《The Queen's Rogue》


 Part 1 - Chapter 1

    ¡°Rumours are called rumours for a reason. They are not fact,¡± said Jessica, who was chatting absentmindedly with a half-chewed sandwich in her mouth.


    ¡°Of course, but this time I heard it from Mrs. Saunders,¡± Marianne replied. Jessica rocked forward on her chair so that all four legs were once again in contact with the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± She said.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure, sure?


    ¡°Yes! Jessica, she was talking about it with Mr. Hill when I walked past.¡±


    Marianne was getting more and more annoyed at Jessica¡¯s lackadaisical attitude towards the topic, not to mention her slovenly manners.


    ¡°All right,¡± Jessica shook her head and finally swallowed her sandwich. ¡°Even still, what are we supposed to do about it?¡± Jessica had recognised Marianne''s annoyance and started eating with a little more etiquette.


    ¡°Keep ourselves safe, they say trainee magicians are common targets for rogues,¡± Marianne said with a serious tone. Jessica leaned forward, getting engrossed in the atmosphere.


    ¡°I heard of a rogue who was caught trying to use her magic to help a village prosper,¡± Jessica rebutted despite knowing it was a flimsy argument.


    ¡°Do you want to take that chance, Jessica?¡± Marianne muttered. ¡°Either way, I want you to be careful on your way home after school.¡±


    Jessica only nodded in reply as she had the other half of her sandwich in her mouth and she did not want to bring Marianne¡¯s opinion of her down any further. After lunch, they returned to the classroom. It was the last lesson of the day and they were happy as the weekend was a measly hour from beginning.


    Jessica and Marianne walked with their arms linked because it was a freezing cold January, as they walked towards their classroom, they could see their footprints from before that were only slightly snowed over. Jessica had fun trying to retrace her steps in reverse.


    Marianne was quite a reserved individual who disliked crowds and Jessica had been her friend since they were little, so they found an empty classroom every lunchtime in order to eat in private. Sometimes that involved changing building and braving the weather, which neither of them minded.


    They returned to the classroom as it was filling up, it was a shared mindset that because it was the last lesson of the week, they should make the effort to arrive on time to avoid any chance of being held after class. Mrs. Saunders had never left the classroom so when the final student was sitting, she started her lesson.


    She finished ten minutes before the lecture was supposed to finish, confusing the students slightly. ¡°Students, we have received word from the Headmistress that the Magic Control Regiment is currently investigating rogue activity in Bath. I want you all to be very careful and please stay indoors over the weekend.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    A student raised their hand. ¡°Yes,¡± Mrs. Saunders signalled the student to ask their question.


    ¡°Can you tell us what kind of rogue it is?¡± The student asked what was on all the student''s minds. Mrs. Saunders crossed her arms.


    ¡°You will have to wait for tomorrow and find out in the newspaper like everyone else I¡¯m afraid. For those of you with parents in the area, they have come to pick you up. Those without, will have a teacher escort them to dormitories,¡± she said. The students had no trouble with this, they were all terrified and thankful for the added security.


    Marianne and Jessica waved goodbye to each other after chatting with their parents a little. Most families were climbing aboard horse and carriages, but Jessica¡¯s father was not someone with the money for that sort of lavish commodity. He was not a magician or of noble birth and neither was his wife. Jessica watched Marianne climb aboard a beautiful wooden carriage with tasteful silver fittings adorning the doors and running up to the driver''s seat where a portly man with a moustache whipped the horses into motion.


    Jessica¡¯s father led the way home, Jessica jogged a little to catch up then latched on to her father¡¯s arm, seeking some warmth to brave the snow. Marianne had offered her a lift but not only were they going opposite directions, but Jessica lived right around the corner, a five-minute walk at most.


    Marianne spent all of ten minutes in her house after she arrived, she had a tight schedule and despite all those words about staying safe to Jessica over lunchtime, her job in a high-street shop was not going to give her a day off. She rushed out of the house with her shop uniform on. This was a job she had maintained since the beginning of the year and was her mother¡¯s idea of getting ahead of the competition.


