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Lazarus flew toward the city of Laguna Niguel. He moved toward an area that was more woodlands than residential areas. The street he followed flowed like a snake until it attached itself to the 405 freeway.
He flew to a spot away from the road. It was a hilly area with a dirt path connecting it. He saw more police cars parked.. The cops were talking amongst each other in hush tones as if they experience something profound. He flew along the scent of evil. He made sure he was still invisible.
A trail which wound through the hilly region was almost taken over by grass and small bushes. Nobody had been here for a long time as he could tell. A few people walked back and forth. They had shirts that said CSI imprinted on them. There was several lights set up around an area. He didn't see any plains clothed detective in sight. They probably been here already. He assumed the two detective he saw at the other crime scene might be investigated this, but he was not sure because this was in a different part of Orange County than Huntington Beach and not their jurisdiction.
He saw a large slab of white ice sitting in the middle of the path. It glisten in the sun. Lazarus landed close to the working CSI agents. None of them noticed him except a short haired brunette who look at this direction for a little but seeing nothing turned back to the large ice slab.
The short haired brunette lady was staring around the bottom of the ice slab. She knelt down. Lazarus slowly approached. He stopped before he got closer and looked at the crime scene with his magical eyesight. He saw the glowing marks of magic being expended. Shaking his head, a powerful mage created this spell he thought. He wondered how this person would have magic in this world without magic. Yet, he had magic and was using it.
Lazarus had to recall that he was in a vision, a trial created by the Lady of the Lake. This was not real. He was behind the short brunette lady. She was placing fibers into plastic clear containers. He couldn't see what she was placing in the containers from his vantage point.
Yet, his attention was captivated by the thing inside the block of ice. It was a nude woman, frozen in time of her death. Blood and guts exploded from her chest with such velocity that Lazarus thought it would be splattered all over. The dead woman's face was in a rictus of pain screaming upwards into the heaven.
He looked downwards and notice the ground was not wet or soggy with water. Lazarus estimated it was at least 70 degrees out here on this hillside. The ice block was a perfect square, and its surface gleamed back at him. Then Lazarus stepped on a large branch which made a snapping noise. He jumped into the sky.
The short haired brunette woman instantly turned around looking at the spot he was before. She shook her head and muttered something he couldn't hear. Lazarus floated upwards, feeling the warm air flow around him. These murders were gruesome, and he knew he had to solve them, but didn't know how to do that. This was not going to be easy.
He shook his head wondering why solving these murdered would help him obtain Excalibur. And then he thought about the Knight of the Round Table. The knights were supposed to uphold the laws and help people and stuff. Lazarus didn't like that he had to play by the Lady of the Lake’s rules.
Instead of wallowing in his anger, he decided to think about this logically. He need to solve this thing as soon as possible. Morgana, the Vvong Queen, was headed to Earth and he should get Excalibur before she does. He wished he had more time.
Lazarus scared down at the block of ice. There was a clue, and he had to find it. Another CSI person was walking up the small dirt path. It was a tall and skinny man with brown unkempt hair. He was carrying a large leather case.
“Lars,” the short haired brunette said. “I have been around too many dead bodies. I thought I felt somebody behind me and I also thought I heard something.”
“Cheryl,” Lars said. “I don’t hear anything. But this body is very odd. How are we supposed to get this in the van?”
Cheryl said, “It’s not our call. It is up to the chief ME. I'll call him soon. I have to check on this stuff on the ground.”
Lazarus floated closer and also looked at the spot Cheryl was kneeling by. He could see the magic glittering on the dirt, but he was surprised Cheryl could see it. He wondered if this CSI agent had some type of magic.
Lars came closer to her and also knelt down. He said, “I don't see anything.”
“Are you sure?” Cheryl said, “the dirt was glittering. I’m going to have the lab check on it.”
Lars shook his head and stared at the dead body. “I don't want to explain how this dead body got in there.”
Cheryl said, “You don't have imagination. Somebody could have placed her in liquid nitrogen. I saw enough odd dead bodies.”
“I don't care. I’m just a grunt,” Lars said. “But what made her explode like that.”
Cheryl nodded. “Probably a small bomb.”
“Yet, it is odd. Why would somebody do this elaborate death and then place her out here far away from anybody?”
“Who knows? She was eventually going to be found,” Cheryl said, “I got to make that phone call. We need somebody to carry this body back to the morgue.”
Lazarus looked at the ground where Cheryl was kneeling by and he did see something. It was like looking at a sigil. He flew higher until he saw the ground in a wide view. Lazarus shook his head. He should have seen this when he first flew here.
Lazarus saw it. Somebody created a magical signature on the ground. It was an emblem, a sigil like he would see in the Middle Ages. It was in a picture of a Viper snake. He wondered what that meant.
Lazarus flew away and realized he couldn't see this at the first body because it was on a bridge and didn't scan the surrounding water. He needed to make sure, so he flew back to the Huntington Beach.
***
LAZARUS FLEW CLOSE to the wetlands. The detectives had left and only the uniformed cops and the CSI agents where milling around the dead body. Lazarus scanned the body and the water. He instantly saw it. The magical signature of a snake was a large rock.
Lazarus was starving and his head was foggy. It had been hours since he ate. He flew toward a gas station at the corner of PCH and Warner Street. He landed and moved to the back of the strip mall. Focusing her magic, he changed back and was visible again. He saw a sandwich shop in the strip mall. He quickly went inside and smiled at the young man behind the counter. He ordered a meatball sandwich. For a brief second, he thought he lost his wallet. He found it and paid. His mind was whirling and wondered why he was so hungry. It was probably because he was using his magic for hours.
