A voice made Kass jump.
“You’re not supposed to be back here. This exhibit’s not open yet.”
Kass breathed an audible sigh of relief as she looked up to see another young man. This one was also dressed in a suit, only it was black instead of green and instead of a jacket he had on over the top of his shirt a vest with an excessive number of pockets. He wore no name tag.
“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t sure what the curtain meant and then I saw this dollhouse.”
The boy nodded. “Mmm, it is very well built isn’t it.” With pride he said, “Did you know there is a life-sized one just like it in the town of Little Rock.”
“Really?” Kass played as the interested party. It wasn’t hard. So this was where the contents of the house had ended up. She spared a brief glance around but couldn’t see anything else she recognized.
The boy nodded eagerly. “Yes, but it’s still being excavated at the moment and all the items are being cataloged and tested to ensure the ones we display can be adequately protected.”
“What does this one do?” Kass asked.
The boy smiled like she’d just asked him about his life’s work. In a way, she supposed this was his life’s work.
“Well, we’re not completely sure yet but basically, it creates a doll of anyone who steps inside the house for the duration that they are inside the house, with the exception of certain rooms.”
“A poppet?” Kass asked.
He shook his head. “Not exactly. The dolls don’t allow control or harm of the subject but they do show some interesting behaviour when removed from the dollhouse.”
“What happens?” Kass could guess but she wondered if he would have more information.
“I don’t know exactly but they are observed to vanish from the house completely. When the doll is put back in the house the subject reappears in the exact spot they were when they were removed with no memory of ever being gone. If you place them in a different spot then the doll itself and the person jump back to the old location, although it won’t do it while being watched or filmed. Not sure why.”
“And if you destroy the doll while it’s removed from the house?”
“Ah, well. Then the person stays gone.” He said this in a more morose tone than his previous excited statements had been.
A chill went through Kass. “How do you test something like that?” she asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
The boy was silent awhile then he replied, “We trick it into thinking an animal is a person. We noticed that it didn’t seem to register shapeshifters so we thought if we temporarily transfigure a cat into a person then it would generate a doll.”
“I didn’t even know you could do that,” Kass replied.
She could sense the boy watching her reaction closely. He seemed a little worried and perhaps was now reconsidering how much he was supposed to be telling someone he didn’t know. Evidentially his enthusiasm had gotten the better of his common sense before.
“Yes, it’s very difficult magic. Very very difficult...” he trailed off.
“Why do you display them?” Kass asked, pushing her luck just a little further.
At this question, the boy seemed to perk back up again. Perhaps it was the just the question about their experimental methods that had put him on edge?
“To educate people. Many are completely unaware of the dangers of cursed objects and blood magic. All too often people will stumble across or inherit something dodgy, perhaps from a family member who liked to practise unsanctioned blood magic. Or they’re a wannabe sorcerer who thinks the hardest part of blood magics is sourcing the ingredients and performing the sacrifice. For a small fee we can test items and remove or neutralise curses. The more people who are aware of the dangers, the more who will come to us first and then less people will get hurt meddling with things they don’t understand. Plus, it’s good income.”
“You don’t worry about giving people ideas?”
He shook his head. “We don’t tell them how to make them and I think it’s better they know what’s out there. Besides, evil can be very creative when it comes to causing pain. Good, not so much. They can’t imagine wanting to hurt others in the first place so of course they don’t think of ways to do it. We put the innocent and the good on even footing.”
Kass smiled softly. She didn’t think it was that simple but she didn’t want to sour the boy’s seemingly good mood. She did have a few more questions for him though.
“So, you guys are what people call the Librarians?”
“That’s what some people call us yes.”
“What do you call yourselves?”
“Well, The Librarians is the larger organisation, the Keepers of knowledge, but for those of us that go out in the field, we like to think of ourselves as The Archaeologists, or The Finders. It depends who you talk to. The Finders and Keepers,” he proclaimed with a smile. “We find stuff and the Keepers keep it safe.”
“But you sell stuff too right?”
He nodded. “Sometimes, if it’s deemed safe enough and not of historical value. Sometimes we come across stuff that is uniquely made, which even we don’t always understand. There is much that is still unknown about magic and much that was lost in the post splice wars.”
“Do you ever work with the sorcerers?”
He hesitated briefly. “Sometimes. We do trade information and items sometimes but we have to be careful. We’re considered an independent organisation you see and we have slightly different philosophies from the sorcerers. Information sharing is important but we have to make sure it’s done equally.”
“You mean between the politicians and the aristocrats as well?”
He nodded. “And others. We are a global organisation after all.”
“So, what happens if you find something that the sorcerers want?”
“It depends what it is. Sometimes we loan items out under sufficient collateral. If it’s small sometimes we just sell but all purchases must follow an approval process and we weigh up how much different known groups have received. Sometimes those quotas are reduced as penalties if there has been a previous failure to abide by our rules. Information on sales is completely public to members as well but there is an approval process for that, if you’re interested in joining. The fee is pretty small and you get information to quite a vast number of resources. You can actually find all the information you need about the application process online.”