    Marianne was uncertain how working in a shop was going to put her ahead as a magician but did not complain nonetheless. To start with, she was not the type to complain about a bit of hard work, but it also helped that her boss could quite possibly be the most delightful human-being in England.


    Marianne walked to the city centre, she felt relatively safe as all the businesses were open, not to mention it was the high-street so there was no lack of people. Not at this point in the afternoon at least. She hurried to a shop called Mrs. Morrison¡¯s Wands and Staves. Wands and staves were not particularly necessary in the study of magic rather, they were items that could help a beginner learn to regulate and manipulate their mana. People that specialised in delicate magic were also quite partial to the added control a wand provided.


    ¡°Good to see you, my dear,¡± a woman with the same uniform exited the counter and approached Marianne. She began fussing with Marianne''s coat as it was covered in snow.


    ¡°Hello, Shiela. How has your day been?¡± Marianne got out of her coat and allowed Shiela to shake it off and hang it up.


    ¡°Well, same as yesterday really. You really do look so nice in that uniform.¡± Shiela admired Marianne, the wood coloured shirt complimented her hair colour, Shiela thought.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Marianne replied bashfully and brushed her hair behind her ears. They worked hard in the little shop, with only the two of them there were always jobs to do, whether it be helping customers, doing inventory or managing restocking. Marianne was thankful for the job as it allowed her to get out of her head, for a little while at least.


    It seemed Shiela had not heard about the rogue in the city as she had been inside the shop all day, her only conversations with customers about her wares. Marianne was going to bring it up but thought it best not to. After all, if she had, Shiela would have insisted on walking her home and Marianne did not feel good about letting an old lady with several leg problems walk home alone in the freezing cold with snow and ice on every single centimetre of pavement and road.

 Part 1 - Chapter 2

    The streets were slippery, and Marianne had to walk with one hand on the Bath stone buildings in order to stay balanced. Her previous worry about the rogue had been replaced with the terrifying thought of dying in a pitiful way like slipping and hitting her head.


    She pulled her hat tighter over her head, hoping it would offer some protection if she fell. She hopped along the pavement finding the least slippery spots to put her feet trying to find some sort of traction. She wondered how long this journey was going to take, twenty minutes minimum she thought.


    She noticed a man with a hood that blocked any light from hitting his face, walking towards her on the other side of the road. His stride was purposeful, and she could not help but marvel at how he was not slipping at all as if the snow and ice did not exist. She shook her head and continued her treacherous journey.


    She watched him walk into a side alley, nestled between buildings where the bins were usually stored. She turned her attention away until another man seemingly followed him into the same alley. This one was very fat and wore a tall top hat. A large jacket covered the man¡¯s portly belly and a pair of glasses donned his large nose. He looked very important, Marianne thought.


    This man was walking a lot slower and she could tell he was having the same trouble navigating the ice as her. She was thankful for a minute that it was not her who was weird but in fact the hooded man.


    She was alone on the street, it was evening now as she had stayed later than usual to help Shiela reach the higher up shelves when packing the new products. Even still it was too empty, so she put it down to the rogue¡¯s appearance scaring everyone into staying inside.


    After managing to finally cross an especially slippery road she was about to cross the alley the two men had walked down just a minute ago, her turning was on that side of the road after all. She had not expected it to take this long to get such a small distance. She thought about using some fire magic to melt the ice but was respectful of the law that no magic should be used in public, expulsion would be the lightest punishment if someone caught her.


    Suddenly a blue light ripped through the cold night. It was as fantastic as it was unbelievable, it was a supremely unnatural colour, brighter than the brightest summer¡¯s day. Marianne let out a yelp, louder than was safe. She froze, having no idea what had occurred in the alley, she gradually reclaimed her sense of reason. She crossed the road again and hurried forward, terrified of thinking about what had happened in that alley, the rogue was at the forefront of her mind. She fell down multiple times, scuffing her knees and hand in the process but her terror drove her on.


