Following the Trail

"Alright. I understand the plan. So where can we find him?" asked Luuk.

Graham, who had taken over from Valentine, readied his lighter and lit a fire, which burned gently.

Luuk was watching the flame with anticipation. At this point, he had already memorized the proceedings for the man's divination: he had to concentrate on a fire-- any kind would do-- and then asked a question in his heart. Other people couldn't hear the question so without context, the divination might not make sense.

An image gradually formed from the core of the flame and got bigger and bigger. Luuk felt like he was looking at a cinema screen. It was an image of Sloten from a bird's eyes. There was a red dot that should indicate the divinator's location because Luuk recognized the building. There was another one located far away and it kept on moving. The target was currently on the move, seemingly heading towards the slum area in Oosteinde. After that, the image looked like it was consumed by the flame before finally disappearing.

"That place is very close. Let's go," urged Look.

"Val, why is he suddenly so eager. Does he just want to see his bullets in action?" muttered Graham, and then said to Luuk, "You go get ready first. I need to do some more divination,"

Graham pointed at Luuk's crusty eyes. The flame from his lighter was still burning tenderly.

Luuk rubbed his eyes with both hands and got some of the gunk off. After that, he went to his bathroom to wash his face. He was too lazy to shower and it was cold anyway, so he thought he wouldn't sweat a lot. He splashed some water onto his face and the cold liquid get rid of the last bit of sleepiness he had. It felt very refreshing, yet he wouldn't want to keep doing it because the water got colder and colder with every passing second.

Once he felt refreshed, Luuk went back to his bedroom and got dressed. He put on a pair of old denim pants and a plain black jacket over a black t-shirt. He also put on gloves and a beanie, and the last thing he needed would be a facemask.

Luuk returned to the living room where the detective was still sitting on a sofa.

His aura has changed again? He changes a lot today...

Graham had finished his divination and switched with Valentine.

"We need to adjust the plan a little. Our target is with someone. Assume that he is as powerful, if not more, than the target," he said.

"So what do we do then?" asked Luuk calmly but curiously.

"We still prioritize our target and kill the other one only if it's not dangerous," he replied, "Now, before we leave, can you try to steal this belt that I'm wearing?"

Luuk observed the pale leather belt that Valentien was wearing. He recognized it as the belt that they had taken from a corpse in the ruin. He understood what the man was trying to do.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Theft, declare your belt mine!"

He made a swift swiping motion with his right hand and suddenly there was a thin belt made of leather that appeared from thin air. The belt felt soft to touch and kind of stretchy; it felt like touching real human skin. Luuk also noticed that the belt strap now had more patterns than before, and he recognized it as a resemblance to the sigil of the Deity of Theft.

"It's been copied," Luuk said.

He handed the belt back to its owner and Valentine put it on right away. After that, he started chanting.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Secrets, hereby declare the presence of Purloin a secret!"

Once he finished chanting, a thin yellowish mist descended from above and enveloped the belt. Luuk somehow now felt that the man in front of him wasn't wearing any, but if he concentrated hard enough, he could still see the leather object still wrapped around Valentine's waist.

"Now, let's go," said Valentine.

He went out ahead while Luuk was checking if everything was alright at home. He needed to make sure all the electrical appliances were turned off and there was no fire burning. Once he was sure, he went out and locked his apartment and stuffed the key inside his left front pocket.

Both of them walked lightly on the creaky wooden floor and made their way downstairs without creating a lot of noise.

"Are we walking or taking the carriage?" asked Luuk.

"It's close by. Let's just walk. I'm sure our target won't leave the area soon," replied Valentine, "Maybe we should invest in a motor carriage of our own. Can't you ask your parents for support?"

Luuk stared at Valentine as if the man had just offended his ancestors.

"Of course not! They wouldn't even give me money even if I was starving to death,"

"Sounds like loving parents..." said Valentine shortly. He opened the main door of the building gently.

"Loving indeed, just not to me," replied Look casually. There was no hint of regret in his tone.

"G, this parent-child relationship sure is peculiar,"

The two men were now outside and the street was quieter than earlier. Valentine and Luuk turned left from the entrance and walked eastward at a fast pace. The gentle autumn breeze hit their faces and blew away fallen leaves. Valentine's hands were inside the pockets of his coat, safe from the cold.

They walked past several people and most of them, mostly women, were staring. The two men were good-looking after all, in their own ways. Valentine wasn't bothered by the attention, but he didn't pay it any mind either. Luuk, on the other hand, was just oblivious.

They arrived at the bridge hanging over the slum area less than ten minutes later. From above, they could see the busy slum bustling with activities even though it was Saturday, the day when most people preferred to stay at home. People in this area were different; if they wanted to put food on the table, they couldn't afford to rest.

Trying to find the target in that condition was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, before switching, Graham had used divination to determine whom the target made contact with in the surrounding area.

"We need to find a woman named Old Benthe," said Valentine while looking in a direction.

He wasn't actually looking at anything in particular. He was just concentrating on listening to the sounds of the crowds. Most people there were working, so if there was someone whose footsteps sounded relaxed, he could also use that as a clue. However, there was nothing like that.

The two men got down from the bridge to the slum below. They were greeted by curious gazes from the people around them.

