The Case of Mothy (The Wolflock Cases Book 2) Read online

  The Second Case: The Case of Mothy

  By Rhiannon Elton

  The Wolflock Cases, 2. The Case of Mothy by Rhiannon D. Elton

  First Edition published January 2017

  © 2017 Rhiannon D. Elton. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by Australian Commonwealth copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  [email protected]

  Cover compiled by Rhiannon D. Elton

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dedicated to Kristel for showing me that two oddballs can achieve great things at three in the morning. Our paths may weave closer and further from each other, but inspiration never dies.

  Chapter 1, Don't be Rude Wolflock!

  Wolflock sat irritably at the back of the Silver Ice Hair, writing letters to his father, Falcon, and detailing the last week on the ship. The banks of the river were mottled with autumn leaves and the sky remained pink for a longer time during the morning and evening as the Earth began to fall asleep. Wolflock was only outside at the moment so that he could observe the marmuti, as Grogen had promised that they would see soon, otherwise he would have been locked away in his room avoiding everyone. He watched the trees trickle a few leaves into the river running against their roots and sighed. This was the only quiet place he could find and even here his mind would not cease its chatter. Most of the time he found it quite useful and prided himself on his mental prowess, but right now he was feeling a little homesick and he didn't wish for any company, but simply to wallow in the beauty of the landscape around him. He couldn't wallow for long in the midday sun though, as Mothy soon appeared behind him with his normal friendly smile.

  "Merry meet, Lockie!" he said brightly.

  Wolflock had never had a pet name before (to his knowledge) and he wasn't sure if he liked being called 'Lockie or not. But he hadn't protested as he enjoyed Mothy's company, partly because they were the same age and also because Mothy was so unconditionally friendly to him and he felt the need to have someone to talk to on the ship. On top of all his other reasons for liking Mothy, underlying these was that Mothy admired Wolflock for his favourite quality of himself. His wit.

  "Merry meet, Mothy," Wolflock sighed and put away the notepad and crude pencil made of charcoal and cloth that the Captain had given him.

  For a while Mothy just looked out behind the ship and gazed happily at the passing beauty with his face full of wonder. Wolflock thought he looked quite like a bird who had just learnt to fly.

  "You know you have to stop being so grumpy that everyone else is allowed out on deck and not just you," Mothy smiled and shook his head.

  "Well I was the one who found the snuffle. I'm the one who deserved the reward,"Wolflock grumbled and crossed his arms.

  "You should be happy that you've made a lot of people happy and benefitted the whole ship. Isn't that reward enough?" Mothy asked like a mother to a child who doesn't understand the concept of sharing.

  "Well frankly no!" Wolflock said bluntly, "I was hoping to get peace and quiet-"

  "And get the run of the ship?" Mothy offered as if he'd seen right through him.

  Wolflock stayed silent, feeling quite reprimanded.

  "Well think of it this way! Now you can really observe and analyse the other passengers. You should teach me more and I'll tell you if you're right!"

  Wolflock found the idea intruiging and let a small smile creep unconsciously onto his face.

  "Alright. I can entertain the notion contently," he answered with a nod.

  "Come on then!" Mothy said excitedly.

  They walked around the dining room and came to the front of the ship where the other passengers had laid out several blankets and were talking and eating their lunch (hempseed bread and cliff berry marmalade). Mothy brushed his mousy hair back with his long fingers and leaned against a crate filled with rope. Wolflock joined him by resting back on the railing on the starboard side of the ship.

  There were twenty passengers aboard the Silver Ice Hair, including Wolflock and Mothy, and all of them were upstairs for lunch in little groups on old blankets. On the blanket furthest from them were the two night skin sisters who looked suspiciously at everyone. They were dressed in loose fitting leather clothes and were quite burly with long black hair tightly braided and bundled at their necks. They had Blickland beads and bones decorating their clothing and had no shoes. Yifi and Veluse accompanied them, most likely to keep Yifi's suitors away as the two bigger women were significantly intimidating. On the blanket next to them were Tanni and Tinni and the Eastern family who Wolflock had not been introduced to yet. The third and central blanket was Parihaan, a stupid woman who had offended most people on the ship with her crude and obnoxious antics, Stra the herbalist who was going to finish his final years of study at the Mystentine University, Dlumi the Corshwoman who was returning home, and the twins Faleen and Bleen, who were travelling and telling fortunes. The fourth blanket, closest to the entrance of the ship had the crew of Corshmen (Grogen, Goden, Groden, Hognut and Geagle) and the fifth blanket and closest to them had the first mate Slavidus, Froderyk and Fuhji, the couple from Corl who were fairly antisocial, Haatji, the quiet lady from the desert country, and Captain Blutro.

  "What can you see about Ungul and Uhnha?" Mothy asked and pointed to the two dark skinned sisters.

  Wolflock looked at them for a few moments and then started talking quite quickly.