    When she eventually returned home her mother and father looked at her in shock. She was soaking wet; her clothes were ripped, and her jacket was off as soon as she walked through the door. She ran upstairs tearing off the freezing clothes, dried off, then put on the thickest set of pyjamas she had. Without stopping she sprinted back downstairs and planted herself firmly in front of the fire.


    Her parents watched this process with worried faces. When she had finally settled down, they approached. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, darling?¡± Her mother put her arm around Marianne¡¯s shoulders. Marianne stirred into life.


    ¡°Oh no, nothing. Just had a bit of a fright whilst walking home.¡±


    ¡°Bit of a fright?¡± her father exclaimed, ¡°Mary you look at your legs, you look like you were dragged home!¡± Her mother looked at him fiercely, he got the hint.


    ¡°Honestly, I was just being silly. I thought I saw something and with all the talk of the rogue that I¡¯ve been hearing¡­ I just got scared. But nothing happened!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± her mother comforted her, trying to wrap her arms around her precious daughter as much as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure, Mum,¡± she said with a whimper.


    Marianne went to bed that night thinking about what on earth she had seen. By the time her mother woke her up in the morning she had only slept a few hours, but she knew she had to get to work as Shiela was expecting her. She bathed and bandaged her knees and hands before getting dressed in an identical uniform to yesterdays. Shiela had got a few of them, Marianne was not sure where from but they fit her perfectly.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    She left the house after saying goodbye to her parents. They were worried but Marianne finished early today so it would still be light by the time she left. Marianne walked slowly despite being well prepared this time, wearing snow boots made it much easier to stay upright. She was still a little rattled from the previous night, but she had come up with a lot of explanations as she was trying to get to sleep that did not involve a rogue or a grisly murder.


    As she thought this, she turned the corner to the main street and her worst nightmares suddenly became the most likely scenario. There was a cordon around the alley with Magic Control Regiment (MCR) officers standing inside and around it. There were very few people on the high street, an odd thing to witness on a Saturday morning. Marianne rushed to cross the road and ran to Shiela¡¯s shop, she pushed open the door breathing heavily as she shut it behind her.


    ¡°Oh, deary me. You¡¯re here.¡± Shiela said from her usual place behind the counter.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Marianne, looking through the window at the MCR officers down the road.


    ¡°My darling, you really should have told me about the rogue! I was so worried.¡± Shiela hugged Marianne tightly. ¡°No one tells me anything these days,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, Shiela.¡±


    ¡°Now, come here. We are leaving, I do not want to see whatever they are going to pull from that alley. An old friend of mine¡¯s son has just moved here, what do you think about visiting him?¡±


    Marianne was elated, any excuse to get off this street was a welcome one. She was also terrified to find out what had happened in the alley. The two of them hurried out the building, carefully avoiding looking towards the commotion down the road. Marianne made sure to provide ample support to Shiela as they trudged through the snow. ¡°His name is Beau and the last time I saw him was, well, many years ago. He probably has absolutely no idea who I am.¡± She shrugged calmly. ¡°But his mother was as close as family to me.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been since you last saw his mother?¡±


    ¡°It has also been many years. Unfortunately, she is dead now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Marianne wrapped her arm a little tighter around Shiela.


    ¡°Nothing you¡¯ve got to be sorry for, darling. Now if we just turn here,¡± Shiela took a sudden turn and within seconds stopped moving, ¡°This is it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Just off the high street, which means he owns a shop?¡± asked Marianne, she had indeed never seen this shop before so it must be new,


    ¡°Indeed, you are right, he owns quite a marvelous shop, or so I have heard.¡± Shiela swelled up proudly. "Been all around the country with it he has."


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s have a look then shall we. We can judge it for ourselves,¡± Marianne giggled.


