Chapter Four: Kelanar

Kelanar sits by the river for a few hours. Thereafter, she searches the woods for any signs of Hector.

She heads to the spot he would normally set up to hunt at. When she gets to the quiet clearing, she sees Hector’s bag and picks it up. Looking inside, she finds the deerskin flask and knife that Hector always carries.

He wouldn’t leave this behind, she thinks.

She swings the bag over her shoulder and continues to look around. She arrives where Hector was attacked, only to find scuff marks and some blood on the ground.

“He was hurt. Something is wrong here.”

She heads back to the village to talk to Sheriff James.

Kelanar goes into the sheriff’s office.

 An older man, who sits behind a wooden desk, looks up.

“Hey Kelanar. You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” says Sheriff James .

“It is Hector. Something has happened to him,” says Kelanar.

“What do you mean, something has happened to him? I heard he left town from his mother.”

“That letter isn’t from him. You know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t go anywhere without his bag or his deerskin flask and knife given to him by his father." 

The sheriff looks at her and sighs.

“Look, I know it is hard to believe that he just left you like that, but the note said he did, and I have no reason to think otherwise.” 

“I went to his hunting site and his bag was left there. A little further into the forest, there is blood and signs of a struggle.”

“Blood where? Come, show me and then we will see if there is reason to worry,” says the sheriff , grabbing his coat and gun.

Kelanar takes him to the place in the forest where she found the blood and scuff marks.

Sheriff James looks around. 

“Kelanar, this isn’t much blood, and the marks could be from anything. Sorry, but I don’t see a reason to start a manhunt, especially given the letter.” 

“I know he is hurt and has been taken. He wouldn’t just leave!” she shouts, with fear in her voice. Her hands shake with anger.

“Go home and get some rest. You really need to take the time to come to terms with the fact that he is gone.” Sheriff James returns to his office, leaving Kelanar in the forest alone.

Kelanar cries and sits on the forest floor, filled with despair.

“I know something happened and I will find him,” she vows.

Kelanar searches the area daily, but can’t find any signs of Hector.

(Two weeks later)

A father and son go down to the river to fish.

They set up their poles when they see something in the water.

“Grab a stick,” the  man tells his son.

The young boy grabs a long stick and hands it to his father.

The father uses the stick to pull the object in the water towards him. As he pulls, the current turns the item. It turns out to be the body of a young male. The face is mostly gone.

“Boy, go get the sheriff. Hurry!”

The boy takes off and comes back with sheriff James a short while later.

When James and Deputy Steven arrive at the scene, they see the body. Deputy Steven thinks  it must be Hector. He is the only one missing from town for the last few weeks.

Sheriff James and Deputy Steven take the pictures and then take the body to the morgue. James goes and checks for any other missing cases and comes up empty. 

“Sheriff James, could it be Hector? I mean, technically he is not missing, but he is the only one that's unaccounted for in the town. That body has been in the water awhile by the looks of it, but John will have a report for us soon,” says Deputy Steven.

“That is what I am thinking. The body’s face is gone, and claw marks on the body could have  been made by wild animals. Let me know when John has a report. I’m going to make sure everyone else is accounted for,” Sheriff James orders.

“Sure thing,” says Deputy Steven.

Sheriff James visits the shops and talks to the townsfolk. People keep asking about the body. After about five hours, he accounted for everyone in his little town. He heads to go and talk to John.

Dr John is in the process of washing the body and finishing up his exam when he spots Sheriff James.

“Hello, Sheriff James, come on in. It is a shame when they die young,” says Dr John . 

Sheriff James removes his hat and walks over to the table. “What you got for me?” 

“Well, the body is between about sixteen and eighteen. I would say closer to eighteen, though. The cause of death is blood loss. He's got claw marks and holes in his chest and neck and there was no blood in the body. I would say vampire if it wasn’t for the face being gone.”

“Vampire, really? We have had no vampires this far north in many years. Lord Skorn keeps them close to the castle.”

“I know and they don’t remove faces, they just drain the blood. I will have to rule this as an animal attack. Possibly mountain lions or bears.” 

“Thank you, my friend. Now, I just have to figure out who it is. I suspect it might be Hector. Do you have any scars or tattoos that I need to know about that could ID this body?” 

“He has a few scars on the right side of his hip and then there is a cut on his back. It doesn’t look too old, but a few years for sure.” 

“Maybe Hector’s mother can id the body by the scars and marks on it to know if Hector or not. Can I have her brought in a little bit? “

“Sure, I am about done  now. Give me, say an hour.” 

“I will do that. See you soon.” Sheriff James leaves the morgue and heads back to his office.

Deputy Steven is at his desk doing paperwork. “What did John say?”  asks the deputy.

Sheriff James sighs and sits at his own desk. “He thinks it was an animal attack. He is not sure if it's Hector. We will have to bring Peggy in for an ID to rule it out. I know she works until 6pm. Can you go get her and bring her over to the morgue for an ID? I'll meet you there.” 

“Sure, no problem, Sheriff James. I'll go over there and get a bite to eat.  Then when she is off, I'll have her come with me." 

“Sounds good.” 

Steven finishes his paperwork, and then he heads over to the bar.

Hector’s mother is at the bar, working, when Steven comes in.

“Hello Steve, what can I get you?” Peggy asks.

“Hello, Peggy. For now just a burger and water. Still on duty. When you have a minute, I need a word with you.”

“Coming right up. I get off at 6 if I don’t have a few while you’re here.”

“No  problem, I can wait.”

Peggy walks off to place his food order. She brings his food to him and his water, but she is busy for the rest of her shift. He eats and waits for her to get off.

At 6, Peggy takes off her apron and says goodbye to her replacement, Mack. Then she heads over to Steven’s table, where he is waiting.

