Paul walks Caester.
The city is unique; in it’s own way it as close to being a solo as any place can ever get. Long ago in the past the Daemons had attacked a version of the city on some small world close to shades. Some say it was the first mass assault on the realities the Daemons ever carried out. Legends tell of how they dropped out of the sky and caused the deaths of millions across the plain in a single heart beat. The world fell to them before anyone could draw breath and their beliefs imposing themselves on the shattered remains for the real world; reshaping it into daemon plains of fog and fear.
And yet despite the speed of the assault, Caester had stood firm. Something about the people in the city, the walls and the mass of history at the site had held it in place; gave it belief and kept the destruction out side. Whilst the rest of the world fell to Blakks minions, the city remained: The one last bastion against the evil, trapped in the middle of a daemonic world. Ever on the watch for the next attack that may lead to it’s destruction.
But such events are not with out long term effects. The power in reality once used to stabilise the whole world focused on the city, gifting it the ability to reach out to all the other versions of itself across the other realities drawing strength from them. Thus the labyrinth was born, allowing those with knowledge of the paths, or the talents to find them, to walk the strands. It gives ways to reach multitudes of other worlds far away; routes used to resupply the city under siege and to hold it despite what the daemons threaten to do. Because in truth no one knows what will happened if that first Caseter ever falls and the Daemons gain full control of the whole reality.

His feet feeling for the paths; those areas of clarity that indicates the routes leading to other versions of the city lying in far distant universes.  As he walks around him the world shifts to show briefly the worlds he is skirting through on is travels. Concrete paths give way to cobbles give way to dirt and then up onto wooden stairs and along stone blocks. Around him the buildings slowly morph through time. Roman Stone walls fade into wattle and daub and then solidify into brick before smoothing into glass. Around him the populace in the worlds he skirts through are glimpsed as translucent ghosts which flicker in and out of existence. They are not what he is looking for, He is after the thing that doesn’t change. The odd constants in the shifting world – the others walking the city, and he is all too aware they could be anywhere in this Labyrinth.  

He did this once before, long ago. An exercise in futility Aaron had called it, but something about the challenge had drawn him to it. Like some massive string sculpture. Following each stand to it’s end and then turning and going again.
Then it was a “because you can.”
This time his stride has more purpose.
This time he is hunting.
Not to say last time had not been profitable. Avoiding the maps and guides and following instinct had shown him a number of older paths longs forgotten, and a few that had been deliberately hidden, like Silas’s home world. That discovery lead to an angry confrontation with Aaron in an isolated Welsh pub, almost as if the man though he had deliberately been snooping on him, when for once Paul hadn’t been. Still it had roused his interest in the world.
Given the location of the body on an unrecorded path it seems all too likely that the murdered is doing something similar. Which both intrigues him and worries him; there are few with the skill and control that requires.
The destination of the path was not lost on him either. Silas’s home world. and Silas recognised the victim. He is pretty confident this is not really his battle.
But still he walks.
It is a puzzle and the one thing that always get him is a puzzle to pit is mind against.
Besides, they involved Rae, and the irritation at how this will effect his love is enough to drive him on.

But so far there are no answers. There are only foot steps.

+*+
Prydan knocks on the heavy door of St Peters. The door is pushed open by a short woman in a nuns habit that only exposes her thin face and sharp unpleasant dark eyes. Prydan recognises her from the odd times she had gate crashed her way into official town meetings with some issue or other, the formidable Sister Ruth. She states up at the Watch man.
 “Yes.” Her challenge is firm despite the age of the woman.
Prydan pulls out his warrant card almost as a defence against her attitude.
“I know who you are. What do you want?” She responds.
“Can I come in?”
“No. This is a house of god not a secular establishment.”
“I need to talk to you about a woman who was staying here.“ Prydan states.
“We offer complete confidentiality Watchman.” She shuts him down.
Prydan pauses, counting to ten to calm down.
“It’s ok Sister.” The voice comes from behind him and he turns to see Rae walking up. She is looking rough and concerned. Obviously she has come straight from talking to Silas.
Sister Ruth stares at her.
“I’ll vouch for him. This is important.”
“Well if you must.” She opens the door to let them in. The lobby is a small hall way. A pair of double doors ahead of them which leads on into the rest of the structure, and a smaller door leading to an office come waiting area at the side. Prydan is surprised that now they are inside the church there is little in the way of religious iconography.
They are quickly ushered into an office an as there are only two seats Prydan elects to stands and let Rae sit.
“Amy.” Rae states flatly.
“She left.” Sister Ruth responds. “She could not fit in here. There was too much hate in her soul and she was disturbing the others.”
“I’m sorry.” Rae apologies. “When did she leave?”
“Time has little meaning here but she was with us only a few days. I thought at first she was settling in. She seemed to be finding some level of peace in our meditations. But something happened. She became disturbed after we were visited by one of our pioneers, thought I can not firmly say that her decline was directly connected with the visit.”
“Did she talk to any one whilst she was here?” Prydan asks.
Sister Ruth looks at him as if he has coughed up a stoat. “We are a silent order.”

+*+
“Oh I feel stupid.” Prydan confesses as the door closes behind him.
“How would you know? You are not exactly welcome in there. Wrong sex, wrong job.” Rae points out. She removes a cigarette from a small leather pouch and sticks it into her mouth, using a matt black lighter to light it. As she takes her first drag she offers the case to Prydan.
“No thanks.”
She shrugs and breaths in deeply.
“Well that was a dead end.” Prydan observes, scanning round the roads as if trying to work out where to go next.
“No it wasn’t.” Rae contradicts him. “The Pioneer. Something about her upset Amy and got her on the run again. We need to find her.”
“I don’t think they are going to be much help.” He gestures back at the door.
“No. But the pioneers play a very important role in St Peters. Whilst the nuns remain inside the church they go out into the realities and learn what they can of the events outside, and then return to bring the nuns up to speed. They are the only direct link the sisters have with the realties. That pioneer came from somewhere out there,” She points towards East Gate and the city walls, “which means they must have entered Caester.”
“And some one must have recorded it. I’ll go and requisition the watch gate records.” He starts down the road and then stops realising she is not following. “You coming.”
She finishes the cigarette. “No. I have something else I need to do. But if I hear anything I’ll make sure you know.”
She heads for East gate.
+*+

Prydan heads for the town hall. Ordinarily he would leave such mundane paper work to one of the watch, but this is too important not to follow up himself. He slips in through a smaller door in the large wooden arch and heads for the reception desk to sign in.
The records are stored under ground in a series of rooms connected by passageways and tunnels. Prydan locates the gate records quickly enough and slipping on the soft cotton gloves prepares for a long night working through the reports from each gate looking for the entry record for a silent Pioneer.

Though he quickly finds the record of Amy’s arrival via East gate (with Rae, he notes, who left quickly afterwards) it takes him five hours to confirm there is no record of her departure.
Or indeed any sign of the Silent Pioneer.