    ¡°Indeed, we mustn''t be so quick to believe hearsay.¡± Shiela also chuckled mischievously.


    She walked in without knocking, after all, there was an open sign hanging on the door. There was a man silently tinkering away behind a desk that was cooped up in the corner at the back of the room, he was difficult to see as there was shelving in the way. The two of them browsed the shop, Shiela had turned shy suddenly and was completely out of her element in a shop like this. Marianne was slightly different, however. She was familiar with what this man sold. He sold magically engineered items or just magic items for short. They required an ambiguous name as there was so much variety. Marianne was not aware of a magic item shop in Bath until now despite it having a magic academy.


    Shiela finally mustered up the courage to approach the man. ¡°Hello, Beau,¡± she said. Quietly, as she was careful to not startle the man who could not see her thanks to his headgear and the glasses that had multiple lenses. Beau slowly put the instrument in his hand down then carefully put away whatever he was tinkering with. Finally, he moved at a normal pace and took off the headgear.


    He looked at Shiela with a smile on his face. ¡°How can I help?¡± he asked. Shiela was taken aback, this man had bright blue hair, more than any magician she¡¯d ever seen. She knew that this phenomenon occurred when someone had regular contact with mana, but she¡¯d never seen it to this degree, neither had Marianne who was peeking through the shelves at their interaction.


    ¡°My name is Shiela, I was told you would be coming here from Sam Daley,¡± at the mention of not only her name but then Sam Daley¡¯s, Beau stood up.


    ¡°Shiela, you were my mother''s friend?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s lovely to see you again, all grown up like this,¡± Shiela said without reservation, her hand reaching out to Beau¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s lovely to see you too, although I can¡¯t say I remember you. Although my Mother talked about you so much I feel like I do,¡± he smiled amicably and reached out his hand which Shiela batted aside and pulled him in for a hug. He laughed awkwardly but returned the embrace.


    ¡°You were very young my boy, you must have been two years old when I last saw you. You and your mother,¡± said Shiela, just happy to see the son of her best friend again.


    Beau walked over to the open sign on the door and flipped it before shooting a glance at Marianne. ¡°My name is Marianne, I came with Shiela,¡± she said, hoping he would not kick her out onto the street.


    ¡°Ah, nice to meet you, Marianne, I¡¯m Beau,¡± he said and offered his hand. Marianne was glad he was not expecting a hug from her too.

 Part 1 - Chapter 3

    ¡°I can hardly see you as that little boy I met, what? Twenty years ago,¡± said Shiela. They had gone upstairs to the small apartment above the shop when Beau lived. He was brewing tea in the tiny kitchen next to the equally small sitting room where Marianne and Shiela were settled into his sofa.


    ¡°That sounds about right.¡± He said from the kitchen.


    ¡°You were so small, not to mention you had blonde hair back then.¡±


    ¡°Well, Sam¡¯s a magician after all and he used magic for everything while I was growing up.¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯m glad we chose him to take you in.¡±


    ¡°Did he not volunteer?¡± exclaimed Beau from the kitchen


    ¡°Oh no, not that man. We thought raising a child would make him happy again.¡±


    ¡°After his fishing accident?¡± asked Beau from the kitchen.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he was always sad after he lost his eye.¡± She tried to provide some context for Marianne who was doing her best to follow the conversation.


    ¡°He always said he brought me in out of the kindness in his heart.¡± Beau chuckled, coming through the door with two cups of tea and placing them on the small table in the middle of the room. He went back in to retrieve his own cup then sat on the chair he had dragged from downstairs.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s not entirely untrue,¡± Shiela said, smiling at the memory.


    ¡°What about you? Are you related to Shiela in some way?¡± Beau asked Marianne with an anticipating face. She had gone a little red because she felt a little out of place in this reunion, he had no doubt noticed and sought to include her.


    ¡°We¡¯re not related, I just work for her in her wand shop,¡± she replied with a smile.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I see,¡± said Beau, confusion prevalent on his face.


