Drag Shergi Mystery 11 - Excerpt

It was a beautiful day, even though it was in the desert. The heat of the afternoon had passed. Though the sun’s rays had left the land scorching, the shade of the buildings helped alleviate the stress on the people around them. The horizon couldn’t be seen clearly as the waves of heat made the scenery seem to dance. To the west beyond the sands was the sea. The coastline curled along northwest until it disappeared into the distance; to the southwest was more coastline then pure desert, as the land there was a peninsula. To the east was where I’d come from; my hometown was in the meadow-covered landscape further in the continent.

The police were crawling all over the train. I paid only a little attention, though, because they weren’t my police. The country I was in now was called Sharne. They currently had the only transportation system of this kind, a train. The locomotive had been in service well over five hundred years. Although ancient, it was well kept. The line went from town to town along the coast of the continent; it only covered this country though, no others were allowed to have the technology.

I sat on one of the benches that were under the overhang between the train and the train station. My hands folded behind my head while my back rested against the backrest; my legs were stretched out with my ankles crossed. The clothes I had weren’t much different than what I usually wore. I had a bag set between the armrest and my side. At the moment there wasn’t much to do; I’d already gotten my ticket, and was a little too soon to board the train. My eyes shifted from the officials bustling about to scan over the crowd.

There was a mix of people. It seemed anyone from aristocrat to peasant crowded the platform. They couldn’t be blamed; the quickest and safest way to travel was the train. A single train ran over the place between the towns. There was a circular track that ran through the center of each town so that the transport could turn around and head back the way it came. It went one way in the morning and the opposite direction during the night.

The whistle blew. I pulled off the bench; my arms went up while I yawned. With a small smile, I lifted my bag from the bench. My eyes searched over the platform before I started on my walk. The police were done searching the train, so the rest of the passengers could board. I pulled my ticket out of my pocket.

Before the passengers could board, they had to give their ticket to the conductor. The uniform was rather simple. A metal dome with a lantern on the front was on their head. A short cream colored tunic with long bell sleeves was on top. Bindings were around their upper arms as well as around the waist. Baggy brown pants held over the lower body. Dusty brown leather boots covered the feet.

I gave my ticket to the conductor. After it was inspected it was returned to me. With a faint smile and nod, I passed by the conductor. My ticket went into my pocket then my hand clasped the railing along the side of the train car. I braced myself as I stepped up. My eyes glanced around the car while I walked in search of a seat.

The set up of the train was so the cargo was in the furthest car. Just before that was the dining car. The rest of the cars were all divided into compartments: each compartment had benches in them, and a bunk folded out of the wall above the bench for a second level when it was time to sleep.

In my work, I had gone on the train a few times. That was back when I worked for the police force in the country of Everly. Sometimes, we had to chase or investigate in the bordering countries. Since I’d become a private detective away from the police force, I’d not been able to afford to travel very far from my home. The reward from the previous case had left me with a bit extra to indulge myself with. I didn’t ask for it, but it would have been impolite to refuse. I’d put it away to use for a special occasion.

Over the last five years I hadn’t found a use for it, but now I had. I was going there for a purely selfish reason. I never really knew my parents, since I was an orphan very early on in my life. I’d heard a rumor around the circle of people I knew that someone who could be related to me was in the city of Asfar. That city was the second stop on the train, no matter whether you were coming along the east or west railway. My travel took me from the west railway that started in the city of West Millicente. It was a coastal city that rested on the north-westernmost point of the Sharne Peninsula. The rest of the country went north along the coastline of the continent and south over the peninsula on the mid south-western part of the continent. My travel would take me in about a third of the way down the peninsula.

This portion of the travel could be the most dangerous, since there was only one line for the train to run. Sure there was the train that ran north parallel to the train that ran south, but they were both only yards from each other when they passed by. Other than the main cities there were several small towns and villages that would be passed by. We wouldn’t stop there unless it was absolutely necessary however. The trains were nearly entirely self-contained.

I walked through the center aisle of the train while in search of a seat for myself. At the moment, there were many people in a hurry to find their own place to sit. The more expensive tickets had a number on them for a select section of the compartments. I had gotten one of the cheaper of those tickets, just because I wanted to be assured a seat. The other amenities like a separate sleeper car, pre-paid dining, and all of that I didn’t need.

I glanced down at my ticket then looked up at the signs on the doors. From the count, I knew I was getting close. When I came to the fourth car, I found my cabin: letter C. A slightly relieved sigh left my lips while I pulled open the door. At the moment no one else was inside, so I slid in then closed the door behind me. There was a storage partition under the seats which I slid my bag into. I sat so when the train left I’d be moving backwards. There was no more to do so I sat and waited.

