Page 31 of Queen Takes Sunfires 2
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
I shrugged and walked toward the broken window. “There were twenty-three skeletons waiting out here for her as we escaped the building. Why don’t you count the number of piles and see if that’s right.”
Not waiting for him, I stepped into the ruined hotel room. Sprinklers had kicked on before the roof had gone, but smoke still hung heavy in the air, and the carpet squelched beneath my boots. Aurelian’s dust pile had turned into a weird pasty mud. A glint of something gold caught my eye. Grimacing, I swished my fingers through the gunk to fish out a gold medallion embellished with a man’s face. A blazing sun crowned his head with long, pointed rays. On the other side was an Egyptian eye.
I glanced around the room, searching for the soldier’s sword. That would definitely prove my point to Harris. I tried to remember if I’d seen it on the floor before we went out the window, but I didn’t think it’d been there. In fact, none of the weapons were left behind. Forged steel would be nearly impossible for her to destroy completely. She could have melted them down perhaps—if she was as powerful as I suspected she could be. But there’d be some traces of hardened steel.
“Whatcha got?” Harris asked at the window.
I handed him the golden medallion. “I think it was on his shoulder to hold a cape. What are those things called?”
“Some kind of brooch, maybe.” He dropped it into another baggy, though he muttered under his breath about fingerprints. “Anything else?”
“Did you see any weapons outside? Like swords, even broken ones? Shards? Anything like that?”
“No. Maybe a looter got here before us.”
I snorted. “Yeah, looters are always hanging around pay-by-the-hour motels, hoping to score some sick medieval weaponry.”
He gave me a warning look though he did nod grudgingly. “The manager might have scooped them up.”
“Maybe. Though I suspect he hightailed it out of here as soon as the fire broke. He wouldn’t want to be associated with any meth lab operating under his nose.”
“I’ll go see if I can find him.”
I nodded, though I didn’t think he’d have much luck. I scanned what remained of the ceiling, trying to tell if there were any more paw prints around. But it was too damaged and blackened. If those dogs had been here, I couldn’t tell. My wolf sense couldn’t pick up anything but smoke either.
Heading back outside, I stared off into space, letting my mind wander. What could have taken the weapons? Maybe the swords had been sucked back through time and space to Heliopolis? Or had one of the other Soldiers of Light followed and removed the evidence? Maybe to hide the fact that some skeleton soldiers had been here in case any humans got curious. But then why not remove the piles of dust outside, or at least brush them away?
Dawn brightened the sky. I watched as the sun rose, searching the sky for any hint of the sunfires she’d feared so much. I stared until my eyes watered, but nothing happened. Giving myself a good shake, I turned away, but something glinted in the trees, catching my attention. The brighter the sun shined, the more the spot seemed to glitter.
If it was one of those Soldiers of Light again…
Grimly, I unholstered my handgun, though I knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop them. At least I’d get a few shots off to warn Harris. He’d know immediately what gunfire meant.
I crossed the narrow parking lot and stepped into the trees, working my wolf nose. I smelled the rabbit I’d seen yesterday, but nothing else suspicious. No burning odor. No prints in the soft loam. The underbrush thickened, and I couldn’t hide my passage through the trees. Though the glittering spot didn’t move away to evade me, nor did it close on me to attack.
Finally, I pushed through a thick clump of brambles to a small clearing. Light bounced across the ground, shining through heavy spruce branches. Someone had tried to hide the pile, though as the sun shone brighter, so did whatever they’d piled beneath the leafy greens.
I listened intently, straining to hear anything alive. Any threat. Birds chirped and tweeted. A bossy squirrel chittered at me from one of the trees, furious at the intrusion.
“Wild Man!” Harris called.
“Here,” I yelled back as I carefully toed one of the branches aside.
Brilliance attacked my eyes, involuntarily making them squeeze shut. I used my hand to shade my face, peeking through my fingers long enough to see a sword.
“Whatdya find?”
Without answering, I stepped aside, letting the full brilliance shine at him.
“Son of a bitch!” He staggered back and slammed up against one of the trees, shielding his eyes with his forearm. “What the fuck is that?”
“The missing swords and shields. But who put them here? Why hide them, rather than take them? They must be worth a fortune.”
“How many different sets of these soldier skeletons are after our mystery lady?”
My stomach tightened. Yeah, I could see one group coming along behind, taking just long enough to hide the evidence of the other squad’s demise, before continuing the chase. “Fuck. Did you find the manager?”
