Excerpt from Constable of Aqualinne—The Constable Comes to Town

Here’s a brief excerpt from Constable of Aqualinne—The Constable Comes to Town Chapter 3: Fae

Constable Aubrey Hartmann is NOT an evil cloud.
But she's seen one in the sky!

Lights and Madness:

The vibration and sound of the cart’s wheels changed suddenly.  Aubrey looked down and saw that the road had changed from dirt to cobbled.  Broad, thick slabs of stone had been carefully placed to provide a wide, if not wholly smooth road straight into the town’s center, which she could now see, although it was still some distance off.  The town of Sankt Andra was small, but laid out as if it had been planned carefully.  The streets were broad, all lined with stone, and the houses and shops were placed close enough to provide safety and security, but far enough that they didn’t feel cramped.

“Constable!  Constable!” a voice cried, high-pitched and excited.

Aubrey saw a young man in brown and white robes running toward them along one of the lanes.  There weren’t a lot of people moving through the town, as most would be in the fields at this time of day.  But there were enough that the figure had to dodge around them, to make the straight line toward the cart.  He arrived a few moments later, out of breath and quite excited.  Steben pulled the reins to stop the horse, and set the dog cart’s wheel brake.

“That’s . . . damn, I forget his name,” Sterben began, his face crinkled in thought.  “The younger apprentice.”

“He had two apprentices?”

“Yes . . . Leonie!” Sterben said, remembering the name and calling out to the young man at the same time.  “What’s going on here?”

The boy in the robes struggled to catch his breath.  A bright sheen of sweat was across his forehead.  She must have seen them coming into the village proper and run out to meet them.

“Constable . . . Sterben,” he panted.  “Druwis . . . Lorenz.”

“Take a breath, Leonie,” Sterben said with practices patience.

“The Druwis,” he managed.  “Druwis Lorenz.  He’s gone mad!”

“Mad?” Sterben said, his voice serious and commanding.  Aubrey was impressed.  “What’s all this about?  What do you mean?”

“He’s in the town center,” Leonie said, his voice frantic with worry.  “He’s torn his clothes, pulled his hair and he’s ranting, screaming that Malusilva will return.  He’s saying that Sankt Andra is doomed now.”

The apprentice gestured with both his hands toward the center of town where Aubrey could see that a small crowd had started to form.  She couldn’t make out anything for certain, but there was certainly someone yelling loudly and at length.

“Please, help!” Leonie said, his voice breaking with the effort of his plea.  Without waiting, he dashed back the way he’d come.