nudged his arm. "You still got that broach?"

Liam mechanically fished it out of his pocket, surprised that it had been there this whole time.

"We need to give it back," Mal said.

"I don't think a dead man cares."

"No, to who it really belongs to."

Liam raised a brow. "Oh? Did you realize something?"

"I'll tell you on the way."

****

No matter how many times he entered the temple, it never ceased to amaze him. Even now, knowing what he knew, he felt a sense of calm and amazement at the impressive architecture.

Kneeling at the base of one of the dragon statues was Claire, scrubbing the floor. Her expression turned worrisome upon seeing Mal and Liam approach.

"Are we that bad of company?" Liam asked, half-joking. He knew exactly why she'd be worried. "Look, we're just here to talk. We have some news we think the Keeper would like to hear."

The fear faded from the kobold's face but lingered behind her features like a predator peering from beneath cover. "Oh, well, I'm sure she would love that. Please follow me," she answered in a shaky voice.

They were led to a large open space filled with plants. The floor had been replaced with grass and flowerbeds. Vines clung to the walls and support columns. Brightly colored flowers in bloom sprang from the leaves. Upon closer inspection, they were covered in thorns. The rest of the space had been filled with flora Liam couldn't identify, but they painted the room in a variety of colors as if trying to create some form of abstract art.

Claire strode into the dense foliage without difficulty, but Liam and Mal constantly tripped over roots and were slapped in the face by large leaves trying to keep up.

In the center of it all was a small pond. At the water's edge sat Keeper Kala. She wasn't wearing any of her adornments but still sat posed as if she weren't alone. Whatever her reasons for being there, she was engrossed in something in the pool, but the water was too dark to see the bottom. But several fish could be seen swimming lazily.

"I take it you two are not here to convert," the Keeper said, still watching the water.

"Nope. Just wanted to let you know we solved the case," Liam said.

"That is good to hear, but you didn't need to deliver the news personally."

"No, we really did. You see, we figured something out and we're hoping you could fill in the blanks."

She continued watching the pool. "I'm unsure what I could tell you. I hardly knew the man."

"Oh, but you could tell us plenty," Liam replied, brimming with enthusiasm. Her slip also hadn't escaped his notice. "Afterall, it was your clue that led us to him in the first place. If you hadn't mentioned the New Scale Guild, Mal would've never picked up on the scent of lavender in Jimi's office which led us right to the murder weapon." He turned to his partner and added. "Luckily none of the jewelers all the way to the West Gate would tell us anything, huh? We practically had no choice but to come here."

"Yeah, very lucky," Mal answered, never taking his eyes off the Keeper.

She remained more interested in what lay beneath the water than their conversation. "I'm delighted I was able to assist you. The All-Mother truly does work wonders doesn't she?"

"I'm surprised she cares about a man who would call her children demons," Liam said. "Then again, she also let him die, so she wasn't _that_forgiving."

That made her lift her head and acknowledge them. But her gaze showed a deep annoyance. "He was a lost soul, tormented by imaginary monsters. Through death, he has finally been released from his torment and found peace."

"Yeah, a lot of people found peace," Liam continued. "Like whoever finally tied up a loose end from a job over 20 years ago. Did you know Jimi and Stefan knew each other?"

"I did not," the Keeper replied.

It was a lie. He could see it in her face. There was no surprise, no interest, only boredom and irritation. They were interrupting her and wasting her time with information she already knew.

"Oh, yeah, they did," Liam continued. "In fact, Jimi had set him up with the client who likely drove him insane. Funny world, huh? The man was sane until he disappeared two decades ago. When he finally resurfaces, he's raving about blue dragons. My guess is, he ran into one and it left him scarred. Truly tragic, wouldn't you agree partner?"

"It is tragic," Mal said.

Liam grinned and continued, taking no heed of the purple and yellow flowers he walked on. "Yet, they still managed to find each other again. What I still don't get though is why Jimi even bothered to kill him in the first place."

Mal shrugged. "Maybe Kala knows."

"I'm afraid I'm just as confused as you are," the Keeper replied casually.

"I got a theory," Liam said. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but what if Stefan was just a means to get to Jimi? I mean what did we really learn about Stefan that really warranted killing him? It was because he insulted dragons, the man's been doing that for how long now? Why wait?"

"They wouldn't," Mal said. "But he was connected to Jimi."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. On paper, the New Scale Guild wasn't doing anything illegal. We had no reason to even approach them let alone investigate them. Then this guy dies who is a supposed dragon worshipper--which by the way, we never did confirm that, did we?"

"We didn't. The broach didn't smell like him either."

Liam rubbed his chin in mock interest. "Oh? Is that important?"

"He reeked of plants. The broach didn't. It was likely planted."

"To make us investigate it," Liam added, nodding his head. "That's clever. The killer planted it after dropping him out the window--which we also know isn't where he died. He was dead before then. They wanted us to look in the apartment. They wanted us to find the broach, and they knew we would follow the trail being the only clue we had. Hey, Keeper, isn't that clever?"

"I suppose it is," Keeper Kala replied stiffly.

"Exactly," Liam said. "I mean, no one else even bothered to learn the guy's name. But I still don't get what they had against Jimi. Do you have any insights?"

The Keeper grinned that faux-friendly smile of someone who wanted to do anything else but grin and bear it. "You said it yourself: sometimes one must intervene to prevent trouble before it is started," she replied. "The Scale Guild did good work for Peridan and all of Geolga, but they didn't have the best reputation. It is much better for everyone if that part of the past remained buried."

"Yeah, they were known to use people like sacrificial lambs," Liam said. "What's s random logger's life for the greater good? A beggar in the alley? Some housewife no one knows? They're just pawns used to serve a higher purpose. I wonder if the All-Mother approves of her children using each other as pawns like that?"

With a growl, the Keeper rose. Mal took a step forward.

"I will not have you insult the All-Mother here of all places," the Keeper said.

Liam bowed low. "I'm very sorry. And you're right, she has nothing to do with this. To get back on topic, you mentioned burying the past. That's a good point. We think that's what this was about too. A lot of people had connections to the old Scale Guild. A lot of those are probably in positions of power today because of them. It would be a real shame if that came to light because someone started digging up the past to save his own ass--oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to swear in here."

"It's quite all right," Keeper Kala said. Her calm, condescending demeanor had returned. "But I'm very busy if you don't mind. If you are done with your questions--"

"Just one more thing," Liam said. "How do you figure someone put all this together? I mean, it's a good theory but how would anyone have known about Stefan and Jimi to begin with?"

"I'm sure you know the answer," the Keeper replied. "They knew both of them and were likely there 20 years ago."

