I slept only a few hours. I made Meig tell Kaarlo to set up a meeting at noon with his steward so we could get into his place and snoop around. When she roused me, I had to fight to open my eyes and focus. I splashed some water on my face and found some clean clothes to pull on.

  “Are you sure you are up for this?” Meig asked. Her question annoyed me but, as much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. I was groggy and clearly not at my best. But all I needed were a few minutes to cast some spells and look through the guy’s papers. I was awake enough for that.

  “I'll be fine. Let’s not waste time,” I said, more to myself as I tried to shake the sleep from my body.

  We hurried out of the manor and went directly to Yonath’s home. It was quiet. I stood casually next to the door while she picked the lock. It did not take long before we were inside the place. Spells cast over the kitchen yielded nothing, but I got a vague sense of uneasiness coming from the stairway.

  We made our way up the stairs where there appeared to be two bedrooms. One had a lock on the outside of the door. Meig took her time picking the lock. When there was finally a click indicating the lock had retracted, she sighed. Just before I was going to open the door, we could hear shouting from outside. It became louder as we froze to listen. I thought fast as Meig and I stared at each other.

  “You go! I’ll finish here and join you. Looks like a dead end anyway…” I said. She nodded quickly, turned, and ran back down the stairs. I took two steps to a small window that looked out and down into the town hoping to see something from the second story. The window was dirty and seemed to be facing the wrong direction to yield any information.

  The back of my neck prickled with a slight breeze which made me spin around and, luckily, since I had my hands up, I was able to catch the end of a stick in my hand before it smacked the back of my head.

  It hit my hand hard, but I suppressed the pain, and held onto the weapon as hard as I could. I was facing a very angry Yonath who had swung his walking cane at me. A glance down the hall showed me that the previously locked door stood open.

  “What are you doing here?” said the man, who I now realized was not Yonath as I had thought. He looked much like him, but his skin was pale, his cheeks more sunken and there was an angry sheen in his eyes.

  “Trying to solve a mystery,” I told him. The man cackled in a way that made my stomach twist.

  “What's the big mystery? That my brother is a coward and a liar? That he hides me away in shame? That he deserves better than your pitiful master? He deserves it all!” He pulled back on the cane again and I knew I couldn’t let go or he would swing it again. Now that I felt it, it was a very sturdy weapon.

  I brought my other hand to help take the cane from the man and we fought over it. When he lunged, rather than counter his greater weight and strength, I propelled him in the same direction which overbalanced him. The fancy cane end hit the wall hard and broke. A cloud of powder wafted from the end of the cane and onto the man’s face.

  He took a breath and looked frightened.

  “No! No! What have you…,” he released the cane and brushed at his face desperately. I didn’t needed to cast my spell to guess what the powder was. It was over before I could hardly think. He started foaming at the mouth, fell over, and then his eyes glazed over.

  I went into the room where he had been. When I cast my spell in there, I found a cache of dried mushrooms under a loose floorboard. They were common enough and pretty much everyone knew they were poisonous. At least around Thornhill where I’d grown up they were common.

  Footsteps on the stairs drew my attention out of the room. Meig ducked her head into the room, out of breath.

  “Oh, Saints! What happened here?” she asked, but before I could say anything, I heard more footsteps and a strangled cry as Yonath pushed past Meig in the hall.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “No! What have you done?” Yonath cried and I wondered who he was asking. I put the floor back the way it had been and walked slowly into the hallway where Yonath was cradling his brother. He was crying and gasping, muttering to himself. I laid a hand on his shoulder gently.

  “Be careful. There’s some very poison on his face. I’m sorry. That’s what killed him,” I told him. He turned to me, his face red with anger. I stepped back from the force of his stare.

  “You! What are you doing here?! You shouldn’t be here! You’re… you’re trespassing!” Tears streaked his face and a little of the madness in his brother seemed to shine in his eyes.

  “Yes. I am. I am sorry. I had to figure out who was trying to poison Kaarlo. Did you know?” I heard Meig gasp behind me. Yonath looked defeated as he looked down at his sibling.

