The interior of the inn was even more surprising than its façade. Delicate lacquered wooden furniture, soft embroidered cushions, and even a murmuring fountain in the centre of the main hall were like a desert mirage in this most inhospitable corner of the world. The entire room could easily accommodate well over a hundred guests, though at that moment it was completely empty. This, however, was hardly surprising given what had just happened outside the building.
Darius cast a sceptical glance at all the delicate chairs and finally decided to sit on a white marble casing. It was the only one that wouldn't crumble under the weight of a man in armour. He scanned the room once more. Two Ruby Guards had already taken up position at the entrance, whilst the Azure Guards were beginning to check the adjoining rooms. From somewhere in the square outside the inn, Rex's voice could also be heard shouting orders or reprimanding some onlookers. All in all, he didn't care either way.
A few paces from the fountain, the participants in the argument came to a halt. It seemed that only the priest was pleased with the turn of events. Bleist scrutinised the City Watch, but they didn't appear to have anything to hide; rather, they'd simply let their emotions get the better of them earlier. The innkeeper, on the other hand, was simply surprised, a little confused and irritated by the trouble in his business. One could understand him.
'To clear everything up, let's start from the beginning,' said the colonel, taking off his helmet. 'What was happening outside the entrance?' He glanced at the dwarf and the two young men.
'We wanted to get our things back, Colonel,' one of the Watchmen said, clicking his heels as if reporting for roll call.
Darius turned his gaze to the innkeeper, who merely sighed heavily and shook his head.
'I explained that I couldn't give them anything back, sir.' The innkeeper looked up, but avoided Bleist's eyes. 'After the murder, the investigator from Bushtabhar ordered the crime scene to be sealed off and no one to be allowed in until someone arrived from the capital.'
'For a week?!' One of the young men let his emotions get the better of him again. 'We've got our belongings, money and documents in there!' he blurted out in one breath. 'We have to go back, or they'll accuse us of desertion!'
'What can I do?' The dwarf threw up his hands.
'As I understand it, you were sharing a room?' Darius wanted to frown, but he knew he shouldn't let on that something didn't sit right with him.
'Yes, a four-bed room, sir.' The innkeeper bowed, and the Watchmen seemed to remember the situation they were in. 'The corner room facing the courtyard, on the first floor.' He hastened to clarify.
'I'm sorry.' The young man who had just broken loose looked remorseful. 'If we don't get the documents back and return to the garrison by the end of the week, they'll hang us.' He complained, his voice breaking slightly.
'Then tell me, one by one, exactly what happened here, and I'll personally make sure you don't get into any trouble.' Considering what he knew, what he'd heard, and what he'd somewhat expected, he preferred to start slowly and calmly. Often, the most information could be obtained not through threats or violence, but precisely through hope. 'You are. . .?' He paused expectantly.
'Senior Watchman Darragh McKinnon,' replied the calmer of the two. 'And this is Watchman Albert Ethman. On the Colonel's orders.' He clicked his heels.
'From the beginning, please,' said Darius, just as Rex walked through the door leading onto the square in front of the inn.
'The colonel is asking about Caim,' McKinnon said, his tone somewhat calmer. 'We'd have to go back over a month to the beginning. Basically, the three of us served together from the moment we joined the Watch. You could even say we were best friends. Out of the blue, Caim suddenly announced that he had to go home to sort out family matters, and that he'd applied for a transfer to the army. We were surprised, but these things happen.' The other young man nodded vigorously. 'Family comes first, so we didn't say a word.'
'Between ourselves...' Ethman gestured towards the two of them. '...we agreed that we'd have to see Caim off properly. The road's dangerous too, and we didn't want to let him go on his own.'
'Yes, exactly.' The older Watchman toned down his friend's enthusiasm a little. 'Before he left, about a week and a half ago, the rest of us organised a farewell party for Caim. We all chipped in, so it was quite lively, and in the morning he was supposed to set off with the caravan.'
'Except he didn't know we were going with him too.'
'When he saw us on the cart that morning, he was taken aback.' McKinnon frowned slightly. 'And for a moment, I thought he was angry. He tried to talk us out of such a long journey, but we were determined. Once the caravan set off, he gave in.' He shrugged. 'The journey went smoothly and within three days we were already at the enclave's borders. And thanks to the artefacts, we could travel by day, so we arrived at the village in the evening.' He shifted as if uncomfortable. 'I thought then that he'd go straight to his family home, but he said he'd spend the night at the inn.'
The innkeeper grunted in approval.
'To save money, we took one room for the three of us.'
'They even haggled.' The innkeeper clasped his hands behind his back and tried not to look at anyone in particular.
'In the evening, we all went to bed,' continued the Watchman undeterred. 'In the morning, after breakfast, I suggested we go together to visit Caim's family, but he started making excuses. That it was too early, that everyone was working now, that it was chaotic and, anyway, better another time.'
'All in all, it made sense.' Ethman was the only one who tried to look Darius in the eye, but he quickly gave up. 'Everyone here works in the fields from dawn till dusk.'
'So we just nodded and sat with the escort of waiting merchants, chatting about nonsense. It wasn't until evening that we left the inn. Merchants were setting up in the square, and it seemed as though the whole town had turned out. We wandered about a bit, and suddenly three lads about Caim's age approached him and started greeting him.'
