The old man looked absentmindedly at the paper StarWind was holding as he searched through the folder for something else. “Yes one for each victim,” the old man stated. “Ah here it is. A summary of the dead. Thirty three in all. Fifteen with star wounds. The rest were burnt pretty badly.”
“Perhaps these papers will allow me to identify my brother,” StarWind said. “May I look through this folder?”
“What?” the old man asked as he noticed that his pipe had gone out again. “Yes, of course. Go ahead. Don’t leave the office though. Papers can’t leave the office.”
StarWind took the large folder and found a clear spot on the floor to sit. She was vaguely aware of the old man flitting around the room, shuffling papers and mumbling to himself while she read. The information in the folder was very complete and StarWind began to get a feel for what happened that day. She absorbed the entire contents of the folder without interruption. She was stiff from sitting and wondered how long she had been reading when she rose and startled the old man.
“What are you doing in my office?” he asked reaching out and snaring the folder from StarWind’s hands. “That is my folder. You shouldn’t walk into people’s offices and read their papers. Go on. Get along and do your own business. Can’t you see I have work to do?”
StarWind smiled at the old man and apologized. She deftly grabbed the note she had been given by the clerk as she placed her hands on the desk to squeeze by the old man and slipped out of his office. She left the building purposefully and headed for the waterfront district.
The waterfront was shabby and smelled of fish, but it was also lively. People scurried everywhere, some gaily dressed in sailing attire, some in the drab grays of city folk. Merchants roamed the wharf looking for goods to buy or arranging for transit of goods they had sold. She stood quietly and scanned the waterfront for Goral, but could not see the giant with his loud red shirt. StarWind picked a direction at random and started walking along the waterfront peering into each shop and tavern as she passed. A few doors in front of her a man emerged from a tavern with a bloody rag wrapped around his left hand. StarWind stopped and watched him as he ran past her and then she headed for the doorway he had come out of.
The tavern was dark and mildly populated, but a roar of shouting came from the rear of the building. StarWind made her way through the room, dodging tables and errant chairs and came to a doorway with a large heavily muscled man blocking it. As she tried to get past him, he blocked her entrance with a large meaty arm.
“Only by invitation,” the big man snarled. “Go sell your wares out front.”
“I am looking for my brother,” StarWind snapped angrily. “Big man in a red shirt. Is he back there or not?”
“Can’t speak or hear?” the big brute asked.
“That’s him,” stated StarWind. “Let me by.”
“I didn’t say he was back there,” grinned the large obstacle as he continued to block the doorway. “If he is, then it is none of your business. Get out of here before you get hurt little girl. Or maybe you want to give out samples to the boys in the back, eh?”
StarWind turned as if to leave and then pivoted swiftly. She drove her fist into the brute’s hard abdomen and quickly followed it with a left punch to the man's jaw. She dropped to the floor and twirled her legs, pivoting on her hands, as she swept the man’s legs out from under him. He crashed heavily to the floor, his nose making an audible crunch as it struck the wood planking. StarWind leaped on his back and pulled a short dagger from her boot and held it the man’s throat as her other hand yanked back on his hair.
“I should cut your throat for your insults alone,” she growled at him, “but this is my favorite knife and I don’t want it contaminated by your filthy blood. Your attitude towards women is sickening. If you are still here when I return with my brother, I will soil my knife and you will have no further interest in women.”
StarWind let the man’s head drop harshly and bounded off him and through the doorway. Down the short hallway was an open door and StarWind headed straight for it. She poked her head in and saw Goral standing on the far side of the room watching the barbaric game of Digits where men try to sever their opponent’s fingers. She signaled him as she caught his eye and left the tavern by the rear door. Goral emerged seconds later and they headed down the alley to a quiet spot before talking.
“I had a hard time getting to the back room,” greeted StarWind. “I am afraid I made an enemy. Have you found anything out?”
“A little,” said Goral. “There was a group of around thirty men staying at the Hog’s Tail the night before the blaze. Only eleven of them stayed there the night following and they left the morning after. They were neither locals nor sailors. The leader had only three fingers on his left hand. That is why I was checking out that game back there.”
“That matches with what I found out,” nodded StarWind. “Several of the men murdered were also missing fingers.”
“A woman who frequents the Hog’s Tail mentioned the named Harac,” Goral added, “but she was not sure if that was the man’s true name. He mentioned that he was wealthy and from Okata. Not much to go on.”
“It is but another reason for us to go to the capital,” StarWind mused. “I am sure that is where Lyra’s father is being kept and I think he may be the key to everything that is happening.”
“We could make a stop at Gatong,” smiled Goral. “Catching up with Klaarg may shed a great deal of light on the problem.”
“Gatong is not on the way to Okata,” chuckled StarWind. “I may have to buy you a geography book.”
Goral smiled and shrugged and then tensed as he saw four men approaching from the end of the alley. “What exactly was the problem you had getting into the back room?” he asked.
StarWind whirled to see the four men Goral had noticed. “There are three more behind you,” she warned through clenched teeth. “We cannot use stars here, not with the current fuss over Sakovans.”
“I gathered the horses while you whittled the day away,” Goral stated. “If we can get past the three behind me, the horses are just off to the right.”
“I only have a dagger on me,” StarWind swore.
“Then we shall use their weapons,” grinned Goral as the men charged towards them. “I will take the four. You get the easy job.”
“Thanks,” smirked StarWind as she pulled her small dagger and positioned herself in the center of the narrow alley with her back to Goral.
Goral’s eyes scanned the alley for debris he could use as a weapon, but the alley was kept clean and there was nothing except a torn piece of cloth blowing along the ground. As Goral watched, the rag flew up and over his head and he nodded with a smirk. He left StarWind to her own devices and moved to the side of the alley where one of the buildings had a small porch with a balcony. The four thugs were getting close and Goral gripped one of the posts holding up the balcony and ripped it from the porch. The balcony wobbled as the post broke free and Goral held the huge wooden pole like a club. His four adversaries slowed and drew their swords.
Behind him, StarWind stood calmly, tossing the small dagger from hand to hand as the three avengers raced towards her. They raised their swords and crowded together as they all tried to be the first to fell her. She recognized the big brute in between the rotund sailor and the shirtless man as the human obstacle she had had the altercation with and smiled at him.
“Keep smiling little girl,” he yelled at her. “It is going to take more than your brother to save you this time. You are about to find out how useless that dagger of yours is.”
StarWind kept smiling as she used her magic to float the scrap of cloth high in the air. When the charging killers got close enough, StarWind sent the cloth flying down to cover the braggart’s face. When his eyes got covered he slowed and the other two kept coming. The Sakovan spymaster ran towards the three men and tossed her throwing dagger. The dagger struck the boaster’s throat and StarWind threw herself into a roll between the other two men. She grabbed the sword dropped by the dying man and continued the roll to her feet and turned to face the remaining two thugs.