3 Days later

England, West Coast
Devonshire, Wales
Exeter Central Station
8 November 1898, 2:26 p.m.

A loud hiss and rattle entered the compartment from outside. A brief jolt accompanied the approaching train, then the monotonous hissing, groaning, and steady rocking began. The first-class seats were soft and comfortable, cushioning the movement on the tracks, and Kyle thanked God - whichever one - that he wouldn't have to spend another night in the horrible beds in St George.

"Mr. Crowford? Are you even listening to me?"

Kyle groaned tonelessly, then opened his eyes to look at Dr. Archer, who was staring at him with his legs crossed, his notebook propped on his upper thigh. Kyle clicked his tongue and gathered his head from the soft, dark red side cushion.

Having completed their assignment in St George, Dr. Archer now seemed to return to the usual formalities.

"I think we're beyond that Mr. Crowford?" opined Kyle, raising his narrow eyebrows a little. "You may continue to call me Kyle, Mr. Archer. If you wish." he offered generously, not ignoring the smirk that dug into the corners of the doctor's mouth. Only close acquaintances ducked each other in English society. But after they had saved each other's lives more than once and had practically been through hell together, it seemed appropriate to him. Dr. Archer just nodded in agreement and both men were aware that much had changed for them despite the short time.

"Did you really have to bring that old thing with you?" Dr. Archer pointed to a long piece of luggage wrapped in Kyle's tattered coat lying on the overhead rack.

"This 'old thing' was capable of killing a demon. And from what Annabeth told me, it was this sword that kept him in the cave all those years. It's no ordinary blade and I'm certainly not going to give it up easily." the mage said, grinning smugly. "Think of the sword as my personal trophy, if you will."

The doctor uttered a low sound that almost sounded like a laugh. His arm hung in a sling, bandaged and splinted by a doctor in Exeter who had attended to the doctor's injuries. Kyle's wounds, on the other hand, especially those of his left arm, had to be treated by Dr. Archer. It would have been difficult to explain blackened veins and wound edges to an Exeter doctor, much less such wounds that failed to heal in the usual time. Under the long sleeve of his jacket, his arm was also in a carefully tied bandage for this reason.

Both men had been cleaned of blood and mud and had been restored to their proper condition. They wore clean clothes again, were shaved, and had their hair done. After the last few days, which had been hectic and full of tactical decisions on how to proceed, the mage was looking forward to his home, bed, and familiar surroundings in London.

"When will Mrs. Jäger and Annabeth join us?"

Kyle generally sat up a little straighter now. The cushion beneath him sighed softly under the shifting of his weight as he made sure to move slowly and deliberately. Three of his ribs were cracked and still, they gave him pain.

"In a week or two. It will take a little time for them to sell and pack the farm and the sheep." Kyle explained and the doctor nodded in understanding.

"So the Order agreed to consider Mrs. Jäger's suitability despite her advanced age?" he asked, his graphite pen tapping away at the notes he'd been taking off and on throughout the case, rewriting and summarising them over the last few days.

"It won't matter. The recommendation of two active searchers will suffice." Kyle said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Besides, they have something to contribute to the Order, after all," he added, nodding his chin at the folded newspaper waiting to be read next to Dr. Archer. The front page was emblazoned with a photograph of the remote hollow in Dartmoor with old Mrs. Jäger and little Annabeth in front of the caves. 'Treasure finds on Dartmoor' was the title, describing the discovery of an old cave full of ancient treasures reported by a German-born family.

Dr. Archer followed Kyle's gaze to the newspaper and now let out a snort. Kyle thought he could see some amusement in it. It wasn't as if the Jäger family kept everything, but they deserved a share as compensation for the suffering this place had brought them. Moreover, Kyle wanted to give them the opportunity to leave this miserable, horrible village. The girl deserved better than this dump of fools.

"Should your acceptance into the Order fail, you may continue to pursue employment as servants in my house." Kyle, therefore, continued, stroking his trousers with his right hand as if to smooth out wrinkles. Of course, there were none.

Baltimore had been told by the two seekers that his instincts had not deceived him. However, they were bound to secrecy by the decrees of the Order. The village beadle seemed curious at first but soon resigned himself to ignorance. Perhaps it was because of his career as a soldier that he found it so easy not to question their words. Only the assurance that it was now over, the man of the law demanded with an iron hardness. This, after all, the two seekers could assure him with conviction. Afterward, Baltimore helped them to order a doctor from Exeter and to cover up what had happened. 

The two seekers had finally explained to the mayor that the deaths had indeed been coincidences and a chain of unfortunate events. At this moment, Kyle shone with frighteningly outstanding abilities to bend the truth to fit. Although the mayor was skeptical at the beginning, in the end, he seemed to be relieved with every far-fetched explanation Kyle gave him in response to any counter-questions. He then came to terms with this explanation quite quickly. Again, it became apparent that the man preferred to live blindly rather than face the frightening truth.

Old Mrs. Jäger had been deeply grateful to them when they had suggested the solution to this whole incident to her. Kyle's bath in the well had destroyed the spell book, but Mrs. Jäger was still a gifted sorceress. After her granddaughter's connection to the murders, Kyle and Dr. Archer couldn't just let her get away with it. Sharing the find with the Order to graciously agree to those and her joining the Guild, were therefore one thing. That Kyle also offered them good employment with a steady income and accommodation, in his house, as well as the promise to then provide Annabeth with a proper school education in London... that had other reasons. But those were Kyle's business alone, no one else's business.