It wouldn’t be long, since the train was due to leave within the hour. Sure enough the door opened with a woman about thirty-two years old behind it. She blinked at me then gave a small smile. From behind her, a child a score of years younger looked in. The two were dressed similarly, so I guessed they were mother and daughter.

As I smiled and waved, I hoped I didn’t appear to be a creepy older man. My age was forty-two now. With the paleness of my silver hair it made me look a little older. At least the toll of the years hadn’t given me too many wrinkles around my light blue eyes. The pale skin I had needed more sunscreen as I aged, so I made sure to have some handy. Already I’d spread it over the tips of my ears, nose, and across my cheeks. The rest of my six feet three inch frame was covered by my usual dress. My fashion hadn’t changed at all over the years: a black trench coat over a white T-shirt and blue jeans with black boots.

The woman seemed to accept me as a seat partner. She didn’t call for the conductor; rather, she stepped over to the seat across from me. With a soft nod she gestured for the younger girl to sit beside her. The child looked at me shyly then hurried over to sit. Their luggage the two hurried to place under their seats.
One of the conductors slid in by the door. In one hand was a checklist. With a smile, she spoke up, “May I see your tickets please?”

The woman nodded and opened a purse hung around her waist. It was a curious thing all made of pink fabric in a gold thread shell. For a moment I hadn’t noticed it, as it blended in with the pink corset and fabric of the same color that fell halfway over the white puffed skirt she wore. She also had long white gloves that went from about chest level to her thumbs. The girl had the same purse, but she had a more modest set of clothing. There was a white and gold short jacket over a pink and gold dress. I could see her shoes which were white leather. Both of them were pale skinned, blue eyed blondes. The mother wore her long hair down in pigtails; the daughter wore her medium-length hair up in pigtails.

While they took their tickets out I did as well. Since I only had one, I handed mine over first as I asked, “Will we be leaving soon?”

“Yes,” replied the conductor. She looked at my ticket, “Mister Drag Shergi, we will.” She took the tickets from the mother first then the daughter. “And Misses Laebeth and Miss Iaera Hrusosky, we’re glad to have you on board.”

“Thank you,” I said with a small nod.

Laebeth nodded as well. She was about five feet six inches tall from what I could tell. She smiled and placed her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Thank you. We’re on our way to visit family.”

“Oh? That’s lovely,” mentioned the conductor.

Iaera bobbed her head then the five foot tall girl spoke, “Yes, it’s been years, so I’m excited.”

“Well, I hope we all have a safe trip,” replied the conductor. With that mention she handed our tickets back. Then she stepped out of our compartment and closed the door.

“Thank you,” our group replied then looked around at each other.

It was awkward for a time, but I managed to speak up to break that silence, “So, you’re going to visit family? That’s funny, because so am I.”

“Really?” The mother Laebeth spoke up, “Who are you visiting?”

“A cousin,” I replied with a smile, “At least I hope they are. I’m an orphan you see. I’m trying to find my family, but it’s not all that easy.”

“Oh, well I hope you find your family,” replied the daughter Iaera. “We’re going to see my father’s side of the family.”

“Ah, I hope you have a fun time,” I replied as I continued to smile at them. I bobbed my head then relaxed in my seat. I folded my hands across my waist with my fingers intertwined. “I’m going to Asfar, where are you going to?”

“We’re going to the next major city, Robina,” replied Laebeth.

“Oh, it should be lovely there this time of year,” I said with a soft sigh. As I relaxed I watched the two. “You could probably go swimming right off the side in the bay between the two points where the peninsula splits.”

“Yes, we did that many times when I was much younger,” replied Iaera.

“The trouble with the bandits made it so I didn’t feel safe traveling,” said Laebeth. “I think that if I’m going to take Iaera then I should do it now. Hopefully we won’t have much trouble.”

“I hope not as well. It has been a long while since I’ve been on the train. I haven’t really had a chance to leave my home and travel this far away.”

“Do you live in Sharne?”

“Oh no, I live in Everly. The town I’m in is a couple hours west of Cheney Town.”

“Oh, I know where that is. We live in Sharne, but its back in West Millicente. I moved to live there with Iaera’s father, but he passed.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but you’re not far from home then?”

“No, not that far,” replied Laebeth with a small smile.

“Not far at all,” added Iaera.

I smiled as the younger female chirped in. With a small nod, I adjusted my legs to keep the lengths from brushing against their skirts. “That’s nice.”

