From what Cyrill said there were only two options: Either one of the Dek or an outsider passing through had taken the Stormvial. The latter would have a better motive because they didn’t rely on whatever the object did for the resident Inarta. But the Dek would have better knowledge of the place and be better organized in case they had planned stealing it before. Lyra really hoped that the matter wouldn’t boil down to a conflict between the Dek and the higher castes. The situation was difficult enough as it was now, or so she thought.
When the Dek called Scratch was caught and interviewed by an older man, Lyra’s attention turned to that conversation. It revealed another aspect of the Inarta culture to her, one of the darker aspects in fact. Everything negative about Wind Reach’s society seemed to relate to the Dek caste. They were slaves to the higher castes, and nobody seemed to consider that wrong or inhuman. Perhaps Dek weren’t even considered human? She had heard about similar cases somewhere, but couldn’t remember where and when. A long time ago maybe. What the Dek said though, was of importance. If one of his companions or he himself had their hands in the theft, he would certainly know something about it. And, since the Dek took care of Wind Reach by night, it was very unlikely that he wouldn’t have noticed at least noises or caught a glimpse of the thief if it had been an outsider. Obviously Scratch was an important piece of the riddle.
When he was about to escape the scene, Lyra was halfway on the way of holding him back – when he suddenly bumped into Cyrill. Almost glad that he stayed in the room for another few chimes, she took a closer look at him. Her eyes narrowed.
Aquamarine liquid on his shoes. The tiny stains were barely discernable, but there was no doubt about their existence. It certainly was the same color and consistency as the spilled liquid on the floor which was the substance in the Stormvial. To Lyra, that discovery only assured her belief that Scratch played a crucial role in the matter.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the other Inarta’s move. The following words relieved Lyra. So hot-tempered woman believed her! Hopefully they could now work together to solve the mystery as quickly and effectively as possible. She also noticed that an idea had come to the woman’s mind, but was too focused on her own ponderings for the time being.
In the meantime Cyrill questioned the boy about something she had apparently seen in his expression. Fear? In fact, Lyra cringed a bit at the blunt tone of the curl-haired Inarta. From her point of view the Dek had to be treated with respect and understanding. Most appeared afraid enough to tell whatever the opponent of a higher caste wanted to know just to get away quickly.
When kneeling down in front of the boy Lyra hoped that she was doing the right thing. She thoughtfully touched the stains at his shoes, examining the liquid, but more importantly pointing it out to the others.
“Scratch, please understand that nobody will do you any harm if you tell the truth and help us with solving the case. Now, it’d be very helpful if you could tell me where you got those stains from.” She didn’t want to give him another good excuse, but she started to wonder if it had been an accident. Perhaps a Dek had destroyed the Stormvial and hid the pieces because he or she was afraid of the punishment?