I barely slept a wink that night, and was in my office as early as possible today; I wasn't in the mood to see my family off, and Jett was absolutely silent when I took her to her school. That all made my churning stomach feel even worse than before.
Maybe I did have a problem. But I couldn’t think about that now: I had other things to worry about. Like the incompetent guards that I’d assigned to watch Blu.
“What do you mean he disappeared without a trace?” I asked, rubbing my temples.
“At seven thirty in the morning, he left for the market, like he does every morning, to restock on some of the more basic items in his bar,” the first guard started.
“But,” the other interjected. “He suddenly turned a different direction halfway there and started walking toward the swamp. As soon as he entered the swamp and ducked behind a tree, he vanished. We checked the area and found nothing. By that time it was eight thirty.”
That is just magnificent. The one pony we had managed to save, we really didn’t save; just delayed his death. Perfect. I sighed. “Is there anything else? Anything at all, no matter how small the detail. Everything is important.”
They exchanged glances. “Well, he got a little wobbly just before he turned down the alley,” the first guard said.
His partner nodded. “Also that part of the swamp, it felt…tainted. Like, the whole area just felt creepy. I don't know how else to describe it.”
I stared at them for a moment. Right. Tainted. That helped a lot. I sighed and shook my head. “Before you go, could you mark exactly where you lost him on this map here?” I slid a map of the bayou in front of them.
They both looked it overtaking their time and discussing where they were at what time. Finally, the second guard took a pen in her mouth and circled a one-mile area of bayou next to the city. “That is where we lost him.”
“Thank you. Dismissed.”
Once they left, I took the map they marked on and the maps of the herbs in the bayou and compared them. That one-mile area and a spot where all the herbs are close together was reasonably close together.
“I see you’ve been busy?” I heard Finder grunt as he entered my office.
“Not really actually, but I have good news and bad news.”
“As do I,” Phillip said. “I found our killer. Her name is Xixphy. Daughter of a particularly unstable zebra potions master who was never caught, and a murdering unicorn psychopath who is in Earthcracker Prison, serving a life sentence in solitary.”
My eyes widened a bit. “I hope that wasn’t the good news.”
“Wasn’t,” Phillip said. “She is half Unicorn, half Zebra, so we will be able to notice her when we see her.”
I briefly considered asking him how he’d found this out, but decided against it. I’d seen how he got info out of ponies.
I sighed. “That is not the silver lining I was hoping for, but I’ll take it.”
“What’s your news?” Phillip asked.
“Blu was taken, earlier this morning. We have to assume he is dead,” I informed him.
Finder’s jaw tightened for a moment. “And the good news?”
“Blu may have given us a place to start looking,” I pointed to the location on the map I had on the board behind me.
“Then let’s go.”
“Couldn't have said it better.” I grabbed my field kit and I followed Finder out of the precinct.
Tainted was right. Everything here felt off. The air, the water, everything. In spite of it being early morning, it was almost as dark as night in here. The canopy of trees blocked most of the light. The little boat with the purring engine that we took from the guard motor pool didn't exactly give me any confidence either. It would do nothing if a crocodile decided to have a pony for lunch. Phillip and I had both attached flashlights to our shoulders, but the beams of light looked small amidst so much darkness.
“It's official,” I said, more to break the quiet than anything else.
“What is?” Finder asked.
“I hate swamps,” I said casually.
“We've only been in here a few hours,” Finder rolled his eyes.
Which was already longer than I cared to be in there. The little Magitek motor puttered us along the waterways. I had the map out and was helping navigate to the area with the most of the wild herbs. All things considered, I think I did a pretty good job: we only got lost and had to back up three times. But we didn’t get very far. A sandbar and thick brush blocked further access by boat.
“I knew it was too much to hope we’d be staying in the boat.” I groaned hopping onto the sandbar.
“Just another day for me,” Finder said, walking up after me. It almost sounded like a joke. Didn’t know he had a sense of humor.