'Well, that was a bit odd,' the younger Watchman shook his head slightly. 'They seemed to be on first-name terms and all that... but Caim was a bit... distant.'
'Maybe they had a bad run-in when they were kids.' McKinnon brushed aside his friend's uncertainty. 'In any case, they said their goodbyes quickly and went their separate ways. Then I suggested again that we go to Caim's house.'
'And he almost jumped at us.' Ethman was clearly moved by the memory. 'He quickly bit his tongue and said to leave him alone for a moment.'
'So we went off to browse the stalls.' The older Watchman seemed unhappy for some reason. 'When we met up again, Caim was arguing with a soldier off on the side. We headed straight towards them, but as soon as the fellow saw us, he said something quietly and jabbed Caim in the chest with his finger.'
'When we got to him, Caim was furious.' The younger of the Watchmen lowered his head. 'We didn't even ask what was wrong, and he snapped that it was nothing important. We didn't want to press the issue, so… well, we didn't bring it up again.'
'Later, we went to the inn, and the men from the escort invited us to their table.'
Darius raised an eyebrow in curiosity. It wasn't often that strangers offered a seat beside them of their own accord, and certainly not mercenaries from merchant escorts.
'Albert is an ice mage, so you know, Colonel.' McKinnon tried to wriggle out of it, not wanting to admit what they used the magic for.
Bleist almost laughed. Indeed, in that case, he could harbour no suspicions about the truth of the story being told. In this heat, he himself wouldn't have turned down a cold drink, and if it were wine or beer, he would have accepted it with deep gratitude.
'And what happened next?'
'They drank all night, that's what,' the dwarf muttered through clenched teeth. 'They caused me trouble, too, because the guests couldn't sleep because of them.'
'We already apologised,' Ethman growled unfriendly.
'In any case, we didn't notice when Caim left the table.' McKinnon seemed flustered, as if only now, recounting everything in order, did he realise the number of things they'd overlooked, and wondered whether their friend would still be alive had they acted differently.
'And then they fell asleep at the tables!' the innkeeper snapped. 'I'd barely brought out the second cask when they'd all passed out. I always say, if you can't hold your drink, you shouldn't drink at all.' He shook his head in resignation. 'Anyway, in this heat, even one pint can be too much. I didn't fancy lugging so many lads about in the middle of the night, so I went round the rooms they were staying in and wanted to ask those who were able to get up for help. But when I went into their room...' He pointed towards the Watchmen with his chin. 'The door was ajar, so I didn't feel the need to knock and just went in.' The dwarf turned pale and looked away. 'Our nights are bright, and I can see quite well in the dark myself. The third man who was with them lay sprawled on the floor, his face contorted into a hideous grimace. There was blood everywhere, and the room looked as though a storm had swept through it. Without a second thought, I ran downstairs and sent one of my men to fetch a priest, whilst I ordered the other to saddle a horse and ride as fast as possible to the citadel. Later that evening, soldiers from the city arrived with a medic. They spoke to everyone, searched the room, and returned to Bushtabhar with the body.'
'And we've been here for a week… and still can't get our things back,' Ethman added in a weak voice. It seemed as though the words had slipped out involuntarily, or that at the last moment he'd decided to say something else.
'So you were all here at the time of the murder?' Darius waved his hand casually, gesturing towards the communal areas.
'Yes, sir.' The dwarf shuddered, clearly unable to shake off the horrific memory.
'Did anyone new turn up that day? Anyone suspicious or out of the ordinary?'
'Business as usual. Merchants come in almost every evening, and the mercenaries accompanying them often look rather shady.' The innkeeper shrugged. 'Nothing out of the ordinary happened; everyone was just thinking about a cold beer.'
'And nothing happened earlier in the day?' Bleist pressed on.
'No, I don't recall anything like that.'
'Do soldiers often come here?' Darius changed the subject.
'Once or twice a month.' The innkeeper fell into thought. 'It depends on how their patrols and supply deliveries go. They were here two weeks ago, so it'll probably be another week before they turn up. Not counting the ones who came for the body, of course.' He added quickly.
'The soldier you saw arguing with the victim, can you describe him?' Earl turned to the Watchmen this time.
'Tall, slim, dark hair and an unremarkable face.' McKinnon spread his hands apologetically, as if to say he hadn't noticed anything else.
'Has anything changed in Mr Rocha's behaviour since you arrived here?' Darius pressed on. 'Apart from what you've already described to me, of course.'
'Not really.' McKinnon shook his head vigorously.
'He kept glancing at the door.' Ethman suddenly interjected.
'What do you mean?'
'Well… While we were sitting down here, he kept glancing towards the entrance, and every time anyone came in.' The Watchman shrugged. 'I thought he was waiting for something. Maybe he'd sent a message to his family? Or something like that.' The young man looked flustered.
'About his family,' Darius looked at the priest. 'The reverend probably knows all the townsfolk best. Where can I find Roch's family?'
The priest looked surprised that the officer was addressing him.
'I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Colonel.' The priest smiled gently. 'I've only been here a short while and haven't got to know everyone yet. If you want to find out anything, you'd best visit old Jome.'
Bleist hadn't received answers to his questions, and worse still, he had even more of them. He didn't want to go into them at that moment, or at least not in front of everyone. He needed a moment to sort it all out.
'Now let's see the crime scene,' he said, standing up. 'The sooner we sort this out, the better,' he muttered quietly.