    ¡°We... Well, to be honest, we wanted to get away from the high street after what happened,¡± Shiela said, not smiling anymore.


    ¡°Ah, I saw that too, not a nice thing to see on your way for breakfast,¡± Beau grimaced a little then sipped his tea.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it would be. I stayed holed up in my shop until Mary here came down. I told her, ¡®I do not want to see whatever they are going to pull from that alley,¡¯ is what I said wasn¡¯t it darling?¡± she said, asking for confirmation from Marianne.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you said.¡± Marianne was not sure if it was exactly but agreed anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could offer some reprieve from, well, whatever it is that happened,¡± Beau shrugged.


    ¡°Well, it has to be to do with that rogue, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Shiela said with an angry look on her face. Beau shrugged again and took another sip of tea.


    All members of the conversation decided to move the topic quickly on, the two visitors decided to leave after their first cup of tea. Knowing it was business hours they felt it rude to force the shop closed just for them. Marianne was slightly apprehensive to leave, however, as perched on one of the shelves was a beautiful blue hair clip that she thought would suit just about every dress in her wardrobe.


    ¡°Beau, how much is this?¡±


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re my first customer here so, I¡¯d like you to have it for free. Provided you¡¯re a magician of course.¡±


    ¡°I am a magician, but I could not take it for free.¡±


    ¡°All right, then the price is that you put in a good word about my shop to that fancy academy of yours,¡± he said with a smile. He was hoping this early investment would pay itself back when she told all her rich friends about his shop.


    Although, he had to admit ¨C maybe killing a cult member so close to the high street was a bad business decision.


    ¡°Deal, I¡¯ll make sure to tell the whole school.¡±


    ¡°If you can do that, I¡¯ll let you take another one,¡± Beau chuckled in reply.


    ¡°I will hold you to that,¡± smirked Marianne.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said.


    ¡°All right, but next time I¡¯m choosing that,¡± she pointed towards a box that had its own shelf behind Beau¡¯s desk they had found him tinkering behind. It was a dull green colour with a quite remarkable pattern on the front of it, the golden lock on the front was exceptionally detailed leaving what was inside safely up to the imagination.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fine, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Beau shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s more of a keepsake than a product. I just leave it there to impress customers.¡±


    Marianne smiled, ¡°Well, it certainly works!¡± she exclaimed. Marianne and Shiela departed after saying their goodbyes, leaving Beau to continue working. By the time they got back to Shiela¡¯s shop, they decided to get to work themselves and after reopening their shop and closing one of the curtains slightly, they managed to forget the commotion that was happening outside.

 Part 1 - Chapter 4

    The MCR Bath branch was teeming with officers, thanks to the new rogue in town there was a commotion on every level. A detective stormed into the office as if she owned the place despite no one knowing who she was. She made a beeline towards the Chief¡¯s office, she was followed by an older man that was quite the opposite of her. He was visibly nervous and avoided eye contact and any kind of interaction with the whole station.


    ¡°Hello, you must be Detective Inspector Watson.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Chief Woodgate. This is my assistant, Spencer Field,¡± she said, closing the door behind her as she entered the medium-sized office. Chief Woodgate was sitting behind a desk that looked too small for him, there were no traces of a smile on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come here to hijack the investigation?¡± he said, venomously.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to aid it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard from my superiors who I am,¡± she said without batting an eye.


    She had received the same treatment in almost every city branch she¡¯d been to. However, she had followed this rogue from Reading to Newcastle and back which was a level of commitment she had not thought she was capable of and meant she was beyond giving up.


    ¡°You¡¯re also late,¡± said the Chief, still unimpressed.


    ¡°Indeed, I had thought the rogue was heading towards Bristol, so I traveled there prematurely.¡±


    ¡°Hardly fills me with confidence,¡± the Chief muttered.


