AELLARIA, SUNDAY, FATHERUS 8TH
Callo was not in camp the following day, and Aellaria woke up from a restless sleep to the sound of Marin crying out. “Callo? Callo! All his stuff is still here—a tent, bedroll, and a change of clothes. Maybe he went out for a walk. Should we look for him?”
Aellaria pulled herself from her bedroll. Outside her tent, she could hear the roar of the falls and the calls of Mimic Crows. Mimic Crows were uncommon. These crows copied each other’s calls and often playfully copied human speech. However, each response from every subsequent crow mimicked what it heard, and as time went on, the calls became erratic and haunting.
“Callo!” she heard from the trees just outside the campsite. “Callo?!” Another mimicking crow croaked.
Aellaria slipped her robes over her undergarments and left her tent. The presence of the crows had already put her in a worse mood.
Syn investigated the campfire’s remains and made a discovery. “Who drank the rest of the cider? I was going to have some as a little treat tonight.” Syn pouted.
Marin, Behngi, and Aellaria sidled around, looking off into the forest for any hint of Callo’s location. None of them confessed to the minor inconvenience, leading Syn to say, “Maybe Callo kept drinkin’?”
“Cawro!” Another crow said, interpreting the previous mimic as best it could. “Cawro, Cawro!”
Behngi squinted and tried to look further out into the woods. “He tried to play it off but was a quite eager drinker. Gods! I wish I had better eyes.”
“Cods!” shouted another crow.
“You think he was eager?” Aellaria asked. She knew this question was a gentle pivot toward the outcome she wanted them to think of independently. The manipulation made her sick, but it was necessary.
Behngi responded with an affirmative hum. He continued to scan the trees. ”With the river, lake, and the cliffs. I would be shocked if it was possible to get lost in these woods. You can hear the falls carry in the air for miles. I am not saying anything happened to Callo, but we should inform our teachers and Mistfall officials if he is not back before the carriage arrives.”
“Cods?”
This only made Marin look more worried. She approached the cliff's edge and looked at the churning lake below.
Seeing the worry on her friend’s face, Syn walked up to Marin and put a comforting arm around her, “Hey, he also could have gone for a jog. He might have even wanted a mornin’ workout by joggin’ to Spire.” Aellaria watched from the center of camp.
Behngi tentatively walked over to Aellaria and spoke softly. “I have to ask you a favor.”
“How can I help?” Aellaria asked. Her face contorted with concern.
“Caw!” The call of the crows resets to their original song.
“When we get back to Spire, and, Zobu forbid, something has happened to Callo- Can you be the one to report it?” Behngi asked.
“Why would you want me to be the one to report it?” Aellaria asked.
Behngi sighed. “I fear that if my face is the first one seen when reporting a missing Element resident–”
“Then maybe the search won’t be as objective?” Aellaria finished. “If you hide from this, it would only look worse for you if something did happen.”
“That's why I want it to be you and not them,” Behngi said, his green elven eyes darting toward Marin and Syn. “You listened to every level of the conversation and were the first to stop drinking last night.”
Aellaria thought for a moment. Behngi was more perceptive than she had thought. She would need to be careful around him. “You aren’t exactly filling me with confidence that you have nothing to do with this.” This statement triggered anxiety in the elf, and Aellaria relented. “I will be the one to speak with our teachers. I will tell them everything I know. I am sure that- I am sure that there is nothing to worry about.”
Aellaria reached out and put her arms around Behngi to comfort him. The elven man seemed to worry about being implicated in Callo’s disappearance. Still, he was primarily worried about his new friend’s health and safety.
“Callo?!” shouted one of the birds in the trees. “Callo!” another responded. Aellaria detested the creatures, reminding her of memories best left in the past. “Callo,” Another crow taunted.
Aellaria checked to make sure Marin couldn’t see the scared Behngi. “Now, put your face together. The carriage will be here soon.” Aellaria used an old Elvish proverb to say ‘act natural’.
Behngi nodded and turned toward the treeline.
Callo’s absence weighed heaviest on his murderer, of course. However, over the last year, Zenithor and then Aellaria were adept at hiding the tempest of emotions that swirled below the surface. Aellaria knew that there was a chance Callo was innocent. What if the negative emotions and experiences Zenithor read from Lilium’s locket were normal? What if Callo Goldrose had absolutely nothing to do with Lilium’s state of mind?
