Page 20 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
She waits expectantly, but I have no more to add. I can almost hear her thoughts scrambling as she searches for a comeback, but she never gets a chance because someone runs in, screaming hysterically.
“Neutro Cindergrasp’s been murdered in the privy!”
Shock strikes me. A murder? Here? Who would dare? Neutros aren’t popular folk, but we are in Castle Stonefall.
I look down at Rhealyn.
No! Not Rhealyn. Wyndward or Skysinger Wyndward, nothing else.
She’s watching the chaos unfold, frowning and rubbing at a spot in her right hand. Earlier, on the balcony, I thought I noticed she had?—
“Primes, join me,” the Commander calls, climbing onto the dais and urging us with quick hand gestures.
“Go join the other Skyriders,” I tell Wyndward, then leave without a backward glance.
I cut through the agitated crowd and reach the Commander before the others.
She shakes her head. “This is bad.”
I nod in agreement. This isn’t our jurisdiction, but we are trained for this type of emergency, and no one else here is. We have to take charge. Commander Voltguard isn’t one to shy away from responsibility. She has been my mentor in more than one way. I wouldn’t be here if not for her. Whatever orders she has for me, I’ll see them through.
When everyone arrives, she says, “I know the Rite of Flight isn’t quite done yet, but it may have to wait. Right now, we need to act quickly and manage this situation. Emberstone, secure the crime scene.”
Isolde Emberstone, the Skyblaze Prime, leaves without a moment’s hesitation. I’m not the only one who is loyal to the Commander.
“Wavecaller, secure all the exits. No one is to leave until the proper measures are taken, except for Rockshield.” She turns to the Skydune Prime. “Go and fetch Chief Inspector Cragmere. Do not return without him. Make haste.”
The Primes leave, the crowd parting as they run to follow orders.
“The rest of us,” she says, “let’s appease this crowd. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, ask if anyone saw anything. If they did, take down their names, so we can expedite things for the Chief Inspector.”
“Yes, Commander,” we say in unison.
Before I can leave, however, she grabs my arm and holds me back. “You’re in charge of the Skyriders,” she says. “Gather them in one place and question them. I hope to Heratrix none of them had anything to do with this.”
9
Rhea
Every muscle in my body is a tight wire. I had hoped we would be gone from the party before anyone discovered the body. That would have been nice. I would have still qualified as a suspect, but the window of opportunity would have shrunk considerably.
But no matter. I knew this might happen. All I have to do is keep my nerves under control and not give anything away.
I find Silas and Nate Torchfist, the other Skyblaze chosen.
“So how about that?” he says. “Someone offed the old bastard.”
I frown at the contempt in his voice. Interesting. He doesn’t show the least bit of consternation over the death of the Neutro—one of the elites in Silas’s upper echelons.
“He was a bastard,” Silas says, noticing my frown. “My father knew him back in the day. He says Cindergrasp didn’t get where he was by, let’s say, honorable means.”
Adelaide Icesurge appears behind Silas and places a hand on his arm. Wow, she moves fast! She’s never been part of our group—not for lack of trying—but she’s wasting no time making up for lost time. Her brown hair has a silver streak in the front that matches her pale eyes and skin, a coloring common to people from the Ivorycrest region, Tide elementals who can wield their power to control and transform water into ice with effortless grace.
“Do tell us more,” she says.
Silas lowers his voice so only we can hear. “Apparently, in the beginning, when he was just getting started and no one knew who he was, Cindergrasp used to sell his Neutro services to anyone who would buy them.”
“What do you mean?” Adelaide asks.
