[stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon. Chapter 16 (new chapter).

[helene ryles]

Chapter 16:
The murderer slips away by Liza Bronze
5/6/1997

It was a major relief when Pyre's cane landed next to Stilosarka
central police   station.  My step son Pyre often flew me to work.  It
made a very uncomfortable ride on a flying cane, even when lots of
padding was added.
"Thank goodness that's over," I commented as soon as my feet came in
contact with the cobbled surface outside the station.
"No need to thank me," Pyre commented in his usual sardonic manner.
He pulled the padding off his long cane and stuffed it in his
rucksack, before making his way along the street.  He was going to yet
another job interview.  It made him short tempered since many of his
prospective employers would not see past his long cane.
"Thanks for the ride..." I shouted after him.  I was now feeling bad
about my own temper.
For people who assume that once you get married, you live happily ever
after, let me put you straight on the matter.  It's usually when
problems start.
My husband Vinny had a lovely sweet nature, so he wasn't the problem.
The problem was all the added extra's that went with him, such as an
extremely bossy mother-in-law, and his children.   The children were
now at home all the time, after returning from their boarding school
for their summer vacation.  Their presences made me feel sad as they
reminded me of Nadia's absence and my failure to get in touch or even
invite her to the wedding.
Our various pets were another obstacle in our marriage.  My
mother-in-law had flatly refused to let any of my dogs in her cave.
So this meant endless travelling for me.   I lived both in Druzil and
Keraina.  It would have been easier if Vinny had moved to Druzil with
me.  Pluto and Sunniva seemed happy about the idea but Vinny was
refusing to come, as it meant leaving his goats behind.  Darthrila had
a zero grazing policy that meant the goats would have to be
permanently confined and we both considered that too unethical to
contemplate.   So Talmon took care of the dogs during the weekends
while I stayed with my new family, and I spent the nights in Druzil
after work.
There had been a lot of arguments with my mother-in-law over my
decision to stay at work.  In the end it was agreed that I should
carry on working until I became pregnant.   My periods served as a
monthly reminder that I had failed to produce any children with Vinny.
 At the same time I felt guilty for even wanting children while Nadia
still wasn't there.

I was thinking remorsefully about Nadia as I entered the police
station.   I could hear arguing voices.   A tiny golden figure with
dark red hair had just been pushed out of one of the interview rooms.
  The little figure landed sprawled on the floor. She was shaking with
anger, as she adjusted the black lacy dress that she wore.
Her dress was so short that it fully exposed her tiny body and long slim legs.
"I don't care what you think! I saw her shove the poor mite into the
railway station..." She shouted.
I couldn't hear the response but it further enraged the woman.
"Listen mate, just because I'm kiddie sized doesn't mean you can treat
me like one. I'm not going to leave here until something gets done
about this murder.  That's what you cops are there for..."
"How dare you," cried Beria as she left the room, "I am the head of
this police station, and you're just some cranky fader who can't even
be bothered to get a proper traders licence.  Everyone knows how
dishonest you faders are.  If you don't leave soon I'll have you
arrested."
"Do that and I'll testify to the murder in court.  I'm sure the judges
here should know that kids are being murdered in broad day light now,
and the police are not doing anything to stop it..." the woman
threatened.
"Who's been murdered?" I asked her.
"Nobody, she’s just making trouble," Beria snapped.
“She Lies, I don‘t know the name of the kid I rescued but she‘s of
Nazdonian heritage like you, and her mother, who pushed her was
wearing a fur coat…” the little woman contradicted.
“That’s nonsense.  You may not have met but this fader comes here
regularly and her tales get more ludicrous by the minute,” Beria
claimed.
"I've never seen her before," I observed.
"That's because I've not been here before," the woman replied.
"Please come with me and explain what's going on..." I implored.
"No, Fiona is going right now, even if I have to carry her out.  So
get back to work Liza before I fire you..." Beria threatened.
"As I was saying love,” the woman started, clutching my arm, “A child
was pushed into Stilosarka underground railway station.  I saw the
whole thing take place..."
At that point the woman suddenly stopped speaking.  I glanced angrily
at Beria.  She must have put some sort of muting spell on her.
"Now go.  I won't remove the spell until you do..." Beria threatened.
At that point Fiona abruptly vanished into thin air.
"I told you to go, not vanish.   I may not be able to see you any
more, but I can hear that you are still there.   I want to hear you
walking down this corridor and out of this building.  If I hear you
about again you will be losing more then just your voice..."
"What's going on?" I demanded.
"Didn't I tell you to go back to work? You work in the kennels, so
that little trouble maker's false allegations have nothing to do with
you."
"It does if it's about Nadia," I retorted back, while glaring daggers at Beria.
"It's got nothing to do with Nadia so go back to work..." Beria
shouted, before pushing past me and going down the corridor.

There was a drink's machine on the way to the kennels.  I felt in my
pocket for some loose change.  The change was there, along with
something else.
It had a familiar feel to it so I pulled it out and peered at it.
A low moan escaped my lips, and I clutched at the side of the drink's
machine.  The item in my hand was an all too familiar device.
 It was Nadia's behind the ear speech processor, but it was completely
smashed up now.  The little woman must have slipped it into my pocket
before she left.

