Page 57 of Shield of Fire

Jaikyl smiled and through Margaret said, “He tried. She, like you, did not drink.”

I wondered if the wood song had warned her something was wrong, or if she’d simply sensed the oddness in his behavior. She’d always been far better at reading people than me, and she’d had the extra advantage of knowing him. “Was she there about the shield and its rubies?”

“No,” Jaikyl said. “Something called Ninkil’s Harpe.”

I just about choked, and hastily took a sip of tea. “Are you sure?”

Jaikyl gave me a look that suggested even asking that question was offensive. I held up a hand. “Sorry, it’s just that I hadn’t even heard of the harpe until yesterday, and now it seems to be everywhere. Did Loudon know anything?”

She wavered a hand, then signed. I glanced at Margaret, who said, “He told her he didn’t, but he lied. He rang someone almost as soon as she left, letting them know.”

“You don’t know who?”

She shook her head again. Frustration stirred, so thick that the bitter taste of bile briefly rose. It was always one step forward, two steps back when it came to finding any information about what had led to Mom’s murder. “And was this eight or nine months ago, as Loudon has said?”

“Yes,” Margaret said, watching her wife sign. “After the call, he went into his vault and destroyed several oldish minute books. I don’t know what they contained, as I don’t have access to the vault. But it was broken into several days later.”

My heart skipped several beats again. It was definitely getting a good workout today. “Do you know by who?”

“No. But the power was cut, the backup generator failed to cut in, and the protection spells were sliced apart.”

Sliced apart... by knives capable of countering any sort of magic, perhaps? The same knives I still wore?

“Was anything stolen? Did Loudon report either the break-in or the theft?”

“To the police? No. But he did ring someone. He was, in fact, rather frantic. Apparently the scrolls taken contained information regarding Ninkil, whoever he might be.”

Mom. It had to be. It was too much of a coincidence, given what Beira had said about her having unsettling visions about the rat god. She’d come to Loudon for advice and had known he was lying, even without using her pixie magic.

“Did he mention the harpe?”

“Only to assure whoever was on the other end that there was no mention of it in the scrolls taken. It would be reasonable to assume that information was contained in the ones he destroyed.”

There couldn’t have been too much information in them, given Beira’s belief Ninkil’s people continued to search for the harpe. But maybe that wasn’t what had been destroyed. Maybe, given what Jaikyl had said about them being minute books, they were far more recent records—perhaps ones that contained the details of all those who belonged to the rat god club. It would make sense to destroy them if they’d been worried about Mom getting too close, especially given they hadn’t stolen the hoard at that point.

So, if Mom did steal the scrolls, where were they? I hadn’t seen any lying about at the tavern, so maybe she’d checked them and then handed them on to either the council or perhaps even the museum. I’d better ask Lugh about them when I saw him again—he’d at least know if the latter had happened.

“How did you manage to overhear any of this?” I asked curiously. “I’d have thought someone in Loudon’s line of work wouldn’t allow any of his employees anywhere near secure areas.”

“He doesn’t,” Jaikyl said. “But one of the benefits of being a mute is the fact most people tend to think it extends to hearing and sight. I also know most of his access codes. I can’t get into the vault, of course, because he uses an eye scanner, but I can get close enough when he’s inside to hear his side of any conversation. He rarely locks the door, you see. Got caught in there once and had to hire a locksmith and coder to break him out.”

I couldn’t help smiling. He didn’t sound like the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I guessed even the most intelligent man could get caught by circumstances occasionally. “Was Gannon aware of Loudon’s destruction?”

“He never mentioned it to me,” Margaret said. “It’s possible, though, given they’ve been working together for a very long time.”

It was also possible that Gannon had no idea Loudon was a rat god devotee. I mean, why else would he have been keeping the minute records?

Which meant, of course, that Loudon and I needed to have a serious conversation. Eljin’s seductions plans for the night were becoming less and less likely to happen.

“Did Mom happen to stop by Gannon’s shop any time around her visit to Loudon, either before or after?”

“Not that I’m aware of, and I work there most days.”

“What do you actually do?” I asked curiously. “You’re obviously more than a mere storekeep selling trinkets to tourists.”

“I’m their researcher. I have a gift for talking to those who once were.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You’re a medium?”

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