"I'm glad she accepted the appointment." Dr. Archer now said, and meanwhile passed the pen over the paper of his book again, scratching. He had christened the case 'The Grimm Dossier', whose countless twists and dark abysses were written down in the notebook. A fitting name, Kyle felt.

"But the graves of your son and his wife are in St George," Dr. Archer reminded him.

Outside the window behind the noble wood paneling of the compartment, the area began to pass them by at an increasingly rapid pace. For a few heartbeats, there was silence between them and only the rattle of the railway wheels sounded in the background. Kyle's gaze lingered on Dr. Archer, then slid out to the green trees and countryside that flitted past the window in hissing shadows.

"Sometimes it's better to start over instead of holding on to the shadows of the past." Kyle finally opined. There was a formless weight on the softly murmured words that held its own meaning for each of them.

Dr. Archer did not speak back. He looked down at the book and gave their thoughts a little space.

"I won't report it to the Order," he said suddenly after a few minutes had passed.

The temperature in the compartment seemed to drop a few degrees with that second and the air thicker and tenser from now on. Kyle's muscles immediately tensed because he knew instantly what Dr. Archer was talking about. This topic had been unspoken between them all these days. Now Kyle's gaze settled in a new way on the man opposite him. Sharper, more honed, and measuring. Dr. Archer didn't look up from his notebook and kept writing as if he didn't feel the needling from across the room.

"What exactly are you not reporting?" swung Kyle's voice between them with a warning tone. Only then did Dr. Archer raise his head, place the pen between the pages and look directly at the wizard.

"Blood magic is severely punished in the Order," he spoke out, causing the chasm that they had just connected with a rickety, ramshackle bridge to smolder between them. It was plain to see that Dr. Archer was poking a sensitive spot, for the mage even bared his teeth slightly like an animal, ready to snap.

"I saved your life with it, Doctor." he hissed out and Kyle clenched his left hand into a fist, though it hurt.

"I know. That's why I won't say anything." the doctor now said in a serious tone. "I thought you were just a poser playing around with magic. Who was bored and wanted to play a little detective in his spare time." He continued and Kyle wrinkled his nose under those words because it hurt his pride.

"That was my image of you too, Doctor." Kyle now hissed and Dr. Archer quickly raised his hand to stop the wizard before he went into a counter-attack.

He continued quickly, "But that's changed. I don't know where you got that from or why you used it before." pointing at Kyle's left hand. Only after the mage had used the forbidden magic did Dr. Archer realize that he had been wearing the gloves all along to hide the black scar on his left palm. That this was why he was constantly clenching his hand or scratching there, without perhaps being aware of it. "I don't know what effect that can have. Apart from the fact that I've seen how terrible the wound looks." he continued, "I am aware that you have risked a lot by doing this." The Doctor's expression softened a tiny bit. "I will not report it to the Order. If it comes out any other way, I will stand up for you and defend you." he then said seriously.

Kyle, on the other hand, sat opposite, his eyes full of suspicion on the other Seeker. Blood magic was no small matter and it was true that it would linger with him for some time. With bad luck, the injuries would never fully heal. With luck, the significant marks remained, which anyone with a little inkling could recognize as the signs of blood magic. What Kyle had done could bring down his whole plan, his goals, and his place in the Order. Trusting someone about this was hard. Especially for him. Behind the mask of Kyle Crowford, the secrets were piled up like a black tower and at some point, he knew, it could collapse on him. If he wasn't powerful and influential enough by then or didn't have the knowledge he needed...

"Why?" he asked, therefore. The question slipped easily from his lips. Surely that couldn't be all there was to it.

Dr. Archer took the question seriously and so was his facial expression. There was no mischievousness in it, no smirking grin, and not the hint of an expression of superiority because he now had something extremely pithy in his hand against the magician.

"You saved my life. Without you, I would be dead. And I hope that when we return to the Order, we will continue to work together." the doctor replied calmly. "I believe that we both have our goals. And that we could help each other achieve them." He folded the book closed and set it aside before holding his hand to Kyle, like the offer of a reconciliation or the handshake of a deal to be sealed. "Besides, this way you can keep an eye on me so I don't tell your secret."

Kyle looked at the man's palm. Rough from hard times in the war and the last days. He didn't want partners and he hated that Dr. Archer already knew too much about him. But life just didn't always play out the way one would like it to. Besides, there were worse partners in the Order. The wizard curled his lips slightly, then expelled the paused air. He ran his fingers through his dark curls until finally, sighing, he reached out and placed his hand in the doctors.

"Agreed. Comrade." he agreed and the corner of Dr. Archer's mouth twitched as he leaned back and reached for the newspaper. It rustled as he opened the thin paper and Kyle leaned sideways in the seat again. He looked out and saw the world passing them by. There was something peaceful about it.

"Besides, I don't want to mess with you." Dr. Archer looked over the edge of the newspaper at the mage. "That was a pretty impressive sword stroke for a woman."

- THE END -