"Which implies our victim coming to Peridan to preach from the streets was no accident," Liam said. "Well, that's a story for another time. We've taken up enough of your day. We'll show ourselves out. Thank you for your help, your Grace."

"It was my pleasure. And it was nice seeing you again, Mal. We should catch up sometime."

Mal stiffened and grumbled under his breath. Liam turned around and fished the broach out of his pocket. Throwing it to the Keeper's feet, he added. "Oh, and you can have that back. We don't need it anymore."

There was no response, not one was expected anyway.

Liam waited until they were outside to speak again. "So what was that about? It sounded like she wanted to do more than talk about old times."

"It doesn't matter," Mal replied.

Liam raised a brow. "Something you not telling me, partner?"

The drake stopped and regarded him with a serious look. "The prefect said to learn how to know when to stop asking questions. You should learn it."

Lost Content

Liam swore. The New Scale Guild was a group dedicated to ensuring peace between humans and dragons or at least that was the official statement. Everyone said it was front and they were truly a dragon-hate group that wanted to see humans in power. Unfortunately, they kept their heads down and never caused trouble so the city watch had no cause to even investigate them. What Liam didn't like was that the original Scale Guild was said to be the same way and had quite a bit of influence until an unknown incident caused the group to disband 40 years ago.

swore under his breath upon seeing the temple Keeper, Kala, strutting towards them. She held her head high, silver scales shining beneath the sheer cloak covering her frame. The studded gems hanging from the horns on her head and tail jingled with every step. The accessories captured the light as she passed one of the windows, dazzling the area around her with a brilliant display of color.

Then there was the stained glass window depicting dragons standing over crowds of humans who bowed in worship. The architecture was painstakingly crafted and chosen. Most people claimed the temple was just a money scheme that preyed on people's faith to line its coffers, but Liam knew better. The impressive architecture, the well-crafted and polished furniture, and the amazing upkeep, it was all done by its followers. No private contractors and no business deals.

That they had such dedicated followers was a scary thought. To Liam, it was what made the temple so powerful. They were self-sufficient and independent.

He ignored the massive life-like dragon statues staring down at them and approached the head kobold of the temple. The woman's name was Claire and she was usually straightforward and cooperative.

Liam hoped that would be the case this time.

The kobold addressed them with a low bow. "Hello, good sirs. How may I help you today? Oh, Warden Talsen and Lord Mal. I didn't recognize you at first."

"It's fine," Liam said. He thought about correcting her calling Mal a lord but decided against it. They had done that song and dance many times and it clearly wasn't sticking. "Listen, we would like your assistance with something."

"Oh? Well, I'm happy to help however I can."

"I'm sure you've heard of the murder last night?"

"Oh yes. Such a tragedy. It was truly regrettable."

Liam raised a brow. "Really? I'm surprised to hear you say that."

Claire frowned. "Why? Because of his blasphemous ravings? The Keeper teaches us that delight in the demise of others is exactly the kind of depravity that has led our society to its current state. Did I agree with his 'preachings'? Of course not. But I did not wish harm on the man. It was my goal to save him."

"You talked to him?" Mal asked.

Her expression shifted immediately to a friendlier one. "Oh, yes. I had hoped to show him that our chosen descendants of the All=Mother are not the demons he feared. Unfortunately, I was unable to convince him. I believe his mind was truly broken."

"You know they say death can sometimes be a mercy," Liam said. "Maybe someone wanted to free him from his torment?"

The frown returned. "You are usually an open-minded man who respects our beliefs. I'm surprised to hear such accusations from you."

"The guy did nothing day in and day out except shout from the streets to beware the blue demon. Who else would even give a damn besides you?"

"It is precisely because we give a damn that we wanted to show him the truth! And I can assure you that no one in the congregation had anything to do with it."

"You say that but the wounds on the body suggest a dragon attacked him."

Claire didn't budge an inch. "And was the body burned as well? Or eaten?"

Liam looked at Mal who shrugged.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Liam asked.

"If this was a mercy killing as you so blatantly suggested, he would have been given his final rites. The body must be burned with dragon fire or consumed by a dragon in order to free his spirit, otherwise, it will be trapped in his body to be tormented forever."

"Maybe they felt his soul needed to be punished."

"And maybe I'm done listening to these baseless accusations. You can show yourself out."

She spun on her heel and started to walk away but Mal cut her off. The kobold instantly stopped and bowed her head. Liam held his breath. Hopefully the bad guy routine to chase her into Mal worked. He felt bad to take advantage of her faith like this but they needed a confession and the only way they were getting one was to throw her off balance.

"Excuse my partner; he's emotional," Mal said. "We've been up all night and we're still cleaning up the mess from the blue dragon. It's got us on edge."

"I understand," Claire said. "The Keeper believes that dragon is a tortured soul and we pray she will find the help she needs once the other Matriarchs catch up with her."

Seriously? She's the tortured soul? Liam thought bitterly. Does this woman not remember the destruction that dragon caused, or does she really not care?

"But I don't know what to tell you," Claire said. "As I said, no one here wished harm on the man."

"You spoke to him," Mal said. "Anything you know helps. We don't even know his name. What did you talk about?"

Claire was silent for a moment and replied in a somber voice. "I'm afraid I don't know either. He never gave his name no matter how much I asked. He did say that he had been entrusted with the world's safety and lost it, so now the blue de--dragons will consume the world."

"Nothing else?" Mal asked. "His death was not random chance. Someone following him?"

Before Claire could speak, another voice sounded from across the main hall. "Have you ever considered you're asking the wrong individuals?"

Liam swore under his breath upon seeing the temple Keeper, Kala, strutting towards them. She held her head high, silver scales shining beneath the sheer cloak covering her frame. The studded gems hanging from the horns on her head and tail jingled with every step. The accessories captured the light as she passed one of the windows, dazzling the area around her with a brilliant display of color.

Mal and Claire bowed in respect at her approach. Liam begrudgingly did the same. It was her eyes. That piercing yellow gaze demanded obedience and reverie. That haughtiness all but screamed, "I'm better than you." He ground his teeth in defiance.

"Keeper," Claire said. "The city watch is here because--"

"Yes, I know," Kala interjected, her gaze still on Mal and Liam. "I suspected as much once news of that man's death reached us. No doubt they would come calling with their accusations and empty threats."

"No one's been threatened, yet," Liam said icily. As an afterthought, he added, "Your Grace."

"Good because this is a peaceful place of worship and I will not have anyone come barging in and disrupting that peace. Especially I'm certain we can talk this out diplomatically like adults."

Maybe we could if we knew you wouldn't lie to our faces to save your own asses.

Kala smiled as if she had read Liam's mind and reveled in knowing they were forced to play her game if they wanted any helpful information. The smug grin pissed him off.

