Chapter Two
Tired from his nocturnal adventures of the night before, Konrad hoped for a decent rest to follow. He was never at his best when he was sleep-deprived, and he had a feeling that the Orlov case would be tricky.
But it was not to be. After a few hours of uninterrupted slumber, Konrad was dragged out of sleep by Ootapi.
The Malykt sends us again, said the splintered-ice voice of the male serpent.
Is it Orlov? he queried.
It is another, Eetapi told him in her melodic tones.
Another what? Another corpse? Konrad was out of bed in an instant, quickly shaking off sleep. He dressed rapidly and made his way in silence to the rear door of his city house. As he stepped out into the night, his serpent-spectres streamed ahead of him, their translucent shapes clearly visible to his eye.
