[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
them and continued to examine the room.
Toniqua went to a separate large pool of blood and dipped her finger into it.
"This isn't Caimbeul's."
"Nesswen. One of his attackers."
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Toniqua nodded. "Don't bother looking for the young wolf.
He's dead."
"Are you certain?"
"There's no spirit left in the blood."
"When you're finished, we'll go see the chieftain."
Toniqua completed her examination of the crime scene and
Pandeena chose Hathura, Meleajys, and Toniqua to walk to the manor with her.
She left Jushan, Seosaf, and Gyongy at the lawgiver house.
Myn paused to stare at them as they walked down the main street. Hathura
conspicuously Fae with his golden fans stuck through his belt. Diminutive
Toniqua, her dark brown skin with coppery tones to it, wore a pair of short
swords at her hips, and used a javelin as a walking stick. Meleajys, a
dark-skinned blond, whose lanky build stretched his ropy muscles along a
raw-boned frame, carried a Sharani longsword at his shoulders, a pair of
stilettos up his sleeves, and a brace of throwing daggers in each of the
slender baldrics crossing his chest.
Villagers nodded, but no one stopped to talk to them, even though the rumors
of what had happened at the camp were already making its way through
Wolffgard. The anger in
Pandeena's face turned them all away.
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
357
She spied Torquil standing in the awning of the smithy watching them and an
inexplicable shiver ran down her spine.
He had been at the camp three days ago helping to distribute grain to the
women there. Something about him had always seemed off-kilter and Pandeena
could never quite interpret it.
A tiger striped tomcat slipped past Torquil and darted into the smithy.
Pandeena felt a momentary startlement at the size of him, gauging him to be at
least thirty-five pounds, and nearly fifteen inches at the shoulders. He had
to have some wild blood in him; otherwise, Pandeena could not account for him.
When they reached the manor, Kissie let them inside and led them into the
Great Hall. Aisha rose from her loom and approached. Fianait nodded from her
spinning wheel and
Searlait smiled from her loom, but they did not rise. Like all the females of
Claw's household, they wore dresses with tight-laced bodices that forced their
aging breasts up at a youthful angle and provided no accommodation for shape
shifting except to the most limited degree. A full change to their hybrid form
would tear the seams of the dresses.
Kynyr Maguire sat talking to Fianait. Pandeena felt a flicker of relief to see
that he had returned at last.
"Is something wrong?" Aisha met the anger in Pandeena's eyes, steady and calm,
before flicking her glance over the newcomers.
"I need to speak with Claw."
"Is it something I can handle? I don't want him stressed.
His heart...."
"I'm sorry, Aisha. It isn't. There's been a murder."
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
358
"Have you spoken to the lawgiver?"
Kynyr Maguire swiveled in his chair, took the measure of the newcomers, and
rose to his feet, his eyes steely and considering. "Excuse me, Fianait. I'll
be back."
Pandeena's voice went chill as the north wind. "He's dead.
Page 169
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Murdered."
"Shit," Kynyr muttered under his breath, saw Finn start to rise and shook his
head at his friend with a curt hand sign to stay where he was.
Aisha sucked in a breath. "I'll take you up."
Pandeena heard a sharp exclamation and glanced at Claw's sisters. Fianait had
gone pale and Searlait was swaying as if ready to faint. She decided that when
her business was done, that it would pay to examine them both. Claw had told
her that heart problems did not run in his family, that his condition was a
fluke; yet seeing them right then made
Pandeena wonder.
Aisha led them upstairs to the Blue Room, and Kynyr trailed after them. She
went to her husband's side, and turned to look at them, her arms folded and
her air defensive, as if to somehow protect him from the news that had to be
spoken.
Claw sat in his usual spot near the hearth in the Blue
Room, whittling. A bottle of whiskey and a glass sat on the small table next
to him. A blanket had been draped across his lap, so Pandeena knew that he was
still having trouble staying warm.
Belgair, Claw's Captain of the Guard, leaning against the wall near the
hearth. He scowled at Kynyr. "Get out of here."
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
359
Kynyr gave a slight bow of his shoulders. "When Claw tells me to."
Belgair's eyes fell upon the ring that Kynyr wore, and pulled him aside.
"Where did you get that?"
"It was my grandfather's. Tarrant Redhand."
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Pandeena caught the hostile edge in their voices, wondering what was going on
between Belgair and Kynyr.
Kynyr stepped to Claw's side, his expression filled with ice and steel as he
laid his hand on Claw's shoulder.
"Grandfather, there's trouble."
The chieftain placed his hand over Kynyr's. "We'll deal with it."
If Pandeena had not felt so overburdened by grief and rage, she would have
rejoiced to see that Kynyr had finally taken his proper place at Claw's side.
"I'm grateful that you've returned, Prince Kynyr."
Belgair looked as if he had been pole-axed.
Claw glanced at the newcomers. "What's happened? Who are these people?"
Pandeena dropped into a chair beside Claw. "My guards.
Hathura from Faewin, Toniqua from Dobohmeer in Jedrua, Meleajys from Shaurone.
I sent for them. There was a series of murders last night. The shrine has been
desecrated."
Kynyr tensed, focusing tightly on Pandeena. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
them and continued to examine the room.
