Free Dragon Precinct by Keith R. A. DeCandido Page A

out, Sir Rommett.”
    His tone turning obsequious, Rommett said, “Oh, of course you are, General, of course you are, but that can wait, I’m sure. We have a carriage downstairs, along with a full escort of guards to ensure your safe passage. The guards were handpicked by Captain Osric himself.” He looked up at Danthres, and the obsequiousness gave way to a harder tone. “Your supervisor, if memory serves. I will be speaking with him soon, of that you can rest assured, Lieutenant . I suggest you go home and figure out what line of work is available to a woman of your severely limited charm and good looks, because I can assure you that the Guard will not be an option for you much longer.”
    Torin grabbed Danthres by the arm and shook his head quickly, before she could react. Don’t make this any worse than it already is, he thought as fervently as he could. As it was, if Osric had been forced to assemble an escort in the middle of the night, he was going to be sharpening his dagger down to the size of a toothpick come sunup.
    Within moments, Ubàrlig had collected a few changes of clothes, his figurines, and his axe, and Rommett brought him downstairs. Before leaving, the dwarf assured Torin that he would continue to cooperate in any way necessary.
    As soon as the door shut behind them, Danthres pounded a fist on the desk. “I’m still waiting for him to start cooperating! And now this!”
    “It’s not surprising,” Torin said. “When it was just Brightblade, and it looked like it at least might be an accident, that was one thing. But there’s no way lothSirhans accidentally snapped his own neck while composing a letter. And he is Olthar lothSirhans.”
    Danthres waved him off. “Yes, yes, I know, the great hero who went against the wishes of his aunt the Elf Queen, and so on. I’ve heard the story endlessly.”
    “Yes, and without that betrayal, we would have lost that war. Lord Albin and Lady Meerka owe their very position to that betrayal.”
    “So their solution is to come in and make it harder to find the murderer?”
    Torin couldn’t help but grin. “Of course. It’s what the upper classes do best.”
    Danthres barked out a laugh. “How do you do that?”
    “What?”
    “Make me laugh when it’s the last thing I want to do?”
    “Ten years of practice.”
    Shaking her head, Danthres turned to the guard. “You. Find someone intimidating and send him to the castle to fetch the M.E. I don’t care if he has to bodily drag him over here by his ankles, I want that peel-back now . If we can’t talk to witnesses, we’re damn well going to have something by sunup.”
    “Indeed.” Torin followed the guard out the door. “I’m going to go downstairs and see if there are any actual witnesses.”
    Danthres actually smiled at that. “Three coppers says you don’t find any.”
    That caused Torin to laugh as he headed for the hallway. “Since you still owe me from earlier, I’ll take it.”
     
    He was pretty sure he had seen the man with the leather armor and the beard before. Yes, the last time he cast the spells before tonight. Or shortly afterward. Or something.
    But he had spoken to the man with the beard then, definitely. The bearded man looked a bit like the old man who had saved him. Except, of course, the old man had white hair and didn’t wear leather armor.
    But otherwise, they looked a lot alike.
    “That’s a very nice design,” he said to the bearded man. “On your chest, I mean. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
    “It’s a gryphon,” the bearded man said. “It means that I work out of Guard headquarters in the castle.”
    “Castle?”
    “Lord Albin and Lady Meerka’s castle,” the bearded man said slowly.
    “Oh, right, of course, the castle. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m afraid that my memory isn’t what it used to be.”
    The bearded man smiled. “Whose is, truly?”
    He laughed at that. “Good point, very good point, yes, indeed. Er, what was your