 "What's going on here," I demanded as I caught sight of another dark
red uniform.  It was P.C. Rickshaw.
"It’s just the usual trouble really.   Your sister fails to be
discreet in her abuse, so we're been burdened with lots of witnesses
again.  This one is trying to tell us that your Nadia was pushed into
Stilosarka railway station."
"Murderer," I wailed.
"No, it was just an attempted murder.  Nadia's still alive.  Fiona
managed to catch her before she hit the ground.  She's even produced
her broken speech processor as proof.  I sent some cops to meet her in
Keraina but your sister is a slippery customer.  She managed to
convince the police officers that Nadia slipped..." P.C. Rickshaw
drawled.
"Where is Nadia now?" I asked.  Dreading the thought that Nadia may
well be with this monster, who happened to be my half sister Madrella.
"The police officers saw Nadia being transferred to the care of
Nadia's father.  They went off somewhere.  I think he's taking her up
North with him..."
"Well he's hardly any better..." I commented.
"Madrella has that affect on men.  My brother changed a lot after she
married him.  Although he's not quite as cocky as he was before, so
that's an improvement at least.  It was such a relief when they
finally got divorced.  I tell you what; my brother has Mr Murat's
mobile number... I can ask him to give Mr Murat a ring to check how
Nadia is doing..." P.C. Rickshaw offered.
"Please do that.  Tell him that I'll be bringing Nadia's old speech
processor with me," I suggested. An idea came to me that maybe I could
trade Nadia’s speech processor in exchange for more news of Nadia’s
whereabouts.

                     ***  ***  ***


 I was frantically searching for Nadia's old speech processor when
Talmon fluttered down to join me.
"Not right now, Talmon, I'm busy..." I told him firmly.  As soon as
I'd got back from work and made a fuss of the dogs, before searching
for Nadia’s speech processor.  It was now late at night but I just
couldn't find it anywhere.
"You've got a visit from P.C. Rickshaw.  She tells me she's got news
about Nadia."
"Let her in then," I told him.  P.C. Rickshaw grated on my nerves, but
I was too desperate to hear about Nadia to care about that just then.
"My brother spoke to Mr Murat now," P.C. Rickshaw told me.  She had
changed out of her uniform now and was looking very smart in a short
blue skirt and matching blouse with a lot of fine embroidery on it.
I'd not seen her with her long black hair loose before.  It was so
long that the tips of it were touching her bottom.  She would look
very attractive if she wasn't quite so bony.
 "Mr Murat says Nadia's ok.  She's just a little shell shocked after
her fall.  Mr Murat wants you to hand the speech processor over to
Snyder Slyrake.  That's your father isn't it?" she continued after
sitting next to me.
"Yes...  I never knew Mr Murat had anything to do with my father…” I replied.
"Well he does.  There is something really odd going on about their
relationship too.  They seem to be mixing with some really dodgy
company.   When my brother first got in touch, Mr Murat thought he was
Veniam Murdag." She told me.
"Who's he?" I asked.   She spoke the name with loathing,   but I had
never heard of him before.
"Really Liza, don't you ever read the newspaper.  I think you should
you know.  If you did you would find Veniam Murdag is a really
Infamous Dragon slayer.  He has been all over the news recently since
his son fled to Darthrila and he sent someone to kill him..." P.C.
Rickshaw told me in her usual lofty manner.
"I don't want to hear any more about filth like that..." I told her
abruptly.  We both hated dragon slayers.
"Don't blame you.   He's murdered more baby dragons then any other man
alive.  He's also the man your father married your sister Monika to."
P.C. Rickshaw agreed.
I swore.
“Before I go, Beria doesn’t need to know about this visit.  I was sick
for over a month after Nadia‘s court case. I get bored when I have to
stay in bed too much so I would rather not have to go through that
experience again…”
“Of course not…  I thought you were her sidekick,” I commented.
“Not me.  I just want to keep my job.  I don’t have an owner like you
and Beria so I actually had to put a lot of hard work into becoming a
police officer…”
I bristled at the implications that I hadn’t put work into getting my
job.   Now P.C. Rickshaw had told me about Nadia, I wished she would
hurry up and go.  She got on my nerves with her superior airs.   She
may have stopped referring to me as 'duman' as she did when we were
school girls, but she still made it clear to me that she thought she
was better then me, just because she was a witch.
"I'm still trying to find Nadia's old speech processor..." I told her
at lengths.
"What type is it?" she asked me.
"It's a bodily worn speech processor.  She's had it since she was
first implanted as a baby... I was keeping it as a back up," I
explained.
P.C Rickshaw spoke some words and the Speech processor sprang into her
hand, in one quick fluid movement.  She gave me one of her snooty
smirks.
"There you go.  Now I'm sure you will have other things to do now, so
I guess I better leave you in peace.  Don't bother to thank me, I
wouldn't expect it from a Duman anyway..." and with that she turned
and left me.
After P.C. Rickshaw left I sat with my head in my hands.  Tomorrow I
would take Nadia's speech processor to my father's place, hoping he
could tell me more about where and how Nadia was.
I found the news that Mr Murat was mixing with Dragon slayers made me
fearful for Nadia's safety even more.   I had heard a lot about Dragon
Slayers press ganging little boys into their loathsome dragon slaying
teams.  Although I knew Nadia was female, she was dressed up as a boy
so they might try to press gang her.  Who could tell what filth like
that would do to my poor niece if they did find she was female later
on?

(note: I've changed Fiona's colour from grey to golden (as in an
attractive discription of a tan colour). I've altered the colour in
all earlier chapters too but I won't resend them unless specifically
requested to do so).