Tharion said nothing, idly twirling a ribbon of water between his fingers. The mer were similar to the water sprites in that regard—able to summon water from thin air.
Ithan began to pace through the clearing, careful of the tracks—noting and scenting the slight disturbances in the dirt and leaves and sticks.
He sniffed again, brain downloading and sorting all those scents.
“Wouldn’t your wolf form be easier?” Tharion asked, leaning against a tree.
“No,” Ithan lied, and kept moving. He couldn’t bear to take that form, to feel that empty-souled wolf.
He sniffed a few more times, then stalked up to Tharion and said quietly, “There’s a human female scent all over this scene. But the second scent—it’s a human male. A little strange, but human.” Exactly as Ithan would have described a part-thunderbird human. “It’s only on the selkie. A little whiff.”
“So what does that tell you?” Tharion asked with equal quiet, monitoring the others documenting the crime scene.
“My guess?”
“Yeah, tell me your gut impressions.”
Ithan noted the mer around him. Their hearing might not be as keen as his, but … “I think we should be somewhere more secure.”
Tharion made a hmm of contemplation. Then he called to the group of investigators, “Any further insights, kids?”
No one answered.
Tharion sighed. “All right. Let’s get her bagged up and brought back to the lab. I want tests done as soon as possible, along with an ID.”
The others broke apart, heading to the aquatic vehicles lined up along the Blue River’s edge, tethered in place with their water magic. Leaving Ithan and Tharion with the body.
The mer male arched a brow. “I need to head to the Blue Court, but I’d like to hear your findings while they’re fresh. Do you have time?”
“I got nothing but time,” Ithan answered.
He wondered when having all that time would stop feeling like such a chore.
“So, let’s hear it,” Tharion said as he slumped into his office chair and turned on his computer.
Ithan Holstrom stood at the wall of glass, gazing out at the deep blue of the Istros, observing the fish and otters dart past. The wolf had said little while Tharion had brought him Beneath, though from his wide eyes, it was clear he’d never been here before.
Ithan said without turning, “Let’s assume the players involved are the ones we think they are. I think the selkie found the kid, helped him on his way toward Lunathion. Not soon afterward, given how his scent is still on her clothes, the selkie was found and tortured by a human woman for intel on Emile’s location. From what we know about her, my guess is Pippa Spetsos.”
Tharion’s mouth twisted to the side. “My techs said the kill was about a day old. That line up with your info?”
“Yeah, though probably less than a day. But the kid’s scent on her clothes was older than that. Only by six hours or so.”
“Why?” Tharion propped his chin on his hands.
“Because she couldn’t have gone in the water—or changed her clothes, if the scent was still on her. As far as I know, selkies rarely go a day before shifting and swimming. The water would have washed the kid’s scent from her.”
Tharion considered, turning over the information in his mind. “We didn’t pick up any tracks from the kid in the clearing, though.”
“No,” Ithan agreed, turning back to him. “Emile was never in that clearing. The selkie must have come there afterward.”
Tharion peered at the map of Crescent City and its surrounding lands behind his desk. “That spot is between the boat I investigated and the city. If he linked up with the selkie somewhere around there, he is indeed moving toward Lunathion. And if that kill is less than a day old, he might have just gotten here.”
“And Pippa Spetsos, if that’s whose scent was on the female, could be here as well.”
“Or one of her soldiers, I guess,” Tharion admitted. “Either way, Lightfall is near. We need to be careful.”
“Pippa is a human woman.”
“She’s a dangerous rebel, capable of killing Vanir thanks to those gorsian bullets. And a psychopath who delights in killing even the most innocent. We’re not going near her without prep and thought.” Hopefully they would find Emile first and not need to deal with Pippa at all.
Ithan snorted. “We can take her. My brother took down Philip Briggs.”
“Something tells me Pippa might be worse than Briggs.”