    ¡°Sir, I am not here to prove myself, I am here to do my job,¡± Watson said with only the bare minimum amount of respect in her tone.


    The man grumbled but knowing he had no choice, eventually let her in on the investigation. He handed over what they had, which was very little, and informed the previous detective in charge that they were no longer on the case.


    Watson was given a desk in the Bath branch building but chose to leave anyway, the atmosphere was not exactly friendly after she had come in and robbed another officer of their case. She sighed and shuffled through their papers inside a hotel, which contained nothing that she did not already know.


    ¡°Watson, it¡¯s been 3 months since we found anything new.¡±


    ¡°Is that a new record?¡± she asked lying back in a hotel chair, they had met in the lobby to read the case files.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, I think we managed to go 4 last year,¡± he sighed and leaned back as well, throwing the papers he had in his hand in a dramatic fashion onto the small table they had been working on top of.


    ¡°Oh, that was when we found the link to Carter.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, a continuously strange religion, the more I look into it the more I realise how little I know.¡±


    ¡°And yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the investigation was fruitless, so maybe it¡¯s not Carter related at all?¡± he asked speculatively, he was sure they were involved somehow as well.


    ¡°Assuming that every owner of the tattoo being a Carter practitioner is a coincidence is already difficult. But you¡¯re right, maybe assume there is no link, what could the angel tattoos represent.¡±


    ¡°A one-winged angel. The fall from grace.¡±


    ¡°An angel that has lost its right to reside in heaven.¡±


    ¡°Every time I think about it, I can¡¯t help but think about the connotations,¡± he said with a shudder.


    ¡°For them to be the target of a serial murderer and still not request help from the police,¡± she said whilst shaking her head. The sentence was something she had said a great many times in many ways. ¡°I¡¯m going to get something to eat Spencer, want to come?¡± she asked despite knowing the answer.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± he replied as she was already out the door.


    It had been two years since she encountered the first murder in Reading and only four since she became an MCR officer. She was now twenty-six and the closest friend she had was Spencer ¨C A nervous wreck of a man who was around ten years her senior-and so married to his job a drink was much too much fun for him.


    Watson walked away from the hotel, the cobbly road was no longer covered in ice but it was still freezing cold. She knew no one here and after arriving in Bath that day she had done nothing but work. Her neglected stomach growled at her. She stifled a smirk and walked down the road, she knew nothing about Bath, so she had to rely on her well-traveled eyes to find a decent looking place to eat.


    Her hotel was two streets from the city centre, so she walked towards that area. She had spent the whole day there thanks to the crime scene which was cleared now. She had spotted a pub that seemed decent enough whilst they were transporting the heavily burned body from the alcove, they had found it in, so she set her sights on that.


    As she headed towards the crossroad that the pub resided on, she passed a shop that caught her eye. ¡®The Treasury¡¯ it read. She smiled internally, a bit of a pompous name she thought but snuck a look in through the window anyway.


    What she saw intrigued her but with the shop being closed there was not much she could do but come again another day. She brought her face away from the window where her breath had steamed the glass. She wiped it away and was about to carry on walking before she heard the door open.


    ¡°I feel bad for closing now,¡± a voice chuckled from her left. She turned her head and saw a man with the most strikingly blue hair she¡¯d ever seen, it managed to stand out despite being a dark winter evening. She could not help but stare. Beau was never sure what to do in these situations, so he just waited it out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± spluttered a startled Watson, ¡°that¡¯s quite a colour.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been told¡­¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°You must be so tired of that reaction,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°I usually try to hide it,¡± he said. She walked a little closer so that they could continue the conversation without raising their voices. The stranger seemed a little taken aback though.


