Immortal Insanity or Innocence 05

Immortal Insanity, or Innocence?
Chapter 5: Murderer or Victim?
By Arecus. Conberma (Liyu Conberma)

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Back at Cosium Castle

Athena and Alexei had returned to the castle on horseback, followed by wagons loaded with everything—and everyone—collected from the site. While she directed another group to investigate the evidence, Athena decided to visit her guest and see the rendering of the criminal.

When they entered the room where Regina was temporarily staying, the artist quickly stood up to greet them.

"Ah, my Queen, your timing couldn't have been any better," he said with a bow. “I trust your journey was a productive one.”

However Athena didn't have the usual patience to return the same courtesy as she had been overwhelmed by the day's events. Her stomach was so empty that it felt as though it was trying to digest itself. At that moment she would have given all her jewelry for a sandwich, but she quashed the desire and focused.

"Enough of the formalities. I need to see the result. Now."

The artist was taken aback at her tone. "The drawing is complete, Your Majesty. But if I may say so, it is quite disturbing. The young lady insisted this is truly what it looks like."

Athena had already had a rough day and was getting more irritated the longer this took. Her eyes were stern. "Show me."

The artist stepped away to show the canvas. Alexei stared at it with obvious disgust and anger, and Athena couldn't help letting out a surprised gasp.

It was the same mysterious boy from the the river.

"THIS is the murderer we are looking for?" Alexei said, seething. "No doubt it's a creature from the Underworld."

Athena paid no heed to the skunk as she took the canvas and observed much more closely. Regina had described the murderer to be a monstrous, intimidating, and gruesome creature. But although the picture looked almost identical, what she herself had seen at the river today was different. That flesh-and-blood hedgehog showed sadness, fear and curiosity.

Looks could be deceiving, and Athena knew that better than anyone. That "monster" had a wide mouth filled with needle-like teeth that literally spread from cheek to cheek, various scars on every part of his body, the most noticeable one a number "6" on the left side. And she recognized his disfigured right hand, unusually enormous, but now she saw it had a strange mouth-like opening in the palm.

Despite all those deformities, Athena could see the shadow of a frightened child beneath the hideous appearance.

"Regina," Athena spoke which got the attention of the survivor. "How long have you known of this…'creature'? What was your interaction with it?"

The queen didn't want to use a dehumanizing term like that, but she had to at least give the impression she had no doubts until there was more proof to dispel them.

"I was just its feeder," Regina meekly replied, “ever since I joined the circus a few years ago.”

A question came to Alexei and he asked, "Out of curiosity, what does it eat?"

Regina seemed to be uncomfortable as she struggled to answer delicately. But there was nothing delicate about her next words. "...Raw flesh."

Everyone in the room went stiff for a solid minute. But the artist who had sketched the picture with a growing feeling of revulsion hurried out and there was a sound of retching in the hallway. Athena and Alexei cringed at the noise.

Alexei remembered the corpses at the crime scene. They had all been stabbed to death or had their throats cut, but he recalled several with wounds he couldn't identify at the time. Now that he saw the fangs this creature apparently possessed, the mystery solved itself.

Great, now they had not only just a psychopath on the loose, but also a cannibal.

Athena thanked Regina for her cooperation, and then she left with Alexei. The Captain of the Guard fell in behind her, sobered by the image of this killer. While they walked through the halls, Athena was in deep thought.

Normally Athena trusted her own judgment, but this time she couldn't be sure of herself. She felt too conflicted.

That hedgehog was the cause of the whole tragedy, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, the architect of this massacre; a murderer who was just a boy…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alexei's outburst, "We must take action, Your Majesty! The people will not stand for it if we allow this psychopath to escape!"

But she finally gave voice to her concerns. "Something still doesn't feel right. I just know it. We must investigate deeply before we jump to conclusions."

"The conclusion is this murderer slaughtered 299 staff in the circus! Isn't that enough killing for you?!"

Queen Athena came to a stop. It wasn't that she didn't care about the deaths. It wasn't that she didn't care about the safety of her own citizens. But this boy...those scars criss-crossing his body...

The captain looked abashed, taking her silence for disapproval of his words. "Forgive my audacity, Your Highness. I did not mean to imply you are not handling this case well."

"You are forgiven, Captain Alexei.” She began to walk again, more quickly. “I understand you have only the welfare of your fellow Coizards in mind."

"Thank you, my Queen."

