Page 7 of The Dragon King’s Claw (The Dragons of Serai #17)

“The floor suits me fine.” I sat down on a thick rug in front of his couch, much as I had in the Panne home. “Mr. Rulli, could you answer some questions for me?”

“Just Rulli.”

I nodded. “Please call me Tekhan.”

His eyes widened. “Thank you. And yes, Tekhan, I can answer any questions you might have. Shall I begin by telling you what I know?”

“Yes, by all means.” I took out my notebook and pencil.

“Vissa is my blooded sister. Because of this, I went into business with her husband, Lansho. He is a good man. Smart, kind, and talented.”

“Talented?” I looked up from my notes.

“We are jewelers. We own a shop together.”

“I see.” I noted that. The occupation was common among Chelli.

As Earth Magic users, they excelled in summoning precious gems and metal from the ground and mountains.

The usual career paths were miners or jewelers.

Sometimes both. “Do you partner with any Ricarri?” This was also common, but I wanted to verify it.

“Yes. We have one Ricarri employee. As I'm sure you know, Ricarri with a talent for fine metal work are hard to find.”

“Yes. Go on, please.”

“Well, yesterday, we were closing shop when Lansho remembered we had a special order due to be picked up that night.”

“Do you often stay open late for customers?”

“As I said, it was a special order and part of the specialness was the collection time. Lansho told me to go home. There was no sense in both of us missing dinner over the order.”

“What was the order?”

He scrunched up his face. “Lansho fulfilled it. I can't remember. I think it was a light tube. I remember a slim, tubular object.”

“That seems an odd commission for a jewelry shop.”

“Sometimes we get requests for specialized tools that require jewels.”

“You mean spell crystals?”

“No, I mean jewels. We don't enchant gems, nor do we work with enchanted gems unless a customer brings one in to be added to a piece.”

“I see. So, you saw nothing unusual in this order?”

“Not enough to warrant anxiety.” Rulli grimaced. “But that was the last time I saw Lansho. I waved—” his voice broke, and he had to rub at his eyes before he could continue. “I waved goodbye, thanked him, and left.”

“And did you lock the door behind you?”

“Yes, of course. Both the back and front doors. The customer knew to knock for entry.”

“I see.” I wrote it all down.

“It was him, wasn't it? That customer killed my brother-in-law.”

“He is a suspect. I must speak to this customer. Did you get a name?”

“Oh, yes. It will all be on the order slip.”

“What about a description? Do you remember what he looked like?”

“Yes, of course. He was . . .” Rulli trailed off. “Huh. It's right there. I can see him but it's blurry.” He shook his head. “I never have trouble remembering someone's face. Especially not a customer.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. Louder, I said, “It sounds like magic is involved.”

“You think he enchanted me?”

“You're certain it was a man?”

“Oh, yes. That much I remember.”

“That makes sense. I believe they used a mask spell.

Such spells are meant to conceal facial features but not sex.

The man would have seemed normal while you were interacting with him but then as soon as he left, the particulars of his face would be erased from your memories.

All you'd see would be a male-shaped blur.”

“I didn't know that was possible.”

“With enough money, it is. Unless this man is a magic-user. Then he could have made the spell himself. I've encountered mask spells several times over the years.”

“I assume this is bad for your investigation.”

“Such tactics have never hindered me. I don't need to know what the criminal looks like in order to find them.”

Rulli smiled, though it was tinted with sadness. “Thank you for that.”

“It's the truth. I will do everything in my power to discover the killer and bring them to the Courts of Teeth for justice.

I'm sure you noticed the royal carriage. The King is with me. This case has caught his interest. That alone should assure you that everything that can be done will be done to solve this case.”

“Yes, I saw the carriage. I wasn't sure if the King . . . why does my brother's murder warrant the attention of the Dragon King?”

“There may be a connection to him. I haven't determined that yet.”

“A connection to the King?”

“Yes, but do not repeat that.”

“I understand. You can rely on my discretion.”

“Good. Thank you. Now, what happened after you left your brother-in-law at the jewelry shop?”

“I came home, had my dinner, and then, just before bed, my sister knocked on our door. She said Lansho hadn't come home. So, I went back to the shop.”

“How did you find it? In what condition?”

“It looked the same as always. Nothing missing. Nothing damage. Just no Lansho.”

“Were the doors locked?”

“No. The front door was open.”

I nodded. “I would like to look around your shop if I may, Rulli.”

“Yes, of course.” He glanced at his front door. “But I hate to leave my sister right now. Can we meet there in two hours?”

“Certainly.” I put my notebook away. “You've already been very helpful. Thank you for your calm. I know this must be taxing.”

“I mourned him last night. It prepared me enough to handle this better.”

“Last night?”

“I went straight to the Hall of Talons after I found the shop empty and open. I reported my brother-in-law missing.” He shook his head.

“They said they'd look into it this morning. That they always wait a few hours before investigating cases like this. Often the missing person returns.” He swallowed roughly.

“But I knew he wasn't coming home. Lansho would never disappear like that. He loves my sister and their children too much. Loved, I mean. Oh, fuck.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

“Go be with your family. Grief sneaks up on you in waves. You think you're strong enough but it waits for a weak moment and then strikes.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Claw—I mean Tekhan. I'll see you in a few hours. It's the Rushao Jewel on Hull Street.”

“Very good. Thank you. And please share the King's condolences with your family at an appropriate time.”

“I will. Thank you.”