Kass didn’t bother telling him she was already a member. She figured it was about time she headed back to the motel. Cat was probably be wondering where she was. She simply thanked the boy for his time and then headed back out into the street.
When she got back to the motel she found Cat had indeed already returned and had fallen asleep on top of the duvet.
Kass set the croissants on the table and quietly sat down to eat her one. She figured Cat needed her rest and she could eat once she woke up.
She was almost done eating when she heard some raised voices coming from outside and in the direction of the reception area.
Curious, Kass cracked the door open to see if she could hear what was being said.
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The receptionist’s voice drifted down from reception. “I don’t care if you’re damn Guardian, you don’t get in here unless you’re a guest or you have a warrant.”
A man’s voice followed in reply. “Mam, this is a military operation. All I need to know is if you have any guests that match these descriptions.”
“And I told you already, if I go giving out information on my guests willy nilly to every man dressed in uniform who walks in here then soon I won’t have any left. Now, do you want a room or not?”
Kass silently wished for him to go on his way. She got what she wanted and after a few more words the military man eventually gave up and the slam of the door could be heard.
Cautiously, Kass left the room and made her way to the reception. She stuck her head inside. There was no sign of the man but the receptionist did look up as Kass poked her nose in.
The receptionist’s eyes widened in surprise. From that reaction, Kass had no doubt that the woman knew that her and Cat were the people the man had been looking for.
Kass gave a slightly exaggerated sigh of relief and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, was that a guy in military attire?” She shook her head feigning disbelief. “My friend and camped one night in the desert on our way here. We heard the sunsets were really nice out there. But not long after we’d got our camp set up this group of guys come by, all in military attire. I don’t know if they were or not, and initially they were kinda friendly but then they start hitting on us and eventually they started to get a little creepy. We snuck away in the middle of the night just cause we were worried they were going to follow us in the morning.”
“Oh my gosh, you poor dears!” exclaimed the receptionist as she put a hand to her mouth. “Do you want me to call the cops?”
Kass quickly shook her head. “Oh no, it’s fine. We’re pretty tired so we’re mostly going to sleep today and since they don’t know we’re here then I expect they’ll move on.”
The receptionist nodded. “Oh of course.” She put her hands on her chest. “This is why guest privacy is so important. Listen, I’m just going to be out the back but if there’s anything you girls need at all, just ring the bell on the front desk.”
Kass politely thanked her. The moment the receptionist had disappeared out the back, Kass’s smile fell away. She eyed the front window and cautiously approached. Carefully she peered out into the street but she could see no sign of the military man anywhere.
Feeling a little more relaxed she headed back toward their room. The space between each room and the reception was open to a small grassy outdoor area. The walkway was covered but well-lit from the sun that spilled down from above. The courtyard ended against a two story high building painted with exquisite graffiti like artwork of some open plains with brightly coloured birds flying about. Each room had a little window that looked out into the courtyard, and at the end of the corridor, just past room six, the walkway disappeared into a small tunnel with rooms on either side. Kass wasn’t sure where that went as she hadn’t checked out the rear of the building.
She considered it now. If there was a rear exit, that would be useful knowledge to have. But just as she was standing outside the door to their room and debating doing just that, a man stepped from that very corridor. A man wearing military attire.
Before the soldier could react Kass had thrown him in to the wall of the next building. His head made a lod crack against the stone and left a bloody red patch high up on the wall.
“Shit!” Kass cursed under her breath.
She hadn't intended to kill the guy, just to pin him and knock the air out of him so he could not cry out. But she had little control over his rotation and the angle he hit the wall at proved quickly fatal.
She glanced around to check if anyone had seen anything but the rooms all looked dark except for room 2 which had the curtains pulled.
Kass somehow managed to telekinetically lift up the man’s body and move him back into their room, past a still sleeping Cat, and into the bathroom. She had to do so very slowly so as not to accidentally crash him into anything. It took her far longer than was ideal. But it seemed Cat was a deep sleeper, and no one emerged from any of the other rooms.
She paused a moment to catch her breath. Now, at least he wasn’t in a public area where someone would stumble across him. Immediate crisis had been resolved. There was however, a dead body in their motel bathroom. She needed to resolve this issue and fast.
Kass shut the bathroom door and returned to the small quad. She wiped up what blood drops she could but there was still that smear high up. It wasn’t immediately obvious though and people were rarely that observant. She considered throwing a cup of water at it, but at that height she worried she’d smash the cup. Besides, if anyone saw it, they would probably just think it was from a bird that had hit the wall.
She felt very little as she went about this process. Her mind forgot all emotion and fixated on the practical aspects. What to do next, each action involved. How to minimise the risks. Step 1 was usually to minimise the people involved.
Kass returned to the reception and rang the bell. A moment later the receptionist appeared, as perky and happy as always.
Kass fell into a role, something she often did for court. She wasn’t herself but someone else who she was playing. An act expertly performed.