The conversation stopped then. With a small crackle the speaker above brought our attention to it; there would be an announcement soon. Sure enough, a female’s voice spoke up loudly, “Welcome to the 3:15 to Asfar Station. My name is Turylia and I will be your conductor this afternoon. We will be pulling out shortly so I’d like everyone to take their seats. I’d like for you all to have a wonderful journey with us on the Sharne Train, so please keep your head and limbs inside the cars. In case of trouble, please refer to one of the officers stationed in each car. Now we’re pulling out, so please enjoy either observing, sleeping, or eating in the appropriate sections of the train.”  

The speaker crackled off then and the two females in our car sighed. The mother looked at her daughter then lifted her eyes to me. With a smile she spoke up, “So, your name is Drag Shergi?”

“Yes, and you are Laebeth and Iaera, correct?”

“Yes,” replied Laebeth. “My daughter has her father’s name as do I, Hrusosky.”

“I see.”

“I wonder if there will be another in our compartment?” interrupted Iaera.

“I don’t know,” I said while the mother hushed her child. With a smile I glanced to the window of our compartment’s door. “If we do they should be here in the next fifteen minutes or so.”

“Oh.”

Laebeth nodded then chuckled. She smiled while she watched me. Her hand rested on her daughter’s shoulder as her arm was curled behind her. “It’s been a while since she’s been on the train.”

“The last time I was six years old. I’ve just turned twelve now.”

“Oh, happy belated birthday,” I said to Iaera. My smile widened as I bobbed my head. “So I wonder; what will we do on this trip?”

“It is rather long,” said Laebeth. “It’s about five hours if we don’t run into any trouble.”

“That long? Should we go to dinner together?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” said Iaera.

Laebeth smiled. She bobbed her head and brushed her hand down her daughter’s arm to hold near her elbow. “That sounds just fine. We purchased our meals ahead of time though. There’s a specific time for us to be there.”

“Ah, well, if I go in a little late, perhaps I can still meet you in the dining car,” I mentioned. “I don’t think they’ll chase you out.”

“If we can do so then yes, we’ll meet you there,” replied Laebeth.

“But in the meanwhile,” murmured Iaera, “What shall we do?”

I shrugged faintly. I straightened my form then leaned over. From under my seat I pulled out my bag. “I have a few things in here,” I said while I opened it. Inside were, of course, my clothes, but in the front pocket of the bag were my pieces for entertainment. Since I was just one person, I hadn’t thought about bringing things that could be used by two people. There was one thing that could be though, it was an old wooden chess set. The thing was so beat up, it wouldn’t even be stolen unless someone was extremely desperate. It was from my days in the orphanage. I was left it by my parents, or perhaps just whoever had left me there. I didn’t know. All I could remember was that it had always been with me. I left my books in the bag while I lifted the hinged box out. “Do you play?”

Iaera tilted her head to the side. She blinked then smiled at me as she replied, “Yes.”

It warmed my heart to know that there were others who played. With the person being so young it was all the better. I set down my bag. I curled my arm out so I could pull down the table from between the two seats. Once it was down I set the box on the top. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m no expert, but I like to play.”

Iaera nodded with the smile still on her lips. She sat up in her seat. She was tall enough so that she could lean over the table. Her hands moved to help me put the pieces in the right places.

Now the chess sets could be made in many different styles from many different materials. Mine was made of wood since that substance was in fair abundance in my country. The board was stained then polished so it was in dark and light squares. Likewise, the carved pieces were stained so that they would be in both dark and light forms. It was rough, but they were shaped enough like the king, queen, bishop, castle, knight, and pawns to be recognized as such.

“Shall I go first or would you like to?” asked Iaera.

“You may,” I replied with a smile.

Iaera nodded then pushed forwards two spaces one of the pawns from the side. “Thank you,” she said.

I curled my fingers over the knight on the opposite side of the board. I lifted it then placed it on the board one square forwards and two squares to the side. I had no idea how she’d play, but it was nice to engage someone who wasn’t a spirit. That’s how I ended up off the police force back home. My attention towards the other realm, and considering it in the cases we worked through, got me on the bad side of those who couldn’t see. I’d been kicked off, but I wasn’t upset about it. In a way it was better that I was left to be on my own. I’d signed up with the private detective force then and continued my work.

The youth pushed out another pawn. I could see that she was probably going to try and free her bishop and castle. It would be good, but if the rest of her pieces were trapped behind the wall of pawns then I could take her queen and win. It could be a trap that Iaera was setting up though.

I put my hand up to my chin. I rubbed on it for a while as I pondered. This game could be very time consuming due to the strategy. I really should pay attention rather than pondering about other things. From the center, I pushed out one of my pawns a single space.