  "They are sisters from the Blickland forest and the one on the left is the eldest sister, you can see by her size and the small wrinkles on her face. The younger one is being dragged back after running away, you can see by the way her sister keeps a hand on her upper arm occassionally, not in a friendly way but in a captor sense. She ran away because she was pregnant to someone her parents didn't approve of, you can see by the stretch marks on her hips and stomach. The man most likely lived in Shellinden and passed through the Blickland forest at some stage and was intimate with her before returning home. She went to Shellinden to find him, believing him to love her and then lost the child through the stress of realising that he was not interested in having a child with her. Her sister found her not long after. Her sad and lost expression shows that she wanted to try and show the man that he could love her but her sister is forcing her to return to the safety of her family where she can recover."

  The two women had heard what he was saying and the whole ship went silent, watching him in shock for revealing such intimate details. The younger sister's eyes began to well up with tears but she strongly held her seat.

  "Umm..." Mothy said with a little embarrassment, "It's his parlour trick! Take no notice," he spoke up a little loudly and everyone slowly returned to their lunches, although the whole speech had upset their digestion.

  "Did you just dismiss me?" Wolflock looked a little surprised and felt a little hurt that his friend would brush what he had said off like that.

  "Yes. But if you don't keep that kind of talk to yourself you may be picking a fight with someone who you cannot match," Mothy warned gently.

  "Brains always beats brawn," Wolflock retorted coolly.

  "Not when the brain is in a fifteen year old boy and the brawn in a pair of warrior forest women."

  Wolflock stayed silent, knowing that Mothy would argue with him if he tried to say he was still right.

  "You don't speak to many people do you?" Mothy asked with an embarrassed smile.

  "I'm not sure what you mean. You asked me to tell you what I saw and I told you," Wolflock shrugged as it was of no consequence to him what the Blickland Forest sisters thought of him.

  "Well... why don't you tell me something nice about Froderyk and Fuhji?"

  They were the couple that wouldn't reveal their history to Wolflock in the dining room. They were slightly tanned with soft brown hair, Fuhji's was the same short length as Froderyk, making them look a little like siblings, but their facial structures and eyes were completely different. They had fairly modest clothing, light and pale, from Corl and Froderyk was the only one to look at them when his name was mentioned as Fuhji was having a friendly conversation with Haatji.

  "They are married."

  "Is that all?" Mothy asked after a few seconds of anticipation.

  "If what you want is nice, then yes," He said shortly.

  "Well... what about the other things you see? I can tell you see a lot more."

  Wolflock sighed and began with his rapid speech again, "They eloped from Corl when Fuhji's family wouldn't let her marry Froderyk. You can tell by him not wanting for anyone to know anything about them and by the lighter skin on her engagement finger where a ring stood in the sun for weeks, maybe months when she was engaged to someone she didn't love. If they had been engaged with their family's blessings they wouldn't be eloping. Her hair is cut short so that she looks like his younger brother and they could escape easily from Corl. Froderyk is probably quite wealthy, so t
hat would not be an inpediment to their joining, so what else could it have been? Judging by his demeanor it was likely to be his temper and controlling nature that her family protested against. He also has a terrible cough so stay clear because you may fall ill," he finished sarcastically as Froderyk looked astounded and furious at his well planned secrets being thrown about by an irritating brat.

  "Wolflock!" Mothy gasped amazed and frightened for his friend.

  "What? You asked!" Wolflock protested to Mothy's gasp. "Alright. I get to pick someone now. I'm rather enjoying this game."

  Mothy looked incredibly uncomfortable as everyone was beginning to listen and Froderyk was seething, only calmed by the touch of his lovely wife on his arm.

  "Ah! Look! Dlumi there," he smiled a little wickedly.

  Dlumi was a large woman with broad shoulders and arms and legs like thick tree trunks. Her sandy blonde hair and blue eyes were uncommon in Corsh, but not unattractive. Her clothes were made of leather and she had her shirt off, wearing only pants and a tighter singlet in the warm midday sun.

  "She's from Corsh."

  "Yes! Very good observation, let's go get some food-"

  "She left Corsh after fighting with her family and friends, you see? Corsh folk never travel South alone without family because the strength of their brains isn't as accomplished as those beneath the mountains. This was a biological attribute which is compensated by their brute strength. She travelled all the way to Shellinden, which is why she is so tanned. But now she's heading back home with nothing because she went to conduct a business venture and because she wasn't as intelligent as those in the Capital she failed."

  Dlumi had risen to her feet like a bull ready to charge. Froderyk and Ungul had taken this as a sign to do the same.

  "Ah.... Lockie..." Mothy gulped and began backing away, "...run!"

  Chapter 2, Run!

  Wolflock hadn't had time to say 'what' before the three he had offended so badly began their chase. He was a little shocked that they would behave in such a manner, but he had come to expect it from lesser folk than he. Either way, he ran.