"I'm sure we're all busy, so I will keep this brief," Kala said, still smiling. "No one here killed that man. As for the night in question, I and all the kobolds serving under me were here having our daily meditation sessions."

"And what about those who don't serve under you?" Liam asked. "I'm pretty sure you get visitors and people looking to convert."

Kala regarded him with that same condescending smile as if saying "Nice try."

"I merely guide and inform," she said calmly. "I informed all those of the faith to follow the path of non-violence in the hopes to guide our world to a better future. I like to believe that my followers uphold those teachings."

"That's not answering my question," Liam said.

"Oh, I believe it does," Kala said with a note of finality. "No one in my congregation had reason to harm the man. Now, if you want someone with a motive, perhaps you should look to the fools calling themselves the New Scale Guild. They talked at length with your victim and have even been seen threatening him. Now unless you intend to stay for prayer, I think our business is concluded."

Liam noticed Claire didn't energetically nod as she usually did whenever the Keeper spoke. Her gaze was distant as if lost in thought.

She's distracted which means something's bothering her. Maybe Kala's interruption was more convenient than it looked.

But he kept that observation to himself and followed Mal outside. Neither Liam nor Mal spoke. They simply bowed again and left in silence. Inside, Liam was furious. She was taunting them. He knew it but they had no way of proving it.

Liam broke the silence once they were outside. "She knows something. Did you see the look on Claire's face when the Keeper mentioned being non-violent? Dammit, she was so close to giving us something!"

"Careful. We can't go after the Keeper without solid proof," Mal said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Especially after all that's happened. But we need to get Claire alone and find out what she knows."

"How do you plan to do that?"

"She has to leave sometime. Until then, we should look into this New Scale Guild angle. I don't see why they'd want to risk something like this though. The Scale Guild all but fell apart 40 years ago and has been trying to reestablish themselves since. Why would they throw that all away for this guy?"

"Don't assume they think like you. It's not our job to understand. Just to find the truth."

Liam sighed. It didn't seem as if the truth would come easy this time.

When they arrived at the building, he

Everyone knew where to find the headquarters of the New Scale Guild. Liam would've liked nothing more than to arrest the lot of them, but unfortunately, having unpopular ideals wasn't illegal. The group was known for spreading anti-dragon ideology.

He could never understand how someone could dedicate themselves to hating someone else's very existence. Of all the thieves, murderers, and plain heartless bastards he had tracked down and arrested, people like those in the New Scale Guild baffled him the most.

After the recent events, they were warned against doing anything to ruffle their feathers. Since a dragon made a mess of the city, it was expected the group would capitalize on it to draw more members and support. Surprisingly, they've been very quiet which worried Liam more.

****

"Liam!" Mal shouted.

Before Liam could react, something thick and heavy slammed into his side. He rolled across the table, scattering its contents, and onto the floor. Next came the sound of scuffling and then a scream was quickly cut off. He drew his pistol and struggled to stand despite the throbbing pain in his chest and side.

Peering over the table, Mal stood over the corpse of Jimi who stared at the ceiling wide-eyed, his throat exposed and shining red.

"What--?" was all Liam could manage in his condition and shock.

"He drew a knife," Mal said. "Good riddance."

Instead, they walked into a nearly bare room containing just a few wooden tables and leaning stools. The stained tabletops were covered with bottles, empty plates, and scattered papers. The only thing that did meet expectations was the stench of booze and sweat. It also contained fewer people than feared. A cursory glance around the room revealed at most 10 individuals.

The door burst open and two more men with guns rushed out. Liam immediately drew his pistol.

"Drop the weapons," he said.

"Or what?" one of the men replied.

"What's going on here?" a fourth person asked from inside. Not long after, the two armed men parted to allow a broad-shouldered man to exit the building. Unlike the others, he remained unarmed. Liam knew of him although the two never met. Jimi Kofi, the leader of the New Scale Guild.

Liam didn't even attempt to hide his scorn for the newest interloper.

"Lower your weapons," Jimi commanded the two men. "This city is seen enough chaos without starting a war with the city watch."

`

The armed men lowered their guns. Liam cautiously lowered his as well.

"Now, is there a reason you're attacking my men?" Jimi asked.

"Your guy was dumb enough to call a dragon a pet to his face," Liam replied simply. "I'd say he was asking for it."

"I thought the city watch was above such petty reactions. If that's all it takes to make you resort to violence, I fear for the civilians."

"Save the preaching for your followers," Mal spat.

The doorman who had been knocked down finally got to his feet and wore a triumphant grin. "Yeah, that's right. Learn your place you--" He fell silent with one look from their leader.

"I apologize for my fellow member's behavior," Jimi said. "He should know to speak more politely to guests. Now, what brings the city watch here?"

"We want to ask you a few questions regarding the murder last night," Liam said. "Is there a place we can talk in private?"

"Anything you wish to say to me, you can say in front of the guild. But we should talk inside. This isn't a conversation to be had on the street."

Liam didn't want to go inside, but they had no choice

"It looks like you guys are lacking in funds," Liam said.

"Yes, many people assume we have limitless funds," Jimi said. He sat on edge of the largest table in the room. "Just as many people assume we seek the oppression and subjugation of dragonkind."

"Can't imagine why," Mal mumbled.

"But you didn't come here to discuss that. You mentioned the man who had been murdered. Well, I hate to disappoint you gentlemen, but that man was not a member of this guild, nor was he ever one."

Liam folded his arms across his chest to keep his hand from gravitating to his pistol. Every eye in the room was on them and it made him nervous.

"I find that hard to believe," Liam said. "The man was shouting warnings about dragons to anyone who would listen. Isn't that the kind of thing your group does?"

Jimi frowned and gripped the edges of the table. "What this guild stands for is unification, not fear and prejudice--which was all that man was preaching."

"One of your guys calls my partner a pet and you expect us to believe that?"

"He like many people"--he shot an annoyed glare at the doorman--"are driven by misguided and outdated principles. The former Scale Guild believed in creating a world where humans and dragons treat each other as equals. Every member here is expected to uphold that."

"Nice speech," Liam said. "But you don't have any dragons in your ranks."

"Because they think we're a dragon hate group. Our first goal is to change people's minds about that."

"Yeah, you're doing a bang-up job," Liam said. "But that's not why we're here. We have it on good authority that you've spoken to our victim."

Jimi relaxed a little but the frown remained. "I tried to dissuade him from his preaching. It was only inciting unrest and furthering the divide between humans and dragons. He refused to see reason."

"So he had to be silenced?" Liam asked, trying his best to ignore the tightening circle.

"And what would we gain from that? The murder of a clearly mentally unstable vagabond with no real power or connections? Yes, they'll cheer our names in the streets. Please, if anything, his death will do more harm than good."

