Chapter 698: The End of the Route

Kael and Sylphie returned home in the early hours of the morning. There was no meeting, report or discussion in the corridor. Kael left a summarized copy of the events for Amelia, took a shower and went to sleep. When he woke up a few hours later, he found the nameless man in the garden, crouched in front of the primroses with the notebook open on his knee.

"There are two now," the man said, pointing toward the second sprout that had appeared during their absence. "And my flowerbed still has five."

Kael crouched down to look. "So we didn't destroy the garden by being away for two days."

"I took care of it," the man replied, closing the notebook. "I checked the soil before watering."

"I expected you to."

Sylphie appeared behind the two with a cup of tea in her hand. "He came to check the primroses before having breakfast."

Kael stood. "I was passing by."

"You crossed half the garden in the opposite direction from the dining room," she replied, following him.

Kael did not answer.

The message from Norven arrived before they finished breakfast.

Amelia entered the room carrying only one sheet.

"Miren House was inspected this morning," she said, handing the document to Kael. "The guard obtained the warrant during the night."

Kael read.

Valric Morn was at the property when the guards arrived. He did not try to flee and immediately presented his research permits. Six creatures kept in the outdoor enclosures were properly registered, fed and in apparently normal condition.

The problem was underground.

"He didn't let them enter?" Sylphie asked, reading beside him.

"He said the lower sector contains dangerous specimens and sensitive equipment," Amelia replied. "The guard reported that the warrant allows inspection, but they preferred not to force entry because they found containment runes similar to those described in Vareth."

Kael folded the paper.

"Good decision."

Amelia placed another sheet on the table. "They also found three transport tokens identical to Beltram's in an administrative room."

Sylphie set down her cup.

"Then let's go."

Kael stood. "Yes."

Amelia looked at him. "No rushing."

"Has Norven already isolated the property?"

"Yes."

"Then there's no reason."

Miren House was a little over an hour from the city of Norven, surrounded by low fields and a strip of woodland. It did not look like a clandestine center. The main property was a broad light-stone building, with well-kept gardens, two stables and several outdoor enclosures protected by high fences.

A guard captain waited beside the gate.

"Captain Orla Fen," she introduced herself, shaking Sylphie's hand first and then Kael's. "Valric is cooperating as far as that doesn't involve the underground."

"Then he isn't cooperating much," Kael replied.

Orla smiled faintly. "That was approximately my conclusion."

She led them inside.

Valric Morn waited in a study filled with books. He was a man in his fifties, brown hair beginning to turn gray and narrow glasses resting on his nose. He was not handcuffed.

He recognized Kael immediately.

"Witch King," Valric said, standing. "I didn't expect a municipal investigation to receive this much interest."

"Kael is enough," he replied, remaining near the door. "And today the investigation still belongs to Norven."

Orla placed the warrant on the table.

"You already know the reason."

"I know you found equipment associated with a company I maintained commercial relations with," Valric replied. "That doesn't make my research a crime."

Sylphie observed a stack of documents on the table. "Did you buy creatures through Oren Vale?"

"I purchased specimens through licensed intermediaries."

"A Vharak captured illegally in Arvend was being sent to you," Kael replied.

Valric remained quiet for a moment.

"I did not determine how it should be acquired."

"But you specified species, sex and delivery condition," Orla said, opening a copy of the records seized in Vareth. "Adult female. Alive. Able to walk."

Valric looked at the page.

"That's common in zoological acquisitions."

Sylphie crossed her arms. "And the draining collars?"

"Containment."

"No," she replied. "Containment prevents escape. Those collars maintain continuous draining below the point of collapse. That's something else."

Valric removed his glasses and placed them on the table.

"My research studies physiological adaptation to prolonged mana reduction."

The silence lasted only briefly.

Kael looked at Orla.

"Now we have an even better reason to see the underground."

Valric stood. "Not without preparation. Some specimens are dangerous."

"Then you'll show us how to safely deactivate each containment," Kael replied. "We already did that yesterday."

Valric's expression finally changed.

It was subtle, but enough.

"You were in Vareth."

"Yes."

At that moment, Valric understood how much of the network had already fallen.

Orla led the group to a side wing of the property. The entrance to the underground was behind a thick door protected by two control runes. This time there was no need to figure out the mechanism. Valric had the key.

"Open it," Orla ordered.

He hesitated.

Umbra appeared behind Kael.

"I vote for opening it."

Valric looked at her and decided arguing would not help.

The door unlocked.

The underground corridor was clean, illuminated by white crystals and very different from the Vareth depot. There were rooms separated by reinforced glass walls, research benches and carefully organized instruments.

