[...meanwhile...]

[Mage Brendan]

"My thanks to you, Yals," he said as he led him to a small room. The
room had been magically shielded to preserve and protect anything placed
inside. Inside the room is a long table in the center and a smaller one
to the side. The smaller table held various ingredients for working
magic.

"Put her there on the table if you would."

[Yals]

As if he was handling a living child Yals gently laid the cloak-wrapped
body on the table and stepped back.

[Mage Brendan]

"Did you place any protective magics on her?"

[Yals]

Yals looked up - his deep green eyes reflecting a vast age, and said, "I
have already dispersed them."

[Mage Brendan]

From within the cloak he gave Yals a long look, his nerves once again
tingling. He had sensed no normal use of magic at all. He shook off the
thought and stepped up to the body. He slowly began to remove the
wrappings from the body as he work his right hand was exposed, revealing
deep scars. His fingers wove a pattern as they worked and parts of the
body began to glow but not the wrappings. Brendan stopped and looked
once more at Yals but still sensed nothing of magic from or around him.

"How?"

[Yals]

"It is in my nature," Yals said calmly, "She is a child of this land and
deserving of justice."

[Mage Brendan]

He nodded, "The Guard will seek to prove the crime." He turned back to
his work and finished unwrapping the body. The magic traces he left
behind began to gather together, and Brendan carefully sorted them out
into small flat glass dishes. "Was there a fox somehow involved in her
discovery?"

[Yals]

"Several," Yals said, with a hint of a smile - despite the grim
situation, "They found her and helped guard the site."

[Mage Brendan]

"Whomever did do this used magic to try and hide their traces. They did
a good job of it as well - there are some traces left but nothing I can
use to tag an individual." He concentrated on the collection of traces,
"This one is interesting, "Its from the weapon that was used," he looked
down at the numerous cuts, an obvious effort to mulilate the girl's
features.

Brendan shook his head, "There must be a sick kind of madness involved
in this, but we can find the weapon if it hasn't been recovered."

[Yals]

An old, deep anger could be heard in Yals' tone when he said, "A
sickness - yes, but not madness. More like desperation and a great
selfishness. He was aware of what he did."

The red-haired man moved forward - careful not to touch anything, and
looked down at what once been a young woman. "The knife may be near
where we found her - for he didn't have it when we caught up with him,
and he seems to have been aware enough to cover his tracks."

He looked over at Brendan and added, "I can help in the search, but it
would be wise for a Guardsman to accompany me, since it has been handed
over to the Law of Montfort - and ritual must be respected."

[Mage Brendan]

The voice sent a shiver through him once again, 'It has to be Yals thats
doing this, almost like chasing a ghost and just seeing flickers out of
the corner of your eye.' He also glanced at Yals and couldn't stop a
small laugh at his comment about, 'Ritual.'

"Then I do not understand," he carefully put the weapon traces into a
small vial, "how one could one do such a thing."

"Given the magic I have used, I will have to be the one to find it. A
guide to the place where she was found would speed the search, but I
will have to talk to the Sheriff before I can go." He carefully tested
each of the other traces, "Earth, plants, and the rest are her's," he
looked at Yals and asked, not entirely sure why he did so, "Will her
spirit be free or locked to the place of her death?"

[Yals]

Yals met Brendan's gaze and said, "She hovers near but is torn - not
willing to admit her death but not surprised by it either."

[Mage Brendan]

"Another troubled spirit to add to the endless list this city carries. Is
there naught that can be done?" He talked as he completed his search of
the ruined body, the burden of the examination bore down on him like a
weight.

"I still cannot find anything else to show the man as her killer, unless
the blade is found we have no true proof. We need to find the blade soon
before nature's forces wash away any traces."

He picked up the vial he had marked as a trace of the weapon, :I will
send a note to the Sheriff, time is not our friend in this."

[Yals]

"But perhaps Nature is....," Yals said, "If you would show me where to
wait till word comes?"

He looked back at the body and softly said, "You can rest easy that most
of Montfort's spirits have had their passage eased - they had friends who
remembered and returned for them.....And this lass will have justice and
peace - I could ask her spirit the truth but I don't know if such
testimony would be recognized by mortal Law."

[Mage Brendan]

"If you can speak with her it might lead to something we can use. It is
too easy to fake the presence of a spirit so you are correct about their
being unacceptable to mortal law. If you will wait for me by the gate I
will return in a minute after I send my message."

[Yals]

"I will be there," Yals said, "And once we return I'll ask Denlira what
she can tell us of her murder."

[Mage Brendan]

He nodded and then stepped out into the courtyard, he found the first
Guardsman and delivered his message, "I am going to find the weapon of
death. Will return soon."

He then turned toward the gate and the waiting Yals, "Tis done and we
can go, since I do not know a place there so I can't transport us there
quickly. Can you?"

[To be continued.]