Heart Quest by Robin D. Owens

He touched the cat’s pad again, and Rhyz hissed and swatted his hand, claws slightly extended.
    â€œThat was well done,” Danith D’Ash said, and Ilex looked up to see her watching him from the threshold of the door. “You’ve effected some emotional Healing for Rhyz. My thanks.”
    Ilex lifted and dropped a shoulder. “It was nothing.”
    â€œBut you look as if you do it often.”
    Raising an eyebrow, Ilex said, “When I first met your Heart-Mate, he was in a killing rage at having his HeartGift stolen. I assure you, being able to summon calming Flair is necessary in my work.”
    D’Ash nodded.
    â€œDid you notice this cut on his paw?”
    Frowning, D’Ash came over and crouched down, taking Rhyz’s foreleg and extending it so she could examine the paw. Rhyz purred. With fear in her eyes, she said, “I Healed this slice. Yesterday after I got him back, and again last night, when I thought I’d been mistaken that I’d taken care of it.” Her fingers brushed the paw and blue light flowed into it, mending the slash.
    â€œThird time’s a charm,” Ilex offered, hoping it was true.
    D’Ash scowled and took Rhyz. “You can examine the housefluff and puppy now.”
    As Ilex rose, he nodded. “Now that I know what I’m looking for, it should be easier on the other Fams. Did they have knife wounds too?”
    â€œKnife wounds!” She looked horrified.
    â€œT’Ash didn’t see the Fam’s injury, did he?” That man would have recognized knifework when he saw it.
    â€œNo.” She swallowed, petted Rhyz. “The housefluff had a long scratch in her ear. I only Healed it once. The puppy had a puncture in one of his paws. I Healed that one twice.” She shook her head. “Punctures often pick up infection.”
    â€œMay I see the housefluff and pup?”
    She brought them in and he soothed the Fams, then examined them under D’Ash’s watchful eyes. Again, he scented the heavy incense that had lingered on the murder victims. He received impressions of darkness and fear and bad-laughing-howling, nothing more. But he had discovered additional information. There was more than one murderer, not just a killer and accessories, and the incense was unusual. He’d never smelled the combination before, and though he could identify frankincense and myrrh, there was a third elusive scent that could be key to finding the murderers.
    When he looked for the knife scars on the puppy and housefluff, he saw no trace. He grunted. “You do good work.”
    â€œThank you.”
    Clearing his throat, he said, “You know I have a fox Fam—”
    Her eyes lit, but before she could speak, the door opened and one adult and two children walked in.
    GreatLady D’Hazel, the adult, wore a closed expression and stood a little away from GreatLord Vinni T’Vine, who held her youngest child’s hand—Avellana, who was five years old. D’Hazel made a half bow, one GreatLady to another. “Please forgive us the inexcusable breach of your privacy. He ”—she exhaled audibly, gestured to the eleven-year-old Vinni—“insisted we enter.”
    Vinni grinned audaciously. “And hardly anyone ever disagrees with me when I insist.”
    Of course not. He was a prophet. Uncanny.
    He looked down at the small Hazel, and his eyes, which Ilex would have sworn to be green-brown, appeared deep blue. They were an odd trio.
    â€œTime to choose your Fam, Avellana,” Vinni said.
    Danith squatted and held out the housefluff. “Would you like this soft lady housefluff Fam?”
    The housefluff ’s pink nose wrinkled, her long ears twitched.
    â€œPretty,” Avellana declared. She giggled as the puppy raced over and gamboled around her; then her gaze focused on the young tomcat and her eyes lit up. She hurried over to where he’d curled onto a chair, watching them.