But after only a few steps Athena halted again without warning, nearly causing Alexei to bump into her. She turned to him abruptly. “Wait a second—did you say the victims were from the circus? All of them?”

“Ummm…yes? Why? Is there a problem?” Alexei frowned, not quite sure where she was leading.

She tapped her fingertips together, thinking carefully. “When the massacre happened…was the audience at the scene?”

“Well, most of them were already gone because the circus was nearly ready to shut down for the night. But yes, during the time there were other people at the scene. Although they ran immediately when they heard the commotion.”

“That must be when some of them alerted the villagers nearby and they interrupted the killer before he got to Regina. But how can we be sure it was entirely undeserved? It was always masks with them... Could this be related to their...”

She trailed off, lost in old memories, many of which were unpleasant. Some minutes later they entered a lower room where all the evidence had been brought. People were going through crates filled with charred debris and equipment, and some were examining the corpses. There was such a massive number of bodies but the room could only hold a maximum of ten at one time. The rest would be safely stored in a spare storage house close the castle, temporarily preserved with a spell.

The researchers stopped their work and greeted the queen formally, which she returned quickly so they could resume their tasks. Alexei decided to ask a question that kept bothering him during Athena's rambling.

“Pardon me, Your Highness, but what did you mean earlier?”

“When it comes to the 'backstage' of a circus, Captain, there is a rather wretched reputation. The clowns may bring smiles and laughter to the children, but behind the make-up they are often completely different people. Captain Alexei, I need every bit of information you can find for me about each victim who was killed last night as soon as possible.”

"Ah…I will do my best,” he replied with hesitancy. “But with all due respect, Your Majesty, the bodies are seriously burnt. How are we going to identify them?"

"Simple," one of the researchers behind him replied with amusement. He took out a bucket of half-solid liquid which seemed to look like watery, white clay, but there was also the slight sheen of magic. He explained, "When I pour this over the whole body it will recover the original form, a bit like repairing holes in a wall."

With that, the researcher began to spill the substance delicately onto the burnt corpses, and other workers did the same to the rest. Soon, the sight of burnt bodies turned into people who looked peacefully asleep.

After the process was complete, Athena could see the faces much better than before, especially with their bloodied fur hidden beneath a layer of white plaster. But then a certain familiar face from the past caught her eye.

"Wait a minute," Athena breathed, standing over him. "I know this man!"

"What do you mean?" Alexei asked curiously.

"He was a rapist a long time ago. I nearly caught him back when I was—" Athena stopped mid-sentence since it involved her past, which only Mortesen and those closest to her knew about. She quickly substituted, "I was around and caught him in the act."

Alexei was confused for an instant, but then he nodded. “Ah. You mean it was before you married Prince Mortesen. I understand.” The skunk immediately forgot all about that as he also recognized a body. "My Queen, this one was wanted for arson three months ago."

"That one, too. She committed the murder of her lover and the one he had an affair with," Athena pointed out another.

Of the ten lying dead upon the tables, every single one were known criminals, and Athena strongly suspected they would find many, many more before the storage house was empty. In a strange, morbid way there was a good side to this case. At least it saved the kingdom time trying to catch them and ultimately more lives were preserved. Theoretically, anyway.

Alexei was astounded. "I don't believe it. I have been hunting some of these criminals off and on for years, but I never would have looked for them in a traveling circus."

"Well, believe it, Captain," Athena cut in. She was just as surprised as Alexei. "I'm beginning to think this murderer we are chasing is a vigilante instead."

"That still doesn't change the fact that he took these people's lives without a trial. Surely not every single one was a hardened, unrepentant villain."

Athena secretly wanted to retort back, but she had to keep her composure otherwise everyone present would think that she was trying to defend the murderer. So she gave a silent nod, pretending to agree with Captain Alexei.

Suddenly something struck Athena. If all of the corpses they had found that day each had criminal past...could Regina?

The blue hedgehog ordered the researchers to look into any information they could find on Regina the Vixen. With that order, everyone returned to their work.

After several hours, the results were in. As it turned out, there was no criminal record on Regina at all. She was clean as blank paper, hailing from a respectable family near the northern mountains that had fallen on hard times. The children had been sent off to various places for work, and apparently Regina had chosen to perform in front of an audience. It reinforced her innocence even more.

And yet, something still didn't seem right to Athena. She could feel it. One part of her told herself that she was being paranoid, but another part said to follow this instinct.

And her instinct never steered her wrong.

