The Pegasus's Lament by Martin Hengst Read Free Book Online Page B

wants you to be something you're not. Maybe, just maybe, you were the one who was wrong even asking me in the first place.”
    She stomped away from them, leaving Wynn to deal with both their mounts. Maybe a little extra inconvenience would help him realize what a jackass he was being. Her anger and frustration propelled her deep into Dragonfell before she managed to let go of the worst of her fury. She stopped short and forced herself to take deep breaths, counting to ten as she did so.
    Wynn had called out to her as she left him standing at the gate. She hadn't wanted to return to him then and didn't want to now. She needed some time to herself and the walk through the city to the palace would provide her with ample time to get herself under control before she spoke to the King.
    Now that her head was clearing, it was easier for her to get her bearings. She stood in the shadow of the curtain wall that surrounded the city. There was a throng of people gathered around the end of an alley not too far away. Tia couldn't help but be reminded of her first visit to Dragonfell, when a similar mob had been turned against her. She quickened her pace and walked toward the group. If nothing else, it would sate her natural curiosity.
    Weaving her way through the people milling around, she worked her way toward the mouth of the alley. There were a number of city guards clustered around a crumpled form laying amongst the moldering trash. Tia recognized a broad shouldered man crouched over the body. He was armored in a brightly polished breastplate with a black dragon emblazoned on it.
    “ Valyn!” she called, raising her hand in greeting. The man's eyes flicked up and he smiled as he saw her. Brushing his hands together, he walked over to the edge of the crowd.
    “ Hello Tiadaria. Back in Dragonfell to see the King?”
    “ So you've heard too?”
    The corners of her mouth turned down in a frown. Valyn nodded.
    “I hear most of what's on the King's mind sooner or later,” he said with a sigh. Tia wondered what might be so troublesome as to bother the otherwise imperturbable Captain of the City Guard, but he blundered on before she could get a word in edgewise. “I'm glad you happened by here actually. I could use your opinion...in an official capacity.”
    “ Of course, Valyn. Anything I can do to help.”
    The knight beckoned for her to follow and lead the way to the corpse in the alleyway. Valyn hesitated as he crouched next to the body as if steeling himself for something unpleasant. It was strange to Tia that a man so accustomed to death on the battlefield should be squeamish about any other sort of body.
    When he rolled the man over, Tia understood why he had hesitated. The man, if that was really what it had been, bore only a vague resemblance to a living human being. The skin had been drawn back tight against the bones, every ridge and curve showing through the pallid skin. There were some rust colored stains around the mouth, nose, ears, and eyes and she realized with a sudden lurch in her stomach that those were bloodstains.
    “ What happened to him?” she asked, aghast.
    “ I don't know.” Valyn's eyes searched her face. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
    Tia got down on one knee and took a closer look at the body. It was nothing like anything she had ever seen. Though she wasn't as widely traveled as Faxon, she had seen many things while traveling on assignment for the quintessentialist or the King. She'd seen people die in some pretty horrific ways, but this was different. Shifting into the Quintessential Sphere, she reached out and tentatively touched the body.
    It was cold and there was a definite magical resonance about it. Tia didn't dare delve any deeper into the Sphere while Valyn was standing there. She could come back later and do some mystical investigation, or better yet, she could convince Faxon to do it. He, at least, didn't need an alibi to use his connection to the Sphere.
    “I've