The knights tensed but otherwise didn't react. They were professional soldiers and would wait for instructions before allowing themselves to react.
“Professional soldiers,” I murmured and looked over the toy again. Still staring at it, I wandered out of the room.
The King and his knights followed me. Our timing happened to be perfect. The crime team arrived just as we reached the living room. Still focused on the toy, I waved them upstairs. My feet took me across the room and then back again. I should have been exhausted, but ingesting Dragon blood had given me stamina. Extra energy to work off. That stuff was miraculous. Even the King had recovered from his generous donation. He sat down, but other than that, he showed no signs of tiredness.
Back to the toy. I looked closer. “It could be any child.”
“Any child of wealthy parents, you mean,” the King corrected.
“Yes, of course.” I fluttered my hand at him. Why wouldn't he leave? I needed to focus. After cracking my neck, I tried again. “A child of means. The choice is deliberate. A statement. Everything is a clue. What is he saying here? With an exquisite toy? Money splurged on nonsense. A plaything worth more than several meals—food for a family. Interesting.”
I paced more. Back and forth, the motion helping my mind ignore the Dragon blood running through my body and focus on the facts. What did this toy mean? It wasn't just a clue.
I stopped pacing. “Hallaxgral has a distaste for the rich. No, no, that's not true. The Brujai couple is not wealthy. They are not poor either. But they are not wealthy. We cannot assume a prejudice without proof.” I looked harder. A life depended on my discernment. “A soldier. He's wearing a uniform. Gold on the shoulders. He's not infantry. A commanding officer.” I narrowedmy eyes, then pulled out my tube light and aimed it at the toy. The soldier's skin caught the light, glinting silver. “A Ricarri!” I spun to look at the King.
The King shot to his feet. “Is that who he's targeting? The son of a Ricarri officer?”
“Yes! Who leads your army, Your Majesty? A military man of means.”
“General Batan.” The King let out an amazed huff. “He's Ricarri.”
“Where does he live?”
“I don't fucking know!” He looked at his knights.
They both shrugged.
I ran outside. Talon teams always had guards with them whose sole job was to secure the scene. Two talons were out front. They spotted me and came to attention.
“Do either of you know where General Batan lives?” I demanded.
They gaped at me.
“Fuck!” I spun to look down the street. “The one thing I don't know about—the fucking Horns!”
“Tekhan!”
I turned to see the King standing beside his carriage.
“We will find him. Get in!”
I ran for the carriage and jumped inside. We were rolling as soon as the door shut. I gripped the edge of the open windowand glared at the city as if it were withholding the General's location from me.
“We're going to the Hall of Horns.” The King laid his hand over mine. “They will know where Batan is.”
I looked down and realized I had clenched my hand into a fist. I drew my fist out from beneath his hand and opened it. The toy stared up at me. It had left indentations in my palm—that's how tightly I'd been holding it.
“I can't think about the child.” I took an evidence bag out of my coat and put the toy in it before sliding the package into my inner pocket. “If I think too much about him, I won't be able to think of anything else.”
“The child will be fine.” He took my hand again. “The note said tomorrow. That means he has done nothing yet. Nothing fatal, at least.”
I nodded even though I didn't believe that. Anything that helped me focus on the case and not the victims was welcome. Then the carriage stopped.
I moved to get out.
The King stopped me. “Vasren is inquiring. It will be faster.”
I nodded again, the image of the toy soldier filling my mind. Sitting back, I focused on it, hardly noticing that I was holding the King's hand. He wasn't just holding my hand. I was gripping him back. And it felt natural. Odd. I worked alone. I didn't like or need a hand to hold. But this hand felt warm, solid, and steady. It held without constriction. It offered supportwithout interruption. In short, holding the King's hand helped me concentrate.
