Page 84 of Shield of Fire

Of course, it was unlikely we were dealing with a flesh and blood type of giant here, but rather a supernatural—or perhaps even demonic—one.

At least I now knew it was there, and that gave us a chance to plan how we were going to deal with it. I shifted slightly, and then imagined the atrium Cynwrig had briefly described. His map had highlighted the three useable exit points from that area, but we simply didn’t have the time to waste roaming willy-nilly through miles of tunnels.

The vision shifted abruptly, spiraling back up the darkly claustrophobic tunnel until we reached the atrium. It was basically a massive rock cavern with multiple sun tubes dotted across its ceiling. In daylight, they probably bathed the area in golden light, and at night, would draw in the silvery light of the moon. Right now, neither daylight nor starlight was visible, which, given it was dusk, suggested I was seeing this in real time.

A good portion of the area was inaccessible, thanks to an impregnatable wall of shiny black stone. But the intricate carvings and bright splashes of color that remained on the other walls despite the passage of time suggested this place had once been beautiful to behold.

The Eye spun around a forest of stalactites growing in the center of the plaza, in the remains of what had once been a fountain, and then turned to face the tunnel we’d come out of. It had a couple of wavy horizontal lines carved in the stone above the door. Simple but effective signage.

The image faded, but the Eye was not finished with me yet. A new vision rose, one filled with tension and fury. While darkness also dominated this place, it was more the result of the vision being sound only. It had happened before, though I had no idea why some were full of sensory details, and others were not.

But the voices echoing through that darkness were familiar. I’d heard them multiple times now, first discussing my mother’s murder, and then the men who’d been involved in Mathi’s kidnap. It was through one such vision I’d learned that not only had they been sent to question Gilda about the ruby she’d held, but to also seek the other two. I had no idea if they were in any way connected to our mad elves, but I wouldn’t have thought so, given the horrible way she’d died.

How goes the hunt? the man asked, his voice cold and oddly tinny-sounding this time.

Which suggested he was using some sort of voice modulator, and possibly had been all along. And if he was disguising his voice, then he might also be disguising his appearance, even from Carla Wilson, the other partner in this conversation and the woman who appeared to be not only his lieutenant but his day-to-day operations manager.

If true, then whoever this man was, he was someone so important he dare not reveal his identity to even those he trusted most.

Which made it all the more frustrating that I wasn’t getting visuals. Even if the man was hidden or disguised by magic, the background might have given me some clues as to where they were.

The hunt continues at a snail’s pace. Carla’s voice was dry. The council have created a list, but the harpe is not a high priority.

The man swore. And the pixie witch?

Meaning me, of course.

Has not yet taken the bait. It restricts what can and can’t be done.

What damn bait were they talking about? That was definitely something I needed to discover as a matter of urgency.

Loudon?

Remains alive.

That will have to be dealt with. There was pause. I’m aware Gannon is dead, but what of his amplifier?

Unknown, but she is no threat to us.

She might not be, but her mute elf partner could become so. I’d wager she saw and heard far more than Loudon knew.

In that, he was definitely right.

The mad elves seek the amplifier and may yet do the job for us. There was a brief pause. We should have gotten rid of those two when we had the chance.

Fuck, these people not only knew Halak, but whoever Keelakm was. And had, from the sound of things, worked with them. Which made it even more urgent I found Halak before anyone else and somehow made him talk.

They were too useful.

Right until the moment they got what they wanted. This destruction lies at our feet.

We are not responsible for their—or Gilda’s—acquisition of the rubies.

Someone on the council is. The four men gave us that much.

Neither she nor they gave us a name, so it is for the moment a dead end.

Neither she nor they? Did that mean these two had questioned Gilda before she’d been murdered? Or were they the ones who killed her?

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