"Then help us catch the criminal and undo the damage," Mal said.

Liam was shocked to hear such a reaction from his partner. Mal preferred to let him do all the talking and usually only spoke up when necessary or asked directly. That he was sure the drake hated this group more than he did and wouldn't give them a glass of water if they were on fire. But he refused to let it show. Jimi, on the other hand, wore his surprise on his face.

Jimi recovered quickly and cleared his throat. "I would love to help, but I don't know anything. I couldn't even pry a single coherent sentence out of the man. He was obsessed with the blue demon and someone named Isaiah. Apparently, he was waiting for him to come back for him."

"Who's Isaiah?" Liam asked.

"Probably the name of the dragon who killed him," the doorman said. "How else do you think those claw marks got on his chest?"

Liam didn't mention it, but he caught the slip. They were the first ones on the scene before even the crowds and Mal never left the body unattended. Either they had a leak or that man was there. But he couldn't bring it up now. Surrounded by his buddies, there was no way he'd crack and admit to anything.

"And does he have a last name?" Liam asked. "Or is prejudice really the only clue we get to go on?"

"We don't know who this Isaiah is or where he can be found, but if I learn anything I'll be sure to let you know," Jimi said.

Liam was quick to respond. "Oh no. This is an official investigation now. You and your guild are to stay as far away from it as possible unless you want to wait out the results in a cell. Let's go, partner."

No one stopped them from leaving but he didn't breathe easy until they were outside and well out of sight of the building.

Mal broke the easing silence first. "You buy that equality bullshit?"

"Please, even if he believes it, the rest of his group doesn't. You saw the state of that place, right? He's probably scraping the barrel for recruits at this point."

"Probably. They lied to our faces, y'know. No way they saw the marks on his chest in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, it was too dark to notice that detail at a distance. One of his guys was there."

"What're we doing?"

Liam had to think for a minute. "I'll hang back and see if our little informant breaks away from the herd. You follow up on that Isaiah lead. If we're finally going after these bastards, I want to be a hundred percent sure we cross off all other options."

The drake hadn't invited him, but Liam saw no reason not to tag along. Vacation or not, he didn't plan to sen his partner anywhere alone."

I did it because as much as I'd like to believe that the law, that justice, is black and white, it's really not. We're just stimple folks trying to make life easier for everyone else. And sometimes that involves doing things you don't want to do."

I once framed a murderer for a crime he didn't commit. He finally died in prison three years ago. His wife had left him for another man, so he killed her and their daughter. Of course we couldn't prove it, but we knew he did it. We also discovered this wasn't his first 'failed marriage'. We knew it was only a matter of time before some other poor woman suffered the same fate so we decided to act first. Some poor fool had gotten his head bashed in during a bar brawl. Our murderer happened to be there, so we forged a few documents and arrested him for murder."

Liam was too shocked by this revelation to comprehend why the prefect was telling him this.

"Like framing a man for a crime he didn't commit?" Liam asked angrily.

"Or watching a guilty man walk free because you just didn't have enough to nail him to the wall. Or because he had powerful friends bail him out."

"I fail to see what this has to do with our current case."

The prefect shrugged. "It's simple. We just made our biggest break in years. Several high-ranking officials will be brought up on charges."

"All it took was a sacrifice twenty years in the making. Do you think they tortured him to break his mind or he just happened to lose it on his own?"

"It will be an even bigger sacrifice if you reveal it was all a setup," the prefect replied in a stern voice. "You cast the shadow of doubt on our evidence and all those people go free. Is that what you want? I suggest you think hard about what's more important to you before you go digging any deeper."

Liam nodded. His mind was made up. He stood and removed his badge then placed it on the desk. "If that's what being a warden of this city means, I don't think I can be a part of it."

"You'd really hand in your badge that easily?"

"I look monsters in the eye all the time. I don't need to see one staring back at me from the mirror."

****

As I said, his mind was gone. He constantly went on and on about the sacred object he had lost but the truth is, he never had it to begin with. All he would say was that it was taken from him in Rubellum. I have never seen a blue dragon until that one dragoness appeared and turned the city inside out. But what difference does that make? distanced myself from him fearing it was ploy to draw me out. Because why would he return here of all places?

"I assumed my position in the New Scale Guild would afford me some protection but now I understand"

Liam saw how it would all play out. Jimi's mind was made up. He would go out of blaze of glory before he was led into the jaws of the beast waiting for him outside.

"It's okay, I believe you," Liam said.

"Listen," Jimi said shakily. "There is more at stake here than you know. I will tell you everything, but you must promise to protect me."

"Protect you from who?"

"The ones who are currently framing me! I thought I was useful to my employers but it seems they are framing me."

Liam raised a brow. "And what makes you think we aren't on their payroll?"

"Because you have not killed me."

Mal stepped between them. "Start talking."

"And what of our bargain?"

"We'll think about it."

"That's not--"

"Liam, let's bring him in."

"No, wait! Very well. First, I wish to point out that I had nothing to do with that man's death. I have also never seen that weapon before."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. You're being framed," Liam said. "You're supposed to be telling us why we should believe you."

"In that drawer over there you will find a black notebook. Inside are the names are powerful individuals, not just in Peridan but all over the Human Territories. People who have called upon or actively support the New Scale Guild as well as the old. It also includes dates and times of our meeetings."

"You kept records of your illegal dealings?" Liam asked.

"As insurance in the event of a betrayal, yes. I imagine that book is something your employers would be very happy to acquire."

Liam studied his face. Jimi had the look the look of a desperate man but not a deceitful one.

"Watch him while I get the book," Liam said. The notebook was exactly where Jimi said it would be and it contained all of the information mentioned. Liam recognized several of the names even just thumbing through its pages. Several well-known and respected community leaders, business oweners, and even members of the city watch.

He tucked the book into his back pocket then went back to Jimi. "All right. You want protection, start talking. How does our victim fit into all this?"

"What? I gave you the notebook! What more could you possibly--"

Liam seized the man by the collar and shook him. "Don't play with me! They specifically chose a man out of mind to pin his death on you instead of random guy on the street or even someone in a position of power. So you either give us a straight answer or we charge you with murder."

Jimi's face paled even more as the unshakable demeanor broke down completely. He no longer resemebled someone intimidating or in a position of leadership. He looked like a cornered animal for whom even fighting back wasn't an option.

"Stefan. His name was Stefan," Jimi said.

"Who?"

"Your victim. 20 years ago, I acted as a broker for mercenaries. Stefan was one of my clients. I gave him a job providing protection for a transport."

Liam thought back to the journals. One of them had mentioned a "sacred object" that been entrusted for safekeeping. It also mentioned losing it.

"You remember a 20-year old job?" Mal asked.