We walked along what seemed like a path into the brush. The air felt as if It was getting heavier. Some light appeared up ahead. A softer light, softer than my flashlight. Just as the path opened up some, we found the way ahead lit by torches embedded into the walls of brambles. Suddenly, both our flashlights flickered out. I removed mine from my shoulder, and proceed to hit it repeatedly. It flickered a little but refused to work.
“I really wish that was because the batteries were dead,” I said.
Finder looked at me, sharing my concerned look. “Is it?”
I shook my head. “I changed them just the other day, and I haven’t used it until now.”
Finder sighed and then turned to continue down the path, following the torches that were barely within sight of each other. I looked up and could barely see a few specs of sunlight, and even that was becoming hard to see. Finder stopped me from moving further.
“What?” I asked.
“Shush!” he hissed. He listened intently.
I began to listen as well. Chanting, an ancient language, not one I recognized. Seems like we found our suspect’s hideout. Finder and I ducked a few yards off the trail as we got closer, stepping into some shallow water. We peeked through some leaves and found our foes. I had one word for the scene before me: creepy.
Ponies and Zebras, about twenty or so, were all chanting and ritually bowing on catwalks to keep them out of the water circling a large altar built around a large tree. Xixphy was standing up at the top of the altar, chanting the same language. She was wearing a scaly tribal outfit, glowing blue necklace, and holding a stone knife in her magic. The water beneath the altar rippled every so often. I hoped it was just fish.
Xixphy turned to face her crowd of followers and spoke in pony, but with an obvious zebra accent. “The time of my ascension nears!” she shouted. Her followers sat up and cheered. “But now, another soul for my power!”
Two cultists carrying crude spears escorted a pony up to Xixphy; their captive staggered along after them vacantly, moving like a zombie. It was Blu! He was still alive! That meant there was still a chance to save him. The cultists resumed chanting, louder this time.
“You got anything in that vest to help us in this situation?” I whispered to Finder.
His reply was to pull a boomerang out of his pocket and draw it back to him.
“You are oddly prepared for these situations,” I said giving him a judgemental look.
“And you’re not prepared enough,” he shot back.
We watched as Xixphy cast a spell on Blu. He seemed to snap out of his trance and tried to run but the two escorts held him in place. She started to pull a pale blue energy out of the stallion, and Blu started to go pale and seemingly shrivel up. The energy was being pulled into her glowing necklace.
“What in Tartarus?” I mumbled.
“You grab him, and we run,” Finder said, and threw the boomerang at Xixphy’s horn. I jumped out onto the catwalks and flew up toward Blu. The boomerang hit Xixphy in the temple with an audible thwack sound; she yelled in pain and staggered back, breaking the spell and restoring Blu to normal. I quickly knocked down the two cultists holding him, grabbed him beneath the forelegs, and flew back to Finder.
“Get on your hooves, we gotta run!” I said putting him down.
Finder’s boomerang returned to him, and we turned to run when we heard the water behind us shift and move. “Three souls are better than one!” Xixphy crowed. I turned back to look at her; her horn was flared, her eyes glowed, and she chanted “Petenta Serpigeo, Petenta Serpigeo!” over and over.
The water splashed and an enormous serpent burst out of the water. At first, I thought it might be a hydra, and I thought that if it were, we could at least outrun it; it wouldn’t be able to follow us. But then I caught a glimpse of the spines and spikes on the head, and the forked tail on the snake-like body, and immediately knew that I’d have taken the hydra over this any day.
“Basilisk! Don’t look at it!” Finder shouted and we turned to run. It lunged at us, we were already out of the way through, so it got a mouthful of swamp sand. Run. Running was the best option, I wouldn't get very far flying as the canopy was still too thick to get through. As we neared the boat, I looked back, knowing I'd have to avoid looking at those big glowing eyes of instant stone death. But the basilisk was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did it go?” I asked.
“Who cares?” Blu shouted as he neared the boat.
Suddenly the boat exploded with teeth, scales, and water from beneath it. Apparently, basilisks can burrow in the soft earth. This one must have tunnels all over the swamp or something.