---

It was nighttime, the full moon had risen high, and what stars weren't burnt out by the milky light winked down at the earth in an almost conspiratorial way. Nearly all the citizens of the kingdom were enjoying a beautiful evening, except for the Queen of Cosium.

Whatever task she was given, she threw herself into it with all her might. So Athena was busy pacing in her chamber while lifting a thick oak table up and down. She systematically analyzed the chain of events from the beginning to the end, trying to link in different elements. Especially the actions of the boy himself.

'Why didn't he kill me? If he's really the mindless beast Regina claims he is, then why didn't he go after me too at first sight?'

Unanswerable questions kept hounding her no matter how she tried to look at them. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice someone else enter her room: Reveka.

The head servant couldn't stand watching her queen—her pregnant queen—walking around without allowing herself to rest ever since she'd returned to the castle. She carried a tray of food, knowing the meager portion Athena had eaten at dinner wasn't enough.

"Your Majesty, please, don't over-stress yourself. It will stress your baby too."

"But Reveka, I'm so frustrated. And THIS is how I deal with it," Athena argued back as she carelessly tossed the table back to its original spot. It landed with a heavy thunk that reverberated through the whole room.

Reveka inwardly gave a sigh of exasperation and set the tray down. Athena was only around seventeen, so the rebellious streak of youth was still as active as ever. She was not looking forward to Athena's mood swings in the near-future. If she was going to get through to this woman who had less than nine months to mature, now was the best opportunity.

Thin-lipped, the herbalist said, “My Queen, what would you say your most important duty is?”

Athena looked up in surprise. “To protect my people.”

“That is a commendable intention. You are accustomed to doing without so that you may better serve your people. Is that not so?”

Athena nodded.

“Then I must be frank with you now.” Reveka's tone grew severe, “To neglect your own needs is a mark of selfishness and disregard for the one who is most dependent on you at this time.”

Her words were practically a slap in the face. The hedgehog queen stared at her with something between shock and worry.

“You have to start acting like a mother, even before you see your little one's face. You need to eat well, slow down, and think before you throw yourself blindly into a situation. The only one who can truly protect and keep your baby safe is you.”

“...You're right. I just haven't been thinking today.” Athena looked down, ashamed. “I'll try to do better in the future, but you're talking about a completely different way of life. I'm not used to being meticulously careful.”

“Well, you'll have to learn,” the raccoon said in a kinder voice. She seemed more sympathetic once Athena admitted her faults. “And it won't be long before you should stop using magic.”

“Not use my... Why?”

“Where do you think the energy comes from? The air itself? You are the center of your magic, and you are also the center of your baby's strength. It isn't likely to be a problem now, but after the first three months you had best refrain from using it except in an emergency.”

Athena gave a little sigh. “Well, I still have another couple months or so. That should be enough time to get this case solved, I hope.”

“Closer to one month,” the raccoon corrected. “Your morning sickness didn't start until today, which means you've been pregnant for a while.”

Despite the look that was half-stunned, all she said was, “...Thank you, Reveka. Now if you don't mind, I should probably go to sleep.”

The herbalist gave the customary curtsy and left, then Athena sat down, her legs suddenly feeling weak. How could she have been pregnant for nearly two months already? She had only just learned about it and some of that time was already gone.

Her hands rested self-consciously on her middle, giving a silent apology to her baby. “I'll finish this quickly, and then you'll be the center of my life, Little One."

Mechanically she ate her second dinner and drank the herbal tea, but she tasted nothing.

---

It was midnight and everyone who was not on guard duty slept. All except one person.

She had fallen asleep easily enough, but by the second watch of the night, Athena was wide awake and not of her own choosing. Her body simply refused to believe it was not the middle of the day.

After staring at the canopy of her bed for a while, she got up. No matter how hard she tried, Queen Athena couldn't get the symbol out of her head or the sight of bodies lying in rows on the ground. But mostly it was her encounter with the mysterious boy.

So what else she could do to clear her mind other than throw things around? Though perhaps waking up everyone with the racket wasn't the best idea.

Finally she stepped out into the dark hallway. It had been quite some time since she had visited the garden at night, and she always enjoyed sitting in the flower field basked with moonlight. She was just starting down the stairwell when there was a cry from the floor above.

"HELP! Somebody—anybody! Help me, please!"

Athena recognized the scream as Regina's and sprinted upward. She had never run that fast before in her life, taking the steps three at a time to the guest wing. Before she reached the room, she could see two unconscious soldiers sprawled in the hallway.

