Luna hiked through the woods all day until she finally saw the stone walls of Cantrick begin to appear through the receding tree line. A teal flower caught her attention and she kneeled down and collected it, tucking it into her knapsack carefully. Luna knew it was sugar flox, and she knew how to use it to make something very special.
She had only been to Cantrick on one occasion prior, but she liked the city about as much as she liked walking unknowingly into a witch’s lair. This time, she was nervous to enter the city as she assumed that the guards all throughout Enthamere were likely looking for her. At least Cantrick is a port city. Travelers flow through this city like grains of sand in an hourglass. I’ve got a decent chance at slipping through unnoticed and finding a ship to take me South to Nisse. It definitely beats walking all the way to Nisse. Luna sighed as she approached the edge of the forest.
The rusted iron gate was raised, and travelers were flowing in and out of the city freely. Luna removed her copper hair clip, allowing her dark hair to fall into her face before pulling her hood up and obscuring most of her face. She stepped onto the paved cobblestone road behind a group of merchants and did her best to enter the city without drawing any attention. Three guards stood at the gate. The first was more focused on arguing with the guard standing next to him about a gambling incident from the night before. The third guard had his eyes glued on Luna as she entered the city. One of the other guards hit him in the arm and he responded by turning his attention to the other guards and joining in the argument.
Luna breathed a quick sigh of relief as she entered Cantrick. It was an old port city—the type of place where each crack in the cobblestone had a story to tell. The snow-capped mountains cresting beyond the surging Dahlen River was breathtaking. The Dahlen was an exceptionally wide river, so much so that some argued it was not in fact a river at all. Sails of every color blew in the breeze as ships docked and embarked from the bustling docks. The hypnotizing sounds of the water could just barely be heard over the commotion of the city. Dockworkers cursed at each other as they loaded heavy cargo on and off the ships. Women hung out the windows of multistoried buildings trying to attract the attention of tired travelers. Street vendors aggressively peddled all manner of wares like their livelihood depended on it, and for many, it likely did. The buildings in Cantrick were old and run down—most of the aged multistory shops and structures leaned as if they themselves had grown weary.
Luna moved through the busy streets with her hood up. When she got to the docks, she approached a tan man with a large plum colored hat who was “overseeing” a group of sailors. In this case “overseeing” meant sitting on a crate eating a grilled mackerel kebab and barking orders. The crew appeared to be struggling mightily as they loaded up heavy looking crates onto a frigate hoisting a pair of weathered purple and white striped sails.
“Afternoon. Any chance you lads will be passing through the forests of Nisse?” Luna asked.
The captain finished his fish skewer and limped over to Luna, tossing the stick in the water on the way. He looked her up and down slowly before popping a rolled cigarette into his mouth and lighting it with a match. “Aye. We’ll be heading out to sea in two days time as a matter o’ fact and Nisse is on our way.” He exhaled a billowing cloud of smoke that was amazingly enough in the shape of an eagle.
“If you have room for one more. How many copper crowns would passage to Nisse cost me?” Luna asked.
After a long drag on his cigarette, he looked up into the air, taking his time to consider her inquiry. “20 silver crowns.” The captain said.
Luna knew it was a fair price, but she also knew that she only had 65 copper crowns with her. She chewed her bottom lip considering her options before looking up at the captain and nodding. “I’ll be back in three days with the silver crowns."
The captain shrugged his shoulders and went to buy another mackerel on a stick. “Fine enough.” He said glancing back at Luna as he walked away.
I need to find a way to come up with some serious money. Can’t sell any amethite without drawing suspicion. I could easily steal it from one of these businesses, but I promised myself I wouldn't steal anymore. Maker, why does it always come down to doing what it takes to survive and hating myself, or failure. Luna wandered through the city trying to give off an air of deadly confidence. Desperate cutthroats and seedy individuals watched her from alleys and windows, curious about the contents of her bags. She tightened her grip on her bags, placing her hand on the hilt of her rapier. It was a simple warning in a language that transcended borders.