A part of Aellaria was afraid of herself, but that part was locked away as the morning went by. Zenithor’s mind palace closed off most of the memory of Callo’s death, and Aellaria’s emotions were detached and distant. This compartmentalization had served Zenithor well when preparing for the spell to give him his chance as Aellaria. To Aellaria, murdering Callo became a distant event.
While Callo’s death was potentially unwarranted, Aellaria knew that a guilty conscience would do nothing for her now. Going forward, she would have to control herself when faced with the other students from Lilium’s memories.
Callo wasn’t there when the carriage arrived. Callo was not at his dorm, nor had anyone seen Callo since he left with the other four first-year students the night before. Immediately, the four Freshmen went first to Professor Niall’s office.
After he heard about his missing student, Niall acted with urgency. He brought the students to Dean Flamescale. Aellaria droned out the story of Callo’s disappearance again.
Aellaria read the disappointment on Marin’s face when Dean Flamescale responded not with optimism but with despondency, “We used to try to enforce the drinking of you Freshman harder. We discovered acceptance below Phoenix’s wings is better than rebellion in the forest and by the falls. You come here excited to be away from home and get carried away trying to outdo your contemporaries. Normally, it is unsanctioned fights at parties that cause the deaths of Freshmen, but accidents like this aren’t unheard of.”
“You can’t be sayin’ this type of thang is normal. Callo is one of the top ten students of our class…” Syn pleaded passionately.
Flamescale’s face turned to show an empathetic half-smile. “Syn, this is our top priority today. I will send Niall and Granite Guardian out to check the waters and forests around your campsite. If there are any clues to Callo’s whereabouts, they will find him. I will personally report Callo as missing to the Mayor of Mistfall to widen our search further.”
Aellaria knew that having the Aquamancer Niall search the waters of Son Lake likely meant the Dean assumed Callo was dead.
“Additionally, we need your official statements for that night. We have to rule out your involvement with Callo’s disappearance.” Dean Flamescale said.
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Syn, Behngi, and Marin were nervous. The four of them were now suspects in the disappearance of a fellow student.
Aellaria wasn’t nervous. After all, Zenithor had been trained to lie his entire life.
***
Aellaria walked into the little interrogation room and wasn’t surprised by the person sitting at the table. Professor Rietta “Sparkweaver.” Professor Sparkweaver was the teacher of those who decided to become rogues– sorcerers trained to be spies and assassins.
The first thing Aellaria noticed looking at Sparkweaver were her gold-rimmed brown irises and golden metal plates running along both cheekbones. The enchanter had magic prepared in her eyes that could rival Zenithor’s deception. Aellaria was humbled and knew it would be wise not to give Rietta a reason to activate this magic-aided perception.
Aellaria gave Rietta a nervous smile before approaching the opposite end of the table. Rietta wouldn’t just be recording Aellaria’s words– this would be an interrogation. Aellaria would make it a performance.
The Sparkweaver smiled. She wore elaborate dark purple robes that shimmered with magic in the low light of their room. Her brown eyes glowed with magical enhancement. “Hi, Aellaria. I heard you had a tough night; I am here simply to get your testimony.”
Aellaria nodded and took a seat.
“First, I must introduce you to our tool for these testimonies. This is an Intent Prism,” Professor Rietta said. She pulled out a Triangular Prism trinket. Aellaria already knew what this device was. It was a trinket designed to detect when someone lies.
Aellaria looked down at the little triangular device. Each face was about the length of her hand, and it was placed so the pointed end faced upward. “You want to ensure I don’t lie?” Aellaria asked.
The teacher smiled, “It isn’t just about lying and the truth. The mind holds information that language sometimes fails to communicate. The Intent Prism will let us know when, even in candid conversations, a sincere opinion is expressed.”
Aellaria watched the device. “I have heard of this trinket before. I put my hand here, and when I make a statement, there is something on the far side to signal the intent of my statement.”
“Yes, that is right. Before we get started, do you need anything to eat or drink?”
“No, I am anxious to get everything on paper,” Aellaria said before gently setting her hand on the Intent Prism and taking a deep, nervous breath.
