The small dragon bit her ear without drawing blood; his eye rolling would have been at home on a Barrani face, if Barrani faces had contained eyes that looked like black opals.
I dont care, she snapped. You can do whatever youre doing without destroying food.
Perhaps he means to imply that the furniture is more valuable than the food.
Maybe it was. You cant eat furniture, Kaylin replied. Believe me. Ive been hungry enough to try. Not that she had any memory of that herselfbut she dimly remembered the humorous stories that had sprung from the attempt. She set the tray on the ground nearest the girl whod carried it so precariously into the room.
The cloud descended until it touched the surface of the table. From there, it rose. No, Kaylin thought, it unfolded, springing up in all directions from the wooden surface as if it had absorbed the base property and structure of the wood and was transforming it. What emerged, growing as if by layer, was something that might, in a nightmare, be a...dollhouse. It had what appeared to be doors. It had walls. It had a roofor multiple roofs, as the various stories of the building, misaligned and not by any means entirely straight, expanded. It had towers, and one of these reached the height of ceilings that were much more generous than Kaylins previous home had once had.
Kaylin might have found it as magical an experience as Kattea clearly did, had her skin not ached so badly. Even her forehead throbbed; the only mark on her skin that didnt hurt was the mark Nightshade had left there.
What is this? she asked.
Shaking his head, Gilbert said, You must ask your companion; it is not a structure of my choosing.
But it grew in response to your answer.
Yes. Gilbert knelt by the side of what could no longer be called a table, studying the structure that had replaced it.
Records? Kaylin asked Teela.
Teela blinked and then nodded. The Sergeant is not going to be happy.
Not very, noespecially since we havent even started on the crime scene yet.
* * *
The crack in the road was still there when they left the house Gilbert and Kattea occupied. The small dragon had more to sayand volublybefore they were allowed to depart. In all, it was almost embarrassing. But Bellusdeo allowed it. Her eyes were a deep, unfortunate orange, but at least they were orange. Kaylin avoided thinking about how she would have explained bloodred to any other Dragon.
In theory, the only one that countedand was indirectly responsible for her paywas the Emperor. Kaylin missed a step. Since the ground was flat, she didnt end up fallingbut she did stumble, righting herself only because of long years of drill-yard training. Sadly, she wasnt exactly graceful about it.
I feel exactly the same way was Teelas curt response. I hope this doesnt generate another fifty reports. Or a demotion. Dont make that faceyou dont have anywhere to go. Youre already a private.
If theres no down, theres always out was Kaylins gloomy reply.
What are you worried about this time? I know that expression. Youre not actually worried about a living Shadow in the heart of the city; you arent even thinking about the murders.
I am, she said morosely. She glanced at Bellusdeo. I have an appointment at the Palace tomorrow night.
In Imperial defense, the etiquette lessons do seem to be having some effect.
Besides the headaches?
Besides those, yes. I admit a grudging respect for Lord Diarmats pigheadedness. Hes lasted far longer than anyone else who suffers under the same pretensionsat least when dealing with you.
* * *
The shift of Hawks left on the murder premises was scantand annoyed. Kaylin recognized both. Sorry, Gavin, she said to the older man. We ran into a small problem on the Winding Path and had to take a detour.
Gavin was not quite of the same school as Mallory, Kaylins avowed enemybut he wasnt part of Marcuss office the way Teela and Tain were, either. He was as crisp as Diarmat on a bad day, his face etched into lines that implied his frownand he was frowningwas a permanent fixture.
His partner, Lianne, was both younger and more friendly. She offered Kaylin a sympathetic smile from behind Gavins left shoulder. Was the problem dangerous?
We thought it might have something to do with the murders, Kaylin offered.
That dimmed Liannes smile, or rather shifted it into something more brisk.
Both Gavin and Lianne were mortal and human. Gavin could remember a time when Marcus had not been sergeant, and Barrani were new to the force. He was probably still grumpy about their induction, but at least he had grown accustomed to their presence.
He did, however, raise an iron brow when he caught sight of Bellusdeo.