There were animals too.

Four.

A wolf-like creature with two tails and blue-gray fur slept under the effect of some sedative. In another enclosure, a small winged reptile remained restrained by a short chain. Farther ahead, a long-legged herbivorous creature repeatedly paced from one side to the other.

The last room was empty.

Sylphie stopped in front of it.

There were claw marks on the floor.

"And here?" she asked.

Valric did not answer.

Orla approached.

"Professor."

"A specimen died three weeks ago," he replied.

"Species?"

Valric continued staring at the empty room.

"Vharak."

Sylphie slowly turned.

Kael did not need to ask twice.

"The Vharak from Arvend was a replacement."

Valric remained silent.

Orla opened the notebook attached beside the door.

The first pages were records of feeding, weight and behavior.

Then came the tests.

Mana reduction by ten percent.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Adaptation time.

Aggressive response.

Loss of coordination.

Recovery failure.

On the last page there was a short note.

SUBJECT V-3: SYSTEMIC COLLAPSE AFTER 41 HOURS. DEATH. NEW SPECIMEN REQUIRED.

Sylphie closed the notebook.

"Forty-one hours."

Valric finally replied.

"The limit needed to be established."

"You killed the animal to find out how much you could drain from it," she said.

"I did not intend to kill it."

"But you continued after it began failing."

Valric did not answer.

Kael walked to the next bench. There were reports organized by species, date and physiological response. It did not look like improvised work. This had been happening for months.

"How many died?" he asked.

Valric looked at him.

"How many?"

"Three."

Orla stopped writing.

Sylphie remained still.

"Of the eleven that arrived through Route C-12?" Kael asked.

"Two came through another route," Valric replied.

Kael nodded once.

"Then there's another route."

"It doesn't exist anymore."

"That will be verified."

Orla called two guards through the crystal and ordered that the entire underground be preserved, including the notebooks and equipment.

Valric realized where the situation was going.

"You can't simply shut down years of research without scientific evaluation."

Kael looked at him.

"I'm not shutting down your research."

Valric seemed surprised.

"Norven will seize the evidence," Kael continued. "Specialists will evaluate your methods, licenses, purchases and deaths. If there is any legitimate part in what you did, it will continue to exist in the records. What will not continue is illegally capturing animals to test how much suffering they can endure."

Valric clenched his jaw.

"You simplify because you don't understand the value of the results."

"Maybe," Kael replied. "But I understand a Vharak with a trap attached to her paw because you needed to replace the one that died here."

Valric fell silent.

One of the guards approached Orla with another notebook.

"Captain, we found payments."

Orla received the volume.

The entries matched Oren's and Soren's dates.

M-4 appeared at the top of every page.

Valric Morn was M-4.

There was no other buyer hidden above him.

Kael read only enough to confirm.

"Then it ends here."

Valric moved his hand toward his coat pocket.

Umbra was faster.

The shadow restrained his wrist before he could touch anything.

Orla pulled a small glass tube with a thermal rune on the tip from his pocket.

"What's this for?" she asked.

Valric did not answer.

Kael looked at the papers stacked on the bench.

"Burning records."

Umbra tightened slightly.

"Can I consider this part a necessary threat?"

"No," Kael replied.

"You ruin everything."

Orla handcuffed Valric.

"Valric Morn, you're under arrest for illegal acquisition of protected creatures, mistreatment, forgery associated with interstate transport, attempted destruction of evidence and, depending on the report, other charges."

He did not resist.

Sylphie remained underground with the handlers called by the guard. The four living creatures would be evaluated before any transport. No collar would be removed without proper preparation.

Kael returned outside with Orla.

"Want a complete copy of the investigation?" she asked.

"Send it to Amelia and Irelia," Kael replied. "They coordinate with Beltram and Vareth."

"And you?"

Kael looked toward the road.

"I want the summary."

Orla let out a small laugh.

"Saves paper."

"That's the idea."

Sylphie came out a few minutes later.

"All four are stable," she reported, wiping her hands on a cloth. "The wolf will take a while to wake up, but the dose doesn't seem dangerous."

"Then we're done?"

"With this part."

Kael nodded.

The network would still have employees to identify, contracts to review and two old routes to trace. But that could be handled by the guards, investigators and authorities of the cities involved.

He did not need to follow every name personally.

Umbra appeared beside them.

"Are we going home?"

"Yes."

"Before dinner?"

Kael looked at the sky.

"If you don't invent another crime along the way."

Umbra looked offended.

"I've never invented any crime."

Sylphie began walking toward the gate. "Technically, she's right."

Kael followed the two.

This time, it really was over.