Page 47 of Shield of Fire

She wheeled a tea trolley in, her gaze lowered, appearing to concentrate on where she was going rather than meeting anyone’s eyes. The faint dusting of gold across her skin suggested she was of Moelyn stock—one of the servant class light elf lines—though her hair was brown rather than their usual dark gold. After placing the tray on the table, she turned, her gaze briefly meeting mine. Her brown eyes—which were, like her cheeks, flecked with gold—held a warning. Of what, I couldn’t say, nor did the music elaborate. Then her gaze dropped, and she stepped past me, quickly leaving the room.

But the floorboards’ song of her steps halted not all that far up the hallway, and then it altered, rippling lightly as a finger ran across its surface. It was a message written into the music—a warning not to drink the tea, and a request to meet her, with a time and place given. There was a pause in the music before she added, Do not share. We will only meet you.

Then her finger lifted from the floor, and she moved on.

Leaving me wondering why she didn’t want Eljin to accompany me and how I was going to get away from him and his seduction plans in a few hours’ time.

“Please, help yourself,” Loudon said.

I jumped fractionally. Eljin raised his eyebrows questioningly, but Loudon was watching us, so I simply picked up the teapot and began to pour. There were two cups on the tray, not three.

“You’re not having one?” I asked Loudon.

“No, it’s too late in the day for me to be drinking any sort of caffeine.”

While I could hear no lie in the response, the maid’s warning loomed large. I handed Eljin a cup, briefly meeting his gaze in an effort to impart a silent warning, then poured milk into mine and picked it up. I didn’t take a sip, however, just nursed it instead.

“Do you read the scrolls when you buy them?” I asked.

He half shrugged. “Sometimes, depending on their state. I did not risk doing so with this one.”

“You’ve nothing else in your archives about the shield or its rubies?” I asked.

“I don’t believe so, but let me check.” He pressed a button on the side of his desk; a portion of the top slid aside and a computer rose. He tapped the keyboard for several seconds then shook his head. “Nothing on file, I’m afraid.”

“What about Ninkil’s Harpe?” I asked impulsively.

Something flared in his gaze. Something close to fear. It never touched his frozen features though, and certainly didn’t color his reply. “Ninkil? The Rat God? Not a favorite among many collectors, including me, I’m afraid.”

“Can you check?”

He shrugged and did so. “Again, nothing on file, I’m afraid.”

Again, I just didn’t believe him, but straight out calling him a liar would only get us marched straight out the door. Better to keep him onside, at least for the moment.

“Ah, well, it was worth a try,” Eljin said, his tone philosophical. “When the scroll is returned, would it be possible to view it then?”

“Of course.” His gaze came to mine, and there was something more than mere curiosity there. There was an intentness that didn’t mesh with his earlier easygoing manner. “May I ask, why are you so interested in the Eyes of Hephaestus or even the harpe? I couldn’t imagine the museum would want the latter on display, given how dangerous it is purported to be.”

“We were just following up on some notes I found in my predecessor’s desk.” Eljin shrugged. “We were coming down this way anyway, so I thought it worth dropping by.”

“Then you’re not following in your mother’s footsteps and becoming a hunter?” Loudon asked, with an oddly intent gaze my way.

I smiled, although the unease increased. “Sadly, I don’t have her skills or her knack for finding things.”

“Ah, that is a shame.”

“Not really, given relic hunting is what led to her murder.”

Shock ran through his expression. It was very quickly controlled, but it nevertheless made me relax a little. Whatever was happening here, it didn’t involve Mom or her murder. Maybe I needed to come back here and talk to him alone.

“I didn’t know,” he murmured.

“That’s hardly surprising, given you weren’t even aware she was dead,” I said. “The IIT are dealing with it.”

“Sgott is not a man I’d want to be on the wrong side of, that’s for sure.” He pushed to his feet. “If there’s nothing else, I’m afraid the irritating business partner I mentioned earlier wishes to meet with me.”

I placed my untouched tea back on the tray, then accepted Eljin’s still full cup and placed it beside mine. Either he’d caught my warning or his ability to “read” people had him suspecting Loudon’s tea-offering motives.

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