The Deer Prince's Murder: Book Two of 'Fantasy & Forensics' (Fantasy & Forensics 2) by Michael Angel Page B
Authors: Michael Angel
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Fitzwilliam turned away from me and stalked back towards the palace, his royal robes torn and smudged with grass stains.
“Dayna,” Galen said in a low voice, “what, pray tell, shall we do now?”
For a moment I simply remained where I was, stunned at this sudden reversal of fortune. I looked to my friends. Saw them waiting. For me to take charge.
I’d done it before. Though I had no idea what to do, maybe I could make it up on the fly.
What other choice did I have?
I released Vazura’s shoulder and let it slump into the soft grass. Steeled myself to do what I needed, just as whenever I’d stumbled across a particularly awful murder scene with the LAPD’s finest watching me. Though I felt as rattled as dice in a cup, I’d be damned if I let it stop me.
“Galen,” I directed, “I’m going to want to analyze the remains of…well, whatever that thing was you zapped. Go gather up the dust and whatever else you find in a bag, before the wind scatters it to kingdom-come.”
The centaur nodded, and then trotted a few yards away to begin the task. I looked at the griffin next and pointed skyward.
“Shaw, I want you airborne. Do a circuit above, see likely paths of entry for something that flew in. Then inspect the rampart. Check for scents, items left behind. Sing out if you find anything, no matter how small or inconsequential it seems.”
“Aye, gladly.” The griffin launched himself into the air.
“Liam, I need you here with me. Use your fey magic to detect and find any magical trace or ‘spoor’ in the area. Start here at Vazura’s body and then spiral out across the green.”
“Of course, Dayna,” he said. Canting an antler at me, he asked, “What do you plan to do?”
I took another deep breath to steady myself. “I’m going to inspect the body for wounds. See what it can tell us about Vazura’s death.”
With that, I turned my attention back to the captain. His body was heavy, and worse, it was indeed still warm. It gave me the shivers as I realized how far outside my element I felt.
I did my best to put my feelings aside and began my visual sweep of the body. God! Not a minute before, this had been a man who’d given me my first ray of hope in this nightmare. Now he was just ‘the body’. I didn’t come across any interesting marks or wounds on the captain’s feet, legs, or torso. I paused as a shadow fell across my vision.
Galen’s voice came from above me. “This wasn’t your fault, Dayna.”
I looked up to see the centaur looming over me. His face, with its wild, dark hair and bushy eyebrows, was sad and gentle. In one strong hand he grasped a brown cloth bag tied shut with a drawstring.
“I know,” I breathed. “I’ve never had to examine someone like this. So freshly…in fact, I’ve never seen anyone die in front of me before. And Vazura seemed so damned sure that he could come up with some way to defeat Sirrahon.”
“Mayhap that was the likely reason for his assassination?”
“As likely as the sun rising in the east tomorrow morning, my friend.” I nodded at the bag. “Not much in there, I gather.”
“Two handfuls of rock dust, nothing more. There is nothing distinctive about the collected material, at least to my untrained eye.”
“Alas, for I did not find a spoor of any kind,” Liam added as he returned.
Shaw landed with a muffled thump on the grass next to us. “I also found no scent, no trace, no objects on the parapet. Nor anywhere else.”
“Great,” I groused, “that’s singularly unhelpful.”
“Similar news I must convey,” Shaw continued. “Mine own fortunes amongst my clan were similarly full of vagaries. Yet not completely without import, methinks.”
“Let’s hear it,” I sighed.
“Upon the mere mention of the name ‘Sirrahon’, my clan’s elders acted as if they’d stuck their beaks into a hornet’s nest. Worse, they withdrew into counsel and bade me return the next day past noon!” The griffin made a disgusted
“Dayna,” Galen said in a low voice, “what, pray tell, shall we do now?”
For a moment I simply remained where I was, stunned at this sudden reversal of fortune. I looked to my friends. Saw them waiting. For me to take charge.
I’d done it before. Though I had no idea what to do, maybe I could make it up on the fly.
What other choice did I have?
I released Vazura’s shoulder and let it slump into the soft grass. Steeled myself to do what I needed, just as whenever I’d stumbled across a particularly awful murder scene with the LAPD’s finest watching me. Though I felt as rattled as dice in a cup, I’d be damned if I let it stop me.
“Galen,” I directed, “I’m going to want to analyze the remains of…well, whatever that thing was you zapped. Go gather up the dust and whatever else you find in a bag, before the wind scatters it to kingdom-come.”
The centaur nodded, and then trotted a few yards away to begin the task. I looked at the griffin next and pointed skyward.
“Shaw, I want you airborne. Do a circuit above, see likely paths of entry for something that flew in. Then inspect the rampart. Check for scents, items left behind. Sing out if you find anything, no matter how small or inconsequential it seems.”
“Aye, gladly.” The griffin launched himself into the air.
“Liam, I need you here with me. Use your fey magic to detect and find any magical trace or ‘spoor’ in the area. Start here at Vazura’s body and then spiral out across the green.”
“Of course, Dayna,” he said. Canting an antler at me, he asked, “What do you plan to do?”
I took another deep breath to steady myself. “I’m going to inspect the body for wounds. See what it can tell us about Vazura’s death.”
With that, I turned my attention back to the captain. His body was heavy, and worse, it was indeed still warm. It gave me the shivers as I realized how far outside my element I felt.
I did my best to put my feelings aside and began my visual sweep of the body. God! Not a minute before, this had been a man who’d given me my first ray of hope in this nightmare. Now he was just ‘the body’. I didn’t come across any interesting marks or wounds on the captain’s feet, legs, or torso. I paused as a shadow fell across my vision.
Galen’s voice came from above me. “This wasn’t your fault, Dayna.”
I looked up to see the centaur looming over me. His face, with its wild, dark hair and bushy eyebrows, was sad and gentle. In one strong hand he grasped a brown cloth bag tied shut with a drawstring.
“I know,” I breathed. “I’ve never had to examine someone like this. So freshly…in fact, I’ve never seen anyone die in front of me before. And Vazura seemed so damned sure that he could come up with some way to defeat Sirrahon.”
“Mayhap that was the likely reason for his assassination?”
“As likely as the sun rising in the east tomorrow morning, my friend.” I nodded at the bag. “Not much in there, I gather.”
“Two handfuls of rock dust, nothing more. There is nothing distinctive about the collected material, at least to my untrained eye.”
“Alas, for I did not find a spoor of any kind,” Liam added as he returned.
Shaw landed with a muffled thump on the grass next to us. “I also found no scent, no trace, no objects on the parapet. Nor anywhere else.”
“Great,” I groused, “that’s singularly unhelpful.”
“Similar news I must convey,” Shaw continued. “Mine own fortunes amongst my clan were similarly full of vagaries. Yet not completely without import, methinks.”
“Let’s hear it,” I sighed.
“Upon the mere mention of the name ‘Sirrahon’, my clan’s elders acted as if they’d stuck their beaks into a hornet’s nest. Worse, they withdrew into counsel and bade me return the next day past noon!” The griffin made a disgusted
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