That’s when a tattered poster hanging in the window of a butcher shop caught her attention. Upon walking up and reading it she learned that a serial killer was on the loose in Cantrick. They had been on a killing spree over the past two months — the reward for bringing them in dead or alive was two hundred silver crows. The city had begun calling them the “Puzzle Killer”. Luna grinned as she ripped down the poster and read it over. Now this would be the perfect opportunity for her to acquire the money she needed in a way that wouldn’t leave her mad at herself.
As Luna pushed open the door to the butcher’s shop a tiny bell hanging from the wooden frame jingled. A woman in a blood-stained apron walked out from the back and looked over at Luna from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Butcher’s Block. What can I get for ya today?”
Luna looked around noticing a well curated collection of meat and fish hanging up on display. It reminded her that she hadn’t been eating particularly well as of late. A meaty block of salmon jerky caught her eye. The smoky scent of it had her thinking she’d died and gone to heaven. “How much per pound for the cured salmon?”
“10 copper crowns per pound for this salmon. It was pulled straight out o’ the river two days ago. Won’t find fresher in all o’ Cantrick.” She replied.
Luna nodded, licking her lips. “I’ll take three pounds off your hands. Package up two and a half pounds for travel and I’ll take a half pound loose.” Luna reached into her coin pouch and handed the butcher a handful of copper coins imprinted with the face of Cassian's grandfather King Tennen. I wonder how Cassian is getting along. “I noticed the poster on the door. What’s the deal with the Puzzle Killer?”
“No problem at all sweetheart. Nothing better for a long trip.” She set to carving up the salmon, wrapping it in brown paper and tying it up with twine. Her hands moved with an effortless quickness that demonstrated her many years of experience. “As for the killer. They’ve got the whole city on edge as of late. Bloody authorities haven’t got a clue. At first it was just every blue moon a girl would end up dead but now it’s happening more and more often. This killers sick in the ead’ that’s for sure.” The woman tossed the bag over to Luna.
“Why has the town named them the Puzzle Killer?” Luna asked.
“Well girls keep ending up cut to pieces all over town and the sicko leaves a riddle painted in blood at each crime scene. It’s as if they gets some twisted satisfaction at dangling some clue about the next murder right under the nose o’ the investigators. If they were at all competent they’d have used the puzzles to catch the sicko by now!” The butcher shook her head and grabbed a heavy cleaver before trimming the fat off a meaty beef flank. “These no good investigators would rather harass us tax paying citizens and play cards in their office than do any real work!”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Luna bit into a piece of the salmon and grinned before packing the rest away in her bag. “Where did the last murder occur?”
The butcher looked up from her slab of meat with a raised eyebrow. “Last murder was two nights ago in the alley between Steelhook’s Tavern and Bellwether’s Boot Emporium. Ya looking to play investigator girlie?”
“I’ve got no time to play. I’m gonna get that reward money. That’s what I’m gonna do. Just watch.” Luna stood tall, tossing her bag over her shoulder and striding out of the butcher's shop with a strip of fish hanging out of her mouth.
When Luna walked into the alley the sun was just starting to set and hanging lanterns were being lit all over the city. Lantern light tended to make Luna feel comfortable—the flickering warmth reminded her of her home. A sickly woman laid on the cobblestones and stared into the wooden wall like it held the secret to eternal life. That reminded Luna of home as well. The strung out woman was covered in filth with dark rings beneath her eyes, her hands trembled. “S-s…say miss, y…you wouldn’t happen to have a few coins to spare for a poor soul, w…w…would ya?” She stuttered.
Luna winced, shifting her eyes away from the woman. I was just a girl…I didn’t know what I was doing… Flicking the woman a few copper coins, Luna spoke softly to her, “Buy yourself some food, okay, no more sting. That stuff is poison, you hear me?”
The sickly woman snatched the coins from the air and scurried off. She stumbled, knocking over a trash can. “T-thank ya, g-g-girlie!” She laughed as she pulled herself up and scurried down the alley.
Shaking her head gently and massaging her eyelids, Luna shifted her focus back to finding the serial killer. Most of the evidence of the murder had been cleaned up at this point, but the riddle painted in blood still stained the wooden wall. A shimmer of metal caught her eye from the knocked over trash can. She walked over and picked up a rusted meat hook that had fallen out of the garbage. After looking it over for a few minutes, Luna shrugged and tossed it back into the trash.