"I remember because it was the last one I gave him. I never heard from him again until he showed up in Peridan six years ago. He tracked me down and said he was glad to see me alive."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Liam asked.

Jimi shook his head. "Until now, I had no clue. But now I think I know. Someone finally came to clean house. He also kept asking me questions about the dragons. He was very interested in whether or not a blue one had appeared."

"Yeah, we know. Blue is his favorite color," Liam said. "But why kill him now? And why frame you?"

"I can only guess it's because a blue dragon finally showed up," Jimi said. "As for framing me, I must have outlived my usefulness."

"Okay, say we believe you. Who hired him? Seems like they'll be the ones responsible," Liam asked.

"A woman named Gabriella but she was killed last year."

"You didn't think the two were related?"

"I assumed my position in the New Scale Guild would affor me some protection, but it seems not."

****

Liam stretched and sighed. He had been following their unintentional informant for hours. The sun had gone down and most of the city had gone into hibernation.

But not him. He hadn't slept in over a day now. Since working the night shift, he slept during the daylight hours but that had been spent chasing down leads and following their new friend.

The man was boring. The sun was setting by the time the man finally left the guild headquarters, but instead of going home, he went to a tavern for several more hours before finally going to a residential building. Liam assumed it was where the man lived but he didn't want to go inside without his partner.

He yawned again and looked at his watch. Midnight approached. Hopefully Mal would catch up soon. The drake knew his scent and could easily track him to any part of the city. Liam had always been impressed and worried by that.

"Any changes?" Mal asked.

Liam bit his tongue to keep from screaming. He could swear his partner was part Nightstalker the way he could sneak up on others like that.

After taking several seconds to recompose himself, Liam answered the question. "He went in that building. I'm guessing he lives there. Did you get anything useful on your end?"

"Isaiah is a merc who did random odd jobs, mostly smuggling. He was also an asshole who gladly took any job for the right price."

Liam raised a brow at the, hopefully, unintentional use of past tense. "Uh, 'did'?"

"No one's heard from him in over 20 years. In that line of work, he's dead or in jail."

"So our victim was waiting to meet with a dead man. Great. Do you have any idea how he died?"

"No. He had a partner, Eric. Piss stain followed him everywhere. Never did a job without him."

"Eric, huh? What do you wanna bet that's the name of our guy?"

"It is.

"Damn. That means our suspect pool just got bigger. Who knows how many people he pissed off over the years?"

Mal shook his head. "If this was revenge, they wouldn't've covered it up."

"Well, we can ask our guy which one it was after he explains how he knows so much about the body."

They casually waltzed up to the building as if they were expected, but no sooner had they crossed the threshold did Mal freeze.

"I smell blood," he said.

Liam immediately drew his weapon and let his partner take the lead. The door on the first floor had been left ajar. They crept up to the door and waited.

After several tense seconds, the drake nodded to Liam and slowly opened the door.

Not far inside a man sat on the sofa, his back to the door. He didn't acknowledge their presence. Liam already suspected the man's fate and his identity but cautiously approached to confirm it anyway.

The man with the bushy eyebrows and mustache, the one who let slip about the wounds on the body, sat on the sofa. His eyes were wide and glazed over as they stared at the ceiling. His neck had been fully exposed and his front had been soaked crimson. The word TRAITOR had been written in blood, most likely the victims, on the far wall.

The window had been left open but they searched the rest of the apartment anyway. Unfortunately, the assassin chose not to stick around.

Liam swore and holstered his weapon. "I sat outside this building for hours and never noticed anyone suspicious."

Mal searched around the cadaver, checking for scents by flicking his tongue close to the floor. "You assume you saw them enter. They could have been waiting for him."

"That would mean they planned to kill him even before we showed up. I'm finding that hard to believe." He leaned closer to the body to better examine it. "But that would mean they I was following him."

"Then they followed you and snuck in through the window."

"I still don't like that this happened right under my nose. Hold on."

Something glinted in the man's mouth when Liam stepped around the body. He carefully extracted the foreign object inside. Even covered in blood and spit, it was easy to tell that it was a silver broach shaped like a dragon.

"You're fucking kidding me," Liam whispered. "This guy was a dragon worshipper."

"What?" Mal's expression changed upon seeing the broach. "That explains a lot."

"Yeah, play the enemy so no one suspects the truth; it had me fooled. Too bad his 'friends' figured him out. So what do we--what's wrong?"

Mal continued to stare at the door. "Why leave the door open? It's sloppy."

"Maybe they didn't close it as well as they thought they did. I know I've done that myself a few times."

"No. This was a message."

"Maybe. I'm more worried about how we're going to prove it. The message is too vague and could've come from anyone."

"Like who?"

Liam shrugged. "Look, I just know we're wasting our time making arrests without something more solid to stand on."

"We'd better get to work then."

A thorough sweep of the apartment yielded no additional information or clues until they reached the bedroom. One peek under the bed revealed a large thin box. Even without opening it, Mal mentioned how it smelled of blood. Inside the box was a unique three-prong weapon meant to affix to a human hand.

Liam turned to his partner. "What do you think this is our mystery murder weapon?"

****

Liam looked up from the document and rubbed his eyes. It had officially been two days since he had slept and looked like it was going on to three. But sleep would have to come later. They were on the brink of breaking this case and they couldn't afford to lose too much time.

The weapon they had found in the apartment was a perfect match for the victim's wounds. Since that discovery, however, Liam had to confirm something.

How many other people had been killed with this weapon?

After spending several hours looking up murder reports in the archives, the answer was disturbing. He found at least six other victims whose cause of death was also "mysterious lacerations on the face and/or torso" and a few maybes who couldn't be identified. Most of those cases went unsolved and a dragon was listed as the prime suspect.

Knowing the truth now, Liam cursed how simple-minded they had been all this time. For one, dragon claws didn't cut in such clean symetrical lines like that. The varying lengths of their digits and thickness of their nails would've cause discrepancies. Also, dragon paws had four fingers not three. But all the victims had at some point an altercation with dragons in one way or another or were strongly outspoken against them. It was the most obvious choice. And of course, following that logic meant all of the cases wound up hitting dead-ends.

If only they had looked closer at the details, but nothing else tied the victims together. The timings were all over the place, the victims had different ages and genders and belonged to different classes. No one could have connected the dots but it still bothered him.

What bothered and eluded him the most was why. Why these people? Why this method? Did the man act on the orders of the dragon he served or the New Scale Guild? He wished Mal were around. The drake couldn't help him read but he was good to bounce ideas off of. Unfortunately, Mal had taken the broaches they found and disappeared, claiming he needed "to confirm something" but refused to say what. Until he returned, Liam was stuck with only his own thoughts and theories except they continued to run in circles and hit dead ends.

