Page 118 of Elven Throne

Was that even likely?

Completely oblivious to her concerns, Rowan kept spinning this way and that, making choking noises of disbelief.

That was enough of an irritating distraction to pull Maxwell’s focus away from her; he had no idea what the hell Rowan was going on about.

Neither did Rebecca.

Until she finally looked around to see for herself what had gotten him all riled up again.

This wasnotwhere they’d started.

Definitely not standing at the side of an enormous metal dragon statue off I-70, with their cars parked across the street at the Macs.

She couldn’t saywherethey’d ended up, just that they were outside again and that nothing was the same as where they’d entered the Peddler’s hall. Including the door Rebecca had slammed shut behind them.

She turned to inspect it, finally noticing the difference.

It was still ametaldoor, but the similarities ended there.

This one looked like a panel to an oversized breaker box, or maybe a backup generator.

Maxwell leaned past her, grabbed the handle—which definitely hadn’t existed in the dragon statue’s door—and gave it a quick series of vicious tugs. It didn’t budge.

“Great!” Rowan tossed both hands in the air and let them smack back down against his sides. “I can’t believe this.”

Maleine stood off to the side, arms folded as she watched him from the corner of her eye, looking ridiculously smug. She chuckled and muttered, “This is just too good…”

“We went throughall thatjust to come out who knows where with zero information and fuck all to show for it!”

Commanding her hand not to tremble and expecting it to anyway, Rebecca cautiously pulled the new, unknown item from her jacket pocket.

Maxwell was the only one who’d noticed so far, his eyes widening as he glanced back and forth from her face to the long, narrow roll of ancient, yellowed parchment whispering in her hands.

“Wepaidfor that information,” Rowan ranted. “Fair and square.”

“With some pretty unsatisfactory palm reading,” Maleine remarked.

“Didn’t cost youthatmuch,” Rebecca muttered.

“Yes.Thankyou.” The Blackmoon Elf gestured brusquely toward Rebecca as he glared at his sister. “See? It’s notwhatwe paid. It’s the principle of it. And I haveneverbeen double-crossed by anyone I do business with. I don’t care if they live in a creepy hole in the ground trying to buy corpses or the High Seat of Lashir’i. You don’t screw over somebody you just shook hands and made a deal with!”

Maleine snorted. “You’re just mad that Peddler beat you to it.”

“Wellyeah… There’s that too.” Then Rowan whipped his attention toward Rebecca and Maxwell, spreading his arms. “What? What’s so important you two can’t be bothered by actually matters?”

Staring at the rolled parchment in her hands, Rebecca could have sworn she felt it pulsing with a familiar power despite no outward physical change—which was probably theleasteffective indicator of any important magical artifact anyway.

“I…wouldn’t say we got out of there withnothingto show for it,” she muttered.

“What’s that? Huh?” With his attention now fiercely redirected, Rowan marched back toward them, his eyes wide. “Isthatwhat we paid for? Directions to the records’ location? Fine. Lemme see.”

Before he got anywhere close, Maxwell sidestepped in front of Rebecca to cut the Blackmoon Elf off, warding him off with nothing more than a fiercely warning growl.

Rowan instantly lifted both hands in concession and gave up trying to investigate Rebecca’s new find for himself.

Maleine let out a simpering chuckle. “Whatever you’re feeding him,I’dlike some. Wanna come bodyguardmeawhile, shifter? Little change of pace?”

Rebecca shot the elf woman a scathing look but said nothing.

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