Xander kept staring at the medallion. He had seen it before, but couldn't recall where.
Chief Volgin repeated his question and walked down the stairs. Holding the medallion in front of the Dreamwalker's face, he added, "Esther was having trouble sleeping a few weeks ago, so she called a Dreamwalker to help her. He told her to wear this medallion before going to bed. I thought I'd find it on her...body, but it was lying on the bathroom floor. It must have slipped out while she was showering."
"We don't give medallions to people having trouble sleeping. These trinkets are just eyewash. No Dreamwalker would suggest wearing a medallion to get rid of sleeping troubles," Xander responded.
After staring intently at the medallion for a good few minutes, he wrapped his palm around it. It was warm and smooth, almost as if it had been polished recently.
"Did she say why she was having trouble sleeping? Was she having any recurring nightmares?" Xander asked.
"Nope, she just kept waking up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. Took her to a doctor first and then a shrink as well. They didn't find anything wrong with her. She was perfectly healthy."
Another Dreamwalker being involved in this was the last thing Xander needed. Though it didn't necessarily implicate him in the murder, it was bound to arouse the Chief's suspicion.
Instead of beating around the bush, Xander got straight to the point. "What do you want from me?"
The Chief took two steps forward and replied in a stern voice, "When you mentioned the involvement of a Mystic, it sparked my memory. Took me a while to turn back the pages, but it eventually came back to me. That Dreamwalker was the only Mystic who visited her house two weeks ago. I need you to find him for me. Can you do that?"
"I am not in touch with all the other Dreamwalkers in Somnium. He could be anywhere. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack."
Chief Volgin didn't seem too pleased with Xander's reply. "Use your contacts. I'm sure you'll find some clues about his whereabouts. Even a name will do."
Xander put the necklace and medallion inside his pocket and said, "I'll see what I can do. But no promises."
As he was about to walk away, the Chief spoke from behind. "If you fail to provide any information, I'll have to resort to other methods. I think Eileen would like to have a chat with you. I hear her people are really good at interrogating Mystics."
A scowl appeared on Xander's face, but he somehow suppressed his anger and walked out of the apartment without making any replies.
He was able to breathe easy again once he was out on the streets. However, he knew he had bitten off more than he could chew this time.
Without waiting a minute longer, Xander hailed a cab near Irkwing Crossing. The roads were nearly empty due to the harsh cold, but those who had important meetings to attend, were rushing to their offices in private sedans.
On his way home, Xander kept thinking about the strange feather-shaped medallion. And then he remembered. He had seen a picture of it in his sister's old diary. Though he wanted to look at the medallion again, he controlled the urge to take it out in front of a stranger.
The cabbie dropped him off at Ravenmore Street, a cobbled road flanked by Oranore Trees. Even at this time of the year, their leaves were vibrant green, and Silverwing Butterflies were dancing around their honeyed branches.
Xander lived in a cozy two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. It was one of those old concrete buildings with narrow staircases and small rectangular windows with sliding glass panes.
Climbing the stairs, Xander walked up to a peach-colored door with a small eyehole in the middle. He knocked thrice, with each subsequent rap coming after a two-second interval.
After a minute, the door eventually opened, and a little girl with two blue pigtails opened the door. She was barely more than six and had the sweetest of smiles that poked a cute dimple on her charming face.
"Good morning, Uncle Xander," she said with a yawn.
"Good morning, Tiva. I am sorry for waking you up like this," Xander replied, patting her on the head, a gesture she initially used to dislike, but had grown used to over the last few months. "So, have you been a good girl?"
Stretching her lazy arms out, she turned away from Xander. "You know I'm always good. But you've been up to your tricks again."
Xander noticed the slight change in her tone. She didn't sound pleased.
"What are you talking about? I was just out there taking a walk." He tried to weave a lie on the spot, but Tiva wasn't having it.
Without even turning back, she replied, "I know you snuck out of your room to solve one of your weird cases."
Xander couldn't help but giggle at this. Closing the door behind him, he followed little Tiva to the living room. "You're really becoming a clever little girl. I can see you getting a boyfriend soon."
Tiva turned around and made a funny face. "I don't like boys. They are always fighting with each other and acting gross."
Xander laughed aloud and sat down on the couch. "You're gonna grow up to be a handful, Tiva." Picking the little girl up, he placed her beside him and smiled. "I'm sorry for leaving you all alone. It was urgent."
"Whatever, go take a shower. You stink," Tiva said, scrunching her nose. "I'll take the cereal out for you."
The more Xander listened to Tiva talk, the more he was reminded of her mother, Xander's elder sister. He couldn't believe how similar they were. It was as if Nelly had created a little duplicate.
Those old memories flooded Xander's mind, but this time he didn't let his thoughts overwhelm him. Instead, he took a deep breath and got up from the couch.
"Tiva, I have some urgent work. Why don't you watch some TV while I'm in my room?"
"No..." She said, making a grumpy face. "I will get bored soon. You promised we'll spend the day together."
Xander knew there was no winning against this stubborn little girl, so he didn't even try. Picking up the cordless black phone on the table, he called up one of his only friends.
"Hey, Leena. I need a favor. I was wondering if you could come over to my place."
A groggy female voice answered with jumbled words. "Ahmm...I need to see it. Yeah. What time is it?"
"It's ten. You should get up now."
"It's my weekend. I wanna stay in bed," she mumbled.
"I brought some work home. I really need you to look after Tiva while I'm busy."
Hearing those words, Leena opened her eyes wide and sat up straight on her bed. "What the hell have you done this time?"
"It's nothing. I just need to check out a medallion. It's connected to a murder," he whispered as softly as he could so that Tiva wouldn't overhear him.
Leena immediately threw her blanket aside and jumped down from her bed. "I'm coming. Don't even think about starting before I get there!"