"Excuse me, can you help us?" asked Graham as he approached a man who was busy skinning a squirrel.

The man didn't stop what he was doing. He just took a glance at the two men approaching him and kept on working his knife around the dead rodent.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Can you direct us to where Old Benthe lives?" asked Valentine politely. His tone was not urging, but it was assertive.

"There," said the man shortly. He was pointing at the seven o'clock direction from him without even looking.

"Thank you," replied Valentine.

He walked towards the direction that the man pointed and muttered, "That man sure is busy, G,"

Luuk followed him closely behind. In a crowded place like that, his urge to steal was at its highest. However, he knew that the people were poor, so he held back.

They walked on damp soil with mud patches around. The river was so close and people there must have taken the water and spilled some on the ground in the process. There were already several shoeprints and footprints on the ground.

After walking for a while, they arrived in front of a house made of metal sheets put together covered with rags. It couldn't really be called a house, but it looked sturdy enough to protect the residents from the elements, at least. Through the small opening that worked as a window, they couldn't see anyone inside the 'house', but they tried anyway. Valentine knocked on the part that looked to be the door.

Knock! Knock!

"Yes?" said a voice that belonged to an old woman from inside the house.

Shortly after, the 'door' was opened and there was a woman in her sixties standing in the doorway. She was wearing a plain dress to cover her plump body. Her wrinkled skin had age spots, especially on her face. However, despite her age, the lights in her eyes hadn't faded. They were as strong as someone who was still in their twenties.

"Did you see where she came from?" whispered Valentine to Luuk.

"No. I'm sure there was no one at home," he replied quietly.

"I can hear you two, y'know. Why are you looking for me?" said Old Benthe. Her voice wasn't annoyed.

The old woman was observing the two young men in front of her, waiting for their reply.

"Did someone come here earlier to ask you questions?" asked Valentine.

"Five Stuivers," she replied shortly.

Both Valentine and Luuk raised their eyebrows. They didn't expect to have to pay for the information.

"Here you are..." said Valentine while handing over five coins to the old woman.

"I like you, young man. You're not like the two before. They were stingy," she put the coins inside her dress somewhere.

I don't want to think where she just put the money... Luuk was watching the old woman with both curiosity and appallment.

"What do you want to know about the two who came here before?" she said. Her tone was much friendlier now.

"What did they ask you about? Where did they go?" Valentine's eyes were observing the woman; there was something about her that was amiss, but he couldn't feel any malice coming from her.

"They were asking about where the old mass burial is. Of course, I didn't tell them. I knew that they were going to something bad with the burial. They should be searching around the empty field right now; the one by the river," she replied casually.

"What mass burial?" asked Luuk curiously.

"The 1920 massacre. I guess you are too young to know that," answered Valentine.

"And how did you know exactly? You are not that much older than me," responded Luuk.

Valentine shrugged.

"Where is the mass burial?" he then asked Old Benthe.

"Seven Stuivers," she replied shortly.

Valentine gave her more coins and she put them all somewhere under her dress again.

"It is now gone. The location has been turned into those factories that are now empty. It's really not good for business to be built upon graves, don't you agree?" she said with a hint of regret in her tone.

Valentine then whispered to Luuk, "Can you ask her something? Just distract her,"

"But I will have to pay then..." he whispered back.

Valentine gave him some Stuiver coins and felt something inside him screaming. Graham would be really mad at him for spending money so carelessly.

"Can you describe the two men to us?" asked Luuk.

"Eight Stuivers," she replied with a meaningful smile.

Why is it getting more and more expensive? Luuk wanted to complain and ask her that, but he knew it would just make the next question more expensive. He just handed her the money and again she stuffed it away.

"They were wearing masks. I knew right away they were up to no good. One is as tall as your friend here. I couldn't see their faces, y'know, and they were wearing robes,"

Her answer was really unsatisfactory, but Luuk couldn't do anything about it. While she was speaking, Valentien was muttering something under his breath and was now seemingly reading something above Old Benthe's head with a confused expression.

'Benthima Goossen aka Old Benthe. She ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------'

"Young man, it's impolite to be reading about people's personal information like that, y'know?" she said. Her tone wasn't angry, but rather, mischievous.

"Just what are you...?" asked Valentine.

Luuk watched the two without understanding what happened. He made some guesses. Mr. Hymes can read people's secrets, so he must have read something unbelievable about her. And she noticed what he was doing. Does it mean she is someone powerful? Even I didn't feel anything when he was reading my secrets.

"Ten Stuivers," she smiled meaningfully.

Valentine didn't want to give her any more money, but he was also very curious. He did as she requested and handed her the money.

"Thank you, young man. You're too kind. This old woman has problems supporting herself like this, y'see? And to answer your question, I'm only an ordinary old woman," she laughed.

Valentine felt cheated. He couldn't do anything, however.

"..."

He then walked away and Luuk followed him.

"What did you see?" asked Luuk curiously once they were away.

"Nothing. That's exactly the problem. She is powerful enough for me not to be able to see anything," replied Valentine seriously.

Luuk instinctively looked behind at the old woman and she had already disappeared.

"Let's not worry about her for now. We can't lose our targets,"

They left the slum area quickly and headed towards the empty field that was about one kilometer away from there.