The queen didn't consider her own safety as she kicked the door open and discovered Regina backing away from a figure that towered over her with a knife.

It was him.

The moonlight from the open window silhouetted the boy, leaving him almost featureless in the shadow. The only thing she could see was the pair of glowing fire-colored eyes that snapped toward her.

Athena forced her muscles to relax. It wouldn't do any good to attack, and she wanted to see if perhaps there was a way to communicate with him first. Maybe he only needed a chance to be understood.

“The servant's entry is behind the tapestry,” she said in a low voice. She hoped the vixen would catch on and that the intruder would not.

She lowered to her knees on the floor, trying to make herself look as small and harmless as possible. The boy turned his rusty knife her direction and a peculiar growl emitted from his throat. Athena kept her eyes focused on him and began to hum so that he wouldn't look away. They continued to stare at one another for a long minute, but she didn't dare check to see whether Regina had managed to slip away or not.

Suddenly his head jerked around, searching for his prey only to realize it was gone. Regina had moved so silently and quickly that she had disappeared like a wraith. Spinning back and taking three steps toward her, he snarled at the queen with a vicious noise.

Yet Athena retained her composure despite his reaction.

The blue hedgehog held her hands up disarmingly and spoke in a soft voice as though trying to soothe a wild colt. "It's alright, I won't hurt you... You have my word."

After a few seconds the boy seemed to ease a little, seemingly puzzled that she hadn't done anything except kneel there. As he cocked his head to one side, the memory of seeing her by the river stirred inside. Yes...she looked different here in the moonlight, but it was the same woman. Her eyes...

Athena saw his hesitation and held out her hand toward him.

Alarmed at the movement, the light purple hedgehog clawed at her with his savage nails and flung himself back, every muscle stretched taut. Athena didn't even flinch, remaining calm and still despite the three scratches on her left shoulder. Blood stained the sleeve of her nightgown, but the queen ignored it as her gaze remained fixed on the child in front of her.

On the other hand, the boy had a conflicting mixture of emotions: surprise, curiosity, and mostly…confusion.

He had attacked her. Why didn't she fight back or run? Was she waiting the right time to strike? Was she trying to trick him?

But for some reason, deep down he knew she was different from the other people he had known in his miserable life.

So he warily lowered his dagger and approached with child-like interest. Athena saw this as she held out her hand again, and this time the young hedgehog didn't retreat or strike out. Instead he dropped to a crouch, meekly leaning forward.

His face was so close to Athena's hand that the queen could feel him sniffing her, which made her frown. He had been raised like an animal, thus making him act like one. But nevertheless, she knew this would be a chance to prove that there was something more to this hedgehog than his appearance indicated.

He raised his head to look at her again and she ignored the appalling rows of teeth, staring only into his eyes, which had faded from furious red to soft amber. They were barely a foot apart from each other. A strange feeling tickled the edge of her memory and Athena's hand inched up. She was about to touch his face when—

"Get away from the queen!"

Captain Alexei threw himself onto the deformed hedgehog, bowling him over and knocking his rusted knife across the room. There was a crackle of electricity and a sharp grunt of pain from the boy, but then Alexei flew back from a solid kick in the chest.

Athena tried to intervene, shouting, “Captain, stop! He's just a child—you're frightening him!”

But the safety of his queen was paramount even to her wishes. He refused to take any chances. Half a dozen soldiers had rushed in behind, and at the sight of his reinforcements Alexei staggered back to his feet and commanded them to attack the intruder. The boy had backed into the corner, growling like a wild thing.

With the combined strength of all the soldiers, they managed to pin down the murderer. Four of them with heavy chains and manacles quickly restrained their prisoner.

"We got him!" one of them announced in triumph, followed by cheering from the others.

Alexei turned and faced Regina who had tentatively stepped in carrying a lamp. He bowed with deep gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Lady Regina, for calling us."

Regina appeared embarrassed to receive such praise and gestured to the hedgehog only just rising to her feet now. "It was Queen Athena who gave me the opportunity to escape and seek out your help."

"Leaving herself entirely vulnerable," Alexei said. She could almost hear his thoughts accusing her of breaking her promise to Mortesen.

While four soldiers roughly restricted him, Athena glanced at the "monster" she had unwittingly caused to be caught. There was a glint of betrayal and hurt in his red eyes and she couldn't ignore a double jab of pain in her two hearts.

She didn't know him, and yet she felt an amount of responsibility and attachment to him that astounded her. It made no sense... Why did she feel this way?

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To be continued…