“Let’s dive into your mind then. I know you must be in a hurry to help us know what happened to your friend,” The Sparkweaver said.
“Of course I am,” Aellaria said. As Aellaria formed the words, the Intent Prism glowed green on the far side. Aellaria knew that this meant that the Intent Prism identified that the ideas formed in her head and those formed with her words were completely aligned.
“We will start simply to make sure your mentality is settled enough for this meeting,” Rietta informs kindly. “What is your name?”
“My name is Aellaria,” Zenithor said, and the trinket indicated the truth.
“When did you meet Callo?” The Sparkweaver asked.
“I first ran into Callo on Monday, six days ago,” Aellaria said. Her voice was nervous, but this game she played was a simple one. The prism indicated that it was the whole truth. “However, we only properly met before the trip yesterday.”
“Callo went to the School of Elemental Promise in Frostholm. Did you meet him there or know him then? I ask since you are from the capital as well.”
“No, I had never heard of him before coming to Spire.” The prism on the table indicated a murky brown color. “What does that mean?” Aellaria asked.
“It means that you have more to tell.”
“Well… I guess I had heard of Callo’s father and knew his father had a son. Callo’s father is a famous merchant.” The prism indicated green. The prism wasn’t designed to get the truth from someone like Zenithor. He graduated from Spire as a master rogue before the Sparkweaver was a glint in her father’s eye. The apprentices of Spire would fail this simple test, but Zenithor knew almost immediately that the Sparkweaver would have to try harder to get the truth out of Aellaria.
“You saw Callo as a friend that night?” Rietta asked.
“Yes,” Aellaria said, but the prism again indicated maroon, a half-truth bordering on a red lie. This was part of the game she played. Rietta only asked open-ended questions, which is bad practice for a rogue trying to get the truth.
“Hmm?” Rietta asked, her calm demeanor demanding the whole truth from Aellaria.
Aellaria gulped nervously and paused for a moment before saying. “I guess… I was enamored with Callo. He was a hard worker and charming.” Aellaria lied. “I couldn’t truthfully say my intentions for him were just friendly.” The prism glowed a bright green. Aellaria nervously pulled her hand away; the gesture was just a part of the act.
“I know this must be especially difficult for you then. Please recall what happened, and keep your hand on the prism.”
Aellaria went on to tell the story of the exciting fireside chat between the five of them, about how she felt overcome with emotion toward Callo and decided to stop drinking. Aellaria described how excited Callo seemed to be about being able to drink with friends; it seemed new and exciting to him. Aellaria stated Callo drank almost as much as Syn and said he was the last to go to bed. Aellaria described the missing alcohol in the morning and how all four of them worried for Callo as they waited for the carriage to return to pick them up.
Aellaria again left out the part where she murdered Callo, covered up the evidence, and then emptied the barrel of cider to give the others the impression that he had drunk a lot more than he actually had.
The prism indicated that Aellaria was honest throughout the retelling of last night's events. Aellaria knew that if the Sparkweaver continued not to take her seriously, she was about to get away with it.
“Do you think he is dead?” Professor Rietta asked.
“He is dead, missing, or went to Mistfall proper without telling any of us,” Aellaria said. “Given the facts, I-I think he is dead,” Aellaria said, her voice shaking with nervousness.
“Why is that?”
“Because with the falls so loud, getting lost in the forest is almost impossible. I didn’t know Callo for long, but I also think it is unlikely he left camp intentionally without telling us. Which means he went over the edge or was kidnapped.” Aellaria explained.
Aellaria saw Rietta’s face turn from empathetic and compassionate to professional and clinical. She said something that made Rietta doubt her. Now, Aellaria knew that doubt would be like a little sibling tugging Rietta’s sleeve. “That is a pretty impressive deduction. You must think you are quite intelligent.”
Aellaria knew that to calm these doubts; she had to be authentic. She had to ease the master rogue’s suspicion. “Yes… I’m terrified for Callo because, in my mind, I see him falling. I feel powerless and don’t see any other truth. Im struggling, just to find another scenario. Another option” At the same time, Aellaria knows that the truth in her statement is almost exclusively in the ‘yes.’ ‘Yes, of course, I am intelligent.’ Aellaria thought. The prism glowed a bright green.