Chapter Six

  Part Three

  Line had only just headed to bed when there was a single hoot. She looked up from her bed still lying down at one of the rounded glassless windows. Perched in the window was a dark black horned owl. Line frowned, in all her time here she had never seen this type of owl around Candour Monastery.

  She swiftly stood and quietly walked to the window, when she saw it. This owl had a small dark twine tied to its leg, and attached to it was a small scrolled piece of paper.

  “is this for me?” she asked liked the owl would respond in full and perfect English.

  The owl just hooted again.

  Line reached out and took the parchment, as soon as she did the owl flew off into the night. She unrolled the paper and her back immediately straightened. She rushed past the partition and her desk, through the door and across the hall to Ali’s room.

  “Ali, if you’re sleeping wake up. We need to go”

  Ali looked up from her bed, very clearly groggy “...what?”

  Line moved around the partition to look fully at Ali “We have a case”

  Ali just groaned.

  *

  They were on horseback. Ali had chosen a dark black horse, while Line had chosen a light coloured one. They had been riding these horses for quite some time now, even Ali no longer had the will to keep talking. Which let Line take a break from listening to Ali’s nonsense.

  “are we almost there yet?” Ali asked as if she could read Line’s mind.

  “Very clearly, we are not”

  “how much longer is this going to take?”

  “I do not know”

  “But it’s almost daybreak” Ali moaned.

  “I see that”

  “I’m bored...”

  “I can see that too”

  “Do you want to play I spy?”

  “no”

  “Please?”

  “were here”

  Ali immediately looked up and beamed at the sight of a white and gold carriage that just came into view up ahead. Line could just make out the figure that is Hyde standing just outside the carriage.

  Stolen story; please report.

  When Line and Ali reached the carriage, Hyde gestured towards the woman lying on the ground just off the path.

  Line gave a nod, and dismounted her horse “where’s Vax’dian?”

  “In there, he’s with the queen”

  Line gave another nod, and headed towards the body. The woman looked young, probably around the same age as Line herself was. Blonde hair, and decent looking. Line knelt down by the body and took a closer look.

  “Well?” Ali asked. She had followed Line.

  “I’m not as good the doctor, but I’m very confident that she was strangled. By some king of music string”

  “Oddly specific, but alright”

  “Ali? Are you even looking?”

  Ali looked at her. She was clearly not paying attention.

  Line pointed at the body’s neck, to where there was a thin wire wrapped around it “see?”

  “right, yes. Now I see”

  Line decided to ignore that and kept on looking. Clutched in the hand of this body, was a scrunched-up ball of paper. Line knew she wasn’t supposed to mess the crime scene, so she didn’t pry yet. Around the body, the long green grass seemed disturbed. Suggesting a sign of struggle.

  When Line was sure she hadn’t missed anything else, she finally pried open the body’s fist to take the paper. Written on it was ‘meet me at the tall grass a mile away’. She was meeting someone? And they should be near here.

  Line stood “Ali, go and ask Hyde if there are any residences around here”

  “Got it” Ali then walked off towards Hyde.

  Line took another glance around the area, when she spotted something shiny. She picked up a silver chained earing, on the end of it was a small silver moon shaped charm. It neither looked cheap nor expensive, but it was decently made.

  “excuse me?”

  Line turned with a slight frown. Standing behind her was a middle-aged woman, dressed in a fine silken dress. Upon seeing her, Line knew exactly who this was. This was Queen Silva, The kings second wife and Vax’dian’s mother. People often said that she and her son looked very similar to each other, but Line couldn’t help thinking that Vax’dian was prettier than her.

  Line bowed “your Majesty”

  “are you perhaps Inspector Line?”

  Line looked up at her “I am”

  Queen Silva smiled “you are indeed as he says”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “It’s nothing. What did you find?”

  She was currently speaking with the queen, so being dodgy probably wasn’t the best option. She lifted her hand to show off the earing “this was in the grass here, there was also this note in her hand”

  “I see”

  “I’m sorry, but who says?”

  Queen Silva smiled again and locked arms with Line “my son has told me a lot about you, Inspector Line”

  “He has?” curiosity came to her. But why did she care what Vax’dian thought of her? “what things?”

  “he says you are very smart and brave, he also said you were very pretty and strong”

  Line didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “I see from your expression you quite like him too”

  Line hadn’t realised she was even making an expression.

  “mother... what are you doing?” Vax’dian came from the carriage, and when he saw that his mother’s arm was locked with Line’s he seemed to pale a little “...what are you doing?”

  “I’m just talking with Inspector Line here. Nothing to worry about”

  “yes, indeed” Line smiled “nothing to worry about”

  “Line” Ali came skipping towards her, followed by Hyde “Hyde said there is an inn a few miles ahead of us”

  “good. Let’s go there” she broke away from the queen and mounted her horse.

  “What about the body?” Ali asked.

  Hyde spoke up “I have already informed the doctor, and the guards will stay here until more come”

  “Vax’dian, are you not staying here?” Line asked.

  Queen Silva spoke up before Vax’dian could get a chance to “we’ll come along with you”

  Ali frowned “you will?”

  The queen just smiled.