Next, she inspected a dumpster in the middle of the alley. Luna found a smear of navy blue lipstick on it, and a small piece of torn yellow fabric. The fabric had a brown stripe running across it. Interesting. Luna stood in the muddy alley looking up at the wall from the spot the dismembered body had likely been. Written on the wall was the message, I can shave everyday but my beard never changes. What am I?
Luna considered it but wasn’t sure what to make of it. One thing stood out to her in the alley. Underneath the dumpster she found a dead scorpion. That’s odd, there’s no scorpions in Enthamere. Maybe the killer isn’t a local. After another half an hour spent looking for hidden clues in the alley without much success she decided to get a room for the night at Steelhook’s Tavern. The exterior of the tavern was in a sad state of disrepair. The yellow and white striped paint was peeling and many of the windows were cracked or outright broken. This looks to be about my budget for accomodations. Luna thought.
The tavern was crowded and a band played in the corner while patrons drank and gambled. The interior wasn’t much nicer than the exterior and it had a musty odor that was hard to identify. Luna strided over to the bar where a man wearing an eyepatch hustled to serve ale and spirits to an eclectic mix of shady characters. Luna waited for a couple minutes before the man with the eyepatch noticed her and came over to greet her. Based on the steel fishing hook pierced through his lip she assumed he was Steelhook.
“What can I do for ya lass?” Steelhook asked.
“How much for a room?” Asked Luna before glancing over her shoulder and scanning the room. She made a habit of assessing potential threats and in a place like Cantrick that was always a solid practice.
“15 copper crowns per night. And no funny business.” Said Steelhook with a salty expression.
Luna rolled her eyes and handed the man some copper coins.
The man with the fishhook through his lip grabbed her an aged bronze key from under the bar and dropped it into her dirt-stained palm. “You’ll be in room number six. It’s upstairs and to the right. It has a good view of the alley as well so if the Puzzle Killer strikes again ya might get a free show.” Said Steelhook with a wink of his single eye before he ran down to the other end of the bar to get an impatient patron another mug of ale.
Luna entered the room and locked the door behind her. It felt good to set down her heavy bags and finally take her boots off. She grabbed a piece of salmon from her bag and fell back onto the bed. It wasn’t truly much of a bed, it was really just a pile of straw with a rough horse blanket thrown over the top. Through the holes in the blanket the straw poked at Luna — she’d slept on worse and she was honestly just happy to be out of those suffocating tunnels. So much had happened over such a short period of time, she hadn’t realized how much she needed some time to be comfortable and alone to collect herself.
Looking up at the water-stained ceiling she thought about her friends and brother back in Cloudreach. She hoped they were safe and that the situation had calmed down in the Undercity. Her stomach felt unsettled as she worried about them but she had known Mariska for many years and she trusted her to keep everyone safe. Soon enough I’ll return home with more money than anyone in the Undercity has ever seen. Lane won’t have to grow up the way I did. He’ll be able to do anything he desires. Maybe he’ll open a traveling circus. Luna laughed as she imagined her kid brother in a big top tent standing atop an elephant.
The sooner I can get passage to Nisse, the sooner I can get back to my friends and family. The clock was ticking and she only had two days left to find this killer before her ride sailed off without her. I can shave everyday but my beard never changes. What am I? She thought about the words over and over. Why did I have to find the one killer in the world whose calling card is riddles. I despise riddles, they make me feel stupid. I don’t know, maybe I am. She reached back
She took her hair clip from her pocket and tied her long hair up and out of her face. Maker, I hate having to constantly brush my hair from my eyes, I guess this is why I always keep it tied up. It’d be nice to have the extra money to get a proper haircut. She smiled thinking of how Mariska had always cut her hair for her.
That’s it! I can shave everyday but my beard never changes. What am I? The killer is a barber! Luna jumped up with excitement throwing her fist into the air. After I get a good night of sleep I’m gonna be hot on this sicko’s trail.