“Sorry Steven, it’s been a busy night. So what is going on?” asks Peggy.

“Well, Peggy, I am afraid it is not good news. I am sure you have heard by now about the body found in the river. It is the talk of the town.”

“Yeah, it’s been discussed a lot, but no one seems to know who it is.” 

“Well, Sheriff James thinks it could be Hector.”

Peggy’s hand covers her mouth, her heart dropping. “You think it’s Hector?”

“Yes, it is possible, but we are not sure we need to know if there are any marks or scars that we can use to identify Hector if this body might be his.”

“Well, he has a scar on his right side and a long cut on his back. He doesn’t have any birthmarks. I can look at the face and tell you for sure.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t get an id from the face. Why I need the marks so we can rule him out?”

“I can tell if it him just show me the body.”

“Ok, I will take you over if he has the marks, anyway.”

They head over to the morgue. James and John are waiting for them. 

“Hello Peggy.” says John

“Hello John.”

“I will warn you, this is very disturbing to see. So if you can just tell me some markings and I will look for you. You don’t have to see the body.” says John.

“Well, like I was just telling Steven, he has a few scars, but no birthmark. He had a good size cut on his right hip and stomach areas and a big cut on his back. It has been so long ago they would have faded some, but are still there.” says Peggy.

“Peggy, I have an exam. The body and the marks you have described are on this body. I am sorry for your loss, but you have id the body as Hector.” says John. 

Peggy falls to her knees and sobs.

“How did he die?”

“I rule it as an animal attack, maybe a mountain lion or bear.”

They let her cry for a few minutes and try to comfort her. James signs some papers.

“Steven, why don’t you take Peggy home? I need to let Kelanar know as well.”

“Sure, thing James. Come, Peggy, let’s get you home and maybe a nice cup of tea.”

“Thank you, Steven.”

They leave and James nods to John and leaves to go see Kelanar.

He knocks on Kelanar’s door. Sarah answers the door.

“Hello sheriff, what brings you by?” Sarah asks.

“Madam, I am afraid I have some bad news. Where is Kelanar?” James asks.

“She is in her room, where she has been a lot recently. Is this about Hector?” 

“I am afraid so. We pulled his body out of the river this morning. ”

Sarah covers her mouth with her hands.

“Oh dear, his poor mother and Kelanar. Kelanar will be devastated.”

“I will need to tell her.”

“Of course, come with me.” Sarah leads him to Kelanar’s room and knocks on the door.

Kelanar answers the door. Her eyes are puffy and red as she’s been crying again.

“Yes, oh hi sheriff. I didn’t know you were,” Kelanar says.

“Kelanar, I am afraid I have some bad news,” James says.

“Is it about Hector?”

He nods, his face grim. “Hector’s body was pulled out of the river this morning. I am sorry. He is gone.”

Kelanar falls. Her mother catches her in her arms.

“No, he can’t be gone. No, I told you something was wrong!” she screams. Her voice cracks and her chest aches with heartbreak. Fresh tears fill her eyes. 

“. I am so sorry for your loss. It was an animal attack. He was a great kid. I will see myself out.” James turns to go.

Kelanar’s mother holds her, her body shaking with each sob.

“I am so sorry, honey,” Sarah says

“It can’t be true. He can’t be gone,” Kelanar cries. 

After a while, Kelanar gets up off the floor and goes to her bed. She just lays there and cries.

After a few hours, she takes a walk. An hour later, she is heading home. Crossing the town square, she sees a bunch of boys hanging out by the old fountain. As she is near the fountain, she thinks about meeting Hector for the first time.

(Five years ago)

It was a hot day, and Kelanar was sitting on the fountain reading a book. A group of boys came  over and the leader of them, Gage, took her book and teased her.

“Only freaks read books,” Gage said.

Gage threw her book into the water. All the boys laughed, besides one. The boy picked  up Kelanar’s book out of the water and tried to dry it off before giving it back to her with a smile.

“Leave her alone, Gage. You don’t mess with pretty girls,” he said with red cheeks.

(Present day)

Deep in thought, Kelanar doesn’t see that Gage has stepped into her path. She runs straight into him.

“Hey, it is Hector’s little girlfriend. Watch where you’re going!” He sneers at her.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she murmurs.

“Well, open your eyes. I know your little boyfriend is dead, but that doesn’t mean you get to be rude!” Gage yells at her.

“I said I am sorry, but don’t you dare talk about Hector!” she yells back at him.

His friends laugh. Gage gets into her face and grabs a hold of her. Pinning her in place.

“Let me go, Gage.” Kelanar yells. She tries to pull away from him.

“We can talk about him if we want. He was our friend until he went off with you. Serves him right. I heard he killed himself to get away from you,” Gage says with a sneer.

Kelanar feels this rage build up inside her as Gage talks. She gets one hand free and slaps him across the face. Gage gets mad and throws her to the ground by the fountain.

 Her vision blurs as tears fall, and she sees a rock by the fountain. She picks the rock up as she gets off the ground. She turns to face Gage.

“Did I upset you? You should never raise a hand to a man. We are above you.” Gage laughs.

The rock feels smooth in her hand. She sees nothing but red. Once the red fades, she sees Gage on the ground, unconscious, with blood seeping out of his head. In her hand is a bloody rock and his friends screaming for the police.

The sheriff shows up. She is still holding the bloody rock.

“Kelanar, put the rock down and we can talk about this,” orders James.

Kelanar drops the bloody rock. She looks down at Gage.

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t remember doing this,” she whispers. Panic sets into her chest and her bloody hands shake.

“Kelanar, it will be ok. We will figure it out,” he says as he moves closer to her.

“You will need to come with me now. We will figure it out.” 

Kelanar nods and puts her hands up. The Sheriff cuffs Kelanar and takes her to jail.