Darius decided to take the elderly priest's advice and arm himself with a little patience. He didn't quite want to admit it to himself, but it was also down to the pleasant coolness inside the temple. Making the most of the time, he tried to find out something about the surgeon. The archdeacon merely praised the man's good heart, as he helped those in need entirely selflessly. The people gathered in the place where Oxern usually worked were very taciturn, if not to say they didn't want to say anything at all. Moreover, everyone the Guards asked about the surgeon looked at them as if they were trying to do them a terrible wrong.
Coming to the conclusion that he would learn nothing of interest this way, Bleist turned his attention to the temple itself. The unusual arrangement of the shrines to the Goddess of the Underworld and the God of Death was, in a sense, justified given that the sanctuary's principal patron was the God of Light. Although in similar shrines, where Solas was the main object of worship, it was more common to find the chapels of Direl and Thanatos built underground. Especially since the other shrines here had been erected as apses attached to the main body of the building. It was precisely this arrangement that gave the impression that the temple had been built entirely of domes.
Pondering the reason behind the architects' decision, Darius took the opportunity to ask the archdeacon, who had been glancing his way from time to time. The old man set about explaining with eagerness and enthusiasm.
'You see, Colonel, Bushtabhar has a very turbulent past. Oh, I'm not talking about the last few years, or even the last few centuries. Even in the days of Arayse, this was an important place for the Shehedic houses. It was from here that the rulers of one of the old dynasties hailed, and consequently, it was a place where their supporters gathered. Even when another house claimed the throne,' he emphasised. 'The local emirs enjoyed extraordinary respect and trust, particularly as they also held high positions within the clergy. Towards the end of the kingdom, Bushtabhar also gained the reputation of a temple enclave and, according to legend, was almost entirely occupied by sacred buildings. Unfortunately, little of all this has survived to the present day.' The priest's face clouded over and he looked around wistfully. 'Just as Arayse was lost, so too did what they had built over the centuries turn to dust. Legend has it that the desert swallowed up everything connected with the magic of embers, leaving no trace behind. The truth, however, is difficult to ascertain due to the extremely limited sources. The next known records concerning Bushtabhar date from the period after the enclave was incorporated into the territories of Atlantis and contain a description of the temple ruins found on the shores of the lake. Well, and here we are. A new sanctuary dedicated to Solas was erected on this very spot, but no one dared to move the shrines of Direl and Tanatos, which were the only ones to have survived intact.' Galis concluded his account.
'Very interesting. I didn't expect this place to have such a long history. Bushtabhar must therefore be littered with ruins.' Darius looked at the temple in a slightly different light.
'And that is the mystery of our enclave,' the Archdeacon smiled somewhat mysteriously. 'Everything I have spoken of is known from the chronicles and legends preserved in the archives of neighbouring states. They come from various places and periods, but their mutual consistency confirms their authenticity. Meanwhile, only the walls of a single sanctuary remain from the temple enclave." He shook his head wearily. 'Many have searched for the remains of the others, but they always returned empty-handed.'
'Oh, the irony, a mystery buried beneath the sands.' Bleist smiled wryly.
The priest did not have time to reply, for a commotion broke out at the entrance. The faithful suddenly crowded the doorway, even though there weren't many people inside. A few of them were also casting panicked glances towards the Guards. Their unnatural behaviour was obviously drawing attention. Darius merely shook his head and hoped that the surgeon was wiser than the locals surrounding him.
And he was right. A tall, slender Shehed in an infantry uniform emerged from the crowd. The exposed parts of his body resembled oak bark, the spikes on his head were copper-coloured, and his pistachio-green eyes pierced right through you even from a distance. In one hand he held a leather bag, and in the other he clutched a white coat. Bleist hadn't had much to do with members of his race, but even so, it seemed to him that the surgeon was tired.
The man quickly approached the Guards. He did not look frightened or overly anxious. His reaction was certainly a welcome return to normality.
'Corporal Erthvat Oxern, at your service, Colonel.' The soldier saluted and stood to attention.