  “I…no. I didn’t think… But I caught him in the manor the other morning in the dining room. And sometimes when I let him out he runs off for hours. But I… Why?!” he asked, then he curled into his brother and kept repeating his question.

  “He's not quite right,” asked, not really knowing how to ask my question. “Is he?”

  “No. Sometimes he’s fine. Sometimes he sees things that aren’t there. He imagines enemies. I tried to calm him. I keep him locked in his room when I’m not here, in case. I never thought he’d hurt anyone. You have to believe me. He often hurt himself. That’s what I was more worried over. I had to… he’s my brother.”

  Meig and I exchanged a look. I’m sure she had heard, as I had, about such people. When they are poor, they often wander and get themselves killed by the elements or bandits. When they are well off, they are hidden and often kept to themselves. I couldn’t decide which outcome was worse. But I felt for Yonath. At least he had stood by his blood and tried to do his best for him. That’s more than some families do even when they have means.

  “We have to tell Kaarlo,” I told him in what I hoped was a soft, kind voice.

  “Please, let me. I…after I make arrangements,” he sounded calm now. He laid his brother down gently and stood up.

  “Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face,” I advised him. I wasn’t sure, but I suspected you could get poisoned through your eyes and nose. It had seemed that his brother had inhaled some of the powder by accident. I picked up the broken cane. “He stole your cane?”

  “No. We each have one. My father made them for us. We both trained to be stewards. When we finished our apprenticeship, he gifted them to us. He was so proud. That was before… well, when he was better. I’m sorry about my anger before. I’m thankful you prevented tragedy that day and I can see this was an accident,” he concluded and heaved a sigh.

  “I'm sorry for your loss,” I said, not really knowing what else to say. He nodded and stood still looking down at his brother. Meig and I made our way out of the house, leaving him with his grief and responsibilities.

  “Oh, what was the noise about, outside?” I asked, Meig remembering what drew her away.

  “The usual. An ember from a fireplace caught a curtain on fire. No grate. We got it out in time. Only part of the house burned down, thankfully. No one was gravely hurt,” she reported.

  “Thank goodness. I was worried it was another goblin attack or something,” I said.

  “Actually, I need to get to a meeting. I think we have seen the end of those attacks!” she slapped my shoulder and smiled broadly. “I'll let you know when I get back!”

  With that, she ran off to where the lizard people had set up a temporary camp. I shrugged. I supposed I would head back to the manor and stay with Kaarlo until Yonath came by to tell him what had happened. He would be happy to have Pardy home soon and I was looking forward to seeing Gavendor again.

  I was nervous about seeing Kaarlo again after our night together. But when he caught me loitering outside his office, he called me in and acted like nothing had happened. That both relieved and saddened me.

  I told him I had news, but to wait. Soon, Yonath came in. He looked much smaller and aged. He apologized and explained about his brother. He resigned his position insisting even after Kaarlo told him it wasn’t necessary. Personally, I thought it was for the best. I knew how a town liked to talk and such a thing would stick to him forever. He’d have to find a new post and start fresh somewhere the rumor hadn’t reached.

  After he left, Kaarlo asked if I had been injured. I had completely forgotten about my hand, but it had an ugly bruise on it when I checked.

  “He might have killed you!” he said, sounding more angry than he needed to.

  “I can take care of myself, Kaarlo. This is a temporary injury. I would do it again to be sure you and your family are safe. I’m glad I could be of some help to you,” I told him, sincerely, and his smile was kind. “After all I’ve cost you…” He harrumphed at that.

  “A small price. A very small price. You and your friend have been invaluable to us. You’ll always be important and welcome here in Wellswood. I hope you know that,” he stood and took my hands in his. Just as I was starting to feel awkward with him, remembering the feeling of his lips on mine, Meig knocked and entered the room, making us separate.

  “Good news!” she announced. “I think we have reached an accord with both the lizard people and the goblins!” Her eyes were shining with pride. I knew it was well deserved. Kaarlo strode to her and took her hands in his, reiterating what he’d said to me about always being welcome in his town and manor and I felt a little more relaxed.