The beast was heavier dead than it looked alive.
Two teams of wardens struggled to drag the Chimera's carcass onto a transport sled. The glass plating scraped against the stone floor with a sound like teeth on a chalkboard. The smell of ozone and raw meat hung in the air, fighting the scent of expensive lilies.
I didn't watch them. I was busy with a table.
"Lift on three," Gareth said.
"One, two, three."
We heaved the heavy oak banquet table back onto its legs. It landed with a solid thud. The surface was gouged where the Chimera's claws had scrabbled for purchase, but the wood held.
"Solid make," Pelham said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a sleeve that used to be pristine white.
"Good cover," I said.
Across the room, the Crown Auditors were swarming Liora and Pierce like seagulls on a fishing boat. They wanted statements. They wanted the ledger. They wanted to know why a monster had interrupted their dessert.