'Colonel Darius Bleist.' Earl returned the courtesy, keeping an eye on the slowly growing crowd out of the corner of his eye. 'I see you're busy.'
'I'm doing what I can since the city doctors stopped being paid.' A note of discontent crept into the soldier's voice. 'Though often I can do little more than throw up my hands.'
'Yes, I learnt from Lieutenant Al-Satar that you are also the local coroner.'
'Oh, so that's what this is about.' All the air suddenly went out of the shehed. His hunched back, slumped shoulders and slightly narrowed eyes no longer spoke of fatigue, but of exhaustion. 'I didn't expect someone so prominent to take on this case.'
'It has caused… quite a stir.' Darius gestured suggestively towards the locals eyeing them suspiciously. 'I'd like to hear your view on everything that's happened.'
The corporal nodded and adjusted his coat on his shoulder.
'In that case, I suggest we continue this conversation in my study.' Shehed gestured invitingly towards the temple exit. 'I rarely go there, but this time it will suit us perfectly.'
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As it turned out, the small study that Oxern used was located in one of the side streets, quite close to the temple. Although it would be more accurate to say that it was a workshop combined with a laboratory. One of the three rooms was crammed with all manner of containers, vials and boxes, whilst an alembic and other alchemical implements stood on the table. The second, best-lit room served as the surgeon's office. In the last chamber, a space had been set aside for rest, though the dust and scattered belongings hardly suggested the owner was often there.
Shehed invited them into his room and, before they had a chance to sit down, began searching for something. Finally, from among the various odds and ends, he pulled out a notebook, which he quickly leafed through before opening it with satisfaction to one of the last pages written in.
'Something about this case hasn't added up from the start,' the surgeon began as soon as he had read a few paragraphs of the notes. 'At the crime scene, we found a body with a large number of wounds, numerous bloodstains and signs of a struggle. From my initial examination, I concluded that the deceased had put up a fight against the attacker and lost, and as a result had been tortured and murdered. Witness statements did not indicate that anyone had noticed even a single suspicious detail, which led us to conclude that the assailant must have possessed advanced magic capable of silencing the room or had an artefact with a similar function. That would be all regarding the preliminary examination.' Shehed stared for a moment at one of the pages of his notes. 'Later, in accordance with all the guidelines, we took the body and the items found at the scene to Bushtabhar, to the citadel. Upon our return, I performed the autopsy.'
'I imagine it wasn't quite that simple, was it?' Darius settled himself more comfortably, watching the medic with interest.
'Most of the clothing had to be torn from the body, as the blood had already congealed on it. After washing the rest of the body, I proceeded to the actual examination...'
'Any distinguishing marks on the body?' asked Darius, his thoughts elsewhere.
'No, though it's possible they were covered by fresh wounds.' Shehed seemed to be in his comfort zone. 'A little anecdote...'
'Can you speed it up a bit? Just focus on the specific points.' Rex held the tip of his quill over the writing pad. 'If you don't mind, of course.'
'Yes, I'll try not to stray from the subject.' Shehed nodded to the Guard and returned to his notes. 'Where was I… Ah yes… Once the blood had been wiped away, it was possible to examine the wounds closely. They were not very deep and had jagged edges, indicating the use of a serrated blade. The mutilation had been carried out with considerable precision, so as to avoid inflicting critical injuries whilst causing as much pain as possible. It was very reminiscent of the Chinese punishment of a thousand cuts. Traces of an alchemical potion that inhibits blood clotting were found in the wounds.'
'Did he bleed to death?' Darius had suspected as much from the start, but duty required him to confirm his suspicions.
'That's what I thought at first, but no, that wasn't the cause of death.' Oxern shook his head. 'Death occurred after the victim ingested, or rather was administered, poison.'
'The floor was practically soaked in blood, so how is it possible that someone had to finish him off with a potion?' It seemed that nothing about this case could really be predicted.
