Without a word, Rune and Mariner appeared to reach up and pluck a hair from their respective heads, while Endow took one from an eyebrow.
Noticing my confused expression, Rune explained, “It’s kind of like a mystical DNA test. Each string of hair is infused with a portion of our essence. Static will compare that to what the gear contains to determine who was present when Pinion was killed.”
I nodded, reflecting on the information that had just been presented to me. Assuming the test in question was reliable, it should adequately back up my supposition as to who the murderer was — or vice versa. Regardless, it appeared as though we were going to be able to identify the killer soon.
“You, as well,” Static said to me, interrupting my thoughts.
“What?” I muttered, momentarily baffled.
“He’s asking that you provide a sample, too,” Endow clarified.
“I get that,” I groused. “I just don’t know why. Incarnates are the only suspects, and I don’t even know if I have this ‘essence’ he’s referring to.”
“It’s for exclusionary purposes only,” Static insisted.
I shook my head. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“He wants to exclude you as the killer,” Rune chimed it.
“Which takes us back to my earlier statement,” I stressed. “Why am I even included if the murderer is an Incarnate?”
“Just go with it,” Rune said. “I’ll explain later.”
Still not happy with this turn of events, I plucked a hair from my head with my thumb and forefinger. A moment later, it began to glow with a gentle amber hue, as did the hairs from Rune, Mariner, and Endow. Following this, I felt a slight tugging on the hair, like someone trying to yank it from me.
I let it go; instead of falling to the floor, the hair went floating toward Static, as did everyone else’s. Ultimately, he had five of them in front of him. (Presumably one was his own.) I kept a close watch on mine, namely because — if this were somehow going to be determinative of who the killer was — I didn’t want there to be any confusion. (Speaking of the murderer, I kept my eye on my lead suspect, in case this turn of events caused them to do something untoward, but didn’t note them doing anything unusual.)
Unexpectedly, something like a tiny glass case formed around each hair.
“The analysis will take a little while,” Static said. “I’ll let everyone know when I’m done.”
And with that, he vanished.
Chapter 49
“Okay, explain,” I demanded. “Exactly what do I need to be excluded from?”
Rune and I, along with Endow, were back in our suite’s living room, where he had just transported us following the recent discussion with the other Incarnates.
Rune seemed to ruminate for a moment, then said, “You know how Incarnates can pretty much be in two places at once?”
“Yeah,” I conceded.
“And how we can present a false appearance?”
I nodded, thinking back to my encounter with the killer in my bedroom.
“Well,” he continued, “bearing all that in mind, there’s a possibility that on the occasions when the Incarnates met with you, it wasn’t really you.”
I concentrated, letting my brain digest that for a moment. “So you’re saying that the murderer may have pretended to be me at some point, and Static wants to identify those instances when it was actually me who was present.”
“Correct,” Endow chimed in. “For instance, if Pinion’s cog were to show your reflection at the time he was killed, but the essence identified at that time belonged to a Chomarsus–”
“It would mean that an Incarnate had pretended to be me,” I interjected.
“That’s it in a nutshell,” Rune declared.
“But if something like that happened, wouldn’t the rest of you be able to sense it?” I asked. “That is, each of you always seem to have a fix on where the others are. If the appearance changed but the essence stayed the same, wouldn’t you know?”
“Not necessarily,” Endow stated. “If I made a copy of myself but didn’t want anyone to notice it, I might broadcast my power from the original so forcefully that it overshadows the second.”
Seeing me wrestling with the concept, Rune said, “Think of it like the sun and moon being right next to each other. In that scenario, if you just look up during the day, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell that there are two heavenly bodies there, because the light from one will completely overwhelm what you would see from the other.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” I said. “So is that why you guys can’t figure out who was with Gamma and the others when they were killed? The murderer is somehow masking his trail, so to speak?”
“Basically,” Endow conceded. “But to be clear, there are other methods that will accomplish the same result, and with our current limitations, even Incarnates can’t watch for everything.”
“We simply can’t afford to spread ourselves that thin,” Rune tacked on. “Trying to do too much can be as ineffective as doing too little.”
“So let’s forget about the murderer for a second,” I said. “Let’s talk about the victims — what happens to their sivrrut when they die?”
Rune and Endow exchanged a glance, then the former replied, “It dissipates. Goes back into the ether, void. Whatever you want to call it.”
“So is there no way to pass a deceased Incarnate’s power to someone else?” I asked.
“It just doesn’t work like that,” Rune stated. “As I mentioned before, our powers aren’t like titles or possessions — they don’t get bequeathed or passed on in the way you’re suggesting.”
“Hmmm,” I droned, reflecting.
“What are you thinking?” Endow asked.
“I’m back to the question of motive,” I said. “If the murderer somehow got the power of the deceased, that might explain the killing spree. But, since that doesn’t seem likely, there’s still the question of why.”
“Any new leads on who’s the likely culprit?” Rune inquired.
His question caught me a little flat-footed, as I hadn’t planned to reveal the results of my research yet. After dawdling