Shes with me, Kaylin said. By Imperial dictate.
Permission, Bellusdeo said, correcting her. I am here with Imperial permission.
You must be Lord Bellusdeo.
I am Bellusdeo, yes. I am not a Lord of the Dragon Court. Gavin opened his mouth, but Bellusdeo continued speaking. I am in the process of becoming a mage of the Imperial Order. I have the ability; I lack the paperwork.
She has the Emperors personal permission, Kaylin said, wishing Joey had been the Hawk on duty instead of Gavin. The paperwork, while theoretically important, is irrelevant. Anything that can even bruise her can turn at least three of us into pulped corpses.
Lianne stepped around Gavin and offered Bellusdeo a hand, which the Dragon accepted. I heard about what you did at the High Halls. If it werent for you, our losses would have been much heavier. Im Private Tsaros. Lianne. My partner is Master Corporal Gavin Karannis. Hes a stickler for details; it makes him very valuable to the force.
That, Teela cut in, is why we have Records.
Records, Gavin observed, are not run on a schedule. And clearly, the Hawks sense of schedule is lacking. He turned to Kaylin. Private, you have been asked to review the evidence, the building and the bodies themselves. The Imperial mages have been and gone; I am to discuss their verbal reports with you after you have had a chance to assess the situation. And what, he demanded, is that on your shoulder?
Before she could answerand she was honestly surprised at the question, given it had been weeks since the familiars appearance in the Hallshe continued, Unless it is an active part of investigative duties, Hawks are not permitted to bring pets on their rounds.
The small dragon hissed.
Gavin did not look impressed. On the other hand, Gavin frequently confronted a face full of bristling Leontine without lifting a brow.
Kaylin glanced at the small, annoyed dragon. Theres no point squawking at him. He barely blinks when Marcus does it.
* * *
Kaylin wondered who had occupied Gilberts current home prior to Gilberts tenancyshed have to check Records to see if there was any information. The house directly across the street, which was under investigation, was slightly larger; it was in decent condition. The groundssmall though they werehad been partially given to vegetables and fruits, but those patches were mostly tucked in the back. The front, which faced Gilberts home and the rest of the street, was neatly fenced in; the fence and gate were wooden.
They appeared, to Kaylin, to be perfectly normal.
But most of lifeand the crimes that accompanied itactually was. Kaylin saw a fair bit of the magical and the unexplainable, but that didnt warp her view of the world. For the most part, magic that threatened worlds was the subject of stories or legends. Magic that made the world run smoothlymirrors, mirror networks, streetlampsalmost didnt count as magic to most of the citizens of Elantra. Or at least to the citizens with money.
Kaylin had grown up on streets where night brought Ferals, not streetlight.
She shook herself. Gavin was giving her the stoic stink-eye, and if she resented the expression, she knew she also deserved it. She hadnt figured out how to mention Gilbert and Kattea, although she knew she had to say something eventually.
Hey, she said to the familiar, can you lend me a wing?
The familiar cast a baleful glare at the master corporal, but lifted a rigid wing anyway. He did not smack Kaylin across the face with it; apparently, he was going to be on his best behavior.
What exactly are you doing, Private?
The small dragons wing is like a magical filter, she replied. Shed practiced this explanation, but hadnt yet needed to use it. In special circumstances, viewing magic or areas touched by magic through his wings reveals elements that arent visible to normal investigative procedures.
He did raise a brow then, as if he knew shed practiced saying pretty much exactly that. This has been tested?
Yes. Extensively. But thats a matter for
The Barrani High Court, Teela said.
Arcanists? the master corporal asked, his disdain practically freezing the syllables.
The familiar is in the possession of the private. Do you imagine that she has done work at the behest of an Arcanist, ever?
Gavin pursed his lips briefly. Private Neya? No. Her opinion on Arcanists is well-known. This was tested in exemption-based investigation, then?
Teela nodded. It involved Barrani, and only Barrani, with the exception of Lord Kaylin and Lord Severn. I did, on the other hand, have reason to confirm that the wing of her familiar does exactly what she says it does. The circumstances were rather more dire. We should not be in danger here.
