Page 81 of Lake of Sorrow
Kaylina blushed, remembering doing the same because the ledge had been so slick.
“It happens,” she murmured, then thought back to the body the taybarri had shown her. “Could this weapon be what was used to murder people these last few days? That guy might have just killed your ranger friend.”
“That thought crossed my mind. It would mean that at least one Kar’ruk has been here longer than we suspected. I suppose the group in the preserve could have been in the kingdom for a while too. Observing.” Vlerion’s jaw clenched.
“My brother and I probably weren’t supposed to stumble across them. Maybe they would have gone on observing until…” Until what? She had no idea what they planned. “Oh, wait,” she blurted. “Mitzy implied the Virts are working with some new ally. No, not an ally. Someone they’re using who’s using them right back. Could the Virts have hooked up with the Kar’ruk? Talked them into helping make the rangers look bad for the newspaper? And to further their cause overall?”
“It’s hard to imagine the two groups joining forces or even seeking each other out for a discussion. There haven’t been many instances of humans and Kar’ruk conspiring over the centuries. Usually, the Kar’ruk will, given the opportunity, kill our people on sight.” Vlerion shook his head. “I’m more inclined to believe the Kar’ruk are up to something on their own and that the Virts are capitalizing on it.”
“Why would the Kar’ruk be killing one person at a time and trying to make it look like an animal—or a beast—did it?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Kaylina held up the gauntlet. “Could this at least be used to prove someone is masquerading as the beast? A Kar’ruk?”
“It could be used as evidence to lend credence to that idea, especially if the blades match the wounds on the dead.” Vlerion took it from her. “I don’t know how closely the civilian bodies were examined, but Ravcliff’s would have gone to headquarters for storage before being returned to his family for a funeral. I need to talk to Targon and show him this.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to come with me?”
“Targon forbade me from returning until I’ve proven my innocence.” Kaylina also hadn’t yet gotten to try the new honey on the plant.
Vlerion’s eyes slitted. “He won’t forbid you from anything with me at your side.” His voice came out as a menacing growl.
Kaylina patted his arm. “Go report to him. I need to find Frayvar, make sure the Virts are out of the castle, and…” She still wanted to help him with his problem, and she gazed thoughtfully at the gauntlet.
“Clear your name,” Vlerion finished for her, his tone gruff. It sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
“Naturally, but…” Kaylina plucked the gauntlet from his grip, careful to avoid the blades. “I have an idea.”
“Not one that involves getting caught with that, I hope.” His fingers lifted, as if he might take it back from her, but he waited for her to explain.
“Hopefully not. If I can show this weapon to the right person, we can clear the beast of suspicion, at least when it comes to the recent murders. Look, it’s got Kar’ruk blue gunk on the blades. That’s a giveaway, right?”
Vlerion’s grunt didn’t convey as much agreement as she would have liked. Instead, he asked, “What right person do you have in mind?”
“The journalist writing those articles,” Kaylina said. “He might be convinced to print a retraction.”
“You just suggested the Kar’ruk and the Virts could be aligned. If that were true, the journalist would already know the truth and would be a part of the lie.”
“I didn’t say the convincing would be with words.” She held the gauntlet up and made a swiping motion.
“Are you going to threaten him?” Vlerion arched his eyebrows.
“The Virts seem to know all about my supposedly magical powers now. I might be exactly the right person to intimidate a journalist.” Kaylina showed him her brand and wiggled her fingers.
That earned her another noncommittal grunt. But he relented with, “Wait for me before looking for the journalist. If it makes sense, I’ll do the intimidating.”
“The Virts don’t like you much. And don’t you need to report to Targon?”
“That won’t take long.” Vlerion squinted at her. “Do you know where the press is located? Did your eavesdropping unearth that?”
“No, but we think it’s outside the city. Maybe Frayvar and I can figure it out. We were already talking about hiding alongside the highway in the middle of the night and waiting for another newspaper-filled wagon to pass.”
“That isn’t your mission, Kaylina. And you shouldn’t assume the Virts aren’t dangerous to you.”
“Oh, I’m not.” She remembered the men casually discussing killing her. Mitzy hadn’t wanted her dead, but she was only one person in the organization. “But, as a future ranger, I need to learn to court danger, don’t I?”