He Who Flew Too Close

Chapter 4

Needless to say, a lot has been going on that, somehow, the murder has been at the back of my mind. With the whole kill a living creature for your place in the church thing, no longer am I just the one trying to catch the killer – I'm the one about to be the killer. And then there is whatever is going on with Apollo, something I try not to think about due to how incredibly confusing it is

 When I awake in the morning, I realise that I haven't asked Timmy about why he mouthed that God was real when he found out that Father Darius had died. I obviously don't think a small child ripped a man's head clean off, but he knows something. If there's anyone who knows what Father Darius might have done to make any enemies, it would be him.

I stare at the roof for a while and sigh. I'm a sinner, and I think it's fair to assume that if Lupine punish sinners, I could be the next target. If someone is targeting the higher-ups of the church, Larious will be next, then eventually I will be on the line. If you don't like a religion enough to call its God a liar, eventually you're going to go for the one who's meant to be its prophet to show that he's an ordinary mortal man. You want to kill anything that gives it hope.

All I know is I have to get to the bottom of this to save my skin. 

Right now, my only real suspects are Larious and Miranda, and I struggle to even think of the second one. The only real evidence against Miranda is that she was missing when the murder happened and that she can play the piano. She also didn't have much of a reaction when she found out there was a murder, which I will admit is suspicious. But she couldn't rip someone's head clean off. Unless of course, she befriended a Lupine and got him to do it, which… well, although I don't like to admit it, I think that could possibly track. Miranda has never liked the church or shared its view, and befriending a Lupine could be an act of rebellion for her. The only reason she stays is because of how far we are from civilization. She knows that the church will happily just let her die if she tries to escape. The only people that live nearby are Lupine.

I freeze. The only people that live nearby are Lupine. Miranda's boyfriend; could it be possible that her boyfriend is a Lupine? Could he have something to do with this? She was rather secretive about the guy. She'd said she didn't want me to lose respect for him like I knew him, but could that have been trying to throw me off the trail?

I slide my hands so hard down my face that I tug at my eye sockets. She could genuinely be in danger here.

I try to think of what her motive could be. I know she doesn't like the church, and I know that she wants to rise up the ranks. Is she picking off people to make her own rise to power easier?

I shake my head. I feel bad even thinking about this. There's no way it's her – I'd know if she was capable of something like this.

I try to think about Larious instead. Larious, like her, also wanted power. He declared himself in charge a mere hours after the murder and I think everyone was too afraid to challenge it. For him, the church was never strict enough, and I remember there being rumours that he never liked how Father Darius did it. The main difference between him and Miranda is that I think he might be capable of killing someone. After all, he is sending me and Miranda - the one destined for power and the one seeking it - on a possible death mission to kill a Lupine. Usually, it takes years of specialized training before you do something like that. We've only had basic firearm training and studied wolf theory. And everyone fears him. People in this church warn you of defying Larious, but never do they ever dare to mention why.

Larious also seemed to threaten Miranda with the whole dungeon statement. She hasn't started doing her work in there yet because she's been helping me with the recital, but when she does, I'll make sure she tells me what's in there. Assuming she gets out to tell the tale.