Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 39

truth. Tonmerion could see it in the surgeon’s face, the
condemning curl in that hairless, sweat-beaded top lip
of his.

‘Please, young sir, it’s about your father’s will.’

The surgeon took a sharp breath. ‘Of course, Lordling.
I shall fetch him for you.’ And with that he turned
on his heel, making to leave. The leather of his shoe
made a little squeak on the white vinyl, but before he
could take a step, the sound of heavy boots was heard
on the stairs. ‘Ah,’ the surgeon said, turning back with
another squeak. ‘Here he comes now. You shall have
your escape, young Master Hark.’
‘Yes, well,’ was all Tonmerion’s tongue could muster.
He folded his arms and watched the barrel of a constable emerge from the stairwell. The constable’s bright
blue coat strained at the seams, pinning all its hopes
on the polished buttons that glinted in the sterile light
of the room. Now here’s a man who has seen too much
of a desk and not enough of the cobbles, his father
would have intoned. Tonmerion almost felt like turning and shushing his dead father.
‘Master Hark,’ boomed the constable, as he shuffled
to a halt at the foot of the table. His eyes were fixed
on Tonmerion’s, but it was easy to see they itched to
pull right, yearned to gaze on the body of Tonmerion’s
father. Tonmerion didn’t blame him one inch. It wasn’t
every day you got to meet a Prime Lord, especially a
freshly murdered one.
‘My apologies for …’ he began, but Tonmerion cut
him off.
‘Apology accepted, Constable Pagget,’ he replied.
‘Have you captured my father’s murderer yet?’
Pagget shook his head solemnly. ‘Not yet, I’m afraid
…’
‘Well, what is being done about it?’
‘Everything that can be done, Master Hark.’
‘Well that’s not …’ Tonmerion began, but it was his
turn to be cut off.

Tonmerion threw him a frown. ‘What about my father’s will? What and where must I sign?’
There was a moment of hesitation, during which the
constable’s mouth fell slowly open, the ample fat beneath his chin gently cushioning the fall. Not a single
sound came forth for quite a while.
‘Whatever is the matter?’ demanded Tonmerion impatiently.
Constable Pagget summoned the wherewithal to shut
his mouth, and soon afterwards he found his voice
too. ‘It’s your father’s last wishes, Master Hark, they
concern you d