She smiled warmly at the receptionist and then she rolled her eyes. “So, it seems my friend has developed a bad case of the snoring. I think I’d like to take that second room after all if you’ve got one.”
“Oh, certainly. That’s no problem. Room 5 is available, right next door. How’s that?”
“That’s perfect.”
“Would you like two keys still?”
“Yes please?” Kass figured that option would be the less suspicious one.
The receptionist retrieved the key.
“Here you go,” she said, handing it over to Kass. “Did you wish to pay for this room now or later?”
Kass gave her a warm smile. One that never faltered for a second. “Thank you. Now is good.” Kass handed her 3 silver pieces and 8 copper. She hoped the woman didn’t mind that it was in cash. Cat had already used her card but it was still better for them to keep as low a profile as possible.
Kass returned to their shared room a moment later, pleased to find that Cat was still fast asleep. Quietly and quickly she moved the body from one room’s bathroom to the other. She spun the guy upright using her telekinesis to shift him between the rooms. She made it look like she was helping him walk from one room to the other, as if he were simply drunk and not dead. Normally it would be safest for her to touch the body as little as possible but the risk of being seen outweighed the risk of transferring evidence between them, besides she wasn’t planning on leaving the body around as evidence.
She left his body in the other bathroom tub with the door shut, pulled the curtains, hung up the ‘do not disturb’ sign, and then returned to their own room. He’d been heavy and even with the help of her telekinesis it had been difficult. His head wound had dripped all over her. At least her clothes were black but it would still be prudent to wash them out as soon as possible, plus she needed to clean out their shared tub.
She was half way across the room with a spare change of clothes when Cat stirred.
Kass froze, then kept moving. Even if Cat was waking up, there was nothing that suspicious about taking a shower and the closer she was to the bathroom, the less likely Cat was to notice the blood.
Kass paused once more at the bathroom entrance, but it seemed like Cat had just been moving in her sleep for she had fallen mostly silent again.
Kass disappeared into the bathroom. She got in the shower with all her clothes on and she made sure she scrubbed that tub well, until not a drop of blood could be seen or smelt.
It didn’t take her long but by the time she stepped out of the bathroom, Cat was sitting up on the bed, her dark hair looking ruffled. She looked at Kass with a puzzled, tired expression.
“I was just taking a shower,” Kass explained as she dropped her toiletries back into her duffle bag.
Cat made a sort of grunting sound and the next minute she was leaping off the bed and had soon locked herself in the bathroom.
Kass gave a surprised look at the bathroom door.
A moment later, vomiting sounds could be heard coming from the bathroom.
Kass relaxed, just standard pregnancy nausea probably. For a moment Kass had forgotten about that. Her mind had been so fixated on the dead guy next door, she thought for a second that maybe Cat had been suspicious.
Cat emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and sat on the bed with a soft groan.
“You alright?” Kass asked.
Cat just gave a single nod. Then she frowned, and her gaze, now a little more alert, shifted toward the bathroom door and then back to Kass. “Did you wash your clothes?”
Kass shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, I was wearing them when I was shooting last night. Figured I’d wash the gun powder residue off them.”
“Right.”
“Sorry I wasn’t here when you got back before. I got distracted by one of the museums. It had some stuff from the Milton house in it.”
“It did?”
Kass nodded. “It makes sense. Nin is the home of the Librarians and that’s who Coal called to handle the house.”
“Mmm.” Cat frowned. She still had a confused look on her face. “They were showing the stuff in a museum?”
“Well, out the back technically. I chatted to a guy about it for awhile.”
Cat’s gaze slid toward the uneaten croissant on the table.
“I got you food but you were asleep when I got back.”
Cat nodded but didn’t make a move toward it.
“You should probably eat something. It’ll help with the nausea,” Kass told her. She hoped that was all it was. Cat wasn’t usually so out of it. “You weren’t hit or anything during the escape were you?” Kass couldn’t see any sign of blood or injury on Cat.
“Huh? Cat looked momentarily confused then she shook her head. “No.” She gave a sort of wry laugh. “I don’t know who decided to call it morning sickness. It’s so fucking random.”
“Yeah, that’s normal. So’s the tiredness,” Kass said with a soft and sympathetic smile. “But the food will help, trust me.”
Cat eyed it suspiciously. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Just eat it in small bites. If you want anything else I can get it for you. I was thinking of grabbing some more food, maybe something for tomorrow too so we can leave early?”
Cat nodded. With a sigh she got up off the bed, grabbed the croissant and then sat back down. “Garage won’t be open until 7 but that’s probably not a bad idea. It’ll mean we can leave faster.” She unwrapped the croissant, sniffed it cautiously, then with a satisfied and hungry expression, took a large bite.
Kass nodded, satisfied that Cat didn’t look like she wanted to join on the excursion. “I’ll be back soon.” She was out the door before Cat could change her mind about tagging along. It wasn’t just food she was planning on getting. She needed something to dissolve the body next door. She knew of a few chemicals that would do the trick and it was a university town so there should be someone who sold what she needed, it was just a matter of finding out who.