Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 69: Who done it?

The criminologist and forensic specialist were setting up an intricate and interlocking grid pattern of crystals to document the scene of the crime. Whatever they were doing caused the runes and lines that crisscrossed the ground and surrounded Alys' body to become visible.

Allowing those of us viewing their progress to note a discernible pattern. What looked like a circle at first, eventually solidified into two pentagrams, each slightly offset to the other and forming a decagon.

Body parts were positioned at each of the ten points that made up the pattern. Ears, Eyes, Heart, Tongue, Lungs, and Kidneys. I wasn't sure if Alys was alive through the entire process of dismemberment; I hoped not, because the person who had done this was angry.

"This was apparently a layered ritual," I heard one of the crime scene analysts say, recording his observations into a communication storage device.

"The first level was to bind sight, sound, and voice. Eyes, Ears, and Tongue It made sure the victim was not seen, not heard, and could not scream. The second layer is more intricate. This is the truly evil part of the sacrifice. Heart, Lungs, Kidneys. It made demands on the person's soul, hastening the spirit to cross-over and rejoin the reincarnation cycle."

The young man who had been speaking wasn't shy about voicing his opinion or maintaining secrecy. Maybe that was part of these teams M.O. Toss out vague suppositions to see who would respond. And it worked.

As my people heard what he'd said, more side glances and looks of suspicion began to be tossed at Leian. There was one person in our group who had been angry with Alys. One person who had been publicly humiliated. And one person who had already attacked her.

It seemed too stupid and simplistic for Leian to have done something like this. But Seelie were nothing if not certain of their superiority and creatures of emotion. It was entirely possible Leian executed this poor woman and felt entirely justified in doing so.

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It was fascinating to watch, once I discovered that the people investigating were not all here, most were magic projections, holograms of the criminologist that 'walked' the area, noting rune formation, ritual components of sacrifice, and minute minutiae like body position relative to the sun and moon.

The specialists were able to conclude the time of death, manner of death, and that Alys had been awake and aware during the entire ritual. A soul spiritualist confirmed that her soul had been destroyed during the performance of the ritual, possible as part of a sacrifice to fuel the dark energies that had been expended.

There would be no chance to speak to the recently slain, no way to attain first-hand evidence and allow Alys to identify her assailant. The ability to speak to the recently dead was a drastic step forward in investigative protocols of Talahm. This ability would have solved innumerable cases on Earth.

It wasn't until the detectives began questioning witnesses to determine the motive, opportunity, and means that Leian's name began trending. Until this point, she had been the object of uncertain and wary glances, but no direct accusation had been made. Her public fight with Alys yesterday, as well, as her threat to remove Alys' tongue was too fresh in everyone's mind.

I still wasn't convinced that Leian had anything to do with this. It seemed too coincidental. Leian threatens to rip out Alys' tongue, and she is suddenly found dead with her tongue ripped out? It seemed something straight out of a 'Murder She Wrote' mystery. It seemed obvious to me that Leian was being framed and made to look like the perpetrator.

This seemed more a crime of opportunity. Someone used this ritual and Alys and used their recent argument to disguise motive and guilt. If that was the case, then it meant that someone that had camped with us last night, and been witness to that fight, was probably the murderer. A person that I had recently accepted into service.

It made me recognize the limitations of Oaths, there were ways around them, especially if a person chose to target those close to or traveling with you, instead of you. The Sidhe had eons of practice twisting Oaths when needed, walking the fine line between honoring and breaking their sworn word.

The investigation was drawing to a close when one of the pathologists moved Alys' body. Embedded in her back was a dagger. A dagger brandishing the Kel motif. Any doubt that Leian was responsible for Alys's death was dismissed at this point in most minds.

"Squire Leian," the head investigator said, focusing the attention of those remaining on him and Leian, "this dagger. Is it yours?"

Watching Leian fumble with her spatial items, searching for her dagger, her frustration and confusion became apparent. What also became apparent was that the dagger was most certainly hers.

"It appears to be. Mine is missing," she clarified.

"When was the last time you are certain you had your dagger?"

"I was carrying it in its sheath yesterday. I'm not sure if the dagger was actually in the sheath when I disrobed last night or not. I was tired and paid little notice."

"Others have mentioned the argument you had with Commoner Rice yesterday. Let's be blunt. Did you kill her?"

"No," Leian answered, unequivocally and decisively.

"You are aware that truth spells may be used to determine your innocence when you reach your destination? There is no point in hiding the truth. Your involvement will be discovered."

"What would be the point in not confessing?" She asked. "If I killed her, I'd admit it. We are in unclaimed territory, there is no law against murder or killing in this area."

"You are correct," he agreed. "Killing in this area is not a crime."

"But.

"While the Sidhe ignore a lot. While they do condone and allow murder and torture. There is more than murder here. The murder might not cause you to disavow or refuse to answer questions, but in this case, it isn't the death of Commoner Rice, but the manner of her death that might present problems.

"Ritual sacrifice is prohibited and proscribed. And a ritual that destroys the soul is so heinous that execution is the only remedy for those that would practice those tenets. No matter the species. No matter where. No matter the Rank. Nothing can absolve anyone who would conduct such practices.

"You would have a motive to deny your involvement but probably did not land the killing blow. This way you could claim, and be honest in your declaration when you declared you did not kill her. So, let me ask instead. Did you have anything to do with the victim's death, torture, or evisceration?"