    ¡°Are you going out to eat?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± he replied. ¡°Although if you want to have a look in my shop I would not mind, as long as you buy something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come to the shop another day¡­ Are you eating alone?¡±


    ¡°That was the plan,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°Thing is, I¡¯m new to the area, do you think I could tag along? I can pay for your meal as thanks.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± he began as he scratched the back of his head with slight embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m new to the area too. How about we look together, and I¡¯ll buy my own meal.¡±


    It¡¯s settled then!¡± she exclaimed. She began to walk again in the direction of the nice-looking pub, this time with a stranger by her side.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Beau.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, I¡¯m Ella.¡± They shook hands then strolled onwards. They crossed the road to the pub, Watson was delighted that she could spend an evening with someone.


    ¡°Lager for the both of us please,¡± Watson said to the bartender.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll just have water please,¡± Beau interrupted.


    The bartender poured their drinks and left. ¡°Don¡¯t drink?¡± Watson asked as they sat down at a table.


    ¡°Actually no, not entirely a fan of it.¡±


    ¡°Young man like you, what have you got to worry about?¡± she asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my circumstances,¡± laughed Beau in reply. Watson sipped at her beer, she had quite a curious nature but decided to leave it at that, he was a stranger.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve been out to dinner with in a long time,¡± she said.


    ¡°Actually, me too, it¡¯s been a while,¡± he replied. Watson¡¯s beer glass slowly emptied, and their food eventually arrived. It was good enough to warrant a tip that Watson covered. She stumbled out laughing. Her lack of fun recently had caused her to go a little overboard with the drinks. Beau decided it best he accompany her to her hotel.


    ¡°Beau, do you live alone?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Got no one to spend the night with?¡± she asked teasingly. ¡°What are you turning red for?¡± she poked him on the cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯m cold!¡± he said defensively. Watson giggled as she left him standing on the cold street, Beau wandered home with his tail between his legs. Not entirely sure how he managed to get himself caught up in a dinner date with the MCR officer that had chased him across the country.


    He rushed home as there was information he needed to capitalise on, and the members of Carter¡¯s elite weren¡¯t going to wait around for him to arrive. He threw open the door to his shop and rushed up the stairs, his dinner had gone on far too long because he lacked an excuse to leave early and Watson had managed to stomach much more alcohol than he was expecting.


    His tardiness may have catastrophic consequences considering he had been following this lead since Birmingham. A lot of work had gone into this that included staying off Carter¡¯s radar whilst gathering vital information.


    He was out again within minutes with a different set of clothes, a black, hooded cape that finished at his waist flowed behind him as he ran towards the location of the meeting, he had pried out of the fat man he had skewered in the alley.


    It was very late, there was no noise at this time, even the rowdiest pubs were shut for the night and Beau was glad for it, he much preferred to do things silently.

 Part 1 - Chapter 5

    Beau found the house easily, he had used his lunchtime to scout it out. It was an old house which meant creaky floorboards, not ideal for stealth. The roof had been repaired recently, however, so he chose that as his point of entry. He walked around outside the garden wall for a little; he found a quiet part with plenty of coverage then scaled it with ease jumping smoothly to the ground on the other side.


    The wall of the house was slightly more difficult to climb so he helped himself by creating footholds, expending a minuscule amount of his vast mana pool. He arrived swiftly at the top, and without a moment¡¯s hesitation found an ideal spot to enter, an open window on the top floor.


    He silently squeezed through and landed on a carpeted floor, his dirty shoes left a mark on it that he quickly scrubbed out with his hands. He took his shoes off and left them on the windowsill.


    He walked to the door and opened it, hearing a crackling fire and voices from below as he did so. He closed the door behind him and continued along the corridor then down the stairs. He could tell which room they were in now and moved to get a better spot to listen.


    One of the floorboards creaked underfoot, making Beau pause and cringe a little. He had become an expert at entering households like this one, the elite of Carter enjoyed a lavish mansion. Creaky floorboards, it seemed, came with the territory. Beau pushed some mana into his foot, a tattoo covering the ball of his feet lit up subtly, the light barely reaching through the thick cotton of Beau¡¯s winter socks. Suddenly his footsteps were silent.