Toniqua went to a separate large pool of blood and dipped her finger into it.
"This isn't Caimbeul's."
"Nesswen. One of his attackers."
Page 168
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Toniqua nodded. "Don't bother looking for the young wolf.
He's dead."
"Are you certain?"
"There's no spirit left in the blood."
"When you're finished, we'll go see the chieftain."
Toniqua completed her examination of the crime scene and
Pandeena chose Hathura, Meleajys, and Toniqua to walk to the manor with her.
She left Jushan, Seosaf, and Gyongy at the lawgiver house.
Myn paused to stare at them as they walked down the main street. Hathura
conspicuously Fae with his golden fans stuck through his belt. Diminutive
Toniqua, her dark brown skin with coppery tones to it, wore a pair of short
swords at her hips, and used a javelin as a walking stick. Meleajys, a
dark-skinned blond, whose lanky build stretched his ropy muscles along a
raw-boned frame, carried a Sharani longsword at his shoulders, a pair of
stilettos up his sleeves, and a brace of throwing daggers in each of the
slender baldrics crossing his chest.
Villagers nodded, but no one stopped to talk to them, even though the rumors
of what had happened at the camp were already making its way through
Wolffgard. The anger in
Pandeena's face turned them all away.
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
357
She spied Torquil standing in the awning of the smithy watching them and an
inexplicable shiver ran down her spine.
He had been at the camp three days ago helping to distribute grain to the
women there. Something about him had always seemed off-kilter and Pandeena
could never quite interpret it.
A tiger striped tomcat slipped past Torquil and darted into the smithy.
Pandeena felt a momentary startlement at the size of him, gauging him to be at
least thirty-five pounds, and nearly fifteen inches at the shoulders. He had
to have some wild blood in him; otherwise, Pandeena could not account for him.
When they reached the manor, Kissie let them inside and led them into the
Great Hall. Aisha rose from her loom and approached. Fianait nodded from her
spinning wheel and
Searlait smiled from her loom, but they did not rise. Like all the females of
Claw's household, they wore dresses with tight-laced bodices that forced their
aging breasts up at a youthful angle and provided no accommodation for shape
shifting except to the most limited degree. A full change to their hybrid form
would tear the seams of the dresses.
Kynyr Maguire sat talking to Fianait. Pandeena felt a flicker of relief to see
that he had returned at last.
"Is something wrong?" Aisha met the anger in Pandeena's eyes, steady and calm,
before flicking her glance over the newcomers.
"I need to speak with Claw."
"Is it something I can handle? I don't want him stressed.
His heart...."
"I'm sorry, Aisha. It isn't. There's been a murder."
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
358
"Have you spoken to the lawgiver?"
Kynyr Maguire swiveled in his chair, took the measure of the newcomers, and
rose to his feet, his eyes steely and considering. "Excuse me, Fianait. I'll
be back."
Pandeena's voice went chill as the north wind. "He's dead.
Page 169
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Murdered."
"Shit," Kynyr muttered under his breath, saw Finn start to rise and shook his
head at his friend with a curt hand sign to stay where he was.
Aisha sucked in a breath. "I'll take you up."
Pandeena heard a sharp exclamation and glanced at Claw's sisters. Fianait had
gone pale and Searlait was swaying as if ready to faint. She decided that when
her business was done, that it would pay to examine them both. Claw had told
her that heart problems did not run in his family, that his condition was a
fluke; yet seeing them right then made
Pandeena wonder.
Aisha led them upstairs to the Blue Room, and Kynyr trailed after them. She
went to her husband's side, and turned to look at them, her arms folded and
her air defensive, as if to somehow protect him from the news that had to be
spoken.
Claw sat in his usual spot near the hearth in the Blue
Room, whittling. A bottle of whiskey and a glass sat on the small table next
to him. A blanket had been draped across his lap, so Pandeena knew that he was
still having trouble staying warm.
Belgair, Claw's Captain of the Guard, leaning against the wall near the
hearth. He scowled at Kynyr. "Get out of here."
Kynyr's War [Lycan Blood Vol. IV]
by Janrae Frank
359
Kynyr gave a slight bow of his shoulders. "When Claw tells me to."
Belgair's eyes fell upon the ring that Kynyr wore, and pulled him aside.
"Where did you get that?"
"It was my grandfather's. Tarrant Redhand."
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Pandeena caught the hostile edge in their voices, wondering what was going on
between Belgair and Kynyr.
Kynyr stepped to Claw's side, his expression filled with ice and steel as he
laid his hand on Claw's shoulder.
"Grandfather, there's trouble."
The chieftain placed his hand over Kynyr's. "We'll deal with it."
If Pandeena had not felt so overburdened by grief and rage, she would have
rejoiced to see that Kynyr had finally taken his proper place at Claw's side.
"I'm grateful that you've returned, Prince Kynyr."
Belgair looked as if he had been pole-axed.
Claw glanced at the newcomers. "What's happened? Who are these people?"
Pandeena dropped into a chair beside Claw. "My guards.
Hathura from Faewin, Toniqua from Dobohmeer in Jedrua, Meleajys from Shaurone.
I sent for them. There was a series of murders last night. The shrine has been
desecrated."
Kynyr tensed, focusing tightly on Pandeena. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]