15th night of the Month of Ice, 21:27, after Moonfall 

She decides to stay late working and organizing what they have. Darule had left an hour ago and Jeza just wanted to finish the report to Captain Ulrik about the interrogation and then sleep for a decade.

The list was still too long and now even longer since Darule had added the prince’s name at the end of it. Jeza stared at it and wondered about the possibility. 

He couldn’t have, right? 

No, of course not. Artemy may have hated his uncle, but hatred doesn’t translate directly as murder. 

A sigh. Maybe they should look into a possible nomad suspect, it wouldn’t be strange, since Mikhe Drest loved to publicly express his hatred towards them, maybe one had gotten tired of it and waited until Mikhe was drunk and alone to strike. 

“You look tired Jez” says a voice, interrupting her thoughts. She snaps her head up and sees Anax Aud in the middle of the empty Nocturnal office, staring at her with crossed arms and titled head.

The Aud heir looks taller than the last time Jeza saw him, and it’s not a surprise, most Aud family members grow to the size of an ula before they even reach adulthood. His yellow hair has been cut short and a scar now adorns his neck.

“Did you fight an ula while you were surviving in the wild?” Asks Jeza with a bright smile as she gets up to properly greet her old friend.

“Nah” he says as he opens his arms for a hug “My adulthood trial went without a hitch. Midha threw a rock at me the other night”

The Aud family was wild. Their children were tasked with spending a week in the mountains by themselves if they wanted to be considered adults by the rest of the family. Lord Anso Aud had also, as Anax had told her, said he would get his son an ula cub when Anax had complained about Artemy’s newly acquired caith kitten at the time. The Adulthood trial was probably the tamest thing Anax had dealt with in that house-more so now that his sister was training to hone her Asha and practicing on her older brother. Anax had returned two months ago from the trial, but Jeza had been too busy to go see him, she was just happy to know he was in one piece.

“Where are your braids, Jez? I thought you loved them” says Anax as he rubs at Jeza’s head with a smirk.

“Mean criminals kept pulling at them” pouts Jeza and then laughs.

They hug and stay in comfortable silence for a while.

“I heard about Infans Mikhe” whispers Anax, still locked in a hug with her “Glad someone was able to do what I couldn’t”

“Anax!” Yells Jeza with a frown “Don’t talk like that. The man was murdered”

“Yeah, I shall bury the one that did it in every precious jewel I’m able to produce” Says Anax with a raised eyebrow, then, he frowns “That…that monster deserved it” 

“No one deserves to die” whispers Jeza, pushing Anax away slightly.

“That one did” says Anax, and he sounds angry “Have you forgotten what he did? To Hilde?”

Jeza lowers her head and shakes it slightly. 

“It was never proved, we only had Hilde’s wor-“

“It was enough!” Yells Anax, suddenly incensed “I believed her tears and her fear, she would not lie”

“No man would do such a thing. His own-his own blood” mutters Jeza “She must have been confused, she was just fourteen…”

“More reason to believe her” says Anax and then sighs “Jeza, I did not come here to argue with you, I wanted to see how you were, you have a nomad now, you should care for her, she is yours, not your mother’s”

“I know, I know…but this case is important” she says, it feels like an excuse. Is she using this to escape her new status as a mother? No, of course not! She is not like that. She fixes thing, takes cares of things, help people, it’s why she wanted to be a Nocturnal.

“That girl, she is lost and confused, like Nima was” says Anax and then chuckles “Or have you forgotten how Nima was when he arrived? He was terrible, kept screaming at anyone that got close to him, and he had people taking care of him during all that. You need to talk to this girl, explain yourself and raise her properly, she is your heir”

Jeza nods. Yes, Enuma is her responsibility, she took her in and she must teach her about her new home. 

“You can’t always solve everything” he reminds her gently, patting her head. Jeza huffs and slaps it away gently. Time to get serious again, no more sob stories.

“Who do you think did it?” Asks Jeza, looking up at him.

“Kill Mikhe? Well, almost half of Night Hall for sure, but not really” he chuckles and then tilts his head in thought “A stab wound, right? Someone with access to knifes with a grudge….hmmm….Could be anyone”

“That doesn’t help” groans Jeza “Darule keeps insisting we should question Artemy, Captain Ulrik wants us to investigate nomads and I just want to sleep”

“Artemy? Really? I guess he hated the man, but where did you get that?” Asks Anax with narrowed eyes. 

“We went down to the Golden Maid, to ask around, Mikhe was there that night, right before he left directly to his death, a friend of his mentioned Mikhe kept rambling-“

Jeza stops suddenly, because she has an answer right before her eyes. The Zasya aren’t nobles and the gossip of the higher class doesn’t reach them as much, and is Jeza’s father the one that attends Night Hall meetings as their family’s representative, and knowing him, he falls asleep at most of them or doesn’t really pay attention. But right in front of her is someone from a noble family.

“Anax” she says suddenly, leaning forward and upwards on her toes “What happened five years ago to Mikhe Drest?”

Anax raises an eyebrow and smirks.

“You mean, you don’t know? Well, makes sense, such a thing, they probably didn’t want it to get out, My father told me it was to be kept among the lords and ladies present at Night Hall but I never knew nobody talked” he says, and then he sighs happily “Damn Jeza, it was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life”

“Jus tell me and stop reminiscing! It’s for the case!” She shouts 

“Sure, sure” chuckles Anax “Well, it happened on a seemingly normal night….”