'I'll get to that in a moment, Colonel.' Shehed looked at Bleist with his piercing, pistachio-coloured eyes. 'I apologise for the digression, but it's been nagging at me. Why are you handling this case? It doesn't strike me as being about the cruelty of the perpetrator or the victim.'
'It's no secret.' Darius had to admit that the surgeon had held out for quite a while. 'Lately, there's been quite a tense atmosphere in the capital between the City Watch and the army.' He admitted bluntly. 'Mr Rocha is quite a peculiar case... You do realise that his death could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.'
'I didn't think it was quite that...' Shehed fell deep in thought, completely forgetting what they had been discussing a moment ago.
'Perhaps we should get back to the matter at hand,' suggested Rex. The Guard was still taking notes on everything that had been said during the meeting.
'I've interrupted again…' Oxern sighed heavily. 'As for the death, or rather what came before it, I dare say the victim was given something that prevented him from losing consciousness and reacting to the loss of blood. When the attacker had finished, he stabbed the deceased with a poisoned blade. I don't know exactly what was administered in this way, but the effect was truly nasty. The internal organs seemed almost melted, which must have caused terrible suffering, even greater than the earlier torture.' He shook his head, not knowing how to comment on it. 'Based on the post-mortem, I concluded that Caim Rocha was tortured for most of the night and died in the early hours of the morning. Probably not long before his body was discovered. The wounds were inflicted professionally, by someone who knows what they're doing and has plenty of experience. During the interrogations, we failed to uncover anything that would point to the killer, or even a motive.' A heavy sigh marked the end of the medical notes.
'I see.' It didn't look good, and certainly worse than it had in Atlantis. 'I'd like to examine the items found at the crime scene.'
'Everything is in the citadel.' Shehed glanced at the door. 'I'd be happy to accompany you to answer even the most difficult questions.'
Another walk uphill. Darius almost grimaced, but kept a straight face. I just have to put up with it.
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Bleist flung himself onto the bed at the top of the tower they'd been given. He was tired. Very tired. He'd had more than enough of the whole business and of the trip itself. But he had no choice; he had to sort out everything he'd been sent here to do. And I hadn't even started looking for the missing agents yet. He covered his eyes with his hand and decided to reflect on the whole day one last time.
He'd managed to find out that Caim Rocha wasn't who he claimed to be, so the story about the transfer due to family circumstances vanished like smoke on a windy day. The first suspicious behaviour that would need to be investigated on Atlantis. He squeezed his eyelids tighter.
The mysterious soldier with whom the murdered man had spoken before his death clearly must have known Rocha and been aware that he did not actually come from the village north of Bushtabhar. He had even hired random youths of a similar age to Caim and ordered them to pretend to be acquaintances.
The crime scene and the surgeon confirmed that death had not come quickly to the deceased. It had been a long and very painful process. Moreover, it had been inflicted by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. This ruled out a crime of passion or a random act of violence. Furthermore, the killer must have somehow muffled the sounds of the torture, meaning he was either a mage or possessed a very powerful artefact.
As for the magic itself, there were indications that, contrary to the information provided by the army and the City Watch, Rocha possessed magical abilities. This was now impossible to confirm, but fortunately it was not the basis of the entire investigation.
Finally, there was the matter of the evidence and the body itself. It turned out that Caim Rocha was still in the mortuary. Just like all the evidence in the case, for that matter. Darius was somewhat alarmed to find that it was simply jute sacks tossed into a corner of the room.
As if that weren't bad enough, the Guards sent into the city had returned empty-handed. No useful gossip. Nothing to go on. On the other hand, there was plenty of talk in Bushtabhar about the governor, and none of it was flattering. Another item on the list to verify.
'There are still the Watchmen from the entrance to the enclaves. We need to find the bloke who was arguing with the deceased on the day of his death...'
He turned to one side and gazed at the stars twinkling in the sky on the other side of the room.
'As if that weren't enough, I still have to deal with the real problems, and the minor ones are multiplying endlessly,' he said with a touch of resignation and decided to try to get some sleep. 'It won't be that bad,' he muttered without enthusiasm.