Paul Kater - Bactine

Daniel scanned the floor and something caught his eye. There was something… he leaned over and pushed a basket to the side…

There was a shoe. And a piece of cloth that looked like a improvised and discarded bandage. Daniel picked up both things, got up and walked out of the shed, the two sailors right behind him.

“What you got there, Daniel?” Stroro asked.

“Boys,” Daniel said, “I don’t want to say what I am thinking… but this could be a shoe of the Seigner’s daughter.” He was not certain. The rag he had in his other hand made him worry. It was not just a bandage: it was a piece of cloth that was stiff with dried up blood. And there was a lot of it.

The two sailors looked at Daniel. “That looks bad, Daniel. Really bad. Do you think the blood is from the girl also?”

“I don’t know. I hope not. But this is…” Daniel turned and walked into the shed again. Behind the basket and the crates he found a small sack, partly filled with straw. Someone had been lying on that. And there were traces of blood on that too.

This could be a coincidence, Daniel told himself. It could be. His brain screamed at him that he should not pretend to be such an idiot. And still it could be a coincidence. Idiot!

“Stroro… can you close the locks so it looks that nobody was here?”

The sailor nodded and a few minutes the locks were back in place. Daniel stood with the shoe and the bloody bandage still in his hands as the man finished his handiwork.

“Do you want to have a look at the other sheds also, Daniel?” Stroro asked.

“Yes. Since we’re here, we might as well do that.”

The other two sheds brought nothing shocking to the light that streamed in through the open doors. They contained lots of old stuff, ropes, crates and broken tools. Daniel found a bag in one of the sheds, he took that to put the shoe and the blooded rag in it. That way they would not cause much suspicion as he was going through the streets. The locks were put back and then the three people went back to the street, leaving the harbour behind them.

“So what are you going to do now, Daniel?” Darigyn asked.

“I am thinking of a visit to Dogom ko Tzuy. And taking this stuff with me. I am curious what he will say when he sees this. And I want to find out if this shoe is one of Rayko’s, but I am not sure if asking someone of her family is the proper way to do that.”

“Good luck finding someone else for that,” Stroro remarked, touching the sore spot Daniel was so aware of.

The sailors had left for their homes. They had thanked Daniel for an entertaining afternoon. Daniel, the sack in his hand, was walking towards his apartment. Thoughts and memories haunted him as he was on his way. Some of them were so bad that they made him shiver; he wanted to shake them away.

After reaching his apartment, he placed the sack in a closet. The things inside it were the first tangible objects that might provide a clue about Rayko’s fate, and the blood was not a good omen. He also was not sure if going to Huajo was the best plan. Perhaps he should contact the police about this. Or Warlem and his mother.

Daniel took a quick shower, then he dressed for supper and left his apartment again. Perhaps being away from the sack would help him get his thoughts under control and his plan in some kind of perspective. As he walked along the street he grinned at himself in self-mockery. What plan are you thinking of, Daniel Zacharias?

As he was sitting at his meal, he had the hydger near him on the table. He secretly hoped that someone would contact him and hand him some more ideas. Some more pointers he could follow. The device however remained silent. Daniel was so occupied with his thoughts that he hardly tasted what he was eating, and before he really knew it he was walking the streets again, with no real aim. He just had to move, hear the noise of people talking, get away from it all for a while.

As he was walking down one of the streets, he thought he saw a glimpse of Melia, the music teacher. He wasn’t sure if it was her, and she apparently did not see him. He stopped for only a moment, then walked on. His head and feelings were all in a jumble.

“Daniel?”

Hearing his name nailed him to the ground. This could not be true. Slowly he turned around and he saw her stand. It was indeed Melia. She had gotten off her chair, her hand touching her lips as she looked over at him. He felt like a fool as he just stood there. He smiled. “Hello, Melia.”

The woman walked over to him, slowly, as if she was still doubting if she was doing the right thing. “I hope you do not mind addressing you like that, here in the street, Daniel. I just happened to see you and…” There was a blush on her cheeks all of a sudden.

“That is very much okay, Melia, really. I am glad you called my name.” As he said it, he could kick himself. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

“Oh. I am glad about that then.” Melia smiled, her blush deepening. “You are alone, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“So I see. That is…”

Daniel could almost hear her think the word ‘good’. Or was that wishful thinking?

“Would you…” Melia hesitated as she looked over at the table where she had been sitting. “Would you perhaps like to join us?”

“Only if I am not inconveniencing you, Melia. I’m afraid that I left a rather poor impression on you, the last time we saw each other.”

“You are not inconveniencing me, Daniel, nor will my friends feel that way.” Melia slowly put her arm through his. She was not sure of how he would react, but as he did not pull away, she held on to him and they walked over to the table.

Melia introduced Daniel to her friends, a young lady called Ophy Dill ko Zerba, and a young gentleman called Wenston Drossle ko Maire. They were still having supper, but they did not mind at all that Daniel joined them.

“Daniel Zacharias…” Wenston seemed to sample the name. “I have heard your name. Aren’t you the person who built the flying ship to rescue sailors from the pirates?”

Daniel grinned. “I did not build the airship. That was done by someone else. I was part of the rescue group, though.”

This of course triggered the others to ask everything about it, so Daniel told them most of the things, leaving out the bits that were too gruesome. The bits he would rather forget but couldn’t.

After the three people had finished their dinner, Wenston invited them to a nice and quiet place he and Ophy knew and visited once in a while.

Melia and Daniel, arm in arm, followed Ophy and Wenston through the streets that had gotten even more busy. The evening was a nice one, and it had lured just about everyone outside.

“I have missed you, Daniel,” Melia confided to him. “I was not pleased with the way we… said goodbye that day.” She looked up at him. Her green eyes had a special translucent shine in the light of the street lamps.

Daniel smiled at Melia. “I wasn’t particularly happy about how things went that day either, Melia. I missed you too.”

“As if you had time for that,” Melia said with a wicked smile. “You lead such an interesting and dangerous life. I am not sure if I am grateful to know what you did, what happened to you on that horrible flying ship. You must have been afraid there.”

“That I was. We all were afraid many a time,” Daniel admitted, just before Wenston held open the door to his favourite club.

“Do just step in, Melia and Daniel, and follow Ophy.” He followed behind them.

Ophy, very much at ease, strolled through the club. It was quiet inside, which was no surprise considering the nice outside. The woman led on, towards the back of the club where she opened a door. They reached a pretty garden, lights everywhere, and a lot of chairs and benches with thick cushions.