  His feet hit the boards hard as he ran around to the back of the ship where he had been hiding all morning. He looped around the dining room and thought he caught a glance of Mothy's head over the edge of the ship, but he couldn't stop to look because Froderyk had thrown an oar from the lifeboats passed his ear, taking out a few black hairs on the way. He whipped around the side of the dining room to see Dlumi had cut him off, catching him by surprise, but as she stooped down to catch him he leaped over her and sprung off her back and up into the rigging of the central mast. He climbed as quickly as he could into the crows nest. Dlumi wasn't far behind him and Froderyk and Ungal weren't far behind her. He made it up into the crows nest before they could grab his ankles and realised it was the worst thing he could have done. There was no where to go from here. He frantically looked around and ran around the crows nest desperately looking for a way out. But it was too late. Dlumi was climbing over the edge of the large wooden bucket, but he wasn't ready to be scorned for his wit. Then, as he looked towards the back of the ship he saw Mothy waving urgently at him. He was on the opposite side of the silver railing and waving and pointing to the Captain's room. Wolflock quickly understood the motions and looked for a quick way down.

  There wasn't any that he liked.

  "You're going to pay for your insolence, boy!" Dlumi growled and made a grab for him.

  Wolflock swallowed his fear and jumped onto the edge of the wooden ledge and propelled himself off and towards the lower back sail. Wolflock felt like he was flying for a few split seconds, the wind rippling through his hair and absolute nothingness surrounding him. He had judged the jump well and was cradled by the thick canvas, but he couldn't hold onto the round pole holding the sail open. He landed hard on his side on the roof of the dining room next to the helm feeling winded. His spine hurt and he felt a dull ache in his left thigh, but he scrambled to his feet and jumped off the edge of the roof and onto some barrels that tipped over under him, punishing him for disturbing them. Dlumi, Froderyk and Ungul were down from the rigging and around the dining room, looking frustrated and furious that he was so slippery. He took a leap of faith and swung himself over the edge of the rear end of the ship and was grabbed by Mothy and pulled through the window of the Captain's room. The force with which Wolflock was dragged into the room knocked them both over and they fell in a heap on the floor.

  "He's in the Captain's quarters! Get him!" They heard Froderyk shout.

  Mothy scrambled off Wolflock and dived under the table in the middle of the room.

  "I think they'll find us under there," Wolflock said darkly.

  "Doubt it!" Mothy chuckled and opened the hatch.

  "I knew you knew about this place!" Wolflock smiled as Mothy urged him into the small passage.

  "Tell me later!" he grinned as he followed after him and closed the iron grate just as Wolflock's pursuers burst through the door to ransack the room looking for him.

  “He's got to be in here somewhere!“ Froderyk snarled and began searching the Captain's wardrobe.

  They quietly listened as the three above them looked through the room to no avail, but Ungul came closer and closer to the table. She reached down menacingly, grasping the edge of the silver and white table cloth and was just about the lift it when-

  “What are you all doing in here!?“ the Captain came in and shouted with a voice so full of authority that Wolflock had trouble believing that it was the same bald man he'd seen sobbing a week before, “Do you think for a moment that he would stay in here? He's probably back in his room! And if you don't put down my undies you'll be dragged behind the ship until we reach the ice, Froderyk!“

  Mothy and Wolflock both had to stuff their fists in their mouths to keep from laughing. The three persuers left sourly and after this all they could hear was the Captain grumbling as he tidied his room.

  "We'll have to wait here for a while and then we can sneak down to the hull. There's an empty crate that we can hide in," Mothy smiled and rested his hand on Wolflock's shoulder.

  Wolflock sighed and leaned back on the wall.

  "I don't know why they're so upset. I told the truth. They should be more upset if I told lies about them."

  Mothy just smiled and shook his head.

  "You said unkind things about them. It doesn't matter that they aren't untrue, but they are unkind."

  Wolflock pursed his lips and looked away. A feeling was creeping into his stomach that made him feel odd and uncomfortable. He'd never really felt guilt before and he could often justify his actions well enough to not feel bad about them, but Mothy's gently reprimanding stung him quite a bit. The boys waited for at least an hour before they felt that the ship had settled down and they had stopped hearing their names being called.

  Mothy crept out of the tunnel first, moving like a ferret, quick and slick, through the passage and slowly opening the iron grate under the stairs before cautiously slipping out. Wolflock followed a little less swiftly and they tentatively crossed the hall and slipped down another flight of stairs into the hull. Mothy leapt like a cat onto a pile of large crates and pulled open a small hatch in the largest bottom one.

  "Why is this one empty?" Wolflock asked as he followed Mothy into the large box.

  "Because I got hungry?" Mothy offered and lit a tiny candle between them.

  "How long do you think we'll need to stay down here for?"

  "Until you are going to apologise," Mothy shrugged.

  "What!? I didn't do anything wrong!" Wolflock barked, but was silenced by the first real frown Mothy had ever presented to Wolflock.

  It was dark and frightening. His sweet happy face looked old and lined as he frowned in the candle light, as if he had been through a war.

  "You really need to work on your social skills, Wolflock," he sighed and his chirpy smile returned.

  "Let's practice. Tell me about me!"

  Chapter 3, Mothy's Life

  Wolflock blinked.