“This way!” Finder barked, already turning and heading another way. Blu and I both followed; the basilisk was thankfully too busy destroying our escape to bother with us.
Taking to the shallows, we sprinted through the water as fast as we could. Well, they did anyway, I wanted to keep off the ground, and out of the water, knowing that thing could pop out of it at any time. I flew ahead, painting a clear route for my two Earth Pony companions.
If I remembered my maps correctly, a particularly public area of the swamp was coming up ahead, used for competitive fishing. Some guard units tend to hang around there to watch while on patrol. If we could make it there, we’d be safe...hopefully. I looked back at Blu and noticed he was slowing down. I banked hard and flew around to pick him up. Thank Celestia that I was wearing light armor. Finder kept up, splashing through the water.
My guess about where we were headed was somewhat right. We ran into a young stallion with an airboat, fishing in a deeper part of water. “Start the engine! We got a basilisk on our tails!” I shouted as I dropped Blu down into the boat.
“What the—?” the stallion cried, dropping his fishing line.
“Start the engine now!” I barked. “Get us out of here!”
The stallion scrambled over to the engine and started yanking the cord. The engine caught on the third tug, just as Phillip jumped onboard. The boat pulled away from the shore and out into wider, deeper water.
Not a moment after we got up to a decent speed did the basilisk breach the water behind us and roar at us as we sped away. I watched it slithered back into the swamp knowing it couldn't catch us.
I let out a long breath and collapsed onto the deck. “That was close.”
“Too right,” Phillip said, panting.
Blu was laying on the deck next to me, pale and shaking, but unharmed. At least we’d saved one.
“So…” the shaken stallion said. “Where to?”
“Land, as fast as you can,” I told him.
“A basilisk! She has a basilisk! A flipping basilisk, as a guard dog.” I was pacing back and forth in my office.
We had made it back. Blu was now on base under twenty-four hour armed guard until we caught this lunatic. Finder was looking at my maps as I was collecting myself. “That basilisk is the biggest threat. Gonna have to find a way to deal with it,” he said.
“It’s not the only problem!” I ranted. “What what that spell she was using? That necklace? Do you think she was legitimately pulling Blu’s soul out of him? Also if she is collecting souls, and that is where she is storing them, Wind Walker’s soul may be in there as well...”
“Worry about one thing at a time,” Finder said, not taking his eyes off the map.
“Do you think going in there by force is an option?” I suggested. “Take an airship, burn the canopy so they are exposed, and then subdue them?”
“Still doesn't help with the basilisk.”
“Not if we get one with balisticas. Balisticas and cannons!” For a moment, I allowed myself to relive my old foalhood fantasy of becoming a pirate. An air pirate! That’d be awesome.
Oh, right. Crazy cult leader. Deal with her first. “We need to do something though, before they have a chance to move.”
“Perhaps it’s time we fill your commander in?” Phillip said.
I shuddered at the thought of talking to that blowhard. “Yeah, possibly.” I kept pacing.
“Maybe need to call in the army,” Phillip continued.
“Equestrian Army?” I mumbled as I remembered something. “OH SWEET CELESTIA!” I shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Phillip asked.
I hurried to my door. “Come on! I got a plan!”
“Flame Strider!” Knight Gaze sounded almost mad when he greeted me.
I noticed the two silver bars on the shoulders of his uniform. “Sir!” I saluted him.
“At ease. You've been here how long and you haven't visited?” he scowled.
Okay, he might actually be mad. I swallowed nervously and paused, unsure what to say. Knight Gaze glared at me for a moment more, then pulled me into a hug.
I hugged him back, albeit awkwardly, we were alone so I guess it's okay. He seemed very open with his attitude now. “I apologize. I’ve been busy. I’m sure you’ve seen the papers.”
KG nodded. “I have. Nasty business, that. Anything I can do to help?”
“Actually, there is,” Finder said as he approached.
I introduced Finder and went over everything from start to finish, including the basilisk.
