Page 16 of The Silver Spider
His accent was funny, a nasal emphasis on the word treasure. She rose, the little silk wristlet containing her new blank checks and banking information in her hand, and left the building, making her way to the little cafe across the street.
Just as Amalie said, it boasted small round tables outdoors directly in line of sight of anyone walking down the block on either side of the street. She ordered a coffee and pastry, which was served in delicate white dishes not made from recycled or reclaimed plastics, and sat.
And waited.
And was about to give up on this being a useless waste of her time when she finally recognized a face. Etienne Rosemont. Serephone rose from her seat, leaving a coin for tip and casually strode down the street in time to intercept him. She saw from her peripheral vision the moment he recognized her. A slight pause in his step then small adjustment as he changed direction. She hoped the quality of her acting was good—she attempted to look surprised.
“The young woman from the club,” he said. He was dressed in daytime attire, slim trousers and a brown suit jacket, both pieces expertly tailored. A bronze cravat around his neck. His hair was pulled back from his face, exposing sharp cheekbones that reminded her of Cinvarra. Serephone’s eyes glanced off the small silver glyph revealed by his hairstyle.
“Mr. Rosemont,” she greeted. “Serephone.”
“Serephone? What an unusual name.”
“I’m told it’s a family name.”
“Oh?” His brow rose.
“My father left when I was young.” Her tone was short. He accepted the rebuff with grace.
“Now that I see you in the light…I’m almost certain I know your face.”
That was exactly what she wanted to hear. “No, really, I’ve never been outside my home town before.”
“And where did you say you were from?”
“Maddugton. Several hours travel on air bus. A short flight for a dragon, perhaps?”
“You know dragons, Serephone?” He sounded amused.
She stared at him, cool. “My mother recently married a dragon Lord—the master of the town I live in.”
“Ah. I see. Well, I won’t keep you on your business. Will I see you this evening?”
She smiled, lowering her lashes. “I believe so. Good day, sir.”
Serephone congratulated herself on conducting an entire conversation with a man without scowling or grunting at him, and walked down the block several feet, pausing causally, and then looking over her shoulder. Etienne was striding away, back towards her.
She turned and followed him, using bystanders to mask herself as often as possible should he happen to glance behind him. But he didn’t, and after two blocks he stopped, and stepped towards the street, lifting a hand in the air. She thought he was hailing a conveyance for hire, but the steam powered buggy was a sleek, polished thing with curtained windows and copper trim. On the side of the buggy was a familiar glyph, emblazoned in silver.
* * *
Runningafter a private steam buggy wouldn’t be a good idea. She was almost certain she could keep up, but in broad daylight, a well-dressed young woman with near shifter speed would bring her the kind of attention she didn’t need.
Serephone glanced around, saw a middle-aged woman passing by, pushing a baby carriage. “Excuse me, Ms.?”
The woman glanced at her, slowed. Serephone pointed at the buggy, talking rapidly. “Do you know what that symbol means? I’m new in town.”
The woman glanced at the buggy, turning a corner. “It looks fae. I don’t know what Line, though. Sorry.”
“No, thank you.”
Serephone contained her small grin of triumph, a hunting instinct jolting her heart rate. Fae? That was good, and bad. Good, because it was a solid lead and narrowed down her prey considerably. Bad…because fae. She didn’t imagine any non-human creature with the money and power to deal in human flesh trading would be an easy mark. If she was smart, she would wait until her mother and Maddugh arrived in the city and began making noise, trying to find her. She knew they were coming, of course. She was a little surprised they weren’t already here.
But now she needed a source of information. Like every child, she’d learned of the days in the past where people could sit down at electronic boxes and learn anything they wanted just by typing in commands. But those days were long gone. And she didn’t have the patience to wait until work this evening—not with the taste of the hunt in her mouth like the tang of blood.
So, a library it was.
* * *
