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which in turn made Magiere wonder.
"I will return in a moment with food," Wynn said quietly, and left the room.
She returned shortly with a wooden tray carrying three bowls of steaming soup
made from yellow beans, potatoes, and assorted vegetables. She passed one each
to Magiere and Leesil, set the third upon the floor before Chap, and gestured
to the crates around them.
"Perhaps these will help us," she said. "They contain records, some of which
are for dwellings purchased in the half year. It is further back than you
asked for, and not all are deeds and bills of sale, but I wanted to be
thorough. The one you call Sapphire, or some of the others, could have existed
in the city before the death of Lanjov's daughter."
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"Where do we start?" Magiere asked.
Wynn looked at her. "You wish to sift through records?"
Leesil pulled off the top of a crate, fingering through its contents.
"Chap needs more rest, so there's little else to do," Magiere explained.
At these words, Chap growled and loped toward the door, but he stumbled three
times, halting in frustration.
"Get back here. You can't hunt like that," Leesil said without looking up. He
piled parchments and a few scroll cases onto a table. "We're looking for a
three-story dwelling; that's what Sapphire told me. Knowing Rashed's past
arrangements, if Sapphire is with Ratboy, the little butcher will want
underground access. Sing out if you find any cellars in the descriptions."
Magiere knew he was speculating, but it made sense.
"Oh," Wynn added, "And if Magiere's theory of a connection to Lanjov is
correct, be sure to check any deed you find against the names of the council
members."
Chap growled again.
"What's wrong with him?" Magiere asked.
"He'd rather be hunting." Leesil scowled, and then his expression became
troubled at some thought. His voice became hesitant. "I lost my shirt."
Magiere shook her head. Since he now resembled a refugee soldier, his lost
shirt was rather obvious. "We'll get you another one."
"No, I mean, I lost my shirt. The shreds of cloth from Chesna and Au'shiyn
and Sapphire's dress were inside it. Chap may not be able to track without
them."
"Oh, Leesil& " Magiere sighed, and sank back down on a crate. Another setback
wasn't what they needed. "There's nothing you could've done. We barely got out
of the fire with most of our belongings."
Wynn shuffled and organized parchments into new stacks, separating what
appeared to be recent deeds from older ones and other papers they didn't need.
"It does not matter," she offered. "You told me Chap can smell the presence
of an undead. All we need do is find the right dwelling and bring him near
it."
The young sage was right, and Magiere opened another crate.
"Start with the properties purchased in richer districts about three months
ago," she instructed. "Or at least what sold for a substantial sum."
Wynn nodded and continued sorting, while Leesil stopped to stir his soup with
a spoon.
Chap limped back, ignoring the bowl on the floor, and, without warning,
reared up to place both paws on Wynn's table. He sniffed at the parchment
stacks, and then suddenly began clawing sheets off the table as he pushed his
nose deeper in the piles.
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"What is wrong with him?" Wynn asked, voice rising above its normal calm.
She grabbed at papers as they flew or were knocked from the table. Magiere
dropped the stack she held, about to go after the hound and the parchments
spilling everywhere around the table. Leesil reached out first, setting his
bowl aside.
"Get down. Stop that."
Chap turned his head and snarled at Leesil, partially baring his teeth. His
growl faded to a low, continuous rumble. Instead of dropping down, he shoved
his muzzle into another stack, knocking half of it across the table. Wynn made
a quick grab for the teapot before it toppled.
"Chap, please!" she said in frustration.
Just once the hound glanced at Wynn with an extra rumble.
"All right, that's enough," Magiere snapped.
Wynn sat back in fright, but watched as Chap continued digging through the
parchments. "Wait," she whispered. She hesitated a moment longer, and then she
whispered again, this time to the hound."a'Creohk, mathajme."
Chap froze, almost appearing startled, and looked up at her.
Magiere stepped closer. "What did you say to him?"
Everyone's attention was now fixed on Chap, ignoring even the disarray he'd
created. The hound lowered his head as if aware he was the center of
attention. Muzzle on the table, he glared at the young sage with a low grumble
in his throat.
Wynn's breaths were quick and shallow as she stared back at the
dog."a'Creohk, mathajme," she repeated.
Chap dropped down, rumbling still in his throat, and belly-crawled under a
nearby table.
As suddenly as Chap had attacked the parchments on the desk, Wynn bolted
across the room and began rummaging though the contents of other tables. She
didn't seem to find what she was after and turned instead to the room's rear
shelves.
"What are you doing?" Leesil insisted. "Just what is going on here?"
"He understood me." Wynn gasped. Shoving books roughly aside, she dumped
small boxes out on the table and sifted quickly through their contents.
"So he understands Elvish," Leesil said in confusion. "My mother gave him to
me and likely got him from her own people. He's heard it before."
"No," Wynn said. "I requested that he halt what he was doing."
"So you told him to stop," Magiere added. "He's smart enough to know that,
though I don't know why he listens to you now instead of us." But she still
stepped to the side, trying to see where Chap had gone.
"No!" Wynn shouted this time, and both Magiere and Leesil were taken back by
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