    He approached the top of the stairs, hoping that he would be able to hear them from there. Alas, no luck. He made his way down, aware that despite his quiet footsteps he was still very much visible. Now that the voices were much clearer, he found an alcove near a statue of a god, he immediately recognised it as Vicion, Carter¡¯s god of pain and suffering.


    Carter¡¯s gods were popular amongst the people, stories about them roamed the kingdom and beyond. Vicion was an infamous deity, brought to life by the gods in a moment of weakness. According to the story, Vicion left the realm of the gods as the inhabitants were a little too difficult to make suffer¡­


    Beau hoped that the gaudy statue would provide suitable cover lest the gentlemen (he could tell they were men now) in the next room decided they wanted a cup of tea. They were talking with the kind of comfort you feel in your own home.


    ¡°Fucking, Johnathan!¡± one of them spat.


    ¡°He is under the deluded assumption that our order is an army.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s be honest with ourselves, gentlemen, Johnathan was never the type for subtlety.¡±


    ¡°Then he¡¯s hardly the man for the job then, is he?¡± one of the men proclaimed, very threateningly.


    ¡°Whilst I could not agree with you more, Johnathan is in charge,¡± said the leader of the group. Beau could guess this by his commanding voice and the clear silence that emerged when he spoke. ¡°No more new recruits for a while, do you understand. I don¡¯t care how tempting it is. With that damn rogue here, I don¡¯t want to give him any chances.¡±


    ¡°With that damn rogue and our incompetent sect leader,¡± muttered one of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, just do your job, allow Johnathan to fail at his. He¡¯ll be out of Bath in no time,¡± snapped the leader; clearly tired of the complaining.


    Beau could tell they were wrapping up. Plates and mugs clinked as they were put down and clothing rustled as the men stood up. He would gain nothing from sticking around any longer, he scarpered. Easily making it to the window he¡¯d arrived through, he didn¡¯t even put his shoes on, he just climbed down the house using window ledges on each floor. He ran through the garden and scaled the wall.


    Beau leaned against the wall from the outside and put his shoes on. Incompetency was Beau¡¯s favourite thing, and this Johnathan fellow seemed to reek of it. Beau had a vicious smile across his face.


    Golden opportunities like this were few and far between, if not for his chronic paranoia of being caught, he could have whistled his way home. When he arrived at the house, he was worried he¡¯d missed a huge part of the conversation, and although it seemed like he had, it did not matter.


    He climbed into bed fully expecting not to sleep, he was insomnia ridden and had been for a year or two. Sleep evaded him seemingly as the price he paid for what he was doing. He tossed and turned, as usual, his azure air falling this way and that. He got up and stretched his body, cleaned his room, fluffed his pillow. Nothing helped.


    He woke up, not remembering when he¡¯d managed to sleep but certain that it was less than an hour ago. He got up from his mattress, which was currently perched on the floor. He had not had time to get any shopping done since arriving, his excitement of making progress in his Carter investigation and the stress of opening the shop had stolen any moments he would have had to himself.


    Beau was downstairs behind his desk when a man walked in. ¡°You got any voice recorders?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I got a couple, over there,¡± Beau pointed to a shelf. He turned and looked back towards the papers in front of him. He was used to the amount of paperwork it took to open a shop, but he never enjoyed it. It did not help that Bath seemed to be a little more thorough than other places he¡¯d stayed.


    He brought his hair back and tied it in a neat little bun, just to avoid it from falling in front of his eyes. The man approached the desk with Beau¡¯s entire stock of voice recorders in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take these,¡± he asked, politeness missing from both his tone and vocabulary.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Beau was happy he was selling his wares but, the fact that this man had just bought his entire stock would mean he had to make more. Voice recorders were not massively fun to make. ¡°Can I have your magicians ID?¡± the man grumbled and rummaged around in his jacket pocket.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Thanks,¡± nodded Beau and wrote down the relevant information. The man walked out of the shop and Beau returned to his paperwork after glugging some tea.