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Cadoc nodded. "Yes, sir." He was about to walk away when the door opened. The men turned as one to see who had disturbed them, only to see Cam, in his sheriff's uniform, walking toward them, a dark-haired man striding behind him. Cam took one look at the bodies and grimaced.
"I didn't want to believe you, Aiden. I didn't want to face the truth that this happened in Monroe, right under my damn nose." Cam's jaw clenched.
The dark-haired man went immediately to the pile, pulling out a camera. When he began snapping pictures, Cadoc turned a deep red color. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He reached for the camera, but the man just batted his hand away.
"I am River Carlisle. I am the medical examiner who works with Cam and the other Vanguard in Monroe. Humans take pictures of crime scenes so that the act of moving the bodies does not completely destroy possible evidence. These pictures may preserve some small detail we overlook."
Cadoc calmed slightly. "Just let us know what you need," he said, slightly mollified.
Ari stepped closer to Cam. "How good is he?"
Cam gave a wry smile. "He's a vampire, and that makes him very good at his job. I bet you he's already picked up on something we'd miss."
"You would be right," the light voice called out. "Have one of the witches check for a barrier of some kind. There is bloating, but no sign that they have been ravaged by either pests or insects."
"Son of a bitch," Cadoc whispered under his breath. "Okay, Doc, you're in charge here."
"I appreciate that. Now, help me start lifting the bodies out so they lay side by side," his crisp voice ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Ari turned his head as they began to pull bodies out of the large pile. He couldn't get past the fact that they were fae. Growing up in Éire Danu, he'd always associated fae with being eternally beautiful, ageless, immortal.
To see them thrown together in a trash heap of rotting flesh, discarded, and unequivocally dead, disturbed him on every level.
A gut-wrenching cry had them all turning to where Darian knelt on the ground beside Liam, who was lifting out a tiny body. Ari gasped. Not even the children had been spared. Oron physically pulled Darian back until they both sat on the cold hard concrete. Oron cradled his younger brother as Darian just shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Darian," he whispered.
"It's not your fault, none of this is your fault." Darian replied, hanging his head.
"Found something," Kendrick called out, pulling Ari's attention away from the suffering brothers. He, Aiden, and the others jogged to the far wall where Kendrick was running his hands over the wall.
"River is a genius. Even I missed the lack of insects." He let his hands drop. "There is a barrier."
Thane whistled and held up his hand, palm side facing the dull gray wall. "It's so damn subtle."
Kendrick nodded, looking pissed. "I should have caught this."
Aiden simply placed a hand on his shoulder. "We were all distracted by the senseless tragic deaths of the fae. You would have found it when the immediate demands were met and you were allowed to think."
Thane grunted. "One of us should have seen it."
"What is it exactly?" Ari asked. He didn't really care who saw it; he didn't know what 'it' was.
Kendrick pointed. "There is thin barrier in place that uses the walls, ceiling, and floor as guidelines."
"Explain," Aiden demanded.
Thane continued. "The barrier follows the natural lines of the room, but aren't dictated by them. For example, it extends across the door's threshold, but isn't broken by the door being opened and closed."
"Can you take it down?" Ari asked.
Kendrick nodded. "Easily, but should we?" He turned to Thane. "Thoughts?"
Thane, then Justice sighed as they both frowned, before they began to glow with the color of their magic. Justice surprisingly spoke first. "There are no ties to any other components to trigger any traps," he said, his magic glow fading.
Thane’s magic dimmed and he looked up at the ceiling. "It's not blocking sound or smell." He pointed upward to the skylight. "Light is able to pass through."
Kendrick tapped his lips. "So, what is it for?"