Gavin didnt ask. Lianne looked as if she desperately wanted tobut not in front of Teela. Smart.
Chapter 5
The house had a crowded and untidy vestibule. There were six pairs of boots, though none were of a size suitable for children. None of the victims were likely to be young, which was as much of a relief as she could expect in a murder investigation.
Regardless, the shoes, the coats and the various bits of furniture were not, in any way, magical. They looked the same no matter how anyone present viewed them.
The hall that led into the house from the vestibule was the same: slightly lived in, but also in decent repair. Worn rugs had been placed over slightly less well-worn floorboards that creaked a lot less under weight than her first apartment had. The sitting room was closest to the front of the house, on the right when facing in; on the left were stairs, beneath which was a door.
There were doors that implied other rooms, and a wide, brightly lit space at the back of the house that looked into the common yard.
Nothing about any of the house itself indicated use of magic. Nothing made Kaylins skin ache, and nothing like the cracked street outside appeared when she looked through her familiars wing.
Youre wondering why we were sent here, Teela correctly surmised.
Kind of, yes. Do you see anything that implies magics been used here recently? Its not particularly easy to magically kill a manor threeand it would leave some markers. It would be faster and less easily traced to kill them in any of the more familiar, mundane ways, which would still require Hawks to investigate, but not this particular set.
Teelas compressed lips made it clear that the answer was no. She turned to Gavin, who was also tight-lipped and about as friendly as he ever got when the sanity of the people making the decisions was in question.
Where are the bodies? Kaylin asked.
Downstairs.
Downstairs?
In the basement.
Ugh.
* * *
Kaylin didnt particularly like basements. She couldnt imagine that anyone did, except for small rodents and large insects. She was the shortest of the Hawks present, but even she couldnt stand up at full height once they reached the bottom of stairs that had probably been a hazard from the day they were first built. Bellusdeo offered to enlarge the basement by sinking the floor, which Kaylin assumed was a jokeuntil she saw Teelas thoughtful expression.
Gavin, however, uttered a very distinct, very chilly no. He followed it up with a lecture on structural stability that only Bellusdeo found relevant. The bodies, he added, are to the left. He carried a lamp, which bounced off rough walls and rough floors in a way that seemed almost calculated to make them less appealing. Teela had clearly had enough of this and conjured up a magical light of her own, which had the predictable effect of raising goose bumps on Kaylins skin.
And her marks were glowing. Here, they emitted a glow that extended for yards, but they werent as bright as Teelas light, and definitely not as directionally useful.
Who reported this to the Halls? Tain asked. He was generally content to let Teela do the talking, but Teela seemed preoccupied.
Gavin answered the question as if hed expected it. The daughter. A family of four lives here. One of the four is in the basement, along with two of his friends.
The rest of the family was unharmed?
The rest of the family was, apparently, asleep.
They heard nothing?
No.
When did they discover the bodies?
Early morning.
Are they here?
Theyre at church, at the moment. The daughter is young, and I believe her mother wished to distract her. Weve interviewed the mother and the father. Their son was one of the victims.
The mages have left?
An hour ago. Had you wished to speak with them, you might have arrived at the expected time.
Imperial mages treated Teela with grudging respecttheyd never once demanded proof of her magical competence when shed chosen to reveal anybut they treated Kaylin as if she were new to both the Hawks and the basic concepts of magic itself.
She was willing to admitto herself, in privatethat she didnt know as much magical theory as she probably should by now. But if theyd bothered to check, theyd see that her reports were filed as part of official evidence and observation in dozens of investigations. She hated to have to justify her existence every single time she met a member of the Imperium.
Today, given the distraction of Gilbert and Kattea, she wouldnt have to. Shed have to justify her tardiness to Marcus, but claws and growled threats of losing her throat didnt irritate her nearly as much as Imperial mages did.
The small dragon squawked volubly. Kaylin slid her hand over her ear in a vain attempt to preserve some of her hearing. I get it, she told the annoyedand annoyingfamiliar.