To catch a scoundrel. (Mordre)

[U4ea]

Mordre narrowed her eyes at him, then sat up and looked at the bucket. The water was gone, leaving a film of something white along the sides of the bucket. She leaned closer, taking the bucket in her hands. "How do I...?" she murmured, trying to think of how to identify the substance. Water would only make it wet again. Air would pick it up. Fire might burn it. Earth would bury it. Spirit would...

 

She tilted her head, weaving together a thin collection made of mostly Spirit with a few threads of Air so it would permeate the substance. She cautiously pushed the weave into the powdery residue and gasped as she felt the substance. Still not knowing exactly what it was, she pushed herself to her feet and ran back to the first bucket, pushing the same weave into the water and filtering the substance from it. She lifted it clear of the water and dumped it into the bucket still in her hands. Sweat beaded her forehead again and she leaned over the first well. She took a deep breath, then added strands to make the weave thicker before letting it fall into water still in the well. This took considerably more effort, and she had to lift the residue out more often. After a little while, she handed the bucket in her hands to Madoc. "Take this to the Wise Ones and see if they can identify it. I will stay and continue cleaning it out of the water." 

 

~Mordre

[_Kynwric_]

Again, Madoc did as he was bid, taking the bucket with the remaining substance to the Wise Ones, the other Wise Ones he mentally corrected, to see if they could divine what it was. He told the Wise Ones what they'd discovered so far, where they'd discovered it, and then handed over the bucket for them to inspect... then he waited...

 

... and waited...

 

...and waited...

 

while they discussed. Finally when they emerged two took off at a run in the direction of the wells, the last looked at him and explained what Mordre had found. "This is a toxin, one that must be ingested and combined with a large amount of water to be lethal. But it is lethal in a agonizing way. It will cause you to sweat uncontrollably, cause your bowels to liquify, and your stomach to heave, which dehydrates you until you die. I hope this underscores the seriousness of finding this... traitor."

[U4ea]

Mordre was slumping by the time the others arrived. Sweat had soaked her hair and she'd had to resort to moving her hands along with her weaves to form them properly. She'd finished the first well and moved on to the second, but her weaves were fizzling. Shri's hand on her shoulder broke her concentration and she gasped, the weave dissolving as she turned to defend herself. She relaxed only barely seeing who it was. "Good, Madoc got the bucket to you," she breathed. "I've cleaned the first well, but I'd appreciate someone with more experience going over it to make sure I didn't miss anything. Do you know what it is?" 

 

Shri explained while the other Wise One moved to the first well and started weaving. Mordre's eyes widened and she shook her head. "I was sure it was just something natural from the walls of the well..." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. She twisted the weave she'd been using together. "This is the weave I was using, is there a better one?" she asked, curling her legs under her as Shri examined her work. With a few tweaks to make it more efficient and an approving nod, they both turned to a well and continued the work she'd been doing to clean the water. 

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc watched and waited as the Wise Ones worked, he poured Mordre water from his waterskin, which he knew to be safe to drink as it had been in the waterpot of his mother's roof for several days and all had drank from it there. When they were finished doing whatever it was the wise ones did with the One Power and the well was cleansed they turned to the pair of Madoc and Mordre. "It is done, and we will have guards set to ensure no one does it again. Have you found ought else of any use, yet?"

[U4ea]

Mordre accepted the water without comment, pointedly ignoring the looks from the other Wise Ones. When they were finished with the last well, she was ready to collapse and sleep for a month. Shri seemed to have other plans, though, and began asking them about other things they'd found. Mordre took a deep breath and explained the map they'd found and the evidence of some kind of plan they'd found before moving on to the wall. "We believe they're working towards the center of the Sept. There are people missing that seemed to have been targets. Then we found the wells..." 

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc added his opinion, "Now there is a pattern, a small one, but nonetheless a pattern. Now we just have to correctly interpret the evidence and pattern to surmise where the next target is.,, assuming we have not through our actions changed the perpetrators actions. I think the next strike will be at the grain storage..."

[U4ea]

The Wise Ones nodded and Mordre could almost hear their minds working. She was too exhausted to run to the grain storage without some rest, though. She'd be the last person to say so in front of this little gathering, though. She crossed her arms to give them something to do and contented herself with listening to the exchange she knew was coming. 

 

"Our work here must be kept secret as much as possible to keep from altering their plans, then. It's easier to catch a fiend if you know where they're going, next. You two make your way over there and see if you find any evidence of tampering," Shri turned to Mordre, pinning her with a look. "Do not use your gift unless it is absolutely necessary. Exhaustion leads to burn out and that's a terrible way to die." 

 

With a final nod, the Wise Ones bustled off, leaving Mordre with Madoc again. Mordre watched them go, not even having enough time to acknowledge the instructions from the older woman. She looked up at Madoc and sighed. "Ready?"

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc nodded, and began to walk towards the grain stores, he could already tell the Mordre was exhausted and after Shri's warning he had no intention of doing anything to further exhaust Mordre. In fact, he intended to stop at a eatery that overlooked the granary, so they could examine things before the approached.