The door at the far end of the archives opened. It's signature squeal broke the silence and made Liam cringe. He wasn't the only one who think they should fix it but part of him thinks they left it like that on purpose. No one entered or left without announcing it to anyone within earshot.

Instead of going back to work, he contined to watch the ailes for the appearance of the interloper. Only a few semi-quiet moments passed before the stocky body of Graham, Liam's commanding officer appeared.

Liam immediately rose from his seat but Graham cut him off. "Let's not waste time on greetings," Captain Graham said. "You're the one working the Blue Dragon murder?"

Fear seized his throat, but he responded without hesitation, "I am, sir." It wasn't like the captain to take such interest in their cases unless they were really high profile.

"Where are we?"

"Well, I've been going over the case files and learned that our killer has taken other victims. Our case files show multiple murders under the same M.O. The only clue linking all of them is that they have had clashed with dragons in the past which is why we missed it."

"And that's still an embarrassment to our name. So do we know who the killer is?"

"We do. He's dead. We think he was killed by the New Scale Guild."

Graham raised a brow. "You think?"

"He was a member of the New Scale Guild, but we don't have anything linking them to his death."

"And what about his victims?"

"I can't say for sure. That's why I'm here investigating."

The captain nodded. "Okay, sure. I have a better idea. Bring them all in."

"Wait, what? Arrest the entire guild? But we don't have cause--"

"You have convincing evidence that at least one of the group members is a serial killer. You're not telling me that no one else knew about that. Bring them all in and put pressure on them. One of them will crack."

It wasn't the plan Liam had in mind but he also couldn't disobey a direct order. They were given the go-ahead. He would be a fool to turn it down.

****

The raid went smoothly. Liam was surprised at how well it went. None of the members of the New Scale Guild put up a fight. The instant they saw the armed forced bursting through the door, they threw up their hands in surrender. So far as they could tell, every member happened to be in the building that day including Jimi Kofi.

People standing by on the street cheered as the guild was escorted out in shackles.

A sweep of Jimi's office uncovered many incriminating documents. Even just glancing over them, Liam knew they were dossiers on the six victims they had records of. But it was more than that, much more.

The guild's lawyer could do nothing in the face of the resounding evidence. Even the threats of having these "falsified, trumped-up charges" removed and how they would pay for the "unlawful and clearly prejudiced raid" seemed more like toothless barking at best.

Still, Liam didn't like it. Their victory had been all but handed to them. In all his years at the city watch that only happened when the perpetrator was caught in the act or was a complete moron. And he knew Jimi Kofi was not a moron. It made him uneasy.

That was why Liam had Jimi retrieved from the holding cells and placed into interrogation. He needed the confession. He had to hear it with his own ears before he accepted that they managed to clean up everything in one fell swoop.

One look at Jimi was enough to confirm it. He had all the looks of a guilty man who had been completely and utterly defeated.

But Liam still needed to hear it. He always hated interrogation. The room felt more like a torturer's chamber. The only difference was it was kept cleaner than he imagined. But seeing the table covered in gleaming instruments meant for the painful extraction of information bothered him. Seeing the chair nailed to the center of the room with thick leather straps holding its occupant in place bothered him. The dim lighting that shone only on the room's center and the table of torture devices bothered him.How could they still be allowed to resort to such barbaric methods?

"So, here we are," he said, turning away from the table. He hesitated and waited for a response. When it became clear there wouldn't be one, he continued. "Honestly, I have to admit, you had me fooled. I thought you honestly believed your own bullshit about being dedicated to peace."

"There are many paths to peace," Jimi said softly, refusing to lift his head. "But only a fool would limit himself to just one."

"So he speaks! And what other paths would there be, huh? Murder? Blackmail? Intimidation? Those sound like peaceful solutions to you? Because we found your secret stash and we know about your victims."

"If you already know then why am I here?"

"Because I want to know why! What did any of those people ever do to you--to anyone--that they had to be murdered in the name of your so-called peace?"

Jimi raised his head. Liam didn't like the look in his eyes. It wasn't the look of a guilty man or even repentenant one.

"Those people threatened the peace," Jimi replied calmly. "Do you know what the original Scale Guild stood for? Peace between humans and dragons, but they were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that peace. But 40 years ago, they miscalculated and were forced to disband. Ever since then, chaos has reigned and the world has only gotten worse."

"Really? And murder was your solution?"

"Some people can't see reason. As a member of the city watch, I'm surprised you don't know that. Fancy speeches and pretty words changing the world are for children's stories. Only actions can bring about true change--"

Liam towered over him. "What change did your actions bring about? All you did was blame innocents for crimes they didn't commit. You made the dragons look guilty and had people blame for something they had no part in!"

"No, they had a useful part in it. Some people had to be made an example of. You see, on this side of the bridge, people think the dragons are weak and easily cowed. They think nothing of taking advantage of them or exploiting them for profit. Those deaths showed people that the dragons will not stand for their insolence, and deserve to be treated with respect."

"You're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"You think I'm the monster but nothing could be further from the truth. We only killed the ones who couldn't be changed. We gave them every opportunity to fix their ways , but they wouldn't listen. Like you, they thought us a joke and spat in our faces!"

"Yeah, and what about your own members? Do they get a chance to atone before you split their throats open?"

Jimi's expression changed to confusion. "What are you talking about? I never ordered the death of a guild member."

"Then one of you guys went rogue because you're down a man. We found in his own apartment, left to bleed out with the dragon broach shoved in his mouth."

"What? Is that why you arrested us?"

"I'm asking the questions," Liam spat. He could barely contain his rage anymore. Those instruments on the table were looking more and more appealing. "So why'd you do it? Because he let slip about Eric?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I know you know his name! He used to work with Isaiah and I'm betting you hired those two for more than a few jobs. Because they were the type to take whatever work came their way. People like that are easily drawn to hypocrites like you."

Jimi continued to stare like a caged animal. Liam snapped his fingers in front of the man's face.

"No, we had nothing to do with that," Jimi said. The confidence had vanished from his voice repleaced with a fear that made his voice crack. "I told you, we had no reason--"

"No, you told me that you were dedicated to peace. Stop looking around and look at me!" He seized him by the face and forced him to face forward. "By your own words, he was spreading fear and prejudice towards dragons, and by your own words you're so dedicated to peace that anyone who doesn't fall in line dies, so why did he get a pass?"

"Because we were told not to!"

Liam snorted and returned to the empty chair across from Jimi. "You're joking. You? Taking order? From who?"

"The Keeper, Kala. She made it very clear that if we touched Eric we would pay for it. But she didn't even need to bother. The man was clearly insane. Even after the incident a few weeks ago, no one was going to believe him."

