I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Zafron looked up, meeting her worried gaze. "I\'m sorry I scared you," he said gently.

Mara shook her head, continuing, "It was awful, Zafron. You were barely conscious. I\'ve never felt so helpless in my life..... except for the time Gustavo almost killed you."

As Zafron opened his mouth to respond, a sudden knock at the door made them both freeze.

The room fell silent, the only sound the faint clattering of dishes from the kitchen where Matilda was tidying up.

A moment passed, and then another knock, more insistent this time.

Zafron began to rise, but Mara held up a hand. "No, you sit back and finish your food. I\'ll go see who it is."

With a nod, Zafron settled back into his chair as Mara hurried to the door. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, wondering who could be at the door and what they might want.

Mara reached for the handle, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door.

As the door swung open, Mara\'s eyes widened in surprise. Before her stood a man dressed in a crisp red shirt and white trousers, his attention fixed on a sheet of paper in his hand.

Mara felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized the uniform of the Enforcers.

\'Is this not an Enforcer?\' she thought, her mind racing. \'This can\'t be good. The Enforcers never bring good news, especially when they show up at your doorstep.\'

"Good day," Mara managed, her voice slightly shaky.

The man didn\'t respond immediately, his eyes still fixed on whatever he was writing. Mara stood in uncomfortable silence, afraid to say or do anything that might offend him.

After what felt like an eternity, the Enforcer finally looked up, acknowledging her presence. "How was your night?" he asked, his tone neutral.

Mara blinked, taken aback by the seemingly casual question. \'Is this how they operate in Drakoria?\' she wondered.

"It was... fine, thank you," she replied cautiously.

The Enforcer nodded, then continued, "Did you hear anything suspicious last night?"

Mara opened her mouth, ready to mention Zafron\'s incident, but hesitated as the Enforcer added, "Two dead bodies were found a few blocks away."

Her breath caught in her throat. Dead bodies? A few blocks away? Didn\'t Zafron mention he was robbed a few blocks away? Could he have...maybe?

Suddenly, Zafron\'s injuries from the night before took on a whole new, potentially sinister meaning.

"By the gods, that\'s awful!!" she said, buying time to decide how much to reveal. Zafron did get into it in yesterday night and came back with serious injuries. But then again, dead bodies involved? She knew she was better off keeping this information away from them. "What exactly happened?"

The Enforcer\'s face remained impassive as he continued, "The mystery behind their deaths is yet to be uncovered. Their bodies were found this morning, but they don\'t appear to be gang members involved in typical turf wars. We\'re going door-to-door to check if everything was alright last night and if anyone was affected or noticed anything unusual."

Mara\'s mind raced, weighing her options. She thought about Zafron\'s ordeal but decided against mentioning it. \'There\'s no need to involve Zafron or any of us with the Enforcers,\' she reasoned. \'As long as Zafron didn\'t die, we don\'t need to complicate things. Who knows if it\'s even connected to those deaths?\'

Taking a deep breath, Mara replied, "Nothing happened here last night. Everything was perfectly fine."

Just as she finished speaking, another Enforcer approached.

He spoke in a low voice to his colleague, "There\'s nothing from the other houses. It\'s as if the killer only targeted those specific victims."

The first Enforcer nodded, then turned back to Mara. "Thank you for your time, ma\'am. If you remember anything or notice anything suspicious, please don\'t hesitate to inform us."

With that, both Enforcers turned and walked away, leaving Mara standing in the doorway, her heart pounding.

\'Is Zafron connected to these deaths?\' she wondered, but she suddenly heard some voices speaking across the street.

\'What are they talking about? Is it about the deaths?\'

Her curiosity got the better of her and she stepped out onto the street, her eyes darting around as she tried to appear nonchalant.

A small crowd had gathered nearby, their voices a mix of hushed whispers and animated debate. She meandered closer, straining to catch snippets of their conversation.

"It\'s been ages since we\'ve had anything like this," an older woman was saying, her voice tinged with worry. "Gang members or robbers killing people in the streets? I thought those days were behind us."

A man with a gruff voice interjected, "No, it couldn\'t have been robbers. I heard the bodies still had money on them. What kind of thief leaves cash behind?"

"Maybe it was gangsters then," another voice chimed in. "Some kind of turf war or revenge killing?"

"But the Enforcer said they weren\'t gang members," a younger woman pointed out. "It doesn\'t make any sense."

"Perhaps it was some kind of ritual killing," an elderly man suggested, his voice low and ominous. "You never know what dark forces are at work in this city."

"Don\'t be ridiculous," someone else scoffed. "This isn\'t some fantasy novel. Besides, we are not like those people in Lumina that practice dark magic. There has to be a logical explanation."

As Mara continued her stroll, her ears perked up at the mention of a top detective. She slowed her pace, trying to catch more of the conversation without appearing too interested.

"The truth will soon be out, I heard one of the Enforcers say they\'re bringing in that famous detective," a young man whispered excitedly. "You know, the one who solves all those impossible cases?"

An older woman nodded sagely. "Oh yes, I\'ve heard of him. What\'s that his name?"

Another chimed in, "Officer Steele! That\'s his name."

"Remember the Crimson Serpent gang case?" another man chimed in. "Five rival gang leaders found dead, looked like they\'d killed each other. But Steele proved it was all orchestrated by the Serpents\' boss."

"And don\'t forget the Shadow gang Strangler," the first man added. "Three attempted murders, perfectly staged to look like accidents. Steele cracked that one in two days! I don\'t think this particular one will take a day to crack it."

The woman leaned in, lowering her voice. "I heard he even solved Noble Blake\'s son\'s \'suicide\'. Turns out it was a covered-up murder by his business partner. Steele found evidence everyone else missed."

"Oh, and the Dockside Massacr—"

Mara quickened her steps, unable to bear hearing more.

\'A genius detective who\'s solved all these impossible cases? Gang-related deaths, attempted murders, covered-up crimes... If he\'s coming here, and if Zafron is somehow involved...\'

She shook her head, trying to dispel the thought.

She found a small, secluded corner at the end of the street, pretending to search for something she\'d dropped.

Her eyes darted around, ensuring no one was paying attention to her. Satisfied she was alone, she turned back towards home, her mind racing.

\'Could there be a connection?\' she wondered, her thoughts a tumultuous whirlwind. \'Zafron\'s robbery last night and those... those deaths they\'re talking about in the streets? It can\'t be, can it?\'

She quickened her pace, her brow furrowed in concentration. \'He didn\'t even tell us where he was robbed. Why? Was he hiding something? No, no, Zafron wouldn\'t... would he?\'

But the seed of doubt had been planted, and it refused to be ignored. \'Those injuries, though... They seemed too severe for a simple robbery. And the way he looked when he came home – it was like he\'d seen a ghost.\'

Mara\'s steps faltered as a terrifying thought struck her. \'If he is involved – and that\'s a big if – what does that mean for us? For me and Matilda? We treated his wounds, we...we could be accomplices.\'

She resumed walking, her pace now almost frantic. \'No, I can\'t think like that. I won\'t. Zafron\'s not a killer, he can\'t even. Not that he is weak but handling two men on his own? There has to be another explanation.\'

As she approached their house, Mara took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. \'Whatever happened, whatever the truth is, I hope to all that\'s holy that Zafron isn\'t mixed up in this. Because if he is...\'

Mara closed her eyes, steeling herself as she held the knob, ready to swing it open. \'Should I ask him?\' she wondered.

\'I believe he\'d have told me if there\'s anything wrong. Well, whatever the case might be, we\'ll get to the bottom of it, and everything will be fine. It has to be.\'