Darius was once again going through the documents he’d received from General Leigher. So far, the only thing regarding the murder that added up was that Caim Rocha was dead. The question was whether to take into account the boy who had been taken by the plague twenty-five years ago, or the City Watchman who had been killed a week ago in a cruel and somewhat mysterious manner.
Upon returning from Elder Jome, the colonel ordered that three of the victim’s acquaintances be found and that the village be searched for anyone matching the description of the soldier who had been seen with Rocha on the day of the murder. Ethman and McKinnon were only too willing to act as guides for the Guardsmen and point out the people they remembered.
In this way, Bleist gained a moment to himself and his thoughts. The mounting contradictory information was slowly giving him a headache, and somewhere deep inside, a malicious little voice was telling him that the problems would begin once he finally got down to serious business. He sighed heavily as he put the papers away.
‘I won’t get anything more out of them,’ he muttered into the emptiness of the room.
He cast another glance at a few items found in the ruined room. The Guards had discovered several personal belongings amongst the rubble: scraps of clothing, an old hunting knife, and a small prayer book signed with the initials CR. Interestingly, the latter was written in Latin and looked worn from frequent use.
‘This isn't in the files either,’ he added with a touch of irritation, thinking of yet another gap in the information. According to the records, Caim Rocha did not belong to any faith and had a rather indifferent attitude towards the gods, and yet it turned out he must have been quite devout. As Darius did not know Latin, it was difficult for him to determine which of the gods the victim worshipped. It did not help at all that the entire prayer book was a solid block of text devoid of any ornamentation.
