laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

Sceva walked up the steps to the entrance of the church and quietly stepped inside. As his eyes adjusted, he spotted an acolyte tending to a donation box to his left.

"Excuse me, is sheriff Jenkins still here?"

"Yes, sir. Go through that door at the other side of the church, down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thank you."

Sceva followed the young man's directions and soon came to the room. He knocked quietly. The door opened to reveal a fairly large bed chamber. A four-post bed sat in the back of the room near the window, against the wall to the right, covered with ivory-colored linen and a sheer white canopy. A young female priest stood on the far side of the bed, tending to the bed's occupant. A sitting area sat nearer to the door and to the left. As Sceva entered the room, the man who opened the door broke into a large smile.

"Hey, Don," he said quietly. "Someone's here to see you."

The man still seated pulled himself upright and turned toward the door. "Who is it Bob?" he started, then he recognized Sceva and got to his feet. He practically shook the hand off Sceva's arm. "By the gods, it's good to see you. What's it been, a year?"

"Yeah, about that," Sceva grinned.

Don turned to his deputy. "Hey, Bob, we're going out to the courtyard. Come get us if anything happens."

"Sure thing, Don."

Sheriff Jenkins led Sceva down the hallway, then took a side passage to the left that brought them to a small courtyard. Several benches circled a bubbling fountain in the middle of a modest garden, and they took seats on one to their right. Sceva could see the nurse in Darcy's room through the window to his left. The church sanctuary's windows lay behind the greenery on the far side of the fountain. Sceva smiled. He couldn't help but think that the garden could really use the help of Trista and Vicana.

"Sceva, please tell me you're here to find these guys. I've done everything I can do, but we lost their trail in the marshes."

"Don, I think the answer is 'yes.' I started investigating the attack that took place outside Turin, traced them to the murders in Kulm, and then lost their trail. The Lady sent me to Marbach just in time for you to find Darcy. I think I'm getting closer to them. I spoke with John Murray at your office and he told me what he knew, so what else can you tell me?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Darcy's been asleep now for a long time, so John knows what I know."

"You know that I'll do everything I can."

"I can't ask for more."

Just then, Bob's face appeared in Darcy's window and motioned them back inside. The men hurried back inside.

"Darcy Serrins is awake."

"Can we talk to her?"

"The nurse says yes, but that she'll stop us if Darcy starts getting upset."

The men brought chairs and sat down at Darcy's bedside. She was covered by the bed's linen up to her neck, despite the warmth of the day. Her left arm lay on top of the sheets and was covered in multiple bandages. Sceva tried to imagine how she would have looked six days ago, before all the bruises and cuts had covered her face. Were those bite marks he saw? He had to force that train of thought from his mind. Another time, he could indulge in sentiment. Right now, he had work to do.

"Darcy, do you remember me? I'm sheriff Jenkins. We need to ask you a few questions, if you're up to it."

The girl nodded slowly, but when she spoke, her voice was strong. "I remember you, sheriff. Sister Beatrice told me that I could help you catch them. Is that true?"

"Yes. This is Sceva of Sonvico. He is a knight of Elminoir and I have worked with him in the past. While I only have authority here, he has the authority to pursue these criminals anywhere they may go. I trust him and know that he will not stop until they are found."

"Hello, Darcy."

"Hello, Sir Sceva."

"No, I'm not that kind of knight. Just call me 'Sceva.' Some of these questions will be hard for you to answer, so anytime you want to stop, just say so. But the sooner you can tell me what you know, the sooner I can catch them. What can you tell me about the men that took you away?"

"There were six of them altogether. They were all young, all about my age, some younger, some older."

"How old are you, Darcy?"

"Fifteen, sir. The leader was one of the oldest, probably about 18, called Ukaris. I also heard names of Cooper, Archie, Frederick, and Gregory."

"Did they say anything about where they were going? What they were doing?"

"Ukaris kept talking about some ceremony in the mountains, that it would bring someone. He just said that 'he' would arrive to reward them for what they'd done. I know they plan to keep on... keep on..." Her hand rose to her face and wiped away a tear. "...with what they've been doing."

"Is there any way to identify them?"

"They kept telling one guy that he wouldn't get new 'fangs' until he had proven himself. I think they were talking about the necklaces they wore. They all had one except for the one called Gregory. They were silver, with a red bead in between two silver teardrop-shaped bangles. Except for Ukaris - his bangles were black, almost oily."

Sceva pulled his evidence pouch from his pocket and produced the necklace from Godfrey farmhouse. Darcy's eyes went wide.

"That's it, that's one of them. How did you...?"

"This is from where they attacked someone else. I found it at the scene. Why did they let you go, Darcy?"

"They didn't know. The one, Gregory, took me out into the woods away from the camp. Ukaris told him that if he wanted to prove himself, he had to..." She swallowed hard at the memory. Her voice and hand began to tremble, but she pushed on. "...he had to take his turn with me and then kill me. Ukaris didn't want a witness, he said. Gregory said he wanted to do both to me at the same time. That seemed to really please the others, they said there was hope for him after all and so they let him take me away. Once we got far enough away, he cut me loose. He actually apologized, said there hadn't been anything he could do to stop them, and told me which way it was to Marbach. He said that he would wait there in the woods for a while before going back to camp, and that I shouldn't worry about them following me, because they were heading for Le Sin."

"Thank you, Darcy. You've been a great help. Elminoir be with you. Sheriff, will you send a message to the Knight Commander in Sonvico to update them on my progress? I'm leaving right away."