“Definitely sounds like I could help,” KG pondered.
I sighed. “Here comes the ‘but.’”
“But I'm Captaining the forty-fourth,” Knight Gaze explained. “We make sure the larger beasts like hydras don't get too close to the city. You were lucky to catch me when the forty-fourth is on leave rotation with the forty-fifth.”
“We need your help to get past that basilisk,” I insisted. “If we can’t stop her, more ponies are going to die.”
Knight Gaze thought for a moment, then said, “Wait here.” He turned and walked out of the room.
“Are you sure he can help?” Finder asked.
“I'd trust Knight Gaze with my life,” I said. “I have trusted him with it in fact.”
Phillip nodded. A thought occurred to me, a question that had been lingering on my mind for a long time.
“You know I’ve been wanting to ask: why do you dislike Captain Swampfire so much?” I asked. “I mean I know why I hate him. He doesn't like how I do my job, and I don’t like how he does his.”
Finder stayed silent. “Why?” I pushed.
It took him a moment but he started speaking. "I was hired to investigate a murder by a family member in Ponyville. Swampfire was the lead investigator. He refused to cooperate with me; not long after I arrived, he declared that he'd found the killer. Arrested the vic's best friend, started hamming himself up in front of the press. Ignored any of the evidence that disagreed with him, stupid wanker.
"But I proved that he was wrong. Found the real killer, got the friend out. Made Swampfire look like the idiot he is in front of everypony," Finder finished.
“No wonder he wanted me to oust you from the investigation,” I commented. “Not that that would've stopped anyway.”
“You’re five times the Guard that he is,” Phillip said. “If only you could get your gambling under control.”
“I don't have a problem,” I said, but I wasn't sure I believed myself anymore.
“You've lost a noticeable amount of weight since we started working together, and even I can tell you’re depressed,” Phillip pressed. I stayed silent, and he let out a quiet sigh. “Look, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. But I recommend getting help. You could be a bloody brilliant Investigator some day. But that habit will hold you back.”
We stood there in silence for some time. I was beginning to wonder if we were wasting our time being here when KG came back with a General. She was an earth pony mare, older, but still fair looking. Black mane, green coat. Cutie mark covered by the uniform.
I snapped up to attention and saluted. “Sergeant, Detective,” KG said. “This is General Vedette. She commands all outer-city defense forces.”
“So you’re the Sergeant I’ve been hearing so much about from the Guard Captain?” She looked over to Finder. “And you’re the PI that he’s been complaining about?”
“Yes,” Phillip grunted.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, still standing at attention.
“Nice to meet you both,” she said, then turned back to me. “You're lucky nopony on this base likes Swampfire, otherwise you'd actually need his authorization to come to me.”
I remained at attention and silent. “General. Sergeant Strider was my partner at my first posting,” Knight Gaze said. “I can assure you he wouldn't be asking us for help without a reason.”
“I believe it. I’ve read a few of the reports. But I want to hear his reasoning before I give you the all clear. At ease, permission to speak freely granted,” she said to me.
I figured the truth was the best here. “Captain Swampfire would drag his hooves if we went to him. These cultists are likely getting ready to move as we speak. We don't have time for the bureaucracy. We need force to get past the basilisk, a force that you have. We need to make an arrest now while we still know where they are.”
She stared at me. I stared right back. For a very, very long time. Why does my nose always itch whenever an officer is staring me down and I can’t scratch it? I swear they do it on purpose.
“Captain Gaze,” she finally said.
“Yes General?” Knight Gaze asked.
She smiled. “Gather the forty-fourth. Time for a ‘Live-Fire Training Exercise’.” she exaggerated air quotes. “Break out the tranquilizers and the basilisk gear.”
“Yes General!” He walked past us and exited the room.
“You got heart, Sergeant.” She turned away. “Feel free to use me as a reference in the future.” She left the room.
Once she was gone, I scratched my nose. “Finally!” I sighed.
“We should join your friend,” Finder said, stepping for the door.
I nodded. “Yeah, let's go.”