While we played, Laebeth watched. I could tell at times that she wanted to comment, but she held her tongue. Eventually she picked up one of her bags. She lifted it up then opened it. From within she took out a half finished piece of knitting. With that to partially distract her, she continued to watch.

Over the board the two of us continued to play. In the end it was close, but I won since I caught her king in the very sanctuary Iaera had made for her protection. With a soft chuckle, I sat back, “Checkmate, but nice game.”

Iaera had a brief scowl, but it soon returned to a smile. Her head bobbed slightly while she returned my captured pieces to me. “Yes, oh would you like to play again?”

“There is plenty of time until dinner,” mentioned Laebeth.

“Then by all means, I’d like to play again,” I replied. The smile remained on my lips as I traded my captured pieces for hers.

“Why don’t you start this time?” asked Iaera.

“Thank you, I will,” I said with a nod. My fingers curled over the table as my eyes lowered to the chess board. After a moment of thought, I sent out my knight again in the same move as last time.

Iaera watched me. She pushed a pawn out that was on the same side as my knight. This time as we went through the game she balanced her pieces’ movements. It ended up with her as the winner.

“Congratulations,” I replied to her call of checkmate.

She smiled broadly. Both of her arms curled over her chest while she nodded and replied, “Thank you.”

“Shall we play again?”

“No,” said Laebeth in reply to me. She lowered her knitting. She began to pack it away. “At least not right now I mean.” The mother smiled at her daughter then looked at me. “It’s time for dinner.”

“Ah, three hours have gone so quickly,” I said with a soft sigh.

“We’ll play when we come back though, won’t we?”

“Of course,” I replied to Iaera. I smiled as I packed up the chess pieces. Once they were all in place I closed the chess board so it would be a box again. I took it off the table then pushed the latter closed and put the former in my bag under the seat. “I look forwards to it.”

With her bright smile in place again, Iaera nodded. She stood with her mother. A small curtsy was given then she stepped with her to the door. “I look forwards to it too,” she said before she slid out.

“Bye, Drag,” said Laebeth as she peeked through the window in the door.

I waved slightly as I bobbed my head. “I’ll see you later, Iaera, Laebeth,” I said then sat in my seat. It would be a half hour before the dining car would be open again for the passengers to wander in and out of without a special ticket. What I would do in the meanwhile, I didn’t know. It was later than I usually ate though, so I didn’t want to miss the first chance to find a seat there.

My eyes rolled over to look out of the window. The time of the year was such that the sun would be in the sky almost until we’d made it to the next station. By then, it would dance over the sandy grasses on the way down into the deep ocean over the area far to the west. The train would arrive just in time to let those who needed to depart leave before it was time to sleep. I would be one of those same people who left to find lodgings in the city.

With a sigh, I leaned one arm against the wall of the train. My eyes continued to stare out. The sun was on the other side of the train so I didn’t have to squint. I could see the landscape clearly. The faint meadow that ran down the direct middle of the peninsula was where the city of Asfar was, but to get to it we had to cross over the wasteland between the meadow in the middle and the sands all along the sides of the peninsula. It was a more narrow strip of wasteland, but the dry cracked ground was enough that most people didn’t settle there. It would be a good place to attack.

There were many rumors about those who did attempt to derail the trains that ran. Some were dislocated citizens of this country; some were dislocated citizens of neighboring countries. The most famous of the latter were people from the country on the other side of mine which shared a border with Sharne in the very furthest north point of the continent. It was called Tsubasa, though the many warring governments had been attempting to change the name. I believe the name that was most popular at the moment was Givon. Those who still clung to the old way would stubbornly refer to themselves as Tsubasans, however.  

I hoped that none of the groups would attack. Sure there would be much carried by the train and the passengers that could be useful, but stealing is not the way to go about getting what you need. If there was an attack, the soldiers mentioned in the announcement would no doubt try to stop them. I was allowed to bring my gun with me, but I didn’t look forwards to using it. I usually kept it at home locked in one of my drawers. The wilder nature here made it a bit of a comfort, though.

Unconsciously, I placed my hand on the grip. It was under my trench coat in a shoulder holster. I knew that the guards had weapons, but I didn’t know how many of the passengers did. It wasn’t of concern at the moment though. With a quick breath in then let out, I cast my eyes out of the window in search of someone I’d have to use the gun on. At the moment, I couldn’t see anyone threatening. Just because I couldn’t see them didn’t mean they wouldn’t be there, though. I pushed the thought back then turned away from the exterior window to look at the interior one in the door.