Casket of Souls

night,” the wizard replied.
    “And only Atre was there, not Brader,” mused Seregil. “So whatever this is, it involves at least the two of them.”
    “Atre said he and Brader were traveling together before they met the others up in the northlands,” said Alec. “Didn’t he say the two of them are related, Seregil?”
    “Cousins, I think. So this might only be the two of them.”
    Alec picked up from the table a ring marked OLIA. “Why is he marking only the expensive pieces?”
    “I think because of this,” said Micum. He held out an empty bottle, showing them the small parchment label affixed to its side with a few drops of wax, with a name inscribed on it.
    “Laneus!” Alec exclaimed, taking it from him. “But he didn’t show any sign of the sleeping death.”
    “Unless his family hushed it up,” said Seregil. Pulling out another labeled phial, he sighed. “Or not. This one’s labeled ALAYA.” Seregil held it up for them to see. “And here’s one for Kyrin. Since they all died suddenly, perhaps the sleeping part isn’t always necessary.”
    “And judging by these, then it may not need to be a trade,” mused Thero. “Just something freely given. That opens up some disturbing possibilities.”
    “Look here,” said Micum, holding out another empty bottle, labeled KYLITH.
    Seregil gave it a sorrowful look. “Kylith was going to end her patronage and he killed her. And Laneus insulted him, sending him to eat in the kitchen.”
    Alec pulled out another of the empty ones and let out a groan. “Myrhichia. But why her?”
    “And why Illia?” Micum asked bleakly, going back to his search. “Why would he want to hurt an innocent girl?”
    “Probably the same reason he killed all those innocents in the Lower City,” Seregil replied. “What in Bilairy’s name is he doing with these?”
    “Whatever it is, Seregil, Elani gave him gifts, too—that ring he always wears, and a brooch!” Alec reminded him.
    Seregil nodded grimly, thinking,
If anything happens to her, that’s on my head, as well
.
    “Hmm, the marks on these are different,” Thero said, peering at the seals on two bottles. “See this ring of symbols around the edge of the seal on this one with the marble in it, with a space in the center? This other one, with a lock of hair in it, is cloudy inside, and the center has been filled in with another symbol.”
    “Two different magics?”
    “Certainly there’s some difference, though the outer ring is the same on both.”
    “What do you think will happen if you open them?” Alec asked.
    “I must examine them more closely, and under better conditions than these.”
    “And you’re sure it’s what you felt on Atre and Brader?”
    “Yes.” Thero frowned. “One or both of them are the maker of these.”
    “You’re sure it’s not necromancy or alchemy?” asked Alec. “Because it certainly looks like one or the other to me.”
    “It doesn’t have that particular stench to it. The closest I can come to it is the shamanic magic of the hill people.”
    “Your friend Miya suggested it was Zengati,” said Seregil.
    “Not any that I’ve ever encountered. But it could mean that Atre or someone with that magic was in Zengat at some point.”
    “That was four centuries ago!”
    Thero shrugged.
    “Can’t you make anything of those symbols?” asked Micum, impatient.
    “No. This is something entirely new to me.” He paused, holding a bottle in each hand as if he were weighing them against each other. “The clouded one is definitely different than the other. Whatever has been done to them, this one has a stronger aura.”
    They examined every bottle, but there was still no sign of Illia’s ring.
    “Bilairy’s Balls!” Micum cried. “All this for nothing?”
    “This isn’t the only place he might store something.” Seregil ran a hand back though his hair. “Elani’s ring and brooch are too great a prize to leave lying around. Maybe he thinks Illia’s ring is, too. Another person he’s gone after, who’s associated with Alec and me. Damnation!”
    Seregil looked back at the rack, that niggling feeling back again. “Symmetry.” The others looked blankly at him. “These bottles. There are
exactly
seventy in this rack, and
exactly
fifty-eight in the other one, but seventy spaces. Which means there might be exactly twelve somewhere else, if our clever soul stealer likes nice round numbers. And if they’re not here, then where is the next most likely