"Why would Kala care what happens to him?"

Before he could get a reply, the door opened. Even without looking back he knew who it was. And that meant his time was up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Captain Graham asked. "No one gave you permission to question the suspects."

Liam quickly rose from his seat and saluted his commander as was custom. He cursed to himself seeing not only the captain but also the prefect of the ward, Chidiebere Shannon.

"Excuse me, sir. I was only--" Liam began.

"Outside," Captain Graham said.

Liam fell silent and did as he was told. He didn't even look back. Once outside, Graham slammed the door shut. The sound echoed through the hall, making Liam flinch.

"First of all, where's your partner?" the captain asked.

"I told him to wait for me while I handled the paperwork," Liam responded. He avoided looking at the prefect. He was known for being strict and hated liars. "He has no idea I'm down here."

"How noble," Captain Graham said. "And very fucking stupid. What would you have done if he had broken loose?"

"I would have--"

"That was a rhetorical question, son. I suggest you shut your damn mouth before it gets you in worse trouble."

Liam did as instructed. If he didn't play this right he risked being brought up on charges and possibly questioned. He didn't look forward to being the one in the chair.

"Now why were you interrogating the prisoner?" Captain Graham asked. "We already have our evidence. Him and all of his cronies will be hanged by the end of the week."

Liam swallowed and took the plunge. He was already riding on one lie; he had no idea where Mal was. There hadn't been word from the drake since they found the last victim. But Liam wasn't going to throw his partner under the cart and wasn't going to take a chance on another lie either. "I just wanted to make sure we had the right man sir."

"And why wouldn't we?"

"Just making sure. The raid went so smoothly that--"

"If only all raids were that smooth," Prefect Shannon said. "No injuries or casualties, no property damage, and all suspects apprehended. I don't see the problem."

"There isn't one; of course I'm glad no one was hurt," Liam said quickly. "It's just...I feel like they had no idea we were investigating them. And he refused to admit to the last two murders. That doesn't make any sense."

"You're thinking too hard," Captain Graham said. "When's the last time you slept? I can just by looking at you that you've been buring the candle at both ends with dragon fire."

"I--"

"Save it. Since you were responsible for putting away the biggest threat we've faced in years, I'll over look this, but only if you take the rest of week off and get goddamned rest."

"Yes, sir. But what about--?"

"I'll take care of the paperwork," Prefect Shannon interjected. "You get some much needed rest. But we will not be so lenient if we catch you down here unauthorized again, clear?"

Liam nodded and quickly took his leave, thanking how lucky he was. By the time he had returned upstairs, the fears of being caught had been forgotten and the conversation with Jimi had resurfaced.

They had told him to get some sleep, and he greatly welcomed it, but he couldn't let it go. Of all the deaths, Jimi refused to admit to the last two. It made no sense. The other crimes were too damning. What was two more bodies at this point?

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Mal until he walked into the drake.

"Oh, sorry, I was just--hey, where have you been?" Liam asked. "Do you have any idea what's been going on?"

"You arrested the New Scale Guild. But I have something to tell you. The broaches are custom-made and given to only the kobolds chosen as official agents to their Matriarch."

"Okay, but how does that help us? ? We already figured those two were dragon worshippers."

"The broach is designed after the Matriarch. The one in that guy's mouth is based on Kala."

"Wait, what? He was one of hers? Are you sure?"

"The guy who told me is the one who made it."

"Jimi just told me that Kala warned them not to go after Eric. It seems she's been keeping a very close eye on the guild. By the way, do we know who the other one is based on?"

Mal shook his head. "Just that it's old. Couldn't even figure out what species it was supposed to be."

"Damn. I guess that's a dead end. C'mon, we need to pay the Keeper another visit."

"Why? The guild did it."

"Just humor me, okay? I have a hunch. I think I know who our murderer is."

****

She didn't acknowledge the jewelry before her and continued watching the pond. "I believe I made it clear this was not mine."

"No, but you know who it belongs to."

"Do I? Contrary to what you believe, all Matriarchs do not know each other."

"Nice garden," Mal said. "You grow lavender here."

"Among other things. But what does that matter?"

"You know," Liam said. "The clues that just happened to lead us to the murderer smelled of lavender. Kinda convenient wouldn't you say?"

Keeper Kala remained unfazed. "Do you know how many floral shops in this city alone carry that plant? It's quite popular."

"We know. That's why you chose it to literally lead us by the nose."

"It was Mal who figured it out," Liam said. "How convenient that you just happened to put the idea in our head to investigate the New Scale Guild. Without that, we never would have picked the scent lingering in Jimi's office. We never would've gotten that if we hadn't seen you. Good thing every jeweler all the way to the West Gate didn't want to tell us anything, huh? We pretty much had to come to you."

"And the broach doesn't smell of lavender," Mal continued. "It didn't belong to him."

"Which means our guy wasn't the one wearing it," Liam added. "He stinked of plants even after he died, but this didn't. The killer planted it after dropping him out the window--which we also know isn't where he died. He was dead before then. They wanted us to look in the apartment. They wanted us to find the broach, and they knew we would follow the trail being the only clue we had besides a transport job from over 20 years ago."

He waited to see if she had anything to say, a clever retort or to refute the accusations, but other than slightly narrowing her eyes, there was no response.

Liam shrugged and continued, walking over a bed of purple and yellow flowers he didn't recognize. "I used to think the two were related, that it had something to with a two decades-old grudge, but I get it now. That was just the window dressing to sell the deception. My guess is, whatever job Stefan did back then is why he was ranting about a blue demon. He had an encounter with a blue dragon and that left him forever scarred. Jimi, who had brokered the meeting, went into hiding and fled south. He founded the New Scale Guild, hoping to use the influence of its former name to protect himself." He turned back to Kala, "But that isn't important. What's important is the two knew each other. Stefan was never the intended target, Jimi was. We just 'happened' to stumble across his hidden stash of corruption. Enough to put a lot of people away for a long time."

"You spin an interesting tale," she replied calmly. "However, my name has not come up once so I'm confused as to why you think I'm involved."

Liam stopped his pacing. "You're the final piece. You let it slip during your sermon that you knew the man was dead. At the time we didn't pay attention to it, but now it makes sense. You were keeping tabs on him. You knew exactly who he was and you bided your time for the perfect moment to strike. All so you could finally bury your past. You used to be part of the Scale Guild."

Her tail twitched. Liam suppressed a smile. Horntails had to maintain absolute control over their tails to avoid accidents.

"I'm quite curious what fantasies allowed you to make such a leap in logic," the Keeper said.

Liam shrugged. "Just a shot in the dark, really. One you just confirmed. The Scale Guild was at the center of all this. We know you're no saint. You didn't want Jimi to uncover your past. If he did, your cushiony life as a religious leader would have crumbled. We figured that was case because Jimi didn't even care about the guild. He just using their name to save his skin."

"That's what she didn't' like," Mal said.

"The Scale Guild, despite their flaws, did much for Peridan and Geolga as a whole," Keeper Kala said stiffly. "They put away many monsters beyond the reach of the law."

"Yeah, they just had to sacrifice innocent people to do it," Liam replied. "What's s random logger's life for the greater good? A begger in the alley? Some housewife no one knows? They're just panws used to serve a higher purpose. I wonder if the All-Mother approves of her children using each other as pawns like that?"

With a growl, the Keeper rose. Mal took a step forward.

"I will not have you insult the All-Mother here of all places," the Keeper said.

Liam bowed low. "I'm very sorry. And you're right, she has nothing to do with this. You were rotten before you found religion. All that talk about forgiveness and helping others not stray from the path. Tell me, which do you think was a helping hand? Giving Jimi the pistol, or pulling the trigger for him?"

She didn't budge but she glared murderously across the pond. Liam, oddly enough, felt no fear. Their hunch was right, but they couldn't do much beyond petty insults and hollow threats. And Kala knew it. That was likely what kept her from tearing them apart.

The Keeper exhaled and all of the animosity rolled off of her like water washing down a gutter. "We cannot save everyone. Sometimes death is a mercy."

"Is that what Stefan was?" Liam asked. " A mercy?"

"The poor man had lost his mind and saw monsters wherever he went. I like to believe he is at peace now. As for, Jimi, was it? His death is regrettable but that's what happens when you dig about in matters you don't understand."

We know you're no saint. You're not above using dirty tactics to get what you want. Right before Jimi shot himself, he made a very good point: How convenient that everything lined up so naturally? That our victims knew each other from twenty years ago and just happened to meet up again in the same city? Why else would someone bother to kill the man who They just happened to lead

"Do you? I was under the impression you caught those responsible."

"We did," Mal replied. "But we know they didn't do it."

Kala lifted her head and motioned towards something unseen. Claire must have understood the message because she bowed and left the room.

"So this is the part where you accuse me of orchestrating the whole thing," Kala said. "I'm curious as to how you came to such a wild conclusion."

"Simple," Liam said. "The last victim is a dragon worshipper. He worked directly under you, in fact. One of your agents was killed and found with the murder weapon that we can link to at least six other deaths, and who knows how many more. And we find it hard to believe that he never told you about what the New Scale Guild was up to."

"You let it happen," Mal said. "Why?"

Kala smirked. "Why? I don't know what you mean. I was not aware of that group's activities, and I'm certainly unaware of any member of the congregation being a part of that group. And you have yet to explain how this relates to me. You admitted yourself that the New Scale Guild was responsible."

"We did," Liam said, controlling his expression. Even now, she still wore that smug, all-knowing smirk on her face. "But funny enough, Jimi refused to admit to those two murders. The man has more than enough bodies attached to him. What's two more at that point? It's not like denying them is gonna save him."

"Perhaps it's merely spite."

"Or perhaps he really has no idea what happened. Because he did admit to something: you threatened to make them pay if something happened to Eric. Now that alone makes me think that he was under your protection."

He paused and scanned the dragoness for any signs of weakening. A crack in her armor. They both knew who was responsible but he wanted official confirmation even if they couldn't act on it.

But she gave him nothing. Her expression remained as unchanging as a statue.

When it became obvious, she wouldn't break so easily, Mal spoke up. "He was killed and then taken back to where he lived. Someone dumped him out the window and made look like a suicide."

"And we know you would never let that slide," Liam said. "And then the guy with the murder weapon ends up dead too. The same guy who we know works directly under the Keeper. A child could connect the dots. What I don't get is why. The guy was practically harmless. And if you knew about the New Scale Guild's activities, why would you sit on it for this long? What changed?"

The condescending smirk never left her face. "I'm afraid you have come to the wrong one for answers. I have no idea."

"Well, we're aware of that," Liam said. "We're just saying hypothetically. After all, you said yourself you only preach non-violence."

"That is correct, however, one may resort to...less pleasant methods in the spirit of self-defense." After a short pause, she added, "Or discipline."

"Death is a bit beyond simple discipline," Liam said.

"That depends on who the lesson is for," she answered slyly. "Hypothetically? I would say someone is using the convenient timing to kill two birds with one stone as the saying goes. Someone gets punished for their mistake and the New Scale Guild is prevented from rising in power. I'm sure you can agree that group being disbanded has only benefitted the rest of Geolga."

He would but he also would never admit that to her.

"And what of Eric?" Liam asked. "What was his role in all of this?"

"A loose end that never got tied," Kala replied. "Or perhaps someone simply had a grudge to settle. In a previous life Eric had committed many sins. It seemed the All-Mother finally saw fit to judge him."

"For something that happened 20 years ago?" Mal asked.

That got a reaction out of her. The stoic expression and condescending curve of her lips vanished in place for a look of complete shock. It didn't last, however. If Liam hadn't been looking at her, he would have missed it. As quickly as blinking, the unreadable poker face had returned.

He recalled what the journal said about being entrusted with a sacred object that had later been lost or stolen. It was the only clue they had but he couldn't figure how the pieces fit. Did Eric have the object until recently or had it been lost for 20 years and they just caught up to him now?

Either way, there would be no answers today. The trail was cold and Kala wouldn't give it up.

"I'm afraid I'm not gifted enough to understand the All-Mother's machinations," Kala said. "Whether it was 200 years, 20 years, or even 20 minutes, she will do as any caring mother does and discipline her children. Now if that is all, I would like to ask you to leave. My break has ended and I must return to my duties."

"One last thing," Liam said. "The word 'traitor' had been written on the wall. But we couldn't figure out why. The New Scale Guild won't even admit to killing him."

Kala turned back to the pond. The water remained perfectly still its surface like polished glass.

"Betrayal takes many forms," the Keeper said. "Sometimes even the betrayer isn't aware of their wrong-doing.

Mal and Liam bowed before leaving. Liam hated that they couldn't do anything after she all but confessed to orchestrating the whole thing, but they had no evidence and he knew it. A hunch with no hope of follow-through wasn't good enough to risk his career and his life for.

As they walked through the main lobby, he took in the sights. The impressive architecture, stain-glass windows, and polished floors. The statues especially seemed to take on a different appearance. Each one, regal and proud, seemed to stare down its snout at them. The stone unfeeling eyes demanded obedience.

Liam wondered what else they demanded from their followers.

The entire walk back to the barracks was done in silence. Liam was at a loss for what to do next and he couldn't even begin to tell how Mal felt.

---

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