The Case of the Pisces Moon Murk by Rhiannon D. Elton

Author:Rhiannon D. Elton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sherlock Holmes, Detective, Amateur sleuth, steampunk, gas lamp, victorian, teen, mystery, cozy mystery
Publisher: Rhiannon D. Elton
Published: 2022-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

Slimy Source

I SEE YOU’RE NOT ARTISTICALLY inclined?” Mothy snorted, rolling the corner.

“You’ve seen my shoe sketches. You know I can draw.”

The midday sun dripped through the clouds in a pale shower as Dr Qwan led them through the streets along the Southern most road heading West. Creast’s street activity thinned as they reached the edge of the shell-shaped town. The second and third stories of the wooden buildings overhung the road, laced with fluttering streamers tied under their scale awnings.

The three of them passed through the South-West gate out of town and tramped up a road with deep gutters from the weight of the carriages and cargo usually carried along it. The empty river wound between this road and the Northwest one as if it looked for an escape to the sides, before disappearing under the great wooden wall surrounding Creast. As they reached the top of the hill, they took in a thick pine wood forest as far as the eye could see. Nestled a few rows of trees in, was a tall lumber mill with a stationary water wheel.

As they passed through the wide wooden archway, Wolflock noticed the lumber mill was a vast operation. From the hill, he could see groves of trees at different ages clustered together. New saplings pin-cushioned the land to the far South, and, directly West, were much older, established pines.

A breeze caught a torn poster by the entranceway, and Wolflock put his hand on it to see what it said. It revealed a map of the lumbermill with its major landmarks scratched onto it in charcoal. The buildings he saw before him were at the far right of the map and, scattered through little tree patterns drawn on the paper, were the boxes and squares meant to represent the lumber mill. In the distance, beyond the lumber mill and toward the back end of the map, were the large storage sheds. Distinct swirling marks outlined the rivers running through the property.

As he ran his hand over it, he could feel similar patterns in the wood underneath it. He pulled the large map to the side and saw a far more elegantly carved map in the wood beneath. Outlined with native Shiriling cords and interwoven patterns, the symbols of the buildings and houses were far more intricate. Wolflock made a quick sketch of both maps. Mothy came over without a word and held back the first map after seeing his friend struggle to draw in his journal, with his leg propped up as a table.

The tallest building stretched across the banks of the river and it seemed to be where the logs floated down to and were processed into planks or blocks. Except it was dry.

No, Wolflock thought as he looked at the river that was meant to be running a few yards away from where they stood at the map. It’s slimy. And it reeks of yeast.

A homestead, with high sloped scale shingled roofs, leaned forward to greet them, happily puffing plumes of smoke from the grey stone chimney.

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