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“Someone tell me what I'm looking at,” I demanded.

“Uh, we're not sure, sir,” one of the talons securing the scene said.

I stared at the dead man. Woman. Person. Couldn't be sure what they were beyond Chello. The size of the body gave that away. Point for me. The more I stared, the more details popped out at me—chains at wrists and ankles, scorch marks on the wall, glass shards. There was a lot to take in.

As a Claw on Kochan Talon Force, I was used to investigating violence. But this . . . there was something strange about this. I didn't need years of clawing to see that; the greenest talon on the force would know with a single look that this case was different. Something large was afoot.

The sound of someone retching echoed down the basement stairs. I didn't blame them. The murder was a particularly foul one. And to a Chelli, no less. They were some of the gentlest people on Serai. Who would want to murder a Chelli? To do so in such a horrendous way made it seem even more evil.

“Claw Shinkai,” someone said.

I turned to see one of the city horns on the stairs—a Ricarri in uniform. The little silver horn on his left breast told me he was a captain. The crumbs just above that horn told me his morning meal had been interrupted.

The Captain's gray skin glittered as he stepped into the halo cast by the lights spheres the Talon team had brought down to illuminate the crime scene. The basement had lights, but we didn't want to miss anything.

“Yes, Captain?” I clasped my hands together behind my back and peered at the Ricarri.

As an Eljaffna, I was almost as tall as him, but not nearly as wide. My people were known for their willowy forms. His—not so much.

“Captain Trand, sir.” He held out his hand.

I shook it. “Good to meet you, Captain Trand. How may I help the King's Horns?”

“I'm from the castle.” He glanced at the body. “Word has reached us.”

I lifted a brow. There wasn't a lot that surprised me anymore, but the castle's interest in a murder was surprising. In all my years on the force—twenty as a talon and sixty-three as a claw—I had never worked with the castle. Working with the royal castle meant working with the Dragon King. Maybe not directly, but definitely indirectly. The Dragon King didn't involve himself in our affairs. Not usually. He left the criminals to us.

Unless the criminals were targeting him.

I slid my stare back to the poor Shanba. How did the death of a Shanba connect to the King of Rushao? Oh, what a day! It was a terrible one for the Shanba, granted, but for me, things were looking up. My life was an endless series of bad things. Not done to me, but for me to untangle. Figure out. I was constantly thinking like a criminal. It got rather, well, boring. Yes, criminals are boring. Most of them are too stupid for crime. Too stupid for me.

But this was a puzzle of such proportions the Dragon King himself had taken notice. And I'd just gotten to the scene. Of course, the King would be notified of anything unusual immediately and, as I'd said earlier, they hadn't required my expertise to determine that this was an unusual case. Still, I was impressed.

And intrigued.

“How may I serve the King?” I adjusted my question.

“He'd like to speak to you as soon as you've finished your investigation of the scene, sir.”

My brows went higher this time—both of them. “Of course. I will get to work immediately.”

“Very good, sir.” Captain Trand went to stand in the corner.

In a moment, he vanished for me. That's how focused I get when I'm clawing. And claw, I did. I got down in the ashes, clawed through the charred bones, and pulled out the things no one else could find. That's what I did best. It's why it only took twenty years for me to become a claw. Most talons went centuries before getting promoted to my position. But I had a gift.

“Take the body back to the Halls of Talons,” I said to one of the talons. “Sweep up everything. His loved ones deserve to have as much of him as possible to bury.”

“Him, sir?” the talon asked.

I grinned. I wasn't a claw who got annoyed with inquisitive talons. An inquisitive mind was a sharp one, and that meant this man had potential. “Yes. Come here. Let me show you.” I bent beside the body again and the talon joined me. “You see his pelvis? It's robust and wide. Females have lighter pelvis bones adapted to childbirth. And look at the skull. That is a male jaw and brow. More angular and broader. You see?”

The talon nodded, his expression fascinated. “Yes, sir.” He looked at me. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“What's your name?” I stood up.

“I'm Talon Fren.”

“I'll remember you. Good question, Talon Fren. Keep asking those questions.”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”

Captain Trand cleared his throat.

I looked at him. Just looked. He looked away.

I finished making notes in my claw book, tucked it in my coat, then smoothed the fabric. “All right, Captain. Let us proceed to the castle.”

“Yes, sir.” The Captain went up the basement stairs.

I winked at the talon, who snickered, and then I followed the Captain. Yes, I was excited to go to the castle, but that Chelli man deserved my complete attention, and that young talon deserved to have his question answered. The King could wait.

With that thought, an image of the King of Rushao popped into my mind. Tall, broad-shouldered, and with pin-straight raven hair to his waist. He was a striking man who could not go unnoticed, even were he not the King. I'd only seen him a handful of times over my years in the city of Kochan, but every instance left me feeling . . . I don't know. Seeing the King always left a hollow in my chest. As if his visage reminded me that I had nothing but my work. No family, no lover, and very few friends. Why he would affect me like that is a mystery I've yet to solve.

Perhaps I'd do so today. I hurried after the Captain.