“For the sake of all that's holy!” I leaned forward. “You just smelled the evidence.”
“Yes, it reeks. So what?”
I pressed my lips together and sought calm before I spoke. “Look at where we are, Your Majesty.”
“Yes.”
“Now,think!I know you are not a stupid man. Prove it.”
“I am unfamiliar with that odor, Claw Shinkai!” the King snapped. “So, just fucking tell me what it is.”
“Oh.” My irritation drained. There I was thinking he was an idiot, when it was I who was behaving like one. Of course, the Dragon King wouldn't recognize the scents. I rolled my eyes. “Yes, sorry. Uh, these odors are emitted during the tanning process.”
The King looked around. “Ah. I see.” He looked back at my shirt. “It must have been on his hands.”
“Yes. And I was just about to discover which of the many leather shops in the district are owned by Brujai when you dashed up and scared away my informant.”
“Youdashed out of the carriage without telling me why!”
Around us, citizens relaxed enough to go back to their business, but they still gaped at us as they passed by. And listened. I lifted a brow at a Tyasmoran who was being obvious about it, and he hurried along.
“And therefore you shouldn't be investigating with me!” I pointed at him. “I need to move on a moment's notice, not have to explain myself as I'm doing now. We are wasting time! The murderer could have noticed us by now. This commotion you've caused is impossible to ignore.”
“I did not cause this. If you had only taken three seconds to tell me you were chasing a lead, I wouldn't have reacted so aggressively.”
“Ugh! You need to leave!”
Instead of leaving, the King looked at his knights. “Sir Vasren. Sir Gilhu. Find out which leather shops are owned by Brujai.” To the driver, he added, “And you, park the carriage a block down.” He pointed down the street.
The knights jumped off the carriage and dashed down the sidewalks.
“Gods damn you!” I snarled. “That will alert the murderer!”
“How?” The King crossed his arms.
“You don't think people will notice two Dragon knights making inquiries?” I shook my head and dashed down the sidewalk. The best I could hope for was that I got to the shops at the end before the rumors did.
“Don't run away from me!” The King joined me, keeping pace and clearing the sidewalk with his presence.
“Go away!” I hissed at him.
“No!”
“Fuck me,” I muttered. Then I realized what I said and added, “That wasn't an invitation.”
The King snorted a laugh.
“At least go on the other side of the street. Maybe we can herd the murderer toward your knights.”
King Tor'rien scowled but then dashed across the street to the opposite sidewalk and resumed running, keeping pace with me once more. Glancing at him, a sliver of bafflement joinedmy irritation. Why wouldn't he go back to his castle and leave me alone? Why was he inserting himself in my investigation? It made no sense. If anything, he should have sent a representative with me. He certainly shouldn't be running down a sidewalk like a newbie talon, hunting a murderer. Without his guards.
Fuck. I was leading the Dragon King toward a murderer who may or may not be plotting to kill him.
On the heels of that thought came a contradictory one. The murderer couldn't be after the King. If he was, he wouldn't have commissioned a fire weapon. Dragons are immune to fire. That tube was useless against the King. So, if he wasn't plotting against the King, what was he up to?
I reached the end of the district and dashed into the first shop. No Brujai. Out I went. Into the next and the next and the next. Then, as I was exiting a shop, I heard a commotion. On my side of the street, the crowd rippled like water. Someone had dashed out of a shop and onto the sidewalk. I saw the horns—little horns that graced the temples of every male Brujai. Then the man looked over his shoulder, and our stares met. His eyes narrowed, and then he ran.
Toward me.
