The following takes place following Bearding the Dragon and before Smoldering.



*Max watches helplessly as the lighter falls; Greyson falling forward to try and beat gravity for the Zippo. In the end, neither Mekhet is fast enough; and Max watches in slow motion as a fireball springs to life from the gasoline soaked carpet. In an instant his vision is blurred by red waves of fire. And pain...


Instinctively Max closes his eyes, feeling the heat wash over him and flames lick away bits of his hands and arms. He fights back the fear and anger, forcing his Beast back into the cage he kept it in. Once he opens his eyes, Max finds his companions have fled the Chapter House; the Reeve standing alone in a fog bank of fire suppressant.


He sighs softly, dipping his arms in the rolling mists to extinguish the burning embers that were once skin; the Reeve shaking his head in annoyance as his fingertips crumble away into ash. Finally the rivulets of gently glowing flame stop flowing up Max's arm; and the Reeve can finally take stock of his situation.


Reaching for his phone, Max leaves smudges of himself on his pants as he digs in his pants pocket. He sends a text to Vere's phone, wondering if he could goad the attacker into answering. And sure enough, an answer does come; but without an accompanying sound from inside the Chapter House. At least Max knew he was truly alone in the house.


The time to track down the murderer would come, right now Max had to make sure the Dragon's house was not violated any more than it already was. The thin Mekhet slowly works from from to room; checking for anything out of place, any item disturbed from where it should be.


It's with great relief he finds the library still intact, the knowledge contained there in the most valuable thing in the Chapter House. And it's greatest danger resided below, in the basement. His face grimaces in pain as he grips the door handle; raw nerves shooting shock waves through his arm as Max turns the handle. Auspex enhanced vision gives him a clear view of the Chapter House's only permanent resident, still right where he should be.


Once more closing the door and locking it back, the Reeve closes his eyes; shutting out the outside world and the pain in his hands and arms to allow his mind to focus. Max works his way mentally back through the Chapter House and what he had seen, the Mekhet now able to begin cataloging the few clues he had found.


The lighter that dropped onto the floor. The remains of the former head of the Dragons. Burned clothes in a fireplace. As Max opens his eyes, he decides to investigate the lighter first. If he know who last held it, the other clues would be irrelevant.


Max makes his way back to the scorched patch of carpet, the smell of gasoline still thick in the air He bends down to pick up the lighter; fingers burned away to nubs reaching out to pick up the Zippo. Once more the Reeve closes his eyes, this time focusing on the metallic lighter in his hand.


A flash of light as the unseen assailant rotates the little wheel; flint grinding against steel as showers of sparks ignite the fuel-soaked wick. A soft “tink” as a simple wedding band hits the lighter, and a second later the vision ends.


Max sighs, placing the lighter in a pocket and making his way into the room. Once more he kneels, this time what's left of his fingers running through the ash pile that was once his fellow Dragon. For a few terrifying moments, Max can feel the life being drained from the man who had once been the leader of the Ordo in Sacramento; then something more. With a shiver of revulsion, the Reeve can feel Veres' very soul being sucked from his body. The vision can't end soon enough for Max, who stands and quickly leaves the room to investigate the last piece of evidence he'd found.


Max makes his way to the fireplace and the pile of burned remnants of the clothes within. It was probably the first time anything had been burned in the Chapter House in years, and what few threads were left gave no indication of what kind of clothing it was. Max starts to reach for the shreds of cloth, then pulls back, thinking better of it. He'd already had one close call for the night; he didn't wanted to end up like Lance and Conner, fleeing into the night. There probably wasn't enough material left to get a proper impression anyway...


The Reeve can only sigh, he had found some clues but nothing definite; clues that lead only to more questions. The mental focus of the investigation slowly fading, Max can once more feel the pain in his hands and arms returning; the Reeve deciding nothing more could be done at the Chapter House tonight.


He takes out his phone, grimacing in pain as he reaches into his pocket. A quick phone call to Samantha, Max telling his Ghoul to take a taxi to meet him at the Dragon's meeting place. As he's about to put the phone away, he notices a call from the Harpy. The concern from the woman was touching, but Max did not want to risk going out in public burned as he was.


He'd answer in time; once he was safely home and beginning to heal. As he walks out the backdoor to meet Samantha, Max happens to look down; the Reeve able to make out the faint outline of a muddy shoe print where none should have been. Some sort of sneaker, Max would venture; unisex and neither too large for a woman nor too small for a man.


Max can only shake his head, more clues that brought only questions. The only thing he knew for sure after his investigation was